NC Launches $807M Helene Housing Program

Gov. Josh Stein announced Monday that the state is now accepting applications for the Renew NC Single-Family Housing Program to help repair or rebuild Western North Carolina homes damaged by Hurricane Helene.

Of a $1.4 billion federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, approximately $807 million has been allocated for the program. Eligible homeowners in the following counties can apply: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg (only from zip code 28214), Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey.

Homeowners can check their eligibility and apply for housing repair or reconstruction here.

The program is the first of a series of recovery initiatives to be offered by the state under the name Renew NC.

Judges Dismiss Stein’s Highway Patrol Suit

A unanimous three-judge panel made up of two Republicans and one Democrat ruled against Democratic Gov. Josh Stein Monday, upholding a law that prevents him from appointing a new North Carolina State Highway Patrol commander.

The decision favors Republican legislative leaders, maintaining Col. Freddy Johnson as commander through 2030. Stein challenged Senate Bill 382, arguing it violates the state constitution by mandating Johnson’s appointment and stripping the governor of removal authority.

The law, passed over former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, elevates the highway patrol to cabinet-level status, removing it from the Department of Public Safety and limiting Stein’s direct oversight. The judges found that Stein failed to prove the law unconstitutional and dismissed the case without trial.

The ruling can be appealed. Stein’s office continues to contest similar power-shifting provisions, including laws that transferred State Board of Elections appointments from the governor to the state auditor.

Trump Not Invited to NAACP Convention

The NAACP announced Monday it will not invite President Trump to its national convention in Charlotte, which starts July 12, marking the first time in the organization’s 116-year history that a sitting president has been excluded.

While NAACP leaders emphasized that the convention is open to everyone and all political parties, the organization’s president, Derrick Johnson, said Trump’s presence would not further the convention’s theme, which is “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” adding, “there is a conflict in the things he has done, he is doing, and things that are being planned with our job.”

Former President Joe Biden spoke at last year’s convention in Las Vegas. Trump was invited then but chose not to attend. He also didn’t attend the convention during his previous presidential term.

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➤ Charlotte paid Police Chief Johnny Jennings $77,000 in moving expenses in 2020, adding to a series of taxpayer-funded payments he received throughout his career. (More)

➤ Davidson County: The sheriff’s office is investigating a series of break-ins at four churches involving vandalism, broken windows and doors, and stolen equipment. Anyone with related information should call 336-242-2123. (More)

➤ Wake County approved a 20-year lease with Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority for the original portion of Lake Crabtree County Park, covering nearly 70 acres with trails, picnic shelters, a playground, and waterfront access. The lease excludes 148 acres of mountain bike trails, which closed June 1. (More)

➤ Currituck County officials said lightning strikes caused five structure fires in Corolla, including one at Corolla Adventure Golf, which is now temporarily closed. No injuries were reported. (More)

➤ Asheville fell from PODS’ 2025 list of the top 10 cities with the highest move-in rates, despite ranking in 2024 alongside Wilmington, Charlotte, and Raleigh. The latter three cities stayed in the 2025 top 10. (More)

➤ Marshall, a small town along the French Broad River, has reopened nearly nine months after Hurricane Helene devastated businesses like Flow Gallery and Zuma’s Coffee. (Watch)

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➤ Duke baseball’s Macon Winslow is transferring to UNC next season. He hit .278 with nine home runs for the Blue Devils in 2025. (More)

➤ NC State basketball coach Will Wade called UNC “too dumb” for not playing Ven-Allen Lubin more last season, vowing not to make the same mistake now that he’s with the Wolfpack. (More)

➤ East Carolina quarterback Jake Garcia has transferred to the Michigan Wolverines, where he’ll battle 5-star freshman Bryce Underwood for snaps. (More)

➤ Conference commissioners are meeting in Asheville this week to review potential changes to the College Football Playoff’s strength-of-schedule formula. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NHL | WNBA | NCAAB | Soccer

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➤ JetZero CEO and co-founder Tom O’Leary said the company chose North Carolina for its $4.7 billion factory due to the state’s “incredible workforce,” engineering schools, community college training programs, and “spirit of partnership.” (More)

➤ UNC Health refuted Gov. Josh Stein’s June 13 social media post suggesting Eden-based UNC Health Rockingham is in danger of closing, noting the report he cited was released without the company’s consultation. (More)

➤ Wilmington leaders will consider leasing 22,580 square feet of the Skyline Center’s eighth floor to engineering firm McKim & Creed for 11 years, with the option to renew for two additional five-year terms, marking one of the building’s largest-ever leases. (More)

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➤ A Cary woman won a four-bedroom, four-bathroom Fuquay-Varina home valued at $865,000 in the 2025 St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway, a raffle that raised funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (More)

➤ Oak Island ranked No. 8 on a list of America’s most dangerous beaches due to claiming eight surf-zone fatalities—the most of any beach on the list—and enduring 58 hurricanes between 1851 and 2020. (See List)

➤ Buxton Village Books on Hatteras Island released a 2025 guide to beach reads featuring books set on the Outer Banks, such as Hatteras Kiss by Diana Baxter and Kitty Hawk Cowboy by J. Willis Sanders. (See List)

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Do you take a book to read during beach vacations?

1. At least one
2. I take one but never read it
3. I prefer magazines
4. I’m not much of a reader
5. I don’t take beach vacations

Yesterday’s Results:

Have you participated in a fishing tournament?

1. No: 52%
2. Yes: 19%
3. Only as an observer: 16%
4. I plan to one day: 13%

What’s North Carolina’s “lightning capital”?

Show me the answer