Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1988, the Charlotte Hornets played their first NBA game, a 133-93 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their teal-and-purple pinstripes, designed by Chapel Hill native Alexander Julian, soon became a nationwide fashion sensation.

Did you stay up to watch the Midterm returns? If not, we’ve recapped the results for you in Top Stories.

Have you heard you’re not supposed to drink coffee on an empty stomach? The warning is all over social media, and it claims that the first cup before breakfast is doing damage you can’t feel. Gastroenterologists just weighed in, and their answer isn’t what the internet says. Researchers performed endoscopies on more than 8,000 people to test the claim. A separate experiment found one common morning combo that backfires, sending blood sugar climbing when you’d least want it. So is your pre-breakfast cup safe or not? Ayla has the full story on today’s episode of The Flyover Podcast. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, Noor, explores the hormonal changes behind thinning hair after 50 and shares a menopause specialist’s approach to supporting fuller-looking hair.

Cooper, Ager Lead Democrats’ Gains in NC

Democrat Roy Cooper, North Carolina’s former governor, defeated Republican Michael Whatley to win North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat during Tuesday night’s midterm elections. The win makes Cooper the state’s first Democrat elected to the Senate in nearly two decades and helped Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate.

At Flyover North Carolina’s deadline, Democrat U.S. Rep. Don Davis was projected to defeat Republican Laurie Buckhout in a redrawn Eastern North Carolina district, as Democrats nationwide seized control of the U.S. House.

Democrat Jamie Ager won North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in Western North Carolina, defeating Republican Jennifer Balkcom in a key race focused on Hurricane Helene recovery and affordability.

North Carolina voters also approved three constitutional amendments Tuesday that cap the state income tax at 3.5%, require limits on local property tax increases, and add photo ID for mail-in voting.

Search for the midterm results in your county here, and learn more about local results below in Around North Carolina.

Watchdog Flags 33K+ Duplicate Registrations

A Virginia-based legal group flagged about 33,190 apparent duplicate voter registrations between North Carolina and other states, saying roughly 20% of them belong to people who could vote twice.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation alerted officials in North Carolina, Florida, and Ohio on Oct. 30 to about 130,000 interstate duplicates in all. Florida had the most.

The group has monitored North Carolina’s rolls since 2019. Research director Logan Churchwell said cleaning up duplicates wouldn’t cost anyone their registration. “They would just lose their second one,” he said.

The State Board of Elections said it is aware of duplicates and is working to replace its nearly 30-year-old election management system. “We’re working on several avenues to make our rolls the cleanest in the country,” spokesman Jason Tyson said.

Duke Medicine Referred to DOJ

Federal health officials referred Duke University’s School of Medicine to the Justice Department on Thursday. The referral followed their finding that the school intentionally discriminated against white and Asian applicants.

The Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights concluded in September that Duke used race and “race-revealing proxies” in admissions. It said that violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.

HHS gave Duke 10 business days to enter a voluntary agreement, and none was reached. It was the first such medical school investigation completed by HHS. The Justice Department separately found similar problems at Duke’s law school in August.

Duke says race hasn’t factored into admissions since the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling. A spokesperson said the school was “disappointed” by the referral despite cooperating with investigators.

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The Hormone Behind Thinning Hair After 50 (It’s Not Just a Men’s Problem)

If your part has been widening, your ponytail feels thinner, or more hair is collecting in the shower drain, you’re not imagining it.

According to a menopause specialist, when estrogen drops after 50, the relative balance of a hormone called DHT rises. And DHT is known for one thing: shrinking hair follicles.

That’s why so many women who never had hair trouble in their 30s and 40s suddenly see it later. It’s also why thickening shampoos and biotin gummies often disappoint. They don’t address what’s happening at the follicle.

The good news? She says many of those follicles aren’t gone, just dormant.

Her approach skips the serums and foams entirely. It’s two capsules a day, built around a mineral pairing many women over 50 run low on.

