Democrats Flip NC House

Democrats won a majority in the North Carolina House for the first time since 2010 in Tuesday’s election. Republicans went into Election Day with a 71-49 edge, so Democrats needed a net gain of 12 seats. 

Unofficially, they appear to have flipped 25 Republican seats. They also broke the GOP’s veto-proof majority in the state Senate, though Republicans appear to have held that chamber by one seat.

Democrat Winn Decker ousted three-term Rep. Erin Paré, a top House budget writer, and Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, fell to Democrat Jessica Bichler.

House Minority Leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, said voters wanted a check on Republican power. Paré, conceding, said there was “a national sentiment that’s devastating to Republicans down ballot.”

The wave reached Washington, too. In the Republican-leaning 5th District, Democrat Chuck Hubbard led longtime Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx by 99 votes in unofficial results, a margin likely headed for a recount.

Hornets Help Buy the Old Epicentre

The Charlotte Hornets are part of a group buying the old Epicentre, the struggling Uptown entertainment complex now called Queen City Quarter.

Hornets Sports & Entertainment teamed with Lincoln Property Company and Vision Ventures to acquire the 302,324-square-foot, four-level development at 210 E. Trade St. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

The complex opened in 2008 between the Spectrum Center and the convention center. After years of closures, it had dwindled to about a dozen tenants.

Vision Ventures previously ran the property from 2010 to 2015, lifting occupancy from about 50% to 95%. The new owners say they want to “reimagine the property as a vibrant destination” for Uptown.

Crews Reseed Pisgah National Forest

Crews are dropping more than 10 tons, or 20,000 pounds, of seed across 900 acres of Pisgah National Forest to heal landslides Hurricane Helene tore open in 2024.

The U.S. Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation are spreading native plants and cover crops by helicopter and by hand across several areas of the forest Helene hit hardest.

The seeds target bare slopes and the banks of streams and rivers, where roots will knit the soil back together. The goal is to curb erosion that threatens trout, mussels, and hellbenders downstream.

“The idea is over the next two, three, four or five years, these species will get set up, and their root systems are very deep and strong,” said Rachel Blackburn of the National Forest Foundation.

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➤ State Courts: Justice Anita Earls, a Democrat, won reelection to the North Carolina Supreme Court, defeating former Republican state House member Sarah Stevens by roughly 59% to 41%, and Democrats led all three contested Court of Appeals races. (More)

➤ Guilford County: Democrat Shelly Headen unseated Republican John Blust in House District 62 by 233 votes, within the recount window, despite her resurfaced posts wishing for a U.S. attack and likening Trump to Hitler, which drew bipartisan criticism. (More)

➤ Asheville: City Council member Kim Roney defeated Mayor Esther Manheimer, winning about 58% of the vote and ending Manheimer’s run as mayor since 2013. Roney campaigned on more transparency and public input. (More)

➤ Raleigh: Former North Carolina Insurance Department employee April Taylor filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Commissioner Mike Causey, alleging sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and disability violations she says led to her March resignation. The State Ethics Commission dismissed a similar complaint in June. (More)

➤ Outer Banks: Cape Hatteras National Seashore drew more than 2.34 million visitors through September, up about 3% from the same stretch of 2025 and on pace with recent years. (More)

➤ Statewide: North Carolina’s average private sector hourly earnings reached $34.61 in August 2026, ranking 26th nationally and below the $37.79 U.S. average, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. (See Map)

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➤ The Charlotte Hornets fell 114-104 to the Brooklyn Nets on the road as Naz Reid scored 28 points and Grayson Allen added 22, but Charlotte couldn’t overcome Brooklyn’s strong second-half surge. (See Stats)

➤ No. 15-seed Duke fell 2-1 to No. 2-seed Clemson in the ACC Tournament first round, as Nikolai Bull Jorgensen’s second-half goal could not overcome an early two-goal deficit. (See Stats and Bracket)

➤ Top-seeded UNC field hockey blanked No. 8 Stanford 6-0 at Karen Shelton Stadium on Tuesday to open the ACC Tournament, sending UNC to the semifinals. (More)

➤ Mooresville-based Spire Motorsports suspended its own driver, Carson Hocevar, for Sunday’s Cup Series finale at Homestead-Miami over his conduct a week earlier at Martinsville, where he brake-checked Austin Cindric, causing Cindric to slam into the back of Hocevar’s car. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: NCAAF | NHL | NBA | NCAAM | NCAAW | Soccer

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➤ flyExclusive founder and CEO Jim Segrave’s stake in the Kinston-based private-jet company fell to 51.1% of its common stock at the end of October, down from nearly 64% a year earlier, after the firm issued shares to fund an acquisition. (More)

➤ Durham-based M&F Bancorp expected shareholders to approve merging Mechanics & Farmers Bank, founded in 1907, into South Carolina’s Optus Financial in a vote Wednesday, over objections from Greensboro’s Triad Business Bank. (More)

➤ Ambleside Gallery, founded in England in 1982 by Jackson Mayshark, is marking its 44th year with a free grand opening Nov. 12 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at its new location in Asheville’s historic Biltmore Village. (More)

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➤ North Carolina attorney Don Marcari, a lawyer from the case that inspired the movie A Few Good Men, was interviewed on Spectrum News’ Tying It Together podcast to share behind-the-scenes details as a play inspired by the case opens on Broadway. (More)

➤ North Carolina Aquariums are urging coastal residents and visitors to report manatee sightings as waters cool, warning the threatened mammals risk fatal cold stress if they fail to migrate south for winter. (See Photo)

➤ Two North Carolina dancers, Sasha Bass-Ulmer of Fayetteville and Taylor Grace Green of Apex, are joining the cast of the 2026 Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, which runs from Nov. 4 through Jan. 4. (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. 

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Have you seen the Rockettes perform live?

1. Yes
2. No
3. Not yet

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you experienced Christmas at Biltmore?

1. Yes, loved it: 48%
2. Not yet, but hope to: 31%
3. Not interested: 21%

How did Pisgah National Forest get its name?

Show me the answer