Historic Grants Shield NC Farmland

North Carolina has awarded a record $51.2 million in farmland preservation grants spanning 44 counties, the largest single-year investment in the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund’s history.

Funded by the General Assembly’s 2026-27 budget, the grants primarily support agricultural conservation easements that permanently protect working farms and forests from development. 

This protection strengthens rural economies by keeping farmland available for food and fiber production while supporting farm families and related businesses statewide. Western counties such as Haywood, Cherokee, and Watauga share in the benefits alongside Piedmont and eastern regions.

Officials emphasize that sustained funding is essential, as demand for preservation continues to outpace available resources and development pressures intensify across North Carolina. View the appropriations breakdown here.

Seymour Johnson Jets Divert to Ireland

Two F-15E Strike Eagles based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro made an emergency landing in Ireland on Saturday while flying home from operations against Iran.

The jets were among a dozen Strike Eagles from the base’s 4th Fighter Wing crossing the North Atlantic after the air campaign known as Operation Epic Fury. One had trouble refueling from a tanker in midair, declared an emergency, and diverted to Shannon Airport in County Clare.

A second Strike Eagle escorted it down. Both landed safely, refueled, and later returned to the United Kingdom, according to Shannon Airport and Irish media.

The deployment has already earned eight Seymour Johnson F-15E pilots the Distinguished Flying Cross, one of the military’s top awards for aerial achievement. There’s no word yet on when the two jets will make it back to North Carolina.

Wilmington to Host Nuclear Science Week

Wilmington will serve as the national host for Nuclear Science Week this month, bringing a national spotlight to the Cape Fear coast from Oct. 19 to 23.

The Wilmington Area Local Section of the American Nuclear Society was selected to host the international event, which moves to a new city each year. Programming will run from facility tours to student activities built around nuclear energy, medicine, and research.

The pick reflects the region’s deep nuclear footprint. Wilmington is home to GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, and Duke Energy’s Brunswick nuclear plant sits down the coast at Southport. North Carolina has three nuclear power plants, and Duke Energy operates a fleet of 11 reactors across the Carolinas.

“Wilmington has long been a center of excellence in nuclear innovation,” said Jennifer Hayden, president and CEO of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History and chair of Nuclear Science Week.

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➤ Statewide: North Carolina property owners could have saved $5.9 billion over five years if county tax levies had been capped at inflation plus population growth, a John Locke Foundation model found. The analysis arrives ahead of a Nov. 3 constitutional amendment on limiting levy increases. (More)

➤ Also Statewide: The state Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay in the North Carolina Department of Labor’s fight with former employee Beth Benson, pausing an administrative law judge’s order to reinstate her at her old grade and salary with back pay. The department argues that would require creating a new position. (More)

➤ Western NC: Hurricane Helene’s leftover debris is still feeding wildfire risk as fall fire season opens in the mountains, the North Carolina Forest Service warns, with downed timber and brush from the 2024 storm adding fuel across the region. (More)

➤ Brookford: Police Chief Willie Armstrong sued the district attorney and top state leaders over a law enforcement “blacklist” that flags officers as unable to testify, saying the label stuck even after a judge dismissed evidence-tampering charges against him in June tied to a 1992 cold case. (More)

➤ Statesville: The Carolina BalloonFest, one of the country’s oldest hot air balloon festivals, must find a new home after its 2026 festival as Statesville Regional Airport expands. Organizers are hunting for 200 acres north of N.C. 150 for the event, which draws about 40,000 people. (More)

➤ Morehead City: The North Carolina Seafood Festival wrapped up its 40th year on the Crystal Coast, with Executive Director Nick Eatmon reporting record Friday sales and longtime vendors calling it their best Friday ever, despite rain late in the weekend. (More)

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➤ No. 25 UNC volleyball rallied from two sets down to beat Georgia Tech in five sets Sunday in Chapel Hill, staying unbeaten in ACC play at 4-0. (More)

➤ App State volleyball outlasted Coastal Carolina 3-2 in Boone on Saturday, taking the fifth set 16-14 to sweep the weekend series. (More)

➤ Tepper Sports & Entertainment named Trane Technologies a Cornerstone Partner for Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It will serve as the exclusive Official Climate Technology Partner and Official Sustainability Partner for the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NFL | MLB | NHL | WNBA | NBA | Soccer

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➤ Michael Jordan is honoring his mother with a $10 million gift to UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work, the largest in the school’s history. It funds student scholarships and renames the school’s innovations center the Deloris P. Jordan Global Social Development Innovations Center. (More)

➤ Carolina Beach’s SeaWitch Tiki Bar has closed to make way for a 140-room hotel, with a crowd turning out for a farewell that included a public auction. Owners plan to open a new SeaWitch at the site by mid-2027. (More)

➤ Shares of Charlotte-based freight broker RXO jumped about 20% Monday after Minnesota-based C.H. Robinson agreed to buy the company in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $5.8 billion, or an implied $30.25 a share. RXO had closed Friday at $23.38. (More)

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➤ The Senator Jean Preston Oyster Sanctuary Network in Pamlico Sound has reached its 500-acre goal, the North Carolina Coastal Federation says. The reefs filter water and shelter fish, shrimp, and crabs. (More)

➤ The Rev. Dr. Reginald Van Stephens of White Rock Baptist Church received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of North Carolina’s highest civilian honors, as the historic Durham congregation and the city’s first black church mark 160 years. (More)

➤ Brevard has lined up funding to build the Ecusta Trail’s 8-mile Transylvania County section, estimated at $26.2 million. The paved path, mostly 12 feet wide, will follow the old Ecusta Paper Mill rail corridor as part of a planned 19-mile rail-trail linking Brevard and Hendersonville. (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. 

➤ Your dog’s sleep twitches aren’t random, and researchers can now decode what’s behind them. (Listen Now)

➤ Amazon is issuing a new wave of refunds worth up to $200 after regulators accused it of deceptively enrolling Prime customers. (Hear Episode)

➤ Gen Z students are fueling a Catholic surge at nearly 60 college campuses, from Texas A&M to Silicon Valley. (Hear Details)

What’s your go-to order at a seafood restaurant?

1. Shrimp
2. Crab
3. Lobster
4. Oysters
5. Scallops
6. Fish
7. Other (reply to tell us)
8. Not a seafood fan

Yesterday’s Results:

Which “Coolest Thing Made in NC” winner would you take home?

1. None of them: 35%
2. Honda ATV: 27%
3. Old School Cocoa: 26%
4. Other: 7%
5. Carrier chiller: 5%

Which fighter aircraft did Goldsboro’s Seymour Johnson Field train replacement pilots to fly during World War II?

Show me the answer