Saturday, August 29, 2026

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1882, pioneering female physician Connie Guion was born near Lincolnton. Educated at Wellesley and Cornell, she gained fame during the 1918 flu epidemic, became the first female clinical medicine professor, and worked until age 87.

Some students in Craven County are starting the school year without a bus assignment, causing logistical headaches. Learn more in Around North Carolina.

Which coffee is the healthiest? Seven in ten Americans drink it every week, and most of us settled on our “healthy” version years ago. But when we ranked the 10 most common coffee orders against what the research actually shows, the results were sobering. It turns out that a splash of creamer might be killing coffee’s only health benefits. Even black coffee isn’t without fault, because how you brew it matters more than you’d think. Today on The Flyover Podcast, Christopher counts down all 10 from worst to best and reveals the healthiest way to drink your morning cup. Tune in here!

Today’s sponsor, Convoy of Hope, is rushing emergency food and essential aid to families devastated by catastrophic flooding in Nepal—and The Flyover is matching the first $4,000 donated to help survivors in urgent need.

Fort Bragg to Host Nuclear Microreactor

The Army selected Fort Bragg as one of five installations to host a nuclear microreactor under its Janus Program.

Antares Nuclear will build and operate the reactor at Bragg. The Army and the Department of War Innovation Unit are awarding up to $2.2 billion across five vendors from fiscal 2027 through 2031, paid out as companies hit technical milestones.

Each reactor will produce 1 to 20 megawatts, and the bases will stay connected to the commercial grid. The Army wants baseload power that doesn’t depend on a grid exposed to storms and cyberattacks.

The goal is at least one reactor running by Sept. 30, 2028, the deadline in an executive order President Trump signed in May 2025.

Gov. Josh Stein called the selection “positive news” for national security. Jon Sanders of the John Locke Foundation said Bragg’s experience could hold lessons for state policymakers, utilities, and large industrial sites.

Judge Blocks USPS Mail-Ballot Rule

A federal judge blocked the Postal Service’s new mail-ballot rule for 14 days, a week before North Carolina counties start mailing absentee ballots.

Judge Indira Talwani ruled Thursday that the rule likely oversteps the agency’s authority and that states can’t comply this close to the election. North Carolina law requires ballots to start going out Sept. 4.

The rule requires states to enroll mail voters in a USPS portal and barcode every ballot envelope. Ballots the agency can’t match won’t be mailed.

Attorney General Jeff Jackson sued Wednesday. “The Constitution is clear on this: The states have the authority over elections, not the Postal Service,” he said.

The Postal Service told the court it won’t decide voter eligibility and called the changes logistical. A hearing is set for Sept. 3, and the case could return to the Supreme Court, which sided with the administration on procedure Monday.

Netflix Series Leaves North Carolina

Netflix’s The Hunting Wives won’t film its third season in North Carolina after the General Assembly changed how the state’s film grants are paid out.

The series shot two seasons around Lake Norman and Gastonia, doubling for East Texas. It drew nearly $12 million in state grants for season one and an award of up to $15 million for season two, money that hasn’t been paid out.

Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said the state talked with Lionsgate about funding the next season but couldn’t, calling it “a huge disappointment.”

A spokesman for House Speaker Destin Hall said the budget clarified Commerce can’t overspend on film grants; lawmakers added $15 million to cover a shortfall.

Commerce says the new funding model likely leaves no room for significant grants to new productions until 2029.

Flying together with our sponsor

Provide life-saving aid for Nepal

Desperate flood survivors need your help ASAP!

Glacial collapse triggered violent flash flooding in Nepal — the impact was so severe, the avalanche initially registered as a 4.4-magnitude earthquake. Death toll has surpassed more than 500 — survivors are desperate!

You can rush aid to survivors — and The Flyover will be matching the first $4,000 donated to Convoy of Hope for this urgent need!

Floodwaters wiped out entire communities in moments, catching both local families and travelers off guard — as of this writing 1,900 people are missing — and a lake of rising water has formed, prompting fears of more flooding if it bursts its banks.

