Jumat, 16 Oktober 2026

State Fair Ranked 4th, AI Heart Failure Test, and a Plasma Beam Antenna

Friday, October 16, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1961, the North Carolina State Fairgrounds’ futuristic, cable-suspended arena, which had opened in 1952 as the State Fair Arena, was rededicated as J.S. Dorton Arena in honor of longtime fair manager Dr. J.S. “Doc” Dorton, who died earlier that year.

Speaking of the state fair, which kicked off yesterday, it has been ranked fourth in the nation. Learn more in Top Stories.

Peptides are getting a lot of attention these days, but knowing where to start isn't always easy. A few of us here at The Flyover recently tried today's sponsor, The Pep Report, and were impressed by how simple the process was and how interesting it is to learn more about your own genetics.

State Fair Ranked 4th Nationally

A recent study ranked the North Carolina State Fair as the nation’s fourth-best state fair, behind only Minnesota, Iowa, and Florida.

The ranking, from the site ACE.com, scored major fairs on ticket prices, visitor reviews, Google search interest, and social media buzz.

The timing is fitting: the 11-day fair opened yesterday in Raleigh and runs through Oct. 25, with more than 80 new foods and a 230-foot-tall America 250 wheel towering over the midway.

Adult gate admission is $13. Seniors 65 and older get in free Oct. 20, and military members and veterans (plus three guests) get in free Oct. 21. The Better Business Bureau is reminding fairgoers to guard against scams and overspending.

State Health Plan Drops Atrium

The North Carolina State Health Plan on Wednesday moved most Atrium Health facilities to its costliest, out-of-network tier, effective Jan. 1, 2027, for its roughly 750,000 members.

The move came a day after N.C. Business Court Judge Matthew Houston denied the plan’s request to block Atrium’s new Affordability Protection Program, which Atrium says will give members the lowest out-of-pocket costs available at its facilities.

State Treasurer Brad Briner, who chairs the plan’s board, says the program would cost the plan up to $250 million in 2027 and could push premiums up as much as $50 a month for every member in 2028.

Atrium says it will cover the program’s cost itself. Twelve Atrium hospitals—nine rural and three children’s—remain in the plan’s Access tier under a September agreement. Open enrollment runs through Nov. 6.

Duke To Test Heart-Failure AI

Duke University was awarded up to $15.5 million from a federal health agency to build a platform for testing the first FDA-authorized “agentic” AI system for heart-failure care.

The money comes from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), the government’s health research arm, which is funding six teams to create an autonomous AI member of the care team that can monitor heart-failure patients around the clock and loop in doctors when needed.

Durham-based Duke will lead a consortium testing those AI agents across five health systems and rural clinics, working from Epic and Oracle medical records with the American Heart Association.

The FDA has not yet cleared any agentic AI tool for clinical care, and the lead developers must submit an authorization package within two years.

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➤ Statewide: Ten North Carolinians face federal indictments for lying about their U.S. citizenship and casting ballots in the 2024 presidential election. They made their first appearance in a federal court in Raleigh on Thursday. (More)

➤ Eastern NC: Ten North Carolinians face federal indictments for lying about their U.S. citizenship and casting ballots in the 2024 presidential election. They made their first court appearance in Raleigh on Thursday. (More)

➤ Western NC: A cold snap is forecast to bring mid-30s overnight lows to Western North Carolina this weekend, raising the chance of the season’s first frost in Asheville and the mountains despite temperatures remaining above freezing. (More)

➤ Outer Banks: Strong winds, rough seas, and coastal flooding are possible along Hatteras and Ocracoke this weekend as a cold front and offshore low move in. Forecasters expect gusts near 50 mph at Rodanthe and waves up to 12 feet off Cape Hatteras. (More)

➤ Charlotte: Dozens of workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport walked off the job Wednesday in a 24-hour strike, demanding higher pay, safer conditions, and clearer paid-time-off rules. (More)

➤ Gaston County: LaKesha Womack, D, challenging Republican Rep. Tim Moore in the 14th District, was served a criminal summons on Oct. 11 over a pending felony charge alleging she failed to return a rental car in 2019. Her court date falls on Nov. 10, after Election Day. (More)

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➤ East Carolina led most of the game Thursday night but fell 30-17 in overtime at UAB, surrendering a late tying score before an interception return sealed the Pirates’ second consecutive loss. (See Stats)

➤ No. 4 Wake Forest women’s soccer suffered its first home loss of the season Thursday, falling 2-0 to No. 24 Florida State as Ashley Henderson and Wrianna Hudson scored to hand the Demon Deacons a rare shutout defeat. (More)

➤ App State visits Coastal Carolina tonight at 8 p.m. in a key Sun Belt matchup in Conway, South Carolina, where the Mountaineers are 1.5-point favorites. (See Preview)

➤ UNC Wilmington volleyball (9-9) rallied past Coastal Carolina in four sets at Hanover Hall, snapping a five-match losing streak to the Chanticleers behind Sam Vanda’s career-high 20 kills. The Seahawks return to Coastal Athletic Association play today at North Carolina A&T. (More and See Schedule)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NFL | NCAAF | NHL | NBA | Soccer | Tennis

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➤ North Carolina was awarded more than $1.5 million through the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, with nearly $165,000 funding NC State research on sour rot in sweet potatoes. The state has led the nation in sweet potato production since 1971. (More)

➤ Duke Health and CaroMont Health have formed a 50-50 joint venture and are seeking state approval to build two Mecklenburg County hospitals: a 120-bed site in University City and an 80-bed site near Charlotte Douglas International Airport. (More)

➤ Raleigh-based Cardinal Infrastructure Group will pay $357.5 million to acquire a central Florida contractor, Hughes Brothers Construction—its fourth deal since going public last December. (More)

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➤ Kids Who Give, a Wake County youth nonprofit, donated 600 “Brave Gowns,” including Carolina Hurricanes-themed designs, to young patients at Duke Children’s Hospital, with Canes mascot Stormy on hand to lift their spirits before surgery. (More)

➤ NC State’s Ticket to Table program lets students, faculty, and staff forgive parking tickets of $60 or less by purchasing items from the Feed the Pack Food Pantry’s Amazon wishlist, with each donated item providing $5 in citation forgiveness through Oct. 31. (More)

➤ NC State researchers, in collaboration with Texas A&M and Princeton, demonstrated the first laser-induced plasma beam antenna, a tunable “lightsaber-like” filament that transmits radio waves without mechanical parts, promising advances for satellites and space exploration. (See Photo)

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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.

➤ France has begun deploying military assets to protect Saudi oil facilities as Houthi attacks escalate around a vital Red Sea export route. (Full Story)

➤ Amazon has launched two always-listening AI devices that turn conversations into to-dos, reviving privacy questions around the tech giant. (See Product)

➤ One common instinct makes stubborn knots in necklaces, cords, and holiday lights even worse. (Hear Story)