Labor Department Sets Worker-Recovery Record

North Carolina’s Department of Labor recovered a record $889,640 for workers last fiscal year, the most ever returned by its retaliatory-discrimination bureau.

The money went to employees who said they were punished for exercising workplace rights, such as raising safety concerns, filing workers’ compensation claims, or reporting wage violations. Under state law, those workers can seek back wages, lost benefits, and other losses.

Labor Commissioner Luke Farley called it “meaningful relief for North Carolinians who stood up for their workplace rights,” adding that no worker should fear losing a paycheck for reporting an unsafe condition.

The bureau enforces the state’s Retaliatory Employment Discrimination Act. Workers generally have 180 days from the alleged retaliation to file a complaint.

State Splits on Weight-Loss Drug Coverage

North Carolina Medicaid covered weight-loss drugs like Wegovy for more than 34,500 people in June, while the separate health plan for teachers and state employees won’t pay for them for the same coverage.

The State Health Plan, which covers over 750,000 members, dropped weight-loss coverage in April 2024 after a January 2024 vote, with lawmakers citing costs it projected could exceed $1 billion over six years.

Medicaid added the drugs that August. After a brief, funding-driven cutoff last fall, Gov. Josh Stein directed the program to restore coverage in December.

State Treasurer Brad Briner, who chairs the plan’s board, backs a narrower benefit but says prices remain too high. In May, he said the budget, later signed in July, would not include funding to restore the benefit. Lawmakers have directed Medicaid to develop a GLP-1 cost-control plan, though the law bars implementation before mid-2027.

FaithFest To Bring Thousands to Wilkesboro

FaithFest, a Christian music festival expecting at least 20,000 people, returns to Wilkesboro this Friday and Saturday, with TobyMac and CeCe Winans headlining the event.

The festival, which is held at the FaithFest Events Complex, has grown into one of the region’s biggest draws in a town better known for MerleFest, the roots-music gathering that fills Wilkes Community College each spring.

Founded by Wilkesboro’s Craig Church Ministries, FaithFest pairs top contemporary Christian acts with food, family activities, and preaching. Past crowds have topped 20,000, and organizers expect as many as 25,000 this year.

This year’s lineup also features Mac Powell, Micah Tyler, Charity Gayle, and Ben Fuller, with on-site camping for out-of-town visitors.

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➤ Eastern NC: A string of fatal wrecks marked Labor Day weekend on eastern North Carolina highways, the State Highway Patrol said. One I-587 crash near Farmville killed a 19-year-old driver. A second motorist then struck a fire engine at the scene and was charged with DWI. (More)

➤ Triangle: Falls Lake has rebounded to 84% capacity after late-summer rains, easing drought worries for the Raleigh area, even as some nearby communities kept water-use restrictions in place. (More)

➤ Fort Bragg: The Army will close Stryker Golf Course, an 18-hole Donald Ross–designed layout that opened in 1946 and served soldiers and veterans for nearly 80 years. The decision to close was based on financial sustainability. (More)

➤ Mooresville: Commissioners met today to weigh the future of Mayor Chris Carney after an October 2024 town-hall incident. The town has paid more than $83,000 to keep related video from being released, and former employees have sued alleging retaliation. (More)

➤ Charlotte Area: Local municipalities may owe nearly $70 million if the I-77 South express toll lanes are canceled, NCDOT says, citing sunk costs under state budget rules ahead of a key regional vote. (More)

➤ Statewide: Sen. Thom Tillis called on President Trump to replace Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, citing “inept management” after the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a Boone native and UNC graduate. Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth last year. (More)

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➤ UNC football head coach Bill Belichick said his program is focused on “doing things properly” amid a university investigation that led general manager Michael Lombardi to resign. The Tar Heels (1-0) host East Tennessee State on Saturday. (More)

➤ Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks missed a third straight practice with general soreness, but coach Dave Canales said he remains hopeful Brooks will play in Sunday’s season opener against the Chicago Bears. (More)

➤ Duke volleyball went 2-1 at the North Florida Invitational, with setter Nikki Quinn (44 assists) and outside hitter Nataly Moravec (20 kills) posting career highs in a 3-1 win over the host Ospreys. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: US Open | MLB |  Soccer

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➤ Dr. Matthew Edwards, a vascular surgeon who has spent more than 30 years with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, will become Triad-area president and CEO on Sept. 14, succeeding interim leader Dr. Craig Greven. (More)

➤ More than 20 U.S. business leaders joined a Northern Ireland Chamber delegation building on a two-year partnership aimed at new investment and commercial ties with North Carolina. (More) 

➤ Wilmington’s Elijah’s and the neighboring Pilot House rank among downtown Wilmington’s oldest continuously operating restaurants, serving Cape Fear seafood on Chandler’s Wharf in buildings full of the port city’s maritime history. (More)

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A Drone Expert Is Making Flying Cars Real

In 2016, after years working on military drones, Doron Merdinger began sketching a flying car. He saw how quickly the tech had advanced and believed people would soon fly from driveways. So he built Doroni.

Perfect timing. The urban air mobility market is worth $4.8B today. By 2040, Morgan Stanley puts it at $1 trillion. By 2050, $9 trillion. And with 600+ reservations for Doroni’s aircraft and commercial deliveries targeted for 2028, the demand for this innovation is undeniable. 

When FOX Business saw the showroom model get unveiled in March, they called it “the ‘flying car’ set to revolutionize personal air travel.” 

They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker $DRNI, preparing for potential growth. Invest in Doroni at $3.30/share today.

Doroni is offering securities through the use of an Offering Statement that has been qualified by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Tier II of Regulation A. A copy of the Final Offering Circular that forms a part of the Offering Statement may be obtained from: invest.doroni.io/

➤ North Carolina ranks 14th among the happiest U.S. states in a new study, scoring 56.77 with marks of 15th in emotional and physical well-being, 21st in work environment, and 15th in community factors. (See Rankings)

➤ Longtime Duke professor Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist, is running for Israel’s Knesset on Oct. 27 as the third-ranked candidate on the Pirate Party list, though the party isn’t expected to win seats. (More)

➤ Cape Hatteras National Seashore recorded 409 sea turtle nests in 2026, surpassing 400 for the first time since 2019’s record 473, marking the second-busiest season with a record four leatherback nests. (See Photo)

➤ A contracted helicopter crew damaged a transmission line in Cary, knocking out power to about 35,000 Wake County customers Thursday afternoon. Duke Energy restored service late that evening and is investigating the incident. (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. 

➤ How much money do you need to retire? The answer is simpler than you think. (Listen Now)

➤ Lindsay Clancy’s attorney is taking his fight straight to President Trump after a hung jury. (Hear Details)

➤ Novartis just hit a major trial failure that could upend one of the drug industry’s biggest cholesterol races. (Full Story)

Have you eaten at either Elijah’s or Pilot House in Wilmington?

1. Both of them
2. One of them
3. Neither, yet

Yesterday’s Results:

Do you like collards?

1. Love them: 40%
2. Not a fan: 38%
3. They’re OK: 22%

Donald Ross, designer of the Stryker Golf Course at Fort Bragg, also designed a legendary No. 2 course at which North Carolina golf resort?

Show me the answer