Elections Board Seeks Info from 195K Voters

The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted unanimously on Tuesday to contact 195,000 voters whose registration records lack a driver’s license number or the last four digits of a Social Security number in compliance with the Help America Vote Act and in response to a U.S. Justice Department lawsuit.

The plan involves sending up to three mailers to the specified voters, including a self-addressed, postage-prepaid return envelope and a form for providing the missing information.

The U.S. Justice Department’s suit alleges that state election officials failed to collect required identifying data, an issue that also surfaced when Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin challenged the results of his race in November.

Outside groups supporting various causes have filed paperwork seeking to join the case as defendants, but the Justice Department and state elections board have opposed their involvement.

Court Delivers Split Decision Over Appointments

A three-judge Wake County Superior Court panel issued a split ruling on Tuesday, striking down restrictions on Gov. Josh Stein’s judicial vacancy appointments as unconstitutional, while upholding changes that reduce his control over the Building Code Council and Utilities Commission.

The panel sided with Stein on retaining his authority to fill statewide judicial vacancies without legislative limits, ruling that a requirement to appoint a judge or justice from the same political party as a departing judge violates Article 4, Section 19 of the state constitution.

However, the judges found that Stein failed to demonstrate the unconstitutionality of General Assembly amendments that change voting requirements for the state Building Code Council and reassign one of his Utilities Commission appointments to State Treasurer Brad Briner, whose nominee is scheduled to take effect July 1.

Duke Claims 3 Top-10 Picks

Round one of the 2025 NBA Draft kicked off at 8 p.m. Wednesday with the Dallas Mavericks selecting Duke University freshman phenom Cooper Flagg as the first overall pick. Flagg described the night as a “dream come true.”

Three picks later, the Charlotte Hornets, who haven’t made the playoffs since the 2015–16 season, used their fourth overall pick to select Flagg’s Duke teammate Kon Knueppel. Standing with his four brothers—Kash, Kager, Kinston, and Kidman—Kon called his selection “a blessing from God.”

The 10th overall pick went to a third Duke player: Khaman Maluach of Uganda, selected by the Houston Rockets on behalf of the Phoenix Suns as part of the Kevin Durant trade.

The 2025 NBA Draft marked the second time in six years that Duke produced three top-10 picks in a single draft. See the full set of first-round picks here and the Charlotte Hornets’ picks here.

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➤ Statewide: The U.S. Supreme Court will review Folwell v. Kadel today, a case challenging North Carolina’s refusal to cover transgender-related treatments under its State Health Plan. Justices will decide later whether to take up the case. (More)

➤ Triad: A child with measles visited Forsyth and Guilford counties, marking North Carolina’s first confirmed case of the year. The state is working with local health officials to identify the locations and times where people might have been exposed. (More)

➤ Central NC recorded the highest “feels-like” temperatures in the country Tuesday, with the heat index reaching 111 degrees at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and 127 degrees in Edenton. (See Temperatures)

➤ Granite Falls: Duke Energy scheduled a power outage impacting customers on the town’s electric distribution system at 12:01 a.m. Saturday to make necessary repairs. Residents who receive power directly from Duke Energy will not be impacted. (More)

➤ Brunswick County elected official Anthony Wayne Street, also a former state auditor candidate, was arrested Friday for threatening to kill state lawmakers over a proposed shrimp trawling ban. Street is being held on a $25,000 bond. (More)

➤ Asheville Regional Airport opened its new North Concourse and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint Wednesday as part of its AVL Forward project. (See Photos)

➤ Chimney Rock: A temporary road connecting Chimney Rock and Bat Cave has opened in time for Chimney Rock State Park’s reopening on Friday, restoring a vital connection that was damaged during Hurricane Helene. (Road and Park Reopening Details)

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➤ Former Wake Forest ace Chase Burns struck out the first five batters he faced, including Aaron Judge, in his MLB debut Tuesday. He gave up three runs over five innings. The Reds pulled out a 5–4 win over the Yankees in 11 innings. (More)

➤ Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper and his wife donated $10 million to food banks across the Carolinas, their foundation announced Wednesday. (More)

➤ Carolina Hurricanes legend Rod Brind’Amour was once again snubbed by the Hockey Hall of Fame, failing to earn a spot among the four player inductees in the Class of 2025. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | Soccer | WNBA

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➤ Veteran-owned BuildOps, a construction software company based in Los Angeles, will establish its third hub in Raleigh, investing $711,200 to create 291 jobs with an average annual salary of $110,997. (More)

➤ North Carolina shrimpers protested in Raleigh on Tuesday against a Senate amendment to House Bill 442 that would ban shrimp trawling within a half mile of shore. Critics say it threatens the shrimping industry, while supporters claim it protects ecosystems. (More)

➤ North Carolina-based Bojangles opened a relocated, 60,000-plus-square-foot support center in South Charlotte featuring a full-scale test kitchen and more collaborative workspaces. (See Photos)

➤ Meanwhile, Bojangles CEO Jose Armario purchased a $6.85 million, 8,800-square-foot home in South Charlotte’s Carmel Estates West neighborhood. The four-bedroom home includes a pool, covered patio, and detached cabana. (See Photo)

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➤ Miami Dolphins tight end and Fayetteville native Julian Hill visited children in the pediatric unit at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center on Friday, signing autographs and handing out Dolphins merchandise. (More)

➤ A sea turtle in Rodanthe attempted to lay eggs but turned back to the ocean after beachgoers crowded around to take photos and videos, blocking her path. (See Photo)

➤ Conserving Carolina, the Saluda Grade Trails Conservancy, purchased a 31.5-mile rail corridor from Norfolk Southern to build a planned rail trail that will wind through Upstate South Carolina into the mountains of Western North Carolina. (See Photos)

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