Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Good Morning. On this day in 1993, actor Brandon Lee, 28, was accidentally shot to death during the filming of The Crow in Wilmington, when he was hit by a bullet fragment that had become lodged inside a prop gun.

Find out which North Carolina towns and cities were named among Niche’s best places to live in America in Top Stories, then hit reply to let us know if you live in one of them.

🚙 Are Baby Boomers the safest drivers or the most dangerous? Which generation has the highest crash fatality rate? And who are the fastest drivers? In today’s Flyover Podcast, Ayla Brown breaks down a new report ranking drivers from baby boomers to Gen X to millennials and Gen Z. But where did your generation end up on the list? Tune in to find out!

It's finally here: The California Flyover launches tomorrow! We're bringing the same daily briefing to the Golden State, and we'd love for your friends and family out West to be in from day one. Sign up here.

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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 Cities, Towns Among Best Places to Live

Several North Carolina cities and suburbs rank among the nation's best places to live in 2026, according to Niche's annual report, which is based on an evaluation of data related to public schools, the cost of living, housing, safety, and local attractions.

Raleigh scored the highest national ranking among major North Carolina cities at No. 22, thanks to its urban vibrancy and suburban appeal. Durham came in at No. 50, Charlotte at No. 55, Greensboro at No. 62, Winston-Salem at No. 83, and Wilmington at No. 88.

Cary was ranked the No. 1 place to live in North Carolina, with Charlotte's Brookhill neighborhood coming in at No. 2, Morrisville at No. 3, Apex at No. 4, and Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood at No. 5.

Charlotte's Fourth Ward neighborhood also landed at No. 10 among the best places for young professionals nationally.

Bank of America Pays $72.5M to Epstein Survivors

Charlotte-based Bank of America has agreed to pay $72.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking operation.

The proposed settlement covers women allegedly abused or trafficked by Epstein or his associates between June 30, 2008, and July 6, 2019.

Plaintiffs accused the bank of ignoring red flags, failing to file timely suspicious activity reports, and continuing to provide banking services—including handling large payments such as roughly $170 million from billionaire Leon Black to Epstein—despite warning signs.

Bank of America denied any wrongdoing or facilitation of sex trafficking, stating the settlement allows the matter to be resolved and provides closure for plaintiffs. A fairness hearing is scheduled for April.

Anonymous Threat Evacuates RDU Terminal 1

An anonymous threat prompted the evacuation of Terminal 1 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) early Monday morning.

The threat was received around 4:20 a.m., leading authorities to immediately evacuate passengers and staff. Hundreds waited outside for more than an hour as law enforcement and TSA officers conducted a thorough sweep of the facility.

No suspicious devices or individuals were found, and the terminal reopened around 6 a.m. after being given the all-clear. Passengers faced long security lines and flight delays, with several airlines, including American, Southwest, and Frontier, reporting disruptions.

The incident occurred the same day TSA officers were scheduled to begin receiving back pay after six weeks without compensation.

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➤ Dare County: FEMA delays and proposed reforms are raising concerns for Outer Banks beach nourishment projects, as engineered shorelines may face uncertainty in accessing post-storm Public Assistance funding. (More)

➤ Buxton: Meanwhile, three more oceanfront homes at the end of Old Lighthouse Road are being relocated roughly 200 to 250 feet inland to safer ground amid ongoing coastal erosion threats. (See Photos)

➤ Mecklenburg County: A district attorney’s office staffer, Johana Martinez, was charged with felony death by vehicle after a deadly crash that killed another driver on Saturday. Martinez was fired. Troopers identified the victim of the crash as 38-year-old Lauren Shamariah Foster. (More)

➤ Charlotte: NCDOT opened a community engagement center on Monday at 1023 W. Morehead Street for the I-77 South Express Lanes project, aiming to gather public input, rebuild trust, and share early designs. (More)

➤ Wilkes County: A 600-acre woods fire near Cane Creek Church Road was 50% contained as of Monday morning, prompting evacuations in the McGrady community. (More)

➤ Asheville: Vietnam War Veterans Day was marked Sunday with a memorial event at Charles George VA Medical Center, honoring 165 Western North Carolina soldiers killed in action from 22 counties. (See Photos)

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➤ NC State is hiring former Wolfpack player (and current Tennessee assistant) Justin Gainey as their next men's basketball coach. (More)

➤ UNC suspended all discussions about the location of their future homecourt arena until they've hired their next men's basketball coach. (More)

➤ North Carolina resident Kevin Harvick headlines the 2027 NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees in his first year of eligibility. Official voting is set for May 19 in Charlotte. (More)

➤ Wake Forest's lefty pitcher Matthew Dallas will undergo elbow surgery and miss the remainder of the 2026 baseball season. (More)

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➤ A state audit revealed that key delivery benchmarks weren't consistently met by the Alcoholic Beverage Control system's distribution vendor, LB&B Associates, despite the system generating over $1.4 billion in public revenue over two fiscal years. (More)

➤ State Farmer's Market vendors in Raleigh are bracing for higher fertilizer costs and potential shortages due to the ongoing Iran War disrupting global supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. (More)

➤ Activist hedge fund ADW Capital, which holds a 2.5% stake in Charlotte-based Driven Brands, is urging the