North Carolina Mourns Dolly Parton

North Carolinians are mourning the loss of country music legend Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer, her team confirmed.

Though the singer hailed from East Tennessee, Parton’s reach into North Carolina ran deep. Her Imagination Library, which mails free books each month to young children, has partnered with Smart Start of Mecklenburg County since 2017 and now enrolls more than 40% of the county’s eligible kids.

Her generosity showed up in a crisis, too. After Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in 2024, Parton gave $1 million toward recovery in the mountain communities. Her Dollywood Foundation contributed an additional $1 million to Helene relief efforts.

Upon hearing the news of her death, fans lined up at Charlotte’s Lunchbox Records to buy up her albums and memorabilia. Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, said the loss was felt statewide, adding “Dolly Parton was so special, so universally loved.”

Energy Costs Shadow Cooper’s Senate Bid

A task force convened by Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, found that North Carolina’s electricity prices rose faster than any Southeastern state from 2017 to 2024, the span of Roy Cooper’s governorship.

The average residential bill climbed nearly 30% over those years, according to the report, which Stein signed. By comparison, Virginia’s rose 19%, Tennessee’s 16%, and South Carolina’s 6%.

Cooper, a Democrat, is running for the U.S. Senate seat Republican Sen. Thom Tillis is vacating, campaigning on a “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour. Republicans, including the Senate Leadership Fund, have seized on the numbers in ads tying him to the increases.

Stein’s report pins most of the increase on rising natural gas prices. Cooper has made lowering household costs the centerpiece of his campaign.

Elon University Releases AI Wisdom Toolkit

Elon University has launched the Human Wisdom Toolkit for the Age of AI, offering free resources to help students cultivate essential human skills amid rapid technological change. 

The toolkit includes a field guide, classroom teaching modules, and a self-assessment tool, developed by the university’s Imagining the Digital Future Center.

The materials emphasize capacities AI cannot replace, such as curiosity, critical thinking, creativity, ethics, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. Educators can use modular chapters and companion teacher guides across disciplines or campus programs.

Since the broader Student Guide to AI series began in 2024, more than 87,000 users at over 4,000 institutions in 170 countries have adopted the publications. Groups including EDUCAUSE and the American Library Association endorse the 2026 edition.

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➤ Statewide: The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled for Roy Cooper and three other Democratic candidates challenging a federal plan to let political parties buy broadcast ad time at the same low rate reserved for candidates. (More)

➤ Western NC: Gov. Josh Stein announced $69 million in federal disaster-recovery funding for 10 affordable-housing projects, financing 828 rental units in counties hit by Hurricane Helene, with rents required to stay affordable for 30 years. (More)

➤ NC Schools: North Carolina’s new budget requires nearly every school, including private and religious ones, to post the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in six places, from student IDs to school-issued devices. The state’s largest Christian school association is pushing back. (More)

➤ Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools said it is on high alert after a man accused of plotting mass shootings at five schools was released from jail Saturday with electronic monitoring. The district has banned him from all school properties. (More)

➤ Charlotte: Meanwhile, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board voted to release parts of an investigation into Superintendent Crystal Hill, including findings and policy recommendations, while keeping some information confidential. (More)

➤ Asheville: The city council voted to end its contract with Flock, the company behind Asheville’s license-plate-reading cameras, and some residents pressed the council to drop other surveillance tools as well. (More)

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➤ NC Courage midfielder Riley Jackson was named the first Special Olympics North Carolina community ambassador. The Courage and Special Olympics North Carolina will host a Unified Match at WakeMed Soccer Park on Sept. 17. (More)

➤ Carolina Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook brought the Stanley Cup to Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Tuesday and threw the first pitch. (More)

➤ Queens University of Charlotte is part of a first-of-its-kind ESPN deal that bundles the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences under one broadcast agreement. Games will air on ESPN+ with select events on ESPN’s linear networks. (More)

➤ Charlotte 49ers football is adding an in-stadium DJ, a $2.99 value menu, and new concession options at Jerry Richardson Stadium this fall. The upgrades come as stadium renovations continue ahead of a spring 2027 completion. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | U.S. Open | Soccer | Little League World Series

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➤ NC State is joining a $160 million National Science Foundation initiative to advance biobased manufacturing, with its researchers assessing how affordable and sustainable the resulting products will be. (More)

➤ Ohio-based ProVia, a window and door manufacturer, will invest $120 million in a new Davie County operation expected to create about 400 jobs. (More)

➤ Smithfield-based KS Bank plans to open a full-service branch in Roseboro, restoring in-person banking to a Sampson County town that has gone without a bank for nearly four years. (More)

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➤ North Carolina is projected to add 1.48 million residents by 2040, a 13.2% increase that ranks ninth nationally and contributes to the South’s dominant share of U.S. population growth. (See Rankings)

➤ NASA astronaut and NC State graduate Christina Koch closed her alma mater’s homecoming with a message of “grit and self-trust,” reflecting on her path to the Artemis II mission that flew around the moon. (More)

➤ Meanwhile, NC State also released a limited-edition “Howl at the Moon” Howling Cow ice cream flavor in Christina Koch’s honor. (See Post)

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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. 

➤ Is a joint bank account the key to a happy relationship, or a trap? (Hear Debate)

➤ One of Wall Street’s best-known investors admits his headline-grabbing op-ed attacking the Treasury secretary was written with AI. (Hear Details)

➤ Hackers tied to China’s military allegedly spent years hiding inside some of America’s most sensitive government networks. (Listen Now)

Did you ever see Dolly Parton perform live?

1. Yes
2. No

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite Dolly Parton hit song?

1. I Will Always Love You: 41%
2. Jolene: 13%
3. Islands in the Stream: 12%
4. Coat of Many Colors: 12%
5. Here You Come Again: 10%
6. 9 to 5: 10%
7. Other: 2%

Which North Carolina museum did Dolly Parton visit in 2019 to help launch her Imagination Library program?

Show me the answer