SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1857, the S.S. Central America sank 200 miles off Cape Hatteras during a hurricane, killing hundreds and losing over $1.5 million in gold—a disaster that helped trigger the Panic of 1857.

A mural is being painted in Winston-Salem to honor Chris Paul, a former Wake Forest star who went on to the NBA. Learn more in Around North Carolina.

Balance, strength, and the ability to get up off the floor fade quickly with age, and most people don't notice until something as simple as standing up from a chair gets hard. Physical therapists say it doesn't have to go that way. When asked which exercises they actually recommend to patients, the same six simple moves came up again and again. One of them you can do while waiting for your morning coffee. Join Christopher on The Flyover Podcast to find out which everyday movements could keep you strong, steady, and independent for years to come. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, Doroni, is building the H1-X personal flying vehicle as interest in eVTOL technology grows across both the defense sector and the broader aviation market.

Claremont Lands $1 Billion Fiber Plant

Prysmian broke ground Thursday on a $1 billion expansion of its fiber-optic plant in Claremont, a Catawba County town of 2,000 residents.

It adds about 975,000 square feet and 385 jobs paying an average of $60,870, against a county average of $56,937. Officials call it the county's largest manufacturing project ever.

Prysmian employs about 680 people in Claremont and has been in the county since the 1990s. The expansion more than doubles its U.S. fiber-optic capacity and should be done by 2030.

Local incentives rebate part of the property taxes Prysmian pays on the new buildings and equipment, potentially for 10 years, starting in 2028. A $1 million state grant pays nothing until the company invests $665 million.

AI data centers are driving the buildout, and Microsoft plans $1 billion on data centers in the same county. Prysmian's expansion deepens a Catawba County cluster that includes Corning and CommScope.

Trooper Indicted in Captain's Killing

Cumberland County grand jury indicted State Highway Patrol Sgt. Nekime Matu Oxendine on a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of a sheriff's captain.

Capt. Adam Bean, 42, the assistant chief of detectives, was shot outside a Hope Mills home March 27. Oxendine, 44, was denied bond and is being held in the Moore County jail.

Search warrants say a woman at the center of the dispute had been in long-term relationships with both men, and that Bean arrived that night upset to find Oxendine's truck parked outside.

The warrants state Oxendine walked outside with a gun, fired one shot into the ground, then fired several more, striking Bean.

The Highway Patrol said it respects the judicial process and called the shooting a difficult and tragic event for all involved. Oxendine, an 18-year veteran, remains on administrative duty pending an internal investigation.

Three Top CMS Leaders Stepping Down

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools confirmed Thursday that its deputy superintendent, chief financial officer, and chief human resources officer are all leaving.

Chief Human Resource Officer Angela Wood resigned, with a last day of Monday. Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight and Chief Financial Officer Kelly Kluttz filed retirement notices effective Jan. 1.

All three joined the district in 2023. The district has not said why they are leaving.

The departures come weeks after Superintendent Crystal Hill returned from a two-month suspension. The board placed her on paid leave June 17 over allegations involving federal funds, vendor contracts, and a hostile work environment, then voted Aug. 11 to bring her back.

Hill said this week that the investigation cleared her and that disgruntled employees made the allegations. Board Vice Chairman Dee Rankin said he isn't worried about the departures, and the board has agreed to release the findings by the end of September.

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The Pentagon’s Got Their Eye on This Tech

One of the biggest indicators for forward-thinking investors is where the US government puts their money. They move first on the technology they know is going to shape the future.

First, they bet big on jet engines. Then drones. Now? It’s flying cars. This August, the U.S. Air Force just signed a $142M deal for a flying car company building five-seater fleets. But our nation’s defense can’t stop there. Our nation’s most covert operations need smaller, personal aircrafts. And Doroni, the company positioned to lead the $100B personal eVTOL category, aims to capture this opportunity.

Their flying car, the H1-X opens the skies to all members of the military. Their SOULAI platform is so intuitive, you can pilot their aircraft after 25 hours of training. And its patented ducted fan system is designed to be safer than competitors.

