Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1965, a car struck and killed poet Randall Jarrell as he walked at dusk along the Chapel Hill bypass. The UNC-Greensboro professor is best known for The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner.

Early voting opens tomorrow. Learn more in Top Stories, then hit reply to tell us if you plan to vote early or wait until Election Day.

How long will you live? Researchers have tracked tens of thousands of people for decades and found a few simple at-home tests that predict it surprisingly well. They’re quick, ordinary movements, and your time or score on each one tracks with how many healthy years you have ahead. The test with the most dramatic results is one most adults haven’t tried since childhood. So how do you measure up? Ayla counts down all seven tests, shows you how to try each one safely, and explains what your score means on today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!

Tired of ads following you around online? Later today, watch for a message from our partner, Surfshark, about blocking ads and trackers, plus a special offer for Flyover readers.

Today’s sponsor, Audien, is making better hearing more affordable with its new Atom Air hearing aids, offering advanced features, all-day battery life, and a discreet design for just $149.

Early Voting Opens Thursday

North Carolina voters can start casting ballots in person Thursday, when early voting opens for the 2026 general election and runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. Around 370 early voting sites will open statewide.

Voters can use any site in the county where they’re registered and should bring an acceptable photo ID. Eligible voters who missed the registration deadline can register at an early voting site but must show a photo ID and proof of current address.

Durham County will open 10 sites for what its elections director called a “14-inch, two-sided ballot” with races at every level. Wake County will run 18 sites, its most ever for a midterm, and around 25 sites will be open in the Charlotte area.

Statewide, the ballot also carries three constitutional amendments addressing photo ID, the state income tax, and property taxes.

On Election Day, Nov. 3, voters must go to their assigned precinct, and same-day registration isn’t allowed.

Multiple Tornadoes Confirmed in Central NC

The National Weather Service has confirmed at least seven tornadoes in North Carolina from Sunday’s storms, the remnants of Hurricane Isaias. The strongest so far was an EF2 with 115-mph winds near Wallace in Duplin County.

In Central NC, surveyors found at least high-end EF-1 damage in Wake County’s Neuse Crossing neighborhood and in Candor, where one person was rescued from a damaged home.

They also found at least EF-1 damage at Jordan Lake, high-end EF-0 damage in Clayton, and an EF-0 near Harrells in Sampson County. A tornado also struck the Skibo Road area of Fayetteville.

In Raleigh, Erik Grubbs said he heard “that sound you always hear about, a freight train,” then his roof started caving in as he and his dog ducked into a bathroom. Surveys continue, and final ratings are pending.

CMPD Moves to Fire 6 Officers

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department moved last week to fire six patrol officers over racist text messages.

Investigators found the texts while looking into former officer Seth Elliott, charged in July with illegally accessing a government computer after he allegedly used Flock license plate cameras to identify an undercover officer’s car for a drug suspect. One officer reportedly texted colleagues earlier this year that “our texts sound like a clan rally.”

The six, none of whom face criminal charges, are suspended without pay until the city’s Civil Service Board decides whether to fire them. CMPD said it “will not tolerate any behavior” that contradicts its core values.

The president of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP, Rev. Corine Mack, wants the officers’ law enforcement certifications revoked. She said she doesn’t want “to paint all of law enforcement with the same brush,” but worries about “bigots in uniform with state authority.”

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➤ Statewide: Democrat Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley 54% to 40% among likely voters in the race for Thom Tillis’ open U.S. Senate seat, a new poll found. Whatley’s campaign said it expects the race to tighten by Nov. 3. (More)

➤ Central NC: Two adults have died of West Nile virus this year, state health officials said, and the CDC reports 11 human cases statewide. Most people who catch it never notice. Officials advise repellent, long sleeves and pants, and limiting time outdoors from dusk to dawn. (More)

