Eastern NC Joins Fraud Crackdown

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina has joined a new bipartisan Justice Department task force going after large-scale fraud against federal programs across the Southeast.

U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle announced the move on July 30. The partnership ties together 18 U.S. attorneys’ offices, seven state attorneys general, and more than 50 state officials in seven Southeastern states.

Investigators are pursuing 17 cases involving more than $350 million in alleged theft from taxpayers, spanning food stamps, Small Business Administration loans, housing aid, and tax fraud. Since July 4, prosecutors have charged 12 defendants in cases topping $90 million.

Boyle highlighted a Robeson County case in which tax preparer Nejlai Mitchell, 48, pleaded guilty to filing false returns claiming nearly $14 million in bogus COVID-era refunds. Seven others have pleaded guilty as well.

Edwards Drops Reelection Bid

Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-NC-11, said Wednesday he won’t seek reelection, days after a House ethics panel recommended he be censured for his conduct toward two young female staffers.

The Ethics Committee found Monday that Edwards, 65, engaged in persistent “unprofessional and inappropriate” conduct, showering the aides with gifts including jewelry, designer purses, pink guns, remarking on their appearance, and inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations.

The panel found no evidence he propositioned or had sexual contact with anyone, but said his behavior would “lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such.”

Edwards denied any romantic intent, and a campaign spokesman said the committee’s own findings clear him. In his announcement, Edwards said serving Western North Carolina “has been the honor of my life.”

He’ll finish his term, leaving one of the state’s most competitive House seats open before November.

PGA Tour Returns to Greensboro

The PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship tees off today at Greensboro’s Sedgefield Country Club, the final stop of the regular season before the FedEx Cup playoffs.

Organizers expect more than 100,000 visitors over tournament week. First played in 1938, the Wyndham Championship is North Carolina’s oldest professional golf tournament, and one of just two Tour stops on a course designed by Donald Ross.

Defending champion Cameron Young, a Wake Forest alum, returns to Sedgefield, where he cruised to his first Tour win last year by six shots at 22-under. He’s chasing the event’s first back-to-back title since Sam Snead last did it in 1955-56.

The field also includes Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, and 21-year-old rookie Jackson Koivun, who sits 70th in the standings—the last spot into the playoffs. The $8.5 million purse pays the winner more than $1.5 million.

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➤ Statewide: North Carolina has logged 149 new cases of cyclosporiasis—an intestinal illness caused by a parasite—since July 28, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. (More)

➤ Also Statewide: The House shelved a bill to cap the THC potency of hemp products after hundreds of hemp-industry workers and patients packed the legislature, warning it would gut the industry. Sheriffs backed the measure on public-safety grounds, while Gov. Josh Stein questioned that rationale. (More)

➤ Prospect Hill: Multiple people were killed and at least one hospitalized in an early morning mass shooting on Brooks Road Wednesday, officials said, describing it as an isolated incident with no ongoing public threat. Investigators are working to gather details. (More)

➤ Camp Lejeune: The II Marine Expeditionary Force welcomed a new commanding general, Lt. Gen. Robert C. Fulford, during a change-of-command ceremony at the coastal base. (More)

➤ Garner: Three men and a 17-year-old were shot when gunfire broke out at an unauthorized party at a Garner Airbnb, sending dozens of guests fleeing in cars, authorities said. (More)

➤ Holden Beach: Two men from Lenoir, Daniel Jason Roberts, 46, and Dylan Daniel Roberts, 20, whom relatives identified as father and son, died after getting caught in a rip current on Sunday. (More)

➤ UNC-Chapel Hill: The Daily Tar Heel and five other outlets sued the university to force the release of a $1.2 million investigation into its School of Civic Life and Leadership. UNC calls the report confidential, the outlets call it a public record, and a judge signaled no ruling this week. (More)

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➤ Kenny Pickett will start at quarterback for the Panthers in tonight’s Hall of Fame Game against the Cardinals in Canton. Bryce Young and other starters are not expected to play. (More)

➤ Carolina Panthers receiver Xavier Legette was carted off the field this week after landing on his head during a leaping catch attempt in the end zone. He cleared concussion protocol, which indicates that the injury shouldn’t linger. (More)

➤ North Carolina high school athletes signed 24 NIL deals during the 2025-26 school year, up 41% from the year before. The most valuable was worth $25,000, down from $1.2 million in the program’s first year. (More)

➤ Appalachian State athletic director Doug Gillin was named to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, replacing Louisiana’s Bryan Maggard. Gillin previously served on the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee from 2020-23. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | WNBA | Tennis | Soccer | Little League Softball World Series

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➤ Duke Energy posted about $2.6 billion in first-half profit, up nearly 12%, as the North Carolina Utilities Commission weighs its rate case. Duke has roughly halved an initial request for an average 18% hike after pushback from the state. (More)

➤ Valerie Hillings, CEO of the North Carolina Museum of Art since 2018, is departing August 19 to become inaugural director of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Deputy director Katherine White will serve as interim CEO. (More)

➤ Novant Health broke ground Tuesday on a rehabilitation hospital in Wilmington that it says will significantly expand inpatient rehab capacity in the region. (More)

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➤ Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stopped for a workout at a Gold’s Gym in Goldsboro, which shared a photo of the visit on social media Wednesday. (See Photo)

➤ Duke University’s doctoral student enrollment fell 5% for the 2025-26 year, even as national PhD applications to top research universities were roughly flat, a drop the graduate school attributes to federal research-funding cuts. (More)

➤ NC State will welcome alumna and NASA astronaut Christina Koch back to campus Aug. 24-25 for “Around the Moon and Pack,” a celebration of her Artemis II mission, on which she became the first woman to travel to and around the moon. (More)

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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. Clicking the links will take you directly to these stories:

➤ Do you think adult children owe their aging parents care? Tune in to hear both sides of the debate. (Hear Debate)

➤ German authorities scrambled a bomb disposal robot after an explosive-laden drone was found beside a Ukrainian cargo plane. (Hear Episode)

➤ Investigators are searching for answers after a famous influencer was shot and killed in public while livestreaming. (Listen Now)

Have you ever joined a gym?

1. I’m currently a member of one
2. I used to have a membership
3. Not my scene

Yesterday’s Results:

Which North Carolina State Fair delicacy would you try first?

1. Deep-fried anything: 29%
2. Roasted corn: 28%
3. Cotton candy: 15%
4. A turkey leg: 14%
5. Other: 14%

How was the state legislature involved in the North Carolina Museum of Art’s founding?

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