Senate Bill Reshapes Commission

The state Senate passed a budget corrections bill Wednesday that removes Secretary of State Elaine Marshall from the Local Government Commission and gives her seat to an appointee named by the Senate leader.

The commission approves local borrowing and can revoke a town’s charter. With the budget passed this month, the bill would flip it from a 5-4 Democratic majority to 7-2 Republican.

Marshall, a Democrat in her eighth term, called the move a “purely political power grab.” Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said he didn’t know the details behind it.

The House could take it up next week. Senators also cleared a separate courts bill letting the chief justice suspend trial judges without pay during an investigation.

Forsyth County Water Service Restored

Water service is back on for every Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities customer knocked out by Wednesday’s 24-inch water main break, and the boil water advisory has been lifted for part of the affected area.

The main sits about 40 feet underground beneath a manmade pond off Lowery Street.

“The repair itself (was) challenging due to the location of the break,” Utilities Director Courtney Driver said.

Nearly 200,000 people, roughly half of Forsyth County, lost water or pressure, from downtown Winston-Salem out through Kernersville and Walkertown. The county opened bottled-water distribution sites, and Second Harvest helped move water and serve meals.

645 Generators Divide Richmond County

North Carolina regulators must decide whether to permit 645 diesel generators at Amazon’s $10 billion data center campus in Richmond County.

Amazon wants 588 emergency backup engines spread across 21 buildings near Hamlet. Duke Energy wants to run 57 generators around the clock for up to a year until the site reaches the grid.

Amazon says the engines would run five to 15 hours a year for testing, and the state’s review found emissions would stay below health-based standards past the property line.

Activist William Ingram spent Wednesday handing out fact sheets across the county, saying many neighbors assumed Amazon was building a distribution center. “All we’re asking is that you include us in these decisions,” he said.

County officials say the project cleared the same economic development process as any other, including public hearings. The comment window closed Friday, and the Division of Air Quality will decide.

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Statewide: A federal appeals panel refused to block North Carolina’s 2024 vape law, which bars stores from selling e-cigarettes that aren’t on a state directory of FDA-authorized products. (More)

➤ Caldwell County: A fox that tested positive for rabies in Rhodhiss is the county’s second confirmed case this year. (More)

➤ Raleigh: Detectives with the Raleigh Police Department are maintaining a 100% clearance rate for murders this year, meaning an arrest has been made in every single homicide. (More)

➤ Catawba County: The school district is scaling back planned expansions at four of its five middle schools as district leaders anticipate approval of a proposed merger with Hickory City Schools and Newton-Conover City Schools. (Details)

➤ New Hanover County: Commissioner Dane Scalise says residents deserve a transparent review of the Sheriff’s Office Flock license plate cameras. Sheriff Ed McMahon told the board the cameras don’t use facial recognition and purge data on a schedule. (More)

➤ Rockingham County: Crews were still on the scene Thursday after a storage container holding lithium-ion batteries caught fire at Venture Logistics in Mayodan on Wednesday. (Details)

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

➤ More than 50 college basketball players filed a lawsuit in Guilford County against the NCAA, arguing the association’s new eligibility rules unfairly shut out the high school class of 2022. Former NC State players Darrion Williams, Tre Holloman, and Ven-Allen Lubin are among the plaintiffs. (More)

➤ A Meredith College poll found that while most North Carolinians support legalized sports betting, two-thirds want the state to ban prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. (More)

➤ The Carolina Panthers announced that rookie receiver Chris Brazzell II will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee. He’s expected to be back for the 2027 season. (More)

➤ The North Carolina Courage signed Norwegian national team midfielder Vilde Bøe Risa through 2028. The 30-year-old comes to the NWSL as a free agent after three seasons with Atlético Madrid in Spain’s top women’s league. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Golf | WNBA | Soccer

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Turn your ordinary garden hose into a powerful cleaning tool with Jetterix. This easy-to-use high-pressure nozzle helps blast away dirt, mud, and grime from driveways, patios, vehicles, siding, and more—without the cost of an expensive pressure washer. Get yours today and make outdoor cleaning faster and easier.

Flying together with our sponsor

A Small Upgrade You’ll Use Every Day

Some products promise to change your life. Others simply make your daily routine a little better. We think this falls into the second category. If you’re going to brush your teeth every day anyway, it makes sense to see if there’s a faster, easier way to do it.

Learn more about the Sonic Glow Brush and see if it’s right for you today.

➤ Evolutionary Aquatics, a Charlotte swim school, teaches adults to float, stroke, and control their breathing, then moves them into the Catawba River, where lead instructor Nadine Ford says pool swimmers tend to freeze up. It’s all part of an effort to combat drownings. (Read Story)

➤ A Southport skydiving instructor is home after a July 5 jump went wrong at about 400 feet, during a high-performance turn he’d made over 100 times. Two weeks in the hospital, a broken rib, internal bleeding, and multiple fractures later, he still plans to jump again. (Read Story)

➤ Tryon Palace, a historic site in New Bern, will host a parade and a Fife and Drum Corps performance on Aug. 22. It marks 252 years since colonial delegates there adopted resolves protesting British policy. (See Details)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Want exposure to Anthropic before its anticipated IPO? A new video reveals a publicly traded company with an early investment in Anthropic that may offer indirect exposure to its future growth. Learn why some investors are watching this opportunity closely—and discover the stock ticker free in the presentation.  (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, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Your $139 Amazon Prime membership includes hidden benefits most members are unknowingly paying for and never using. (Hear More)

➤ Mortgage rates have climbed to their highest level in a year as war fears and Fed doubts fuel inflation concerns. (Listen Now)

➤ Shark sightings are surging off New York City beaches, forcing police to send drones into the sky over swimmers. (Podcast Available)

Have you read the Declaration of Independence from start to finish?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Can’t remember

Yesterday’s Results:

Which blood type are you?

1. O+ or O-: 35%
2. A+ or A-: 27%
3. Not sure: 16%
4. B+ or B-: 13%
5. AB+ or AB-: 9%

On what river is the town of Historic Halifax located?

Show me the answer