This is your chance to get in at the private stage. Invest in Doroni today and get up to 20% bonus shares.

➤ Gastonia: President Trump will headline a rally for Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley at Gastonia Municipal Airport on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (More)

➤ Asheville: City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to bar landlords from collecting rent on homes that city inspectors have formally declared unsafe or unfit to live in. (See Details)

➤ Ronda: Commissioners in the Wilkes County town voted to begin dissolving its charter after the state Local Government Commission cited late audits, budget violations, federal payroll tax problems, and water and sewer deficits. Ronda has been on the state's financial watch list since 2015. (More)

➤ Winston-Salem: The basketball courts at Rupert Bell Park are closed while crews renovate them and artist Brian Peterson paints a mural honoring Chris Paul, the Winston-Salem native and Wake Forest star who refurbished those same courts early in his NBA career. (Read Story)

➤ Raleigh: Crews began a $1 million streetscape overhaul on Fayetteville Street this week, pulling out old planting beds. New seating arrives this fall and custom artwork along several blocks early next year. (More)

➤ Rockingham County: Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance requiring a public report, 14 days' notice, and a hearing before the county can buy license plate readers. Deputies would need a judge-signed warrant for each Flock camera search. (See Details)

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➤ NC State hosted Richmond last night as a heavy 33.5-point favorite, looking to rebound from its season-opening loss. (See Result)

➤ North Carolina welcomes East Tennessee State to Chapel Hill at noon, and East Carolina hosts Appalachian State; Duke visits Illinois, Wake Forest travels to Purdue, and Charlotte faces No. 9 Ole Miss in Oxford. (See Schedule)

➤ESPN's Jeff Passan listed Raleigh among six cities in the running for a Major League Baseball expansion team, alongside Salt Lake City, Nashville, Portland, Orlando, and Montreal. MLB Raleigh co-founder Ryan Foose called it validation for a bid that started in 2019. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | MLB | NCAAF | Soccer

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Up, Up, and A-Way to Get in On This Boom

Flying car company stocks are soaring on Wall Street. Archer went public at $1.7 billion. EHang IPO'd at $662 million. And Joby raised a whopping $1.6 billion when they went public.

Luckily, 15k+ investors have found an early-stage opportunity to capture this boom: a private-stage company named Doroni.

They’re pioneering the $100B personal aircraft segment with their H1-X, the aircraft FOX Business called “the ‘flying car’ set to revolutionize personal air travel.”

And with Morgan Stanley projecting that the flying car industry will reach $9 trillion by 2050, the timing couldn’t be better.

Now, with 600+ preorders, they’re targeting commercial deliveries for 2028. And earlier this year, they reserved the Nasdaq ticker $DRNI. Invest in Doroni today and get up to 20% bonus shares.

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

➤ Feast of the Pirates runs today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. along the Belville Riverwalk, with sea battle reenactments, sword-fighting demonstrations, historic pirate encampments, and a "Most Wanted Pirate" hunt. (See Details)

➤ Greensboro Science Center's Fall Fest returns this evening for a second year, with fair-style games, crafts, and animal encounters across the zoo grounds. Proceeds go toward the center's wildlife conservation work. (See Video)

➤ The series RJ Decker films Tuesday at a house on South Churchill Drive in Wilmington, closing part of the street from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The permit lists two cast members, 85 crew, and 50 extras, with base camp at Independence Mall. (More)

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➤ You may have more home equity than you think. The average U.S. homeowner now sits on approximately $315,000 in equity, and most have never tapped it. Some are putting it to work: consolidating higher-rate debt, renovating, covering big summer expenses. Rates and fees vary widely by lender, so the trick is to compare before you commit. [Match with a HELOC lender in under a minute →]

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.

➤ Physical therapists say six simple moves may protect the strength and balance that age quietly erodes. (See Exercises)

➤ One surrogate's refusal to end a pregnancy has escalated into a custody fight now before the U.S. Supreme Court. (Hear Story)

➤ Popular weight loss drugs have been linked to a rare brain disorder that can turn deadly without quick treatment. (Podcast Available)