Cameras Cleared To Track NC Drivers

North Carolina’s new state budget allows NCDOT to enter into agreements with the State Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies to place AI-powered license-plate cameras along state-maintained roads, clearing the way for a permanent statewide tracking program.

The cameras, called automatic license plate readers, log every passing vehicle’s plate, make, model, and color. Software then checks that data against law enforcement databases for stolen cars, wanted suspects, and missing people.

The SBI, which wants readers eventually covering every entrance to and exit from the state, credits the technology with recovering stolen vehicles, clearing an innocent murder suspect, and intercepting drug shipments bound for North Carolina.

Privacy advocates counter that the readers treat every driver as a suspect and keep running records of ordinary people’s movements. The ACLU of North Carolina has criticized the budget’s 90-day data-retention window as longer than the limits imposed by other states.

Elections Board Revises Photo ID Rules

The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines on Thursday to let county boards reject a questioned photo ID exception form by a simple majority rather than the unanimous vote now required.

Voters who arrive without an accepted photo ID can still cast a provisional ballot by signing an exception form explaining why. Until now, a county board had to agree unanimously that the form was false before setting the ballot aside.

Democrat members warned that the change invites partisan votes on five-member county boards, each of which holds a 3-2 party split. Republicans said the rule simply matches state law, which never specified unanimity.

Board Secretary Stacy “Four” Eggers IV said the unanimous standard was “invented out of whole cloth” by an earlier board. The rules head next to the Rules Review Commission.

SBI Aids Probe of Linked Shootings

The State Bureau of Investigation is helping local agencies in Duplin and Sampson counties untangle roughly 17 shootings into occupied homes that authorities believe are connected and largely gang-related.

The gunfire began in February in and around Beulaville, Warsaw, Magnolia, Wallace, and Kenansville, striking houses while families were inside.

One of the shootings killed Annie Jane Faison, a 59-year-old great-grandmother, when a round tore into her home near Turkey before dawn on May 20.

A task force of local police, the State Highway Patrol, the SBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has executed a string of search warrants since May, seizing firearms and ammunition and making several arrests, some of them juveniles.

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➤ Statewide: Taylor Farms has expanded its voluntary recall of potentially cyclospora-contaminated iceberg lettuce to 27 states, including North Carolina, urging consumers to discard the affected linked shredded iceberg lettuce products linked to the multistate outbreak. (More)

➤ Also Statewide: Lawmakers advanced House Bill 328, which would ban most non-CBD hemp products at gas stations and dispensaries and bar sales to those under 21. The industry, which supports more than 16,000 jobs, warns that the limits will feed a black market. (More)

➤ UNC-Chapel Hill: The Carolina Journal joined the Daily Tar Heel and Charlotte Ledger in asking a federal judge to unseal part of UNC-Chapel Hill’s lawsuit settlement with a former student who accused the university of botching a sexual assault investigation against him. (More)

➤ Carolina Beach is advancing toward a League of American Bicyclists bike-friendly community designation by improving safe biking infrastructure, promoting cycling as transportation, and seeking resident feedback to ease parking challenges and boost local businesses. (More)

➤ Nags Head’s beach nourishment project was expected to wrap up over the weekend as crews finished the final tie-in near Glidden Street. Sand fencing and dune vegetation go in next. (More)

➤ Rocky Mount: A state auditor investigation found the city’s utility-billing confusion stemmed from unauthorized schedule changes that delayed billing by up to a month, in violation of state rules. (More)

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➤ Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano took home his first win of the season yesterday at the Window World 450 at North Carolina’s North Wilkesboro Speedway. (More)

➤ Former Duke men’s basketball star Cameron Boozer, now with the Memphis Grizzlies, played in the NBA Summer League championship game against the Golden State Warriors late last night. (See Results)

➤ Tepper Sports & Entertainment, the parent company of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC, is being sued for gender discrimination after a male employee claimed the organization fired him due to having different standards for men and women. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: World Cup | The Open | MLB | NASCAR | F1 | WNBA

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➤ Gov. Josh Stein and the state Commerce Department launched NC ALIGN, an advisory council meant to expand North Carolina’s role in defense research, advanced manufacturing, and technology by drawing federal investment and high-paying jobs. (More)

➤ American Eagle Outfitters will invest $41 million in a Salisbury distribution hub for the Southeast, adding more than 200 jobs in Rowan County, with operations expected to begin in early 2027. (More)

➤ McGee Corp., a longtime Union County manufacturer, is relocating its operations back to Monroe with incentives for a new $40 million, 350,000-square-foot facility near the Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport. (More)

➤ Atrium Health pushed back on its exclusion from the State Health Plan’s preferred-provider list, warning the move could leave more than 130,000 state employees paying more in 2027 to keep their doctors. (More)

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➤ Battle Buddy, a new Winston-Salem partnership of Veterans Bridge Home and the Forsyth Humane Society, pairs shelter dogs and cats with veterans for free adoption or fostering to support mental health. (Watch Video)

➤ A new round of testing found that 11 of 22 retested northern Outer Banks restaurants were serving American wild-caught shrimp, and the remaining 11 serve imported or farm-raised shrimp. (More)

➤ A new travel roundup names six Western North Carolina towns—Lake Lure, Highlands, Saluda, Hot Springs, Banner Elk, and Blowing Rock—among the best for a relaxing two-day recharge, praising their scenic mountain views, downtowns, and outdoor activities. (See List)

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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. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Scientists are closing in on regrowing human teeth, and the first breakthroughs could make implants and dentures a thing of the past. (Hear Breakthrough)

➤ Wildfire smoke doesn’t stay outside. A few simple steps can keep the air inside your home clean when the haze rolls in. (Hear How)

➤ Wall Street firms were pitched a $100,000-a-month subscription for one product: faster access to President Trump’s social media posts. (Hear Details)

Are you worried about eating fresh produce during the current cyclospora outbreak?

1. Yes
2. Somewhat
3. Not at all
4. What’s cyclospora?

Yesterday’s Results:

Do you have any superstitions?

1. No: 50%
2. Yes: 39%
3. Not yet: 11%

What types of shrimp are harvested in North Carolina?

Show me the answer