Stein Signs 4 Bills into Law

Gov. Josh Stein signed four bills into law on July 2, covering law enforcement staffing, child protection, tax relief, and water systems.

House Bill 481 lets retired officers return to work without forfeiting their special separation allowance, while House Bill 83 stiffens penalties for sending obscene material to minors and strengthens the state’s human-trafficking response.

Senate Bill 595 aligns state tax law with IRS changes, adds tax relief for Hurricane Helene survivors, and lets bank tellers block suspicious transactions to protect seniors. Stein signed it but urged lawmakers to revisit one provision he said “could hamper the state’s innovation economy.” He also signed House Bill 376, a water and wastewater affordability measure.

Stein also delivered a Fourth of July address at the State Capitol in Raleigh on Saturday, highlighting North Carolina’s part in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the women’s suffrage movement, and the Civil Rights Movement as America marked its 250th birthday.

Teen Takeovers Mar July 4 Celebrations

Nine people were shot across Raleigh early Sunday after Fourth of July “teen takeovers” turned violent in the Brier Creek and Glenwood South areas.

Officers first responded near a Brier Creek movie theater around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, where police estimated 3,000 teens had gathered for a Fourth of July block party. A fight spilled outside, and gunfire wounded two bystanders—one hit by a bullet, the other by shattered glass.

Police say about half the crowd was from outside the city. Many regrouped in Glenwood South, where roughly 5,000 teens gathered and six more people were shot. A third shooting at a Capital Boulevard gas station wounded two others. The shooters remain unidentified, and all nine victims are expected to survive.

Meanwhile, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police arrested 39 people, 21 of them juveniles as young as 10, during Uptown’s Fourth of July celebration, reporting no major incidents. Eight parents were cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. 

$700M Helene Relief Prevents NCDOT Cuts

A new state audit found that $700 million in Hurricane Helene relief in North Carolina’s budget is expected to head off looming maintenance cuts at the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

The audit, released before lawmakers began voting on the budget last week, said the department has identified 9,400 sites where the September 2024 storm damaged roads and bridges.

Thirty-nine counties under federal disaster declarations are home to 40% of the state’s 11.2 million residents.

Without the new money, the audit warned, the department would keep having to divert general maintenance funds to storm recovery. A state law already repurposed $164.2 million toward Helene work this fiscal year.

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Statewide: North Carolina’s new $34 billion budget will require tolls on all state ferry routes next year, ending free passage on lines like Hatteras-Ocracoke. Two coastal Republican senators broke with their party to oppose it; backers say the revenue is needed to replace an aging fleet. (See Details)

➤ Greensboro: Two Triad 18-year-olds, Solomon Caravello-Bell and Chayce Harricharan, face multiple felony charges after allegedly using a homemade plasma cannon—classified as a weapon of mass destruction—to burn a bush and damage a door while breaking into Smith High School. (More)

➤ Roanoke Rapids: Eric Lamont Martin Jr., 18, wanted in the killing of three people—including two teens killed in Roanoke Rapids—was captured early Saturday at a home south of Raleigh. Deputies used drones and a K-9 team to take the suspect into custody. (See Details)

➤ Charlotte: Rob Harrington began his first full week as mayor after being sworn in on July 1, succeeding Vi Lyles, who resigned. The political newcomer and attorney was appointed by a 6-5 vote of the City Council and will serve the remainder of the term. (More)

➤ Asheville: The nonprofit RiverLink is replanting rivercane, a bamboo native to the Southeast that resists floodwaters and filters runoff, along the French Broad to rebuild streambanks left bare by Hurricane Helene. (See Details)

➤ Duke University will enroll a record 90 transfer students this fall, its largest transfer class ever, after a 6% acceptance rate. Nearly half of the newcomers plan to study the arts and humanities, part of a push that also targeted veterans. (More)

Enjoy reading Flyover North Carolina? Click here to share with your friends and family. ✈️

