GOP PAC Pledges $71M Toward Whatley

A major Republican political action committee, the Senate Leadership Fund, pledged $71 million on Monday to boost Michael Whatley’s campaign against former Gov. Roy Cooper in North Carolina’s high-stakes 2026 U.S. Senate race.

The investment, focused on ads attacking Cooper and introducing Whatley, ranks as the second-largest commitment in the group’s $342 million national effort to protect and expand the GOP Senate majority, and comes just days after a YouGov/Catawba College poll showed Cooper leading Whatley 48% to 34% among likely voters.

A separate Elon University poll showed Cooper has stronger name recognition, with 70% awareness of Cooper vs. 35% for Whatley.

Republicans view the open seat, being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, as critical for maintaining Senate control. The infusion of outside money signals expectations of one of the most expensive Senate contests in state history.

UNC Men’s Basketball Hires Mike Malone

North Carolina is hiring former NBA champion coach Michael Malone as the program’s next men’s basketball head coach. Malone replaces Hubert Davis, who was fired a few weeks ago following the Tar Heels’ first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament.

Malone has won 510 games in the league between two stops as an NBA head coach. He spent 10 seasons as head coach of the Denver Nuggets, leading the franchise to its first NBA championship in 2023. Despite becoming the winningest coach in team history, the team fired him late last season. He’s spent the past year as an analyst for ESPN.

It’s a new era for both parties: Malone worked in college basketball briefly during the 1990s, but never as a head coach. UNC, meanwhile, hasn’t gone outside its own coaching family since 1952, making Malone the first true outsider to lead the Tar Heels in over seven decades.

Blue Ghost Firefly Tour Dates Set

Western North Carolina’s blue ghost firefly tours return to Pisgah National Forest May 9-24 and June 6-8, offering visitors a rare chance to witness the insects’ lime-green glow, which appears blue in low light due to a visual phenomenon known as the Purkinje effect. Doors open at 8 p.m. with the program beginning at 8:45 p.m.

The tours, hosted at the Cradle of Forestry in Buncombe County, feature an educational presentation followed by a self-paced hike along a paved trail through the forest.

Tickets are on sale now and are expected to sell quickly. General admission costs $55, while tickets for ages 4-12 cost $27.

Asheville Wellness Tours will also host three-hour Blue Ghost Firefly Night Hike tours from May 7-16 on a private conservation property near Mills River, with an overnight option available. Learn more here.

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➤ Statewide: A Catawba College-YouGov survey shows seven of 10 Republicans agree it was right for the U.S. to attack Iran, while 50% of independents and nearly seven of 10 Democrats disagree. (See Details)

➤ Triangle: A section of I-87 between Smithfield and Hodge roads near Knightdale was closed through 5 a.m. for Phase 2 construction of the Complete 540 Project—the section that provides the missing link to complete the outer loop. (More)

➤ Charlotte: Aleksandros Soutzos, 29, broke into a NoDa home near Herrin Avenue on Friday, attacked two people with a table leg, knife, and frying pan, then set the house on fire. He faces nearly two dozen charges, including attempted murder and arson. (More)

➤ Rocky Mount: The North Carolina Local Government Commission delayed a potential state takeover of the financially distressed city, requiring bi-weekly progress reports and attendance at May and June meetings as conditions to avoid intervention. (More)

➤ Lake Lure: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is visiting Western North Carolina this week, starting with a stop in Lake Lure to highlight steps the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA have taken to help with Hurricane Helene relief. (More)

➤ Black Mountain held its annual egg drop event on Saturday in honor of the late NASCAR legend Greg Biffle and his family for piloting the Easter Bunny drop last year to boost Hurricane Helene recovery spirits in the community. (See Photos)

➤ Ocracoke Inlet: A 25-foot commercial vessel capsized near the inlet on Saturday, leaving four people in the water who were rescued by a good Samaritan vessel, but one of the four was declared deceased at the pier. The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating. (More)

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➤ Duke men’s basketball’s Cam Boozer revealed he suffered multiple fractures around his eye after taking an elbow to the face during the Blue Devils’ loss to UConn in March Madness. (More)

➤ The North Carolina Local Government Commission approved Charlotte’s plan to sell $650 million in municipal bonds to fund a renovation of Bank of America Stadium. The Panthers and Charlotte FC have committed to staying in the city for at least 20 years in exchange for the public funding. (More)

➤ UNC football coach Bill Belichick is being sued for nearly $300,000 by a painter who says he suffered a severe ankle injury after falling at Belichick’s Nantucket home in 2024. (More)

➤ The Charlotte Hornets’ starting five of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Kon Knueppel, and Moussa Diabate holds the best net rating of any lineup in the NBA this season. (More)

Yesterday’s Results: NBA | MLB | NHL | NCAAM | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer | Tennis

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➤ Charlotte-based Jeld-Wen Holdings saw its stock sink 6% to $1.10 on April 2 after losing 55% of its value in 2025, as rising mortgage rates continued to suppress the U.S. homebuilding market and demand for building products. (More)

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➤ Industrial gas company Linde Inc. announced a $75 million investment to build a new air separation facility in Garysburg, creating 20 jobs to produce argon, nitrogen, and oxygen for healthcare, food, electronics, and chemical industries. (More)

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➤ Celebrity chef Alton Brown praised North Carolina barbecue and expressed confusion as to “why there’s a fight” between eastern and western styles, stating, “Your state has at least 13 different styles of barbecue, not just two, and they’re all my preference.” (More)

➤ Paleontology students are flocking to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh to see rare “Dueling Dinosaurs” fossils from a Triceratops and a confirmed Nanotyrannus on display at the SECU Dino Lab. (More)

➤ Researchers discovered nine flying squirrels, including eight endangered Carolina northern flying squirrels, during an annual February survey at Grandfather Mountain as part of ongoing monitoring by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation and state wildlife agencies. (More)

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Have you seen the blue ghost fireflies in Pisgah National Forest?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not yet
4. Not interested

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you been to the North Carolina Azalea Festival?

1. No: 43%
2. Yes: 22%
3. Not yet: 20%
4. Not interested: 15%

What’s the difference between the southern flying squirrel and the Carolina northern flying squirrel?

Show me the answer