You can respond with emergency food and essential aid — and we’re matching every dollar of the first $4,000 donated, so please respond now.

And you can give with confidence: Convoy of Hope has served more than 350 million people facing disaster, hunger, and crisis. They are ranked by Forbes as one of America’s Top Charities.

Your compassionate gift now will offer hope and a way to rebuild for families who have lost everything.

➤ Asheville: G20 finance ministers and central bank governors gather in Asheville starting today. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent picked the city to spotlight Western North Carolina’s recovery from Helene. (See Details)

➤ Craven County: The school district says families still waiting on a bus assignment as the school year starts could wait up to 10 more days. (More)

➤ Charlotte: Charlotte-Mecklenburg police told the Charlotte Center City Partners board Thursday that violent crime is down in Uptown and that more patrol resources are coming. Officers are heading to Nashville to study entertainment-district enforcement. (See Details)

➤ Central NC: A teenager is critically ill with a rare brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba found in warm freshwater, state health officials said. They’re investigating where the teen was exposed. (More)

➤ Dare County: The Board of Commissioners is expected to consider a joint resolution at its monthly meeting on Tuesday asking state officials to permanently exempt locally registered vehicles from tolls and fees on North Carolina ferry routes. (More)

➤ Triangle: Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill are among 30 universities the Department of War ordered to audit their research and financial ties to foreign entities of concern. Reports are due Monday, and schools that miss the deadline risk losing eligibility for future federal research money. (See Details)

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➤ UNC football opens the 2026 season against No. 23 TCU today in Dublin, Ireland, the program’s first international trip in its 136-year football history. The game kicks off at noon on ESPN. (See Full Schedule)

➤ Meanwhile, No. 9 UNC women’s soccer also made the trip to Dublin and played Irish club Shelbourne FC yesterday in an exhibition at Tolka Park. Three Tar Heels on the roster will represent the U.S. at the U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Poland next month. (More)

➤ East Carolina named seventh-year senior Mitch Griffis its starting quarterback for the Sept. 5 opener against Alabama. Griffis previously started at Wake Forest and spent last season as a backup at Texas Tech. (More)

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Flying together with our sponsor

Devastating floods in Nepal! You can respond

Your impact can be doubled to rush aid to flood survivors in Nepal!

The Flyover is matching the first $4,000 donated to Convoy of Hope to provide emergency food and essential aid for flood victims in the devastating natural disaster. Your compassionate gift now offers relief and hope in a desperate moment!

Landslides, flooding, fast-moving mud, and debris destroyed entire communities—more than 500 people have died, and 1,900 are missing. Survivors need your help now.

Give now—The Flyover will match the first $4,000 donated—and you’ll deliver help and hope for flood survivors!

➤ Nearly the whole moon—96% of it—slid into Earth’s shadow overnight, glowing orange over the Carolinas at maximum around 12:12 a.m. Friday. It was the deepest partial eclipse since 2024, and the next total one isn’t until December 2028. (See Photos)

➤ Engineers at NC State built teardrop-shaped soft robots that twist up like a spring under infrared light, snap a metal tail against the ground, and launch more than 80 body heights, then reset themselves and do it again as long as the light stays on. (See Details)

➤ The state certified a new record cubera snapper this week: 85 pounds, topping the 2022 mark by more than 26 pounds. David Ashman of Mohnton, Pennsylvania, landed it July 31 off Hatteras aboard the head boat Miss Hatteras. (See Details)

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➤ A Duke University doctor is drawing attention to one often-overlooked nutrient that may play an important role in heart health—and it’s not Omega-3s. Dr. Rick Cohen explains why standard blood work may miss this deficiency and shares a simple pre-shower technique designed to support a strong heart. Discover the #1 “Heart Strong” nutrient >>

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.

➤ The 10 most common coffee orders are ranked from healthiest to worst, with one surprising twist. (Hear More)

➤ Dolly Parton’s music is surging across streaming platforms following her death this week at age 80. (Listen Now)

➤ Two men bought tickets to a Vienna museum, then smashed a display case and walked out with a 200-carat diamond necklace. (Podcast Available)