Minggu, 23 Agustus 2026

DMV Wait Times Drop, Gravestones Found at Construction Site, and Landslide in Burke County

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1784, four Western North Carolina counties—Washington, Sullivan, Spencer, and Greene—declared independence as the State of Franklin. Located in present-day Tennessee, the short-lived republic sought statehood but dissolved after four years amid economic woes and Native American attacks.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members will vote on releasing the results of an investigation into the superintendent on Tuesday. Learn more in Around North Carolina.

In case you missed it, this week on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla counted down the 10 renovations homeowners regret most. 74% of homeowners who renovated in the last five years wish they'd done something differently, and the most regretted upgrades aren't what you'd expect. Ayla broke down where these projects go wrong and shared simple tricks that could save you from making the same mistakes. So before you pick up a paintbrush or a sledgehammer, find out whether your dream upgrade is one homeowners wish they could undo. And if you've already survived a remodel, see if your biggest regret made the list. Tune in here!

Today's edition is brought to you by Cacao Bliss. Try their delicious heart-healthy hot cocoa superfood drink.

DMV Waits Drop to 22 Minutes

The average wait at a North Carolina DMV office is now 22 minutes, down from nearly three hours last summer.

Gov. Josh Stein announced the figure Thursday, calling it a roughly 90% drop since the summer of 2025, when drivers were lining up outside offices before dawn. State Auditor Dave Boliek had called those lines unacceptable after a news report showed people waiting at Raleigh's Avent Ferry office since 4 a.m.

DMV communications director Marty Homan credited more offices, more examiners, and legislation that let drivers renew licenses remotely. More than 337,000 people have completed transactions online instead of driving to a branch.

Bigger changes land Oct. 1, when the DMV drops paper registration cards and renewal stickers for electronic records. Lawmakers pulled $4.8 million from the agency's budget for printing and mailing the stickers.

Campbell Student Charged in Campus Threat

Harnett County deputies arrested a Campbell University freshman on the Buies Creek campus Wednesday and charged him with threatening an act of mass violence.

Gabriel Sharlow, 19, of Greenville had obtained a shotgun, roughly 100 rounds of ammunition, and several Molotov cocktails, his arrest warrant says. The warrant alleges he intended to wound and kill everyone present except himself.

Campbell said several people on campus reported hearing concerning statements and alerted campus safety, and that no weapons were found on university property. Sharlow has been dismissed from the school and barred from campus.

He was released Thursday on a $100,000 secured bond and is due in court Sept. 22. Senior Elijah Tillery-Mallory said that students "rarely have something like this happen" there.

Bowman Gray Honors Kyle Busch

Legend cars and Bandoleros filled the quarter-mile at Bowman Gray Stadium on Friday night for the first Kyle Busch Invitational.

The Winston-Salem short track built the race around Busch, the two-time Cup Series champion who died May 21 at 41. Proceeds go to the Bundle of Joy Fund, the infertility charity he and his wife, Samantha, started in 2015.

Samantha Busch told the crowd it was a night Kyle had talked about for years, and that the family will "race on". Their son Brexton, 11, ran in the event.

Busch came up through Legend cars and spent recent summers running them on Tuesday nights at Charlotte Motor Speedway alongside Brexton. The invitation-only field was drawn from this summer's Cook Out Summer Shootout standings.

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Longevity breakfast dessert enjoyed by Blue Zone Costa Ricans helps them live to 100?

Most Americans think eating sweets for breakfast is unhealthy…

But according to Stanford researchers, there's one delicious “dessert” food that Costa Ricans in the famous "blue zone" there eat each morning that…

✅ Keeps them lean even into their 70s, 80s, and 90s…
✅ Slows blood sugar spikes, and maintains healthy insulin sensitivity…
✅ Keeps their blood pressure at normal healthy levels…
✅ Keeps their hearts and arteries strong and clean well into old age, with a striking lack of heart disease in their population…
✅ Even helps them have 7x more Centenarians than Japanese people…

So what's the #1 “dessert” food that helps Costa Ricans live healthy, lean, and energetic past 100?

Click below to discover Costa Rica's Blue Zone secret:

>> Eat this Costa Rican longevity "dessert" for breakfast.

