Wednesday, November 12, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1877, medical doctor and baseball outfielder Archibald "Moonlight" Graham was born in Fayetteville. He played only one game for the New York Giants in 1905, and while there's some debate about his birth year—his gravestone says it was 1876—he's best known today as the basis for a character in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams.

Golf fans, you'll be pleased to know that for the first time in over 80 years, the PGA Tour is returning to Western North Carolina. Learn more in Top Stories.

🦃 With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we're reflecting on the moments that make this holiday so special. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving memory—touching, humorous, or surprising? Share your story with us! Include your first name and city when you reply, and we may feature it in our upcoming holiday edition.

Did you know that the team that makes Flyover North Carolina also produces a national publication called The Flyover? Click here to sign up and stay up to date with the latest national headlines—without the bias of legacy media outlets.

Discover how today's sponsor, TerraCycle, is transforming the recycling industry by profitably tackling 400+ waste streams that others won't process—and offering investors a chance to share in its rapid growth.

Take The Flyover with you. Busy day? Listen to our daily 15-minute podcast while commuting, cooking, or walking the dog—your Flyover fix, anywhere.

NC Expands Services, Care for Veterans

Gov. Josh Stein announced expanded support Monday for more than 600,000 North Carolina veterans and families by extending NCServes call center hours and launching AskMeNC, a digital hub linking users to housing, health care, employment, and benefits through NCCARE360.

The new services took effect yesterday, on Veterans Day, expanding NCServes' hours to include evenings and weekends.

NCServes, managed by Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry's Veterans Services of the Carolinas program in partnership with Vaya Health, has delivered 150,000 services since 2014 and is expected to reach 2,000 more veterans in the first year of expanded operations.

The initiatives address long wait times and disconnection, with studies showing coordinated care increases rates of stable housing by 40% and employment by 50%. Veterans can call 855-962-8387 or visit ncserves.org to learn more.

Trump Pardons Meadows, Powell

President Donald Trump issued "full, complete, and unconditional" pardons to 77 individuals accused of 2020 election interference, including North Carolinians Mark Meadows and Sidney Powell. The pardons were announced Sunday by pardon attorney Ed Martin.

The proclamation, signed Friday, covers conduct related to alternate electors in Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Michigan, as well as efforts to expose alleged voter fraud. Others pardoned include Rudy Giuliani, Kenneth Chesebro, John Eastman, Christina Bobb, and Boris Epshteyn.

The proclamation states the pardons do not apply to Trump himself.

Though no federal charges were filed, the pardons could shield recipients from future federal prosecution. They follow Trump's earlier pardons of hundreds of participants in the events of Jan. 6 and were described in the proclamation as ending "a grave national injustice" and promoting reconciliation.

PGA TOUR Returns to Western NC

For the first time in more than 80 years, the PGA Tour is returning to Western North Carolina in 2026 with the inaugural Biltmore Championship, marking its first appearance in the region since the 1942 Asheville Land of the Sky Open.

Alongside PGA Tour Chief Competitions Officer Tyler Dennis, Biltmore Chief Marketing Officer Mark Hemphill announced Monday at Biltmore Estate that the four-year FedExCup Fall event will be held Sept. 17-20 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, a Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Arden.

Biltmore Estate and Explore Asheville are co-title sponsors, with Golf Channel, PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, SiriusXM, and World Feed providing coverage.

The announcement came just over a year after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of Western North Carolina, with Hemphill saying the tournament is expected to draw more than 100 players and thousands of spectators and create "an enduring positive impact" on the community.

Flying together with our sponsor

Recycling 400+ waste streams others won't process

TerraCycle partners with hundreds of major brands, including Coca-Cola, Gillette, Whole Foods, and Taco Bell, to recycle a wide range of products, such as razors, sauce packets, and coffee pods.

TerraCycle has been profitable for over 10 years, transforming its mission-driven recycling solutions into revenue-driving success. Their business model has seen 75% revenue growth between 2020 and 2024, hitting $45 million last year. First-half 2025 revenue is up 11% vs. last year.

And they're dominating the search engines for recycling solutions. Go ahead and look up how to recycle any hard-to-recycle trash, like "recycle cigarette butts" or "recycle contact lenses," and see who shows up.

Early backers have already seen 17-20% of their investment capital back in dividends. Now it's your turn.

Invest in TerraCycle by 11/20 and get 15% bonus shares.