➤ Morrisville: A contractor cut a fiber-optic line near Raleigh-Durham International Airport’s FAA tower during a plumbing repair Monday, triggering a ground stop, 212 delays, and nine cancellations. One Cary traveler whose Rome flight was canceled hitched a ride to Charlotte to catch another flight. (More)

➤ Canton: Demolition crews at the town’s shuttered paper mill uncovered a 30-foot, roughly 40-ton riveted steel sphere dating to about 1936. The “acid ball” mainly stored alum used in papermaking. Its owners have looked at displaying it as public art. (See Photos)

➤ Cornelius resident Michael Smith was sentenced to 18 months in prison for streaming hundreds of thousands of AI-generated songs through thousands of fake accounts to collect more than $8 million in royalties. Prosecutors called it the first case of its kind. (More)

➤ Asheville: State wildlife staff cut a plastic jar off a black bear cub’s head Oct. 8 after it went days unable to eat in Haw Creek. A crack in the jar allowed the cub to breathe. (See Photos)

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➤ Andrei Svechnikov’s two goals, including a late power-play winner, lifted the Carolina Hurricanes to a 4-2 victory over Washington Tuesday night, extending Carolina’s winning streak to six games at Lenovo Center. (See Stats)

➤ UNC football visits 4-1 Duke at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, fresh off a 21-17 win at No. 25 Pitt. Week 7 prediction-market picks list the 3-2 Tar Heels among the weekend’s upset candidates. (See Picks)

➤ Meanwhile, UNC football coach Bill Belichick said he will “follow up” after Tar Heels defensive back Kaleb Cost was injured colliding with a photographer and wall during Saturday’s win over Pitt, then threw his helmet into the stands. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NHL | NBA | Tennis

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➤ Carowinds’ Fury 325 and Thunder Striker are temporarily closed after a park visitor died Monday in an incident on the Goliath coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia. Four others were hurt. Six Flags closed nine similar coasters at six parks. (See Closures)

➤ Charlotte Douglas International Airport would launch $2.1 billion in upgrades, including Concourse C gates and a passenger tunnel, under a proposed 10.5-year lease with its five main airlines—roughly quadruple the last deal. (More)

➤ A 115-year-old boardinghouse in downtown Asheville will become a 10-room boutique hotel next fall. It will keep its fireplaces and a front-yard stone honoring former U.S. Rep. Felix Walker, who coined the word “bunkum.” Rooms will start at $150 a night. (See Photos)

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Hearing clearly shouldn’t come with a four-figure price tag. Audien’s new Atom Air hearing aids are available for just $149, featuring amplified sound, background noise cancellation, four listening modes, and up to 24 hours of battery life. Designed for mild to moderate hearing loss, they also include lifetime hearing support, a one-year warranty, and a 45-day money-back guarantee.

➤ A SpaceX rocket painted a jellyfish-shaped vapor trail across North Carolina skies Tuesday after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 6:33 a.m. The Falcon 9 launched a Dragon capsule carrying cargo to the International Space Station, with docking set for Thursday. (See Photos)

➤ Two Asheville travelers had a front-row seat at the launch. A-B Tech student Curtis Epley and chemistry instructor Evan Lunt watched as their experiment on how lubricating oils behave in space rode along on the mission. (More Photos)

➤ Latta Place, a former Huntersville plantation, is getting a visitor center and interpretive trail that will tell the history of the enslaved and Native American people who lived there. The Mecklenburg County project, planned since 2021, broke ground on Monday. (See Rendering)

➤ Golden Girls fans in Gaston County can grab coffee at The Traveling Sip, a café built around the classic sitcom. (See Photos)

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The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes.

➤ Seven simple at-home tests may reveal your risk of death, and most take under a minute. (See Tests)

➤ Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer, the Vatican confirmed after surgeons removed part of his right lung, the first major health crisis of his 17-month papacy. (Hear Episode)

➤ German police have seized a humanoid robot after it allegedly groped a teenage girl while two suspects reportedly livestreamed the encounter. (Hear Details)