Charlotte Hosts the MLS All-Star Game

The MLS All-Stars face Mexico’s LIGA MX All-Stars tonight at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, the first All-Star Game the city has hosted.

Charlotte FC coach Dean Smith leads the MLS side, and three of his players—defender Tim Ream, midfielder Pep Biel, and captain Ashley Westwood—earned spots on the 29-man roster, establishing a club record.

The 8 p.m. kickoff caps a week of festivities, including Tuesday’s Skills Challenge at nearby Truist Field and a halftime set from R&B star Ciara.

The match comes 10 days after the FIFA World Cup wrapped up across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.

$34 Million Flows to Helene Recovery

Gov. Josh Stein announced $34.2 million in new federal grants for Hurricane Helene recovery in Western North Carolina on Monday.

The largest share, $29.2 million from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, will build an advanced manufacturing training center at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. The WNC Futures Factory is planned near the Pratt & Whitney plant in Buncombe County.

Smaller awards spread across the region include $500,000 each to regional planning councils in Asheville and Hickory, $400,000 to a Charlotte development commission, and $267,080 for shell buildings at an Ashe County industrial park.

“Western North Carolina is working hard to rebuild from Hurricane Helene, and these grants are going to help communities build on that momentum,” Stein said.

Search Continues for Missing Cary Mother

The search for Elizabeth Waddell, a 44-year-old Cary mother who vanished on a Grenada beach vacation, has stretched into a second week.

Waddell went out for a swim the morning of Wednesday, July 22, near Grand Anse Beach in St. George’s, leaving only a towel on a pier, according to a longtime family friend. She was staying at an Airbnb with a traveling companion.

Her husband, Cailen Waddell, an operations manager for the Town of Cary’s parks department, flew to the island to join police divers, the U.S. Coast Guard, and local volunteers.

The Royal Grenada Police Force is leading the missing-person investigation, and family members say the water search has shifted from rescue to recovery.

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➤ Statewide: Duke Energy signed the Trump administration’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge to keep households from covering the cost of power for new data centers. Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson welcomed the move but urged Duke to make the pledge enforceable through the state Utilities Commission. (More)

➤ Eastern NC: Former FBI Director James Comey asked a federal judge in a Monday filing to dismiss his indictment for allegedly threatening President Trump, arguing his photo of seashells on a North Carolina beach spelling “8647” is protected political speech and not a “true threat.” (See Details)

➤ Harnett County: Private Facebook posts credited Rep. Joe Pike, R-Harnett, who lives in a gated community, with helping secure $300,000 in state budget earmarks for the neighborhood’s property owners’ association. (More)

➤ Caldwell County: Federal ICE agents detained 13 people they said were in the country illegally during an immigration operation Sunday at the Wilson Creek recreation area near Brown Mountain Beach Road. (More)

➤ UNC Chapel Hill: University officials asked a judge to throw out a media coalition’s lawsuit seeking release of a $1.2 million report on its School of Civic Life and Leadership, arguing the roughly 400-page document is privileged “cover to cover.” (More)

➤ New Hanover County: Novant Health, UNC Health, and Atrium Health are competing to add hospital beds in the county, with proposals topping $1.4 billion combined. Residents have until 5 p.m. Friday to tell the state which bid, if any, they support. (More)

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➤ The College Sports Commission, which enforces NIL and revenue-sharing rules, opened an investigation into the Tar Heels’ football program this week. The news comes right after the program’s general manager, Michael Lombardi, was put on leave. (More) 

➤ The U.S. Kids Golf World Championship begins tomorrow in Pinehurst, bringing golfers ages 5 to 12 from around the world for three days of competition on championship courses. It’s the world’s largest junior golf tournament. (More)

➤ North Carolina Central freshman Aaron Alukunyang was named Men’s Track and Field Runner of the Year at the HBCU Sports Awards that took place last weekend. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Tennis | WNBA

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➤ Grady-White Boats owner Eddie Smith, 83, gave the Greenville boatbuilder to a perpetual purpose trust and a new nonprofit rather than pursue a possible $400 million sale, locking in its independence and steering future profits toward conservation, health, and education. (More)

➤ Drone maker Skyeton will invest $3.1 million to build its flagship U.S. plant in Fayetteville, adding 162 jobs at an average wage of $70,759 in the former Black+Decker campus near the regional airport. (More)

➤ Mission Hospital in Asheville received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Gold Plus award for following research-based guidelines on timely stroke treatment. Stroke is the nation’s fourth-leading cause of death. (More)

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➤ For the first time in nine weeks, North Carolina’s unaffiliated voters grew faster than total registrations, rising 3,955 in a week. Unaffiliated voters now make up 39.9% of the state’s 7.8 million registrations, ahead of Republicans at 29.8% and Democrats at 29.7%. (See Details)

➤ UNC Greensboro’s Plant and Pollinator Center is breeding honeybees with stronger “hygienic” instincts to fight Varroa mites, which the USDA says wiped out about 60% of the nation’s commercial colonies between the summer of 2024 and spring of 2025. (More)

➤ North Carolina’s farmland averages $5,470 an acre, 21st among the states and just above the $4,350 national average, according to 2025 USDA data. Rhode Island tops the list at $22,500 an acre, and New Mexico is lowest at $725. (See Report)

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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:

➤ Your dreams follow hidden rules, and scientists just uncovered what actually controls them every night. (Hear Details)

➤ Air Force One has scrapped its decades-old look for new colors. (Hear Episode)

➤ Birds are struggling to stay hydrated in extreme heat, and you can help by adding this one common freezer staple to your feeder. (Listen Now)

Will you tune in to watch the MLS All-Star game tonight?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Possibly

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you ever attended a PGA golf tournament?

1. Yes: 43%
2. No: 43%
3. Not yet: 8%
4. I competed in one: 6%

Does Elizabeth Dole have any children?

Show me the answer