ICE Plans Detention Center in Winton

ICE plans to reopen the shuttered Rivers Correctional Institution near Winton this fall as North Carolina’s first dedicated immigration detention center, with about 1,400 beds.

Internal agency documents reported by The New York Times show the Hertford County site would be run by GEO Group, which operated it as a federal prison until 2021. It employed about 300 people.

Gov. Josh Stein opposed the project Friday, saying the site isn’t state-owned and he never approved the transaction. He said ICE and Border Patrol “have not earned our trust.”

House Speaker Destin Hall’s office pointed to the Border Protection Act, which became law over Stein’s veto and expands cooperation between ICE and state agencies. Spokeswoman Demi Dowdy said dangerous offenders are being removed from the streets and communities are safer as a result.

A 2016 Justice Department review found Rivers among the worst private federal prisons for violence and contraband.

Rain Hits Drought-Stricken Coast, Floods Roads

Forecasters expect up to 6 inches of rain across the Cape Fear region through the weekend, and the first rounds already closed N.C. 12 on Pea Island Friday and pushed water onto roads in Brunswick County.

The drought has been building since last fall. Wilmington is running 10 to 11 inches below normal rainfall, and Brunswick County sits in exceptional drought, the worst category on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

The dry ground is part of why water is pooling. Months without rain hardened the soil, so runoff collects instead of soaking in.

Klaus Albertin, who chairs the state’s Drought Management Advisory Council, said one wet weekend won’t fix it. “It’s going to take more than this week and this weekend’s rain to get us out,” he said.

Drought now covers all 100 counties, though fire danger remains low to moderate and no burn bans are in effect.

License Plate Cameras Now Permanent Statewide

A provision in the state budget Gov. Josh Stein signed July 7 made North Carolina’s highway license plate reader program permanent and opened every state-maintained road to the cameras.

The State Bureau of Investigation had run the readers as a pilot since 2023 under a program set to expire July 1. Any law enforcement agency can now petition NCDOT to place a camera on a state right-of-way.

The pilot grew to 32 agencies and more than 140 cameras that recorded over 150 million plate scans. The SBI credited the readers with recovering stolen cars, finding missing people, and helping arrests in homicide and drug-trafficking cases.

The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina warns of mission creep, arguing the cameras could expand beyond their original purpose. The SBI says no pilot data was kept past 90 days.

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➤ Fayetteville: A Ukrainian drone maker is weighing the city against sites in Nevada and Oklahoma for its U.S. headquarters and first American factory. The 162 jobs would average $70,759 a year and fill part of the Black+Decker plant that closed in 2006. (See Details)

➤ Hickory: Heavy rain pushed an estimated 11,305 gallons of untreated wastewater into the Henry Fork River on Thursday, officials said. The Henry Fork is part of the Catawba River basin. (See Details)

➤ Mecklenburg County: Mike Sorrentino, the Jersey Shore cast member known as The Situation, cut the ribbon Friday on Archangel Centers, an addiction recovery facility in Matthews. He has said he wants the center to reduce the stigma around treatment. (More)

➤ Asheville: Police have identified several persons of interest in the July 19 shooting on Biltmore Avenue that killed two people and wounded seven. Interim Chief Jackie Stepp said the shooting appears to be retaliation. (More)

➤ Greensboro: The Teacher Supply Warehouse drew 250 Guilford County Schools teachers in its first week open, where educators load up on paper, pencils and classroom basics for free before the school year starts. (Read Story)

➤ Person County: A judge dismissed the lawsuit over Castle Mont Rouge, the unfinished castle sculptor Robert Mihaly has been building on Red Mountain for nearly three decades. Julie Seel had sought a lien and forced sale to recover $200,000; Mihaly’s counterclaim was dismissed too. (See Castle)

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➤ Duke men’s basketball has scrapped its plans to play Michigan next season after issues with broadcasting rights. The game had been considered one of the most anticipated non-conference games of the season. (More)

➤ The Carolina Panthers have reached an agreement on a long-term deal with Bank of America to extend its stadium naming rights amid plans to renovate the stadium to enhance its fan experience. (More)

➤ Charlotte Hornets second-year forward Kon Kneuppel, who finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting for the 2025-2026 season, referred to the team’s trade of Lamelo Ball as “a shock” in his first public comments since the controversial deal. (More)

➤ NC State landed a commitment from three-star in-state cornerback AK Crumel, who chose the school over other finalists Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Golf

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➤ Five red wolf pups born at Durham’s Museum of Life and Science have been named Cane, Champ, Puck, Stormy, and Whaler, a nod to the Carolina Hurricanes. The museum picked from hundreds of public submissions. (See Pups)

➤ Carowinds’ 325-foot giga coaster is running again after a two-week shutdown that began July 7, when a routine inspection found a shift in the foundation around one of its support columns. (See Video)

➤ A new exhibit at the Burgwin-Wright House in Wilmington pairs portraits of 20 area veterans with photos of them in uniform. Photographer Charlie Baggett’s It’s Not Black and White includes George Van Vekoven, 102, who served on a bomber plane in World War II and flew fighter planes in Korea and Vietnam. (See Photos)

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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, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Delivery giants are rushing to keep weight-loss drugs cold. (Hear More)

➤ Thousands celebrated the birthday of the internet’s favorite little monkey. (Listen Now)

➤  A beloved honey farm teetered on collapse, but one beekeeper refused to quit. (Podcast Available)

Which supervillain do you equate with maximum Southern heat?

1. Sauron from The Lord of the Rings
2. Vecna from Stranger Things
3. Hades from Hercules
4. Darth Vader from Star Wars
5. Heatmeiser from The Year Without a Santa Claus
6. Other

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite way to cool off during summer?

1. Low humidity with high temps: 52%
2. Neither—I’ll take the AC: 18%
3. I’m fine either way: 18%
4. High humidity with low temps: 12%

Who’s widely considered to be the most famous MLB pitcher to come out of North Carolina?

Show me the answer