Bill Would Allow ABC Sales on Sundays

A North Carolina bill could allow ABC stores to open on Sundays if local governments approve, giving cities and counties the option to authorize Sunday sales through local ordinances.

House Bill 921, known as the ABC & Gaming Omnibus Bill, would allow alcohol sales to begin as early as 10 a.m. in jurisdictions that already allow similar alcohol sales under existing law. Local ABC boards would still control specific hours of operation within those limits.

North Carolina is one of 17 “control” states that restrict liquor sales to ABC stores and ban happy hours. It is also one of four states—alongside Mississippi, Texas, and Utah—that still prohibit liquor store sales on Sundays statewide.

NC Expands High-Speed Internet to 22 Counties

Gov. Josh Stein announced a $48 million investment to expand high-speed internet to 14,514 homes and businesses in 22 counties through the Completing Access to Broadband program.

The investment includes over $14 million from broadband providers and over $33 million from the federal American Rescue Plan. Awardees must agree to provide high-speed services that meet or exceed speeds of 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload.

Targeted counties include Alexander, Bladen, Burke, Chatham, Craven, Currituck, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Iredell, Lee, Mitchell, Moore, Pender, Rowan, Sampson, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Wayne, and Wilkes.

Nine Southport Gators Captured in One Week

Nine alligators were captured in the Brunswick County town of Southport last week, including one that wandered into the town’s City Gym. All were safely relocated by police and animal control.

Southport police said they received more than one call per day to deal with the alligators.

Lori Hayes of Ocean Isle Beach captured video of a large gator near a pond off Old Georgetown Road SW. “It took less than five seconds to find one. Yikes!” she wrote.

In April, three alligators ranging from a few feet to 13 feet in length were removed from yards, garages, and high-traffic areas.

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➤ Charlotte: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police is moving forward with a formal vote of no confidence against Police Chief Johnny Jennings, following a preliminary vote of its 2,000 members. The survey drew over 800 responses, with more than 70% backing the move. (More)

➤ Cape Hatteras: Lifeguards will return to five Cape Hatteras National Seashore beaches for the 2025 summer season starting Saturday and continuing through Labor Day. They’ll be on duty daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (See Locations)

➤ Garner is the No. 10 fastest-growing town in the U.S., according to a U.S. Census Bureau study. Its population increased by 10.4%, bringing the total to 39,345 residents. (More)

➤ Gaston: Firefighters were called in to assist a tractor-trailer hauling 130 pallets of bee hives on I-95. The bees had gotten antsy from sitting still in the hot tractor-trailer on the side of the road due to a blown tire. (See Photos)

➤ Wilmington: Three Dog Night, now in its sixth decade, will perform at the Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College on Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. Ambrosia and John Ford Coley will also perform. (See Details)

➤ Asheville: More than 100 motorcyclists dressed in their best jackets and ties participated in the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride on Sunday as part of a worldwide event to raise funds for prostate health and men’s mental health. (See Photos)

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➤ The Carolina Hurricanes will face off against the Florida Panthers in a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. Game 1 kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. (Preview)

➤ North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, where Christopher Bell took first place. (More)

➤ Palisades High School repeated as flag football state champions this weekend after scoring a last-minute touchdown against Butler. (See Highlights)

➤ Yesterday’s results: MLB | WNBA | NCAAB | Soccer

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➤ Visit NC is working to promote tourism in Western North Carolina and small, rural towns as summer travel picks up. (More)

➤ DoorDash has partnered with Wing, an aviation company, to launch drone food deliveries in Southeast Charlotte. The drones fly autonomously at 200 feet and 65 mph. (More)

➤ The condos at North Pier Ocean Villas in Carolina Beach just went on the market following months of extensive renovation. The 1980s complex includes two buildings, which were damaged by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. (More)

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Zillow’s Co-Founder Has a Big New Idea

Spencer Rascoff co-founded Zillow, scaling it into a $16B real estate giant. But everyday investors couldn’t invest until after the IPO, missing potential early gains.

“I wish we had done a round accessible to retail investors prior to Zillow’s IPO,” Spencer later said. 

Now he’s doing just that. Spencer has teamed up with Austin Allison, another Zillow exec, to launch Pacaso. Pacaso’s co-ownership marketplace is disrupting the $1.3T vacation home market. And unlike Zillow, you can invest in Pacaso as a private company.

With more than $110M in gross profits and rapid international expansion, Pacaso is scaling fast. Investors like SoftBank, Maveron, and more are already on board. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

But you don’t have to wait. Join them as a Pacaso shareholder for just $2.80/share by 5/29.

➤ A list of funny town names in each state includes Whynot, North Carolina, named after someone suggested, “Why not name the town Why Not and let’s go home?” The name, which stuck, was needed for the U.S. Postal Service to operate there. (See List)

➤ A young, barnacle-covered green sea turtle was discovered stranded on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, then transported to the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation Center, where 1.5 kilograms of barnacle buildup were removed. (See Photos)

➤ The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of four parks in the eastern U.S. that are part of the Dragonfly Mercury Project, which samples dragonfly larvae to better understand how mercury contamination affects the landscape. (More)

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Should ABC stores open on Sundays?

1. Not a problem for me
2. Six days a week is enough
3. I could go either way

Yesterday’s Results:

Does North Carolina need more state highway patrol troopers?

1. Wouldn’t hurt: 61%
2. We have enough: 20%
3. Maybe: 19%

Which Founding Father expressed doubt about the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration?

Show me the answer