State Board Reviews 29 Election Rules

The North Carolina State Board of Elections opened a public comment period on Sept. 21 covering 29 election rules it has deemed necessary to keep.

The rules touch absentee voting, photo ID, election observers, and campaign finance. State law requires agencies to review their rules at least once a decade and drop any that are obsolete.

“Administrative rules are necessary to ensure North Carolina’s elections are accessible, secure, and conducted uniformly,” said board executive director Sam Hayes, who invited feedback on the initial determination that the rules should stay.

Comments on the 29 rules run through Nov. 25 via the online portal, email, or mail. A separate proposed rule on political party “exempt sales plans” has its own comment period through Nov. 16, with an in-person hearing Oct. 5 at 10 a.m. at the board’s Raleigh office.

Vance Rallies for Whatley in Greensboro

Vice President JD Vance headlined a Republican rally in Greensboro on Monday, stumping for U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley.

The Trump 47 Committee event at the Koury Convention Center drew about 300 people. It was Vance’s third trip to North Carolina, five days after President Trump rallied for Whatley in Gastonia.

Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, is competing for retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat against Democrat Roy Cooper, a former two-term governor.

Recent polls show Cooper ahead, including an Elon University survey putting him up 11 points. Vance went after Cooper’s crime record, saying North Carolina shouldn’t back a man who “made a career out of bending a knee to the far left.”

Cooper’s campaign shot back that Whatley’s “D.C. insider friends are trying to bail him out.” Election Day is Nov. 3.

Charlotte Reverses Course on I-77 TollsThe 

Charlotte City Council voted 7-4 Monday night to restore its support for the I-77 South toll lane project, reversing a May vote that had killed it. The reversal clears the way for an 11-mile express-lane expansion from uptown Charlotte to the South Carolina line, a project in the works since 2014.

Two West Charlotte members flipped their votes after the state pledged $300 million in added investment for the area.

Opponents had fought the expansion for years over its cost and its impact on historically black neighborhoods. Council member J.D. Mazuera Arias said the state left the city facing “an ultimatum … either raise our taxes … or pass the project.”

The switch also allows Charlotte to avoid repaying a $64 million financial penalty.

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➤ Statewide: North Carolina has dropped the entrance exam once required for teacher training programs, a change the State Board of Education finalized Sept. 3 to match a repeal in this year’s budget. Applicants still need a 2.7 GPA. (More)

➤ Charlotte: The State Bureau of Investigation charged former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police DNA analyst Kelly Shea, 40, with obstruction of justice, alleging she switched a control sample to file a misleading DNA report during a March 2024 criminal case. (More)

➤ Charlotte–Mecklenburg: The school board planned to consider the removal of Chair Stephanie Sneed on Tuesday amid scrutiny of the district’s finances and possible conflicts of interest. (More)

➤ Durham: An evidentiary hearing is underway in Durham ahead of the murder trial of Miguel Salguero-Olivares, charged in the 2012 killing of UNC-Chapel Hill student Faith Hedgepeth. The trial is set for Sept. 28. (More)

➤ Forest City: Commissioners in the Rutherford County town voted 3-1 to allow bow hunting within town limits during North Carolina’s winter Urban Archery Season, joining 65 municipalities using the program to thin deer herds. (More)

➤ Asheville: Over 4 tons of leftover food from the Biltmore Championship Asheville PGA TOUR event, rescued by Asheville nonprofit Food Connection, will provide more than 8,000 free meals to people across Western North Carolina. (More)

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➤ The Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks are engaged in on-and-off trade talks that would send Buddy Hield to Charlotte and Dorian Finney-Smith to Atlanta as both teams weigh a potential roster swap. (More)

➤ Duke men’s golf hosted the 16th annual Rod Myers Invitational Sept. 21-22 at Duke University Golf Club, welcoming a 13-team field as the Blue Devils defended their 2025 title in the free-admission event. (More)

➤ Extreme late-summer heat waves are reshaping college football, prompting safety delays, heat-related hospitalizations, and calls for better fan protections like shade, water stations, and flexible scheduling, according to an NC State expert. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NHL | WNBA

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➤ Wake County commissioners voted 5-2 to let Atrium Health’s takeover of Raleigh-based WakeMed move forward, after negotiating a five-year cap on price increases and a $150 million community fund. It still faces a review by Attorney General Jeff Jackson. (More)

➤ Lee County commissioners approved up to $46 million in tax rebates to land a roughly $1 billion manufacturing plant in Sanford, on top of $39.5 million from the city. The unnamed company must keep at least 1,950 jobs. Clues point to Caterpillar. (More)

➤ Wegmans has agreed to buy an Atrium Health property in Cornelius and is evaluating it for a possible store, which would be a potential second Charlotte-area location. Its first, in Ballantyne, opens Oct. 14. (More)

➤ The U.S. and North Carolina filed a civil suit against Domtar Paper Co. over contamination at a former wood-treating plant in Martin County, saying dioxins and mercury tainted the Roanoke River and Albemarle Sound and prompted fish-consumption advisories. (More)

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The Pentagon’s Got Its Eye on This Tech

One of the biggest indicators for forward-thinking investors is where the U.S. government puts its money.

First, they bet big on jet engines. Then drones. Now? Flying cars. The U.S. Air Force just signed a $142M deal for a company building five-seater air taxis. But our nation’s most covert operations need smaller, personal aircraft. And Doroni, the company positioned to lead the $100B personal eVTOL category, aims to capture this opportunity.

Their flying car, the H1-X, opens the skies to all military members. Their SOULAI platform is so intuitive that you can pilot their aircraft after 25 hours of training. And its patented ducted fan system is designed to be safer than competitors. 

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➤ North Carolina’s Artificial Reef Program dropped 3,000 tons of recycled concrete pipe onto two offshore reefs off Cape Hatteras and Ocracoke, creating new habitat for black sea bass and triggerfish. Divers report visibility up to 50 feet at the sites. (More)

➤ Several Triad high schools won $5,000 grants through T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights contest to upgrade their football fields and facilities. (More)

➤ Gov. Josh Stein ordered U.S. and North Carolina flags at state facilities lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Tuesday to honor Army veteran Sean Michael Lee, who died Sept. 13 after more than 20 years of service. (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. 

➤ What are the 10 most popular at-home headache remedies, and do they actually work? (Hear Remedies)

➤ Tesla has reopened reservations for its long-delayed Roadster, nearly nine years after the car was promised. (Listen Now)

➤ Demand for wine is falling, forcing California grape growers to tear out vineyards their families tended for generations. (Hear Story)

In case you missed it, this week on Flyover Focus, we dug into the cost of living and how it affects you. Why does your paycheck buy less, and do Social Security raises keep retirees afloat? Tune in here for all of those answers and more.

Have you shot with a bow and arrow?

1. Yes, when hunting
2. Yes, for fun
3. No, never

Yesterday’s Results:

What’s your ideal North Carolina fall escape?

1. Mountains: 48%
2. Coast: 34%
3. Orchard or pumpkin patch: 9%
4. Honestly? My couch: 9%

In which major bodies of water are North Carolina’s estuarine artificial reefs located?

Show me the answer