FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1886, Confederate blockade runner and CSS Florida commander John Newland Maffitt died. Maffitt is credited with making the Confederacy’s last blockade run in the lower Cape Fear region and capturing 23 Union ships. Born at sea, he spent part of his youth near Fayetteville and later retired to a farm near Wrightsville Beach.

A Superior Court judge ordered a North Carolina wedding photography company accused of scamming couples out of nearly a $1million to deliver their photos and videos. Learn more in Top Stories.

Today’s sponsor, Doroni, is developing a personal electric aircraft designed to make everyday air travel more practical with a compact flying vehicle that charges like an EV, fits in a standard garage, and is built for consumer use rather than commercial fleets.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

NC Lawmakers Combat Predatory Ticket Resales

North Carolina lawmakers and venue operators are pushing the bipartisan Real Tickets, Real Fans Act to combat predatory ticket resale practices.

Senate Bill 849 would ban the use of bots and speculative ticket sales, and prohibit deceptive language, images, and URLs that drive up prices and lock out genuine fans.

Sponsoring Sens. Jay Chaudhuri (D-NC15), Vickie Sawyer (R-NC37), and Timothy Moffitt (R-NC48) say the bill would require resellers to clearly identify themselves as such, provide links to primary sellers, and eliminate misleading tactics. It comes as fans, including those seeking Carolina Hurricanes playoff tickets, face inflated resale prices.

Venue leaders report that widespread bot activity and unauthorized resales are harming attendance and revenue. Violators could face civil penalties up to $15,000 if the measure passes.

New RDU Runway Prompts Road Relocations

The Raleigh-Durham International Airport Authority is preparing to relocate several roads north of the airport to make way for a new primary runway.

Parts of Lumley Road, Mt. Herman Road, and Commerce Boulevard will be shifted farther north to comply with FAA safety requirements for the new 10,639-foot runway, which airport officials expect to be completed in 2029.

Construction on the road relocations, which will involve moving utilities such as water, sewer, power, and communications lines, is scheduled to begin in mid-2027 and take about two years to complete. Airport officials planned to discuss awarding a $50 million construction contract for the project during a work session yesterday.

The road work is part of RDU’s larger $2.5 billion Vision 2040 transformation, which includes replacing the existing primary runway 5L-23R.

Wedding Photographers Ordered to Deliver Media

A Wake County Superior Court judge has ordered Raleigh-based Holly Christina Photography and its owners to deliver all outstanding wedding photos and videos, edited or unedited, to customers within 30 days.

The preliminary injunction comes as part of North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s lawsuit against the company. The state received 217 complaints alleging nearly $1 million in losses.

Customers accuse Holly Christina Scott Ayscue and Christopher Owen Ayscue of deceptive practices, including double- and triple-booking weddings, failing to deliver promised services, and continuing to take deposits until the business shut down in January.

Assets have been frozen, and the owners are barred from operating the company during the lawsuit, which seeks permanent closure of the business, full restitution for affected couples, and civil remedies.

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Morgan Stanley Calls This a $9T Opportunity

If Morgan Stanley’s right, the flying car industry will grow 185,850% by 2050. In fact, they say it will reach $9 trillion in size, more than twice as valuable as today’s global car market.

And 5,500+ investors believe Doroni will lead the charge.

While competitors chase air fleets and taxis, Doroni’s H1-X aircraft is designed for everyday life. It plugs in and charges like an EV, fits in a two-car garage, and requires just 25 hours of training to pilot.

Others are peddling blueprints and renderings. Meanwhile, Doroni just unveiled a full-scale showroom prototype in March. It was so impressive, FOX Business called it the “‘flying car’ set to revolutionize personal air travel.”

600+ people have already reserved one, good for $240M in potential revenue for Doroni. Now’s your chance to claim a piece of this growth as a Doroni investor today.

➤ Statewide: Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, is pouring $31.4 million into TV ads to boost former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's U.S. Senate campaign against Republican Michael Whatley and Libertarian Shannon Bray. (More)

➤ NC Schools: State lawmakers advanced a bill creating the first statewide K-8 math intervention program, requiring regular screenings, daily instruction minimums, and remediation plans for struggling students. (More)

➤ Eastern NC: U.S. Rep. Don Davis, NC-1, posted a photo with NASA astronaut Christina Koch after meeting the Artemis II crew on Capitol Hill, highlighting Koch’s Jacksonville roots and the mission’s inspiration for the next generation of explorers. (More)

➤ Asheville: The city council unanimously rejected a proposal for a 100-unit affordable housing complex in the historic Shiloh neighborhood, citing traffic concerns and the need to preserve the area’s legacy. (More)

➤ Matthews: A gas leak triggered an explosion and massive fire on Wednesday near Pleasant Plains Drive and Morningwood Drive, forcing evacuations as towering flames lit up the area. (Watch Report)

➤ UNC-Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina will elevate the School of Civic Life and Leadership to the university’s 15th independent academic unit in August amid growing student demand and renewed emphasis on civic education. (More)

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➤ The Carolina Panthers will host the Chicago Bears in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, pitting former No. 1 overall picks Bryce Young and Caleb Williams against each other. (More)

➤ A report revealed Duke star Cameron Boozer carried a 4.88 GPA at his elite Miami prep school, where the projected top-three NBA draft pick posted one of the highest marks ever recorded by a student-athlete. (More)

➤ The NCHSAA high school baseball playoffs continue with fourth-round games today across all eight classifications. (See Schedule)

➤ Monroe Freeling, the Carolina Panthers' first-round pick, will compete with Rasheed Walker for the starting left tackle job this season, according to General Manager Dan Morgan. (More)

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➤ Raleigh-based Cardinal Infrastructure Group reported 105% revenue growth to $167.5 million in its first quarterly earnings report as a public company, topping Wall Street estimates behind strong organic growth. (More)

➤ Halifax County authorities charged Sarah Winslow Sykes, granddaughter of the founder of Jack H. Winslow Farms, with six felony embezzlement counts, alleging she stole more than $426,000 from the family business. (More)

➤ Wilmington-based Live Oak Bank terminated its North Carolina economic development agreement after falling short of job-growth targets, forgoing over $1.5 million in potential incentives. (More)

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Personal Flight Just Became Street Legal

The White House signed an executive order on flying cars. The FAA created new Light Sport Aircraft rules. And Doroni Aerospace just became one of the first personal eVTOLs approved for manned testing.

Their H1-X personal aircraft fits in your garage, charges like an EV, and flies 120 mph for 100 miles. It’s designed for everyday life, not professional pilots, requiring just 25 hours of training to operate its intuitive joystick controls.

They just unveiled the full-scale showroom prototype, a milestone 9 years coming. In that time, they saw 600+ pre-orders, $240M+ in potential revenue, and $14.5M+ in capital raised from 5,500+ investors.

Now they’re tracking to begin delivering H1-X units by 2028. Become an early-stage investor in Doroni’s growth before the world fully catches on.

This is a paid advertisement for Doroni Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.doroni.io/

➤ Carolina Beach will host the 13th annual Surf Dog Experience on Saturday, where dozens of dogs will ride surfboards to raise money for local animal rescue groups. (See Dogs)

➤ The inaugural WNC Whiskey Festival will debut May 30 in Asheville with tastings from about 30 distilleries while raising money for Western North Carolina food insecurity nonprofits. (More)

➤ Sunset Beach police safely relocated a nearly 11-foot, 400-pound alligator after officers spotted the reptile near a road in the Sea Trail community during mating season. (See Gator)

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