P.S. Here's the crazy part - while Costa Ricans are living longer with this morning ritual, Americans trying it are losing 7 lbs in a couple weeks as a "side effect." Not a bad bonus, right?

➤ Charlotte: Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members will vote Tuesday on releasing findings from a months-long investigation into Superintendent Crystal Hill's administrative and operational conduct. (More)

➤ Concord: A three-year construction project to combat “forever chemicals” is officially complete at the Hillgrove Water Treatment Plant, putting the facility five years ahead of federal safety guidelines. (More)

➤ Rockingham County: The county animal shelter has taken in nearly 120 cats in two weeks, on top of the animals already there. Director Brittany Flynn said the shelter is waiving cat and kitten adoption fees, adding Sunday hours, and asking for canned food donations. (See Details)

➤ Burgaw: Pender County has ordered Clayton Homes to stop clearing a 12-acre tract off Malpass Corner Road after neighbors found broken gravestones in the rubble. The century-old cemetery was marked on the site plan the county approved. (Read Story)

➤ Burke County: A retaining wall gave way Friday night on Burkemont Road near the Hidden Hill venue south of Morganton, sending a landslide toward the road. It's the only route west of the slide, and more rain could close it. (See Details)

➤ Haywood County: The USGS recorded a 2.0-magnitude earthquake in Haywood County at 7:24 a.m. Saturday, about 3.7 miles below the surface. (More)

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➤ Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales called the team's Week 2 preseason offensive performance “a great improvement” from Week 1 after the starting offense picked up six first downs and a touchdown. (More)

➤ Wake Forest redshirt senior defensive lineman Langston Hardy has been named to the watchlist for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented each year to the top defensive player in college football. (More)

➤ Charlotte Hornets star Brandon Miller hosted a celebrity pickleball tournament in Charlotte yesterday. Teammates Coby White and Kon Knueppel were in attendance. (More)

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➤ Could Chocolate Help Support Your GLP-1 Levels? One particular form of chocolate is getting attention for its potential effect on GLP-1, a hormone involved in appetite and metabolism. While some people turn to expensive injections, others are exploring this surprisingly simple approach. Could your favorite treat hold the key? Discover the #1 chocolate for supporting metabolism and GLP-1 >>

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3 foods that are loading your body with microplastics

According to Dr. Rick Cohen - a renowned Duke University MD - these 3 "micro-plastic foods" are secretly poisoning Americans…

Because they’re packed with tiny pieces of plastic that can raise your risk of a heart attack, build up inside your brain and damage organs in your body. These "3 foods" are some of America's favorite seafood, a common vegetable and something you sprinkle EVERY day on your meals.

Avoid these 3 "micro-plastic foods at all costs

➤ Teachers new to Guilford County Schools shopped a Greensboro teacher supply warehouse for free classroom supplies this week, ahead of the first day of classes. Shift_ed, the nonprofit that runs it with the district, says the average North Carolina teacher spends $1,600 a year out of pocket. (Read Story)

➤ A deep partial lunar eclipse arrives Thursday night, with Earth's shadow covering 96% of the moon and turning it copper red. Maximum comes at 12:12 a.m. Friday, and no equipment is needed to watch. (More)

➤ Cary's Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival turns 50 this weekend, drawing more than 250 artists from 22 states to the Town Hall Campus. (See Details)

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➤ Most Americans think eating sweets for breakfast is unhealthy. But according to Stanford researchers, there's one delicious “dessert” that Costa Ricans in the famous "blue zone" there eat each morning. So, what's the #1 “dessert” food that helps Costa Ricans live healthy, lean, and energetic past 100?

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ A brief tariff pause ended with the U.S. and Canada locked in a new trade fight. (Hear More)

➤ A father’s decision left his young son stranded thousands of feet up Mount Fuji. (Listen Now)

➤ The night sky is set to deliver a lunar show that will not be matched until 2028. (Podcast Available)

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➤ Most of us could use a few more healthy habits, but they don't have to be complicated. Quince has a wellness product that's become part of many of our daily routines. We think it's worth checking out if you're looking to make small improvements that add up over time. (More)