See the full breakdown here >>

➤ Southeastern NC: Newcomer Democrat Jessica Bichler, a yoga teacher, had unofficially defeated incumbent and North Carolina State Senate leader Michael Lee to win North Carolina Senate District 7 with 52.6% of the vote at Flyover North Carolina’s deadline. (More)

➤ Wake and Granville Counties: Democrat state Sen. Haseeb Fatmi won a full term in competitive state Senate District 18, defeating Republican Chris Stock with about 57% of the vote in early unofficial results at Flyover North Carolina’s deadline. (More)

➤ Wake County: Democratic incumbent Deborah Ross won reelection to a fourth term representing North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating Republican Eugene Douglass with about 80% of the vote when the race was called. (More)

➤ Cabarrus County: Democrat April Cook defeated former Republican state House member Kevin Crutchfield for North Carolina Senate District 34, winning 58% to 42% and dealing a blow to the GOP’s veto-override majority. (More)

➤ Mecklenburg County: Democrat Ken McCool defeated Republican incumbent Tricia Cotham in North Carolina House District 105, flipping the seat after garnering 57% of the vote to Cotham’s 43%. (More)

➤ Nash County: Democrat Lorenza Wilkins defeated Republican incumbent Allen Chesser in North Carolina House District 25, winning nearly 53% of the vote and flipping another seat. (More)

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➤ Wake Forest sits at No. 16 in the first 2026 CFP rankings, the lone North Carolina team in the top 25. Miami claims the top spot. (See Rankings)

➤ The Carolina Hurricanes fell 4-1 to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, managing only a second-period goal from Jackson Blake in a loss that dropped their record to 12-3-2. (See Stats)

➤ Former NC State and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson interviewed Tuesday for the Wolfpack head coaching job, ESPN reported, joining top candidate Philip Rivers in the search to replace fired coach Dave Doeren. (More)

➤ The Carolina Panthers and Honeywell Technologies are funding FIRST Robotics high school teams across North Carolina through a “Passing It Forward” program, donating $1,000 for every 500 passing yards in Panthers home games (up to $50,000) to support student engineering programs. (More and Program Details)

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➤ Take the Daily History Quiz. Most of us learned history once, at seventeen, from someone who was also bored. It holds up better the second time. Five minutes of history, every morning, across every era. Learn More

➤ Gov. Josh Stein’s lawyers and bar owners faced off Monday in a six-year-old suit over pandemic bar closures. Stein seeks more financial records, while bar owners want the case paused while appealing to depose former Gov. Roy Cooper. (More)

➤ North Carolina’s Greene Grain Cattle LLC received a $250,000 USDA grant to expand processing capacity, upgrade packaging and slaughter equipment, improve worker safety, and enhance wastewater treatment systems. (More)

➤ Lab furniture maker Kewaunee Scientific in Statesville announced Monday that it has agreed to acquire Nycom, Inc., described as the largest laboratory dealer in the U.S., for a base price of $55 million. Nycom provides laboratory and interior construction services. (More)

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The Missing Nutrient Behind Thin Hair

After 50, many women run low on one mineral that helps keep DHT, a hair-thinning hormone, in check.

Biotin won’t fix that. Neither will another bottle of thickening shampoo.

A menopause specialist and an Austin hairstylist found that pairing this mineral with one B vitamin, plus three other targeted nutrients, may help support fuller, stronger-looking hair from the inside out. No serums, no foams. Just two capsules with your morning coffee.

See what it is >>

➤ Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police and Ramapo College exhumed the remains of the “Boxcar Boy” from Elmwood Cemetery on Monday, more than 94 years after the unidentified teenager was found dead in a railroad boxcar in 1932. Investigators hope DNA genealogy can identify him. (More)

➤ A black bear was sighted in a tree near a Whiteville home, prompting the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission to remind residents that fall is hyperphagia season—when bears eat up to 20,000 calories a day to fatten up before winter. (See Video)

➤ The Biltmore House in Asheville raised its Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall Monday, a tradition dating to 1895 that takes about 50 workers to carry the 35-foot centerpiece beneath the hall’s 70-foot ceiling. Christmas at Biltmore started Nov. 3 and runs through Jan. 10. (See Photos)

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