➤ Statewide: A Wake County judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking North Carolina Medicaid's 10% rate cut for autism therapies, which followed a $319 million budget shortfall. (More)

➤ Triangle: UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State are proposing a 3% tuition increase for incoming in-state undergraduates amid expected state budget cuts, raising annual costs by $211 and $196, respectively. This marks the first hike for UNC in nearly a decade. (More)

➤ Wake County: Landen Glass, charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2022 Raleigh Christmas Parade death of 11-year-old Hailey Brooks, was scheduled to appear in court Monday morning, nearly three years after the fatal incident. (More)

➤ Raleigh: Meredith College students and alumni staged a walkout Monday to protest staff layoffs, dean eliminations, and overworked professors, saying cost-cutting measures are harming education quality and campus living conditions. (More)

➤ High Point: Police and North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement arrested 32 people on 274 charges after an undercover probe into drug trafficking, gun violence, prostitution, and alcohol violations on North Centennial Street. (More)

➤ Outer Banks: Crews have driven 75% of pilings for the new $450 million Alligator River bridge, resuming after a seasonal pause. The 3.2-mile fixed-span replacement for the 1960 swing bridge, which connects Dare and Tyrrell counties, is set to open in 2029. (More)

Enjoy reading Flyover North Carolina? Click here to share with your friends and family. ✈️

➤ Women's AP Poll: UNC women's basketball held steady at No. 11 in this week's poll, while Duke dropped eight spots to No. 15 after losing to Baylor last week. NC State fell one spot to No. 10 after a tight loss against USC. (See Poll)

➤ Five women's soccer teams from the state made the 64-team NCAA tournament bracket: UNC, Wake Forest, Duke, High Point, and Elon. (See Bracket)

➤ Rockingham Dragway is set to host its first full National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) event next year in late September. It will be the biggest event at the facility since the NHRA hosted an all-star invitational at Rockingham during the 1990s. (More)

➤ The Carolina Panthers have now lost 11 straight games when favored—the longest such streak in the Super Bowl era. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Protect your wallet and identity with the compact, ultra-thin card from Guardality, which slides effortlessly into your wallet and uses advanced electromagnetic shielding to instantly block hidden RFID skimmers from accessing your contactless cards and passport information. (LEARN MORE)

➤ Asheville-based Pine Gate Renewables, which filed for bankruptcy with $4.4 billion in debt, laid off 500 workers in October and warns 223 more jobs may be cut by January amid stalled sale efforts and Trump-era subsidy cuts. (More)

➤ North Carolina fell to 13th in the Tax Foundation's 2026 State Tax Competitiveness Index, down from ninth in 2024, despite a strong third-place ranking in corporate taxes and seventh-place ranking in unemployment insurance taxes. (More)

➤ Durham's abandoned Northgate Mall will be demolished and redeveloped as Ellerbe Square, featuring six retail and restaurant buildings anchored by a national operator. The site plan is currently under city review. (More)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ The #1 weight‑loss quiz you'll wish you took sooner. Answer a few simple questions and unlock your Sprout Health weight‑loss blueprint. This personalized quiz connects you to tailored treatment options and expert guidance for real results. (LEARN MORE)

Flying together with our sponsor

The world's biggest brands turn to TerraCycle

In a world where 95% of waste isn't recycled, TerraCycle builds profitable recycling models for "unrecyclable" products and packages by working with hundreds of major brands, like Coca-Cola, Gillette, Whole Foods, and Taco Bell, to recycle razors, sauce packets, coffee pods, and so much more.

With over 8 billion items kept out of landfills, they're becoming the world's go-to name in recycling. It's fueling 10+ years of profits for TerraCycle, with 75% revenue growth since 2020.

Previous investors have already seen returns of 17-20% in dividends.

Now's your turn. Invest in TerraCycle by 11/20 and get 15% bonus share.

This is a paid advertisement for TerraCycle's Regulation CF offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.terracycle.com/

➤ Rare November snowflakes fell across Western and Central North Carolina during Monday's Arctic blast. (See photos and videos from Western NC, Charlotte, and Central NC)

➤ Environmental nonprofit MountainTrue and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a joint lawsuit against the U.S. Forest Service over alleged illegal logging in Pisgah National Forest's Nolichucky Gorge, accusing the agency of using an expired emergency order and harming endangered species and habitats. (More)

➤ Southern Living published a list of 10 legendary Southern recipes, featuring favorites like Spicy Cheese Straws, Heirloom Tomato Pie, Virginia Cheese Slaw, and Ultimate Caramel Frosting. (See List)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Preserve your most treasured moments with iMemories—simply send in your old home movies, slides, photos, or tapes in their crush-proof SafeShip kit and watch as they're digitized, enhanced with AI, and made instantly streamable on any device. (LEARN MORE)