Sunday, April 26, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1985, tennis player John Isner was born in Greensboro. The 6-foot-10 right-hander turned professional in 2007 and won 16 Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) singles titles, and became known for his powerful serve and record-setting marathon matches.

It was a good weekend to be thirsty in Raleigh. Two competing beer festivals filled downtown on Saturday, and the backstory is below in Et Cetera.

In case you missed it, this week on The Flyover Podcast, host Ayla Brown unpacked a new study raising eyebrows about the news you see every day. Researchers took a deep dive into major platforms like Google, Apple News, and Yahoo—and what they found could change how you think about your feed. Are these aggregators really neutral, or is there something else going on? Listen here.

Today’s sponsor, FinanceBuzz, is sharing simple, expert-backed ways to cut everyday expenses and free up more money in your monthly budget without changing your lifestyle.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

Fires Rage as NC Drought Deepens

North Carolina entered the weekend with a worsening wildfire crisis, 47 counties in extreme drought and a statewide burn ban in effect amid the driest stretch in nearly two decades.

The state has logged more than 4,200 wildfires this year, well above the decade average of around 2,600 for the same period.

Pender County saw two fires this week, a 275-acre Whitehall Plantation Game Land blaze and a 30-acre brush fire near Willard.

Light rain was forecast for Saturday night into Sunday, but officials said it likely won’t break the drought or end the ban.

NC Teachers to March on Raleigh Friday

Thousands of North Carolina educators are set to march on the state capitol Friday, May 1, in the largest rally for public school funding in years.

The NCAE-organized “Kids Over Corporations” march is pushing lawmakers to halt the scheduled elimination of the state corporate income tax, a policy teachers say is draining the education budget. NCAE President Tamika Walker Kelly warned that North Carolina public schools have been “falling off a fiscal cliff for years.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools voted unanimously on Friday to convert May 1 to an optional teacher workday, after more than 1,800 educators had already requested leave. At least nine districts across the state have canceled classes that day, with Union County alone seeing 304 staff members requesting time off.

The rally comes as Gov. Josh Stein’s proposed 2026–27 budget would make teacher starting salaries the highest in the Southeast, but the Republican-controlled legislature hasn’t passed a comprehensive budget since 2023.

UNC Lacrosse Chases Ninth ACC Crown

North Carolina’s top-ranked women’s lacrosse team faces No. 2 seed Stanford for the ACC Tournament title today at noon on ACC Network, chasing its ninth conference championship.

UNC reached the final with a 19-9 rout of Syracuse on Friday, posting 12 first-half goals. Sophomore Chloe Humphrey set the program’s single-season points record with five goals and four assists.

Stanford reached its first-ever ACC final by edging No. 3 seed Clemson 13-12, sealing the comeback with Peep Williams’ behind-the-back goal in the final 33 seconds.

Carolina, the defending national champion, will then await the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on May 3.

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➤ Asheville: The state Department of Transportation broke ground Thursday on the $1.8 billion I-26 Connector, a project more than three decades in the making that will separate interstate and local traffic through downtown. (More)

➤ Swansboro: Swansboro High School social studies teacher Cason Justice was named North Carolina’s 2026 Teacher of the Year on Friday and will serve as a statewide ambassador for the profession. (More)

➤ Charlotte: State Rep. Carla Cunningham, a seven-term Democrat who lost her March primary with party leaders actively opposing her, switched her voter registration to unaffiliated Friday. (More)

➤ Winston-Salem: Hundreds marched Saturday calling for peace after a planned fight at Leinbach Park ended in gunfire Monday, killing two teenagers and wounding five others. Three people face riot charges. (More)

➤ Statewide: Gov. Josh Stein announced $319 million in federally funded projects to connect 93,000 homes and businesses to high-speed internet by 2030, targeting rural communities still without reliable broadband. (More)

➤ The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Ottawa Senators 4-2 yesterday, becoming the first NHL team to advance to the second round of the playoffs. They swept the series 4-0. (More)

➤ The Panthers wrapped up the NFL Draft yesterday with four picks: cornerback Will Lee III, center Sam Hecht, safety Zakee Wheatley, and linebacker Jackson Kuwatch. Kuwatch said former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was his favorite player growing up. (More)

➤ UNC pays football coach Bill Belichick and men’s basketball coach Michael Malone a combined $18.33 million a year, second only to Alabama’s $19.75 million among collegiate coaching pairs. (More)

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➤ MerleFest wraps today in Wilkesboro, drawing tens of thousands to the four-day Appalachian music festival celebrating Doc Watson and his late son Merle. (More)

➤ Dueling beer festivals filled downtown Raleigh on Saturday: Brewgaloo and the new Y’all Means All North Carolina Beer Festival, which launched after backlash over a Brewgaloo organizer’s comments. (More)

➤ Jennette’s Pier reopened to anglers Saturday in Nags Head after a complete deck replacement, the 1,000-foot Outer Banks landmark arriving just in time for spring fishing. (More)

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Several barn owl eggs are hatching LIVE in Western North Carolina. You can catch the owlets emerging on a live nest camera right now. Perfect Sunday morning wildlife viewing.