State Panel Takes on Health Costs

North Carolina’s new Health Care Affordability Commission held its first meeting Tuesday in Raleigh, opening a six-month push to lower medical costs for the state’s 11 million residents.

The bipartisan panel, created by Democrat Gov. Josh Stein through an executive order, is co-chaired by Republican State Treasurer Brad Briner and Democrat Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. Its members include state lawmakers, hospitals, insurers, employers, and patient advocates.

Members reviewed data ranking North Carolina 38th nationally for health care access and affordability, with high out-of-pocket costs and medical debt among its weakest marks.

The commission is due to deliver its first recommendations to the governor by January 2027.

NC Lawmakers Push Farm AI Bill

U.S. Rep. Don Davis has introduced the Fostering Agricultural Research and Modernization through Artificial Intelligence (FARM) AI Act, a House bill that would build up artificial-intelligence research and worker training at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Davis, a Democrat who represents eastern North Carolina, filed the measure as a companion to a Senate version introduced in March by Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, who represents North Carolina. Both cast it as a way to keep American farmers competitive.

The bill would make AI a priority research area at the USDA, steer new grants and fellowships toward the rural workforce, and direct the department’s extension service to help farmers adopt precision-agriculture tools.

Budd, who filed the Senate bill in May, has said outdated USDA programs are holding rural producers back from the technology’s potential.

Hidden Battleship Tours Return in 2027

The Battleship North Carolina Memorial in Wilmington is bringing back its Hidden Battleship tours in 2027, guiding small groups into unrestored parts of the World War II USS North Carolina that are normally sealed off.

The guided tours drop deep below deck and climb high into the ship’s superstructure, into areas most visitors never see. Participants must be at least 16 and willing to climb ladders and squeeze through tight, confined spaces.

Tickets run $75 plus tax, and the six-hour tours are set for four dates: Feb. 27, March 20, April 24, and Nov. 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Moored on the Cape Fear River, the USS North Carolina is one of World War II’s most decorated U.S. warships and a memorial to the state’s service members. Organizers say the tours routinely sell out.

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➤ Linville: Julia Taylor Morton, wife of famed photographer Hugh Morton and steward of Grandfather Mountain, died Monday at 100. In 2009, she donated the family’s last share of the mountain to create a nonprofit foundation that keeps the landmark open to the public. (More)

➤ Fort Bragg: Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, became the second Fort Bragg soldier killed in the conflict with Iran, dying July 19 during a controlled detonation of a downed drone at Erbil Air Base in Iraq. (More)

➤ Greenville: Federal officials opened a civil-rights investigation into East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine, one of five U.S. medical schools the Department of Education is examining over alleged racial discrimination in admissions under Title VI. (More)

➤ Charlotte: Two Charlotte mothers filed a $2.5 million claim against the federal government, saying Border Patrol agents chased them, smashed their car window with a rifle, and arrested them at gunpoint as they filmed immigration enforcement. The assault charges against the women were later dismissed. (More)

➤ Carolina Beach: The town council approved a $935,000 purchase of 1.13 acres on Bridge Barrier Road, giving the space-strapped town room to relocate its Utilities and Public Works operations and add recreation. (More)

➤ Kinston: A North Carolina prosthetics company’s luggage holding nine custom legs valued at tens of thousands of dollars was lost in a United Airlines-Air France flight mixup, forcing a representative to disappoint 17 hopeful amputees in Africa. (More)

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➤ The Carolina Panthers placed left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton on the Physically Unable to Perform list, defensive tackle Bobby Brown III and cornerback Jaycee Horn on the Non-Football Injury list, and right tackle Taylor Moton on the non-football illness list ahead of training camp. (More)

➤ The Carolina Hurricanes announced they will launch their own sports network as the exclusive local television home for Hurricanes hockey starting with the 2026-27 season. The move comes after FanDuel Sports Network ceased operations, leaving the reigning Stanley Cup champions without a broadcast partner. (More)

➤ Carolina Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung and will be placed on the reserve/non-football injury list to start training camp. He will miss at least some of the regular season. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | MLS

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➤ Novant Health is cutting 31 revenue-cycle jobs across its network, including positions at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington. (More)

➤ Durham-based American Efficient filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, listing more than $1 billion in liabilities against under $10 million in assets, three months after federal regulators fined it over $1 billion for allegedly defrauding wholesale electricity markets. (More)

➤ California-based Taylor Farms released a list of where iceberg lettuce has been recalled due to possible cyclospora contamination, tied to an outbreak that has sickened more than 300 people statewide, with most in Wake County. (See List)

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➤ Donations to the ALS Association have tripled since former NFL star and ECU Hall of Famer Chris Johnson revealed his ALS diagnosis and revived the viral challenge, with many donors giving exactly $28 in a nod to his jersey number. (Watch Report)

➤ Before Raleigh had modern arenas, NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium hosted rock giants like Pink Floyd, Van Halen, and Boston from the 1970s through the 1990s, muddling through rain and traffic to bring big tours to the Triangle. (More)

➤ Speaking of concerts, Mannheim Steamroller’s Christmas concert tour, known for its multimedia holiday shows, will stop at Wilmington’s Wilson Center on Nov. 20 with 3 and 7:30 p.m. performances. Tickets open to the public on July 24. (See Details)

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➤ Stolen passwords fuel record identity theft, yet the strongest defense sits unused inside your phone. (Hear Details)

➤ Street protests and a rift inside Ukraine’s leadership have forced a sweeping shakeup of the country’s military command. (Hear Episode)

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Have you toured the USS North Carolina in Wilmington?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not yet

Yesterday’s Results:

Should North Carolina allow elk hunting?

1. No, leave the elk be: 40%
2. Maybe, for the conservation funding cause: 37%
3. Absolutely: 23%

How did Grandfather Mountain become a North Carolina tourist attraction?

Show me the answer