NC Jumps 6 Spots in U.S. News State Rankings

North Carolina secured the No. 13 overall spot in U.S News & World Report’s 2025 Best States rankings—up from No. 19 in 2024—as well as No. 5 for best growth, No. 7 for best economy, and No. 14 for fiscal stability.

The report also cites the state’s economic focus on industries such as banking, pharmaceuticals, and technology. It lauds Charlotte for being the nation’s second-largest banking center and the Research Triangle Park for accommodating more than 200 companies.

The rankings are based on thousands of data points that evaluate all 50 states across categories such as crime and corrections, infrastructure, public safety, education, health care, opportunity, natural environment, and fiscal stability.

The top three states were Utah, New Hampshire, and Idaho. See the full report here.

New Details Confirm 764 Ring Preys on Children

The FBI is conducting over 250 investigations related to a violent global child exploitation network known as “764” that took its name from the zip code of its Texas-based founder, with connections to a North Carolina man.

Last week, 20-year-old Prasan Nepal of High Point appeared in Greensboro Federal Court after being arrested and charged with leading the network.

FBI field offices across the country are handling 764-related cases involving victims as young as 9. David Scott, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, said the group targets young girls and vulnerable users on social media and gaming platforms to gain their trust before blackmailing them into producing violent content they can share online.

In one case, a 17-year-old girl in Connecticut was arrested for allegedly conspiring with a 764 member to carry out bomb and swatting threats against schools and places of worship.

Lawmakers Rush to Pass Dozens of Bills

House and Senate members are making a last-minute push to pass dozens of bills before the legislative session ends today to prevent them from becoming dead until the next session opens.

High-profile bills passed by the House this week would ban social media accounts for children under 14, give parents more access to their children’s medical records, expand the state auditor’s powers, and eliminate restrictions on when school boards start and end their school year.

The House was scheduled to vote yesterday on a bill that would allow over-the-counter access to ivermectin, and a bill pending in the House would allow convicted individuals sentenced to death to choose between the electric chair, lethal injection, or a firing squad. 

Of 1,800 bills introduced this session, around 200 passed at least one chamber, with only a Hurricane Helene relief package becoming law.

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➤ Statewide: U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of Huntersville said he won’t support President Trump’s nomination of Ed Martin to be the U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., due to Martin previously representing defendants charged in the January 6 protests. (More)

➤ NC Schools: The House advanced a bill that would replace Math 3 with computer science in public high schools, citing that most students don’t need the higher-level math for most careers, and many aren’t passing it anyway. (More)

➤ Nags Head: Cape Hatteras National Seashore rangers are asking the public for help in identifying who may have forcibly entered Bodie Island Lighthouse between Monday night and Tuesday morning. (See Details)

➤ Raleigh’s City Council voted 7-1 to implement tolls on a 10-mile stretch of Capital Boulevard between I-540 in North Raleigh and Purnell Road in Wake Forest, enabling NCDOT to expand it from four to six lanes. Construction is expected to start in 2027. (More)

➤ Lincoln County Commissioners voted Monday to withdraw from the Lake Norman Marine Commission, leading to its dissolution and raising questions about who will patrol the lake after the commission ceases operations at the end of June. (More)

➤ Guilford County: A North Carolina man who once claimed to be a Guilford County firefighter and has made false 911 calls is being investigated for allegedly staging a fall in Virginia’s Fairy Stone State Park that triggered a large rescue operation. (More)

➤ Former Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will be inducted into the 2025 Olympic Hall of Fame class, officials announced Tuesday. Krzyzewski won three Olympic gold medals as head coach of Team USA. (More)

➤ The newly announced Greensboro Gargoyles hockey team has been named an NHL affiliate, where they’ll serve as a developmental pipeline for the Carolina Hurricanes. (More)

➤ NC State baseball bounced back with a 14-4 win against UNC-Wilmington on Tuesday after losing three straight games prior. (More)

➤ Sign up here in one click to receive NIL Wire to stay up-to-date on everything related to name, image, and likeness in college sports. 

➤ Yesterday’s results: MLB | NBA | NHL | NCAAB | NCAASB | Soccer

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➤ USDA data shows a significant drop in pork and soybean exports to China, North Carolina’s fourth-largest buyer of pork and second-largest buyer of soybeans in 2024. (More)

➤ Travelers without a REAL ID can still board flights, but officials say they’ll be listed as “non-compliant” and taken to a separate area to be verified, which will require a much longer screening process. (More)

➤ Charlotte-based AvidXchange, an accounts payable automation software provider, will be acquired by Fort Worth, Texas-based global asset management firm TPG in partnership with Corpay in a transaction valued at $2.2 billion. (More)

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➤ A new meteorologist named Majestic Storm joined WCNC Charlotte this week. Storm says it’s her real name and credits her love of meteorology to her mother, who always made weather events a big deal. (More)

➤ Arborists warn that an Ips beetle infestation is threatening North Carolina’s pine trees and urge property owners to contact an expert if they spot warning signs like sawdust or needles turning lime green, yellow, or brown. (More)

➤ A new study conducted by RTP-based RTI International found that many beer brands sold in the U.S. contain detectable levels of PFAS, aka forever chemicals, tied to municipal water used during the brewing process. (More)

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Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your favorite section of Flyover North Carolina?

1. Around North Carolina: 34%
2. Top Stories: 21%
3. Et Cetera: 14%
4. Business: 11%
5. Sports: 10%
6. Weather: 10%

What other beetle, besides the Ips, is known for attacking pine trees in North Carolina?

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