➤ Former Duke star Cameron Boozer will wear No. 27 with the Memphis Grizzlies because it was the number his mother, CeCe Blackwell, wore playing volleyball at North Carolina Central. (More)

➤ The Charlotte Hornets were named one of four finalists for ESPN’s Humanitarian Team of the Year Award, recognizing their work rebuilding the Riverview Community Center in Ashe County after Hurricane Helene. (More)

➤ LaMelo Ball called his trade from the Hornets to the Minnesota Timberwolves “a dream” on a recent podcast. (More)

➤ ESPN ranked the Panthers’ roster outside the top 20 heading into the 2026 season despite Carolina winning the NFC South last year. The team added edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd this offseason after finishing with the league’s second-lowest pressure rate in 2025. (More) 

Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | Wimbledon | MLB | WNBA 

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Big AC companies are panicking over this new cooling invention that helps Americans stay cool for less. Stop suffering from extreme temperatures and high electric bills. Get instant cooling in summer and cozy warmth in winter with CoolCove. Learn More

➤ Atlanta-based Oldcastle APG laid off 63 workers on July 1 as it permanently downsized its Barrette Outdoor Living plant in Salisbury, which makes fencing, railing, and decking. The company cited a revenue decline and economic downturn. (More)

➤ Four weekly outdoor markets are running across Hatteras Island this summer, giving local farmers, artists, and makers regular venues to sell. They span Avon (Tuesdays), Waves (Wednesdays), Frisco (Thursdays), and Hatteras Village (Saturdays). (More)

➤ Ticketmaster responded to North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s inquiry about chaotic Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final ticket sales, denying technical issues during the presale and stating it blocked tens of thousands of suspicious IP addresses to combat bots. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Reclaim your backyard by zapping 15,000 mosquitos in 1 night with the Zap Zone Defender. This powerful anti-mosquito device is transforming backyards by silently eliminating thousands of mosquitoes overnight, without chemicals or noise.

Flying together with our sponsor

Delete your personal data

Scams start with your personal data being sold. Data brokers are profiting from your home address, SSN, phone number, and other personal information that doesn’t belong to them. Incogni scrubs your personal info from the web. Simple as. It takes 3 minutes to set up, tackles 420+ data brokers and people-search sites, and there’s a 30-day money back guarantee. Protect your data, your time, and your sanity. Get Incogni today and never look back.

Use code FLYOVER today for a 55% annual plan discount →

➤ For the nation’s 250th anniversary, NC State tallied its contributions to American life, which included the world’s first fully electric guitar, the first synthetic aorta, and alumna Christina Koch, who this year became the first woman to circle the moon. (More)

➤ North Carolina’s favorite dog breed is the American Pit Bull Terrier, according to a map built from 1.2 million pet-insurance records from 2022-2025. (See Map)

➤ When dentist Dr. Ashley Collins learned that a patient at her Denver, North Carolina, practice needed a kidney, she filled out the donor form within an hour and turned out to be a match. Two years after the transplant, the patient, Floren Morrison, is doing well, and the two families have grown close. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Take the guesswork out of monitoring your blood pressure at home with the Vital Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor. Designed for convenience and ease of use, it provides fast readings from your wrist, making it simple to track your numbers, stay informed, and support your health routine from the comfort of home.  (LEARN MORE)

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Skip the expensive creams, because here are five sure-fire remedies to calm sunburned skin and speed recovery. (Hear Details)

➤ Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin heads to a Utah courtroom this week, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. (Hear Episode)

➤ China test-fired a long-range ballistic missile from a submarine into the South Pacific, inside a decades-old nuclear-free zone. (Listen Now)

Have you ridden on a North Carolina ferry?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not yet
4. Can’t remember

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you toured North Carolina’s wine country?

1. No: 55%
2. Yes: 24%
3. Not yet: 21%

What kind of machine did an NC State professor use to create the world’s first successful synthetic artificial aorta?

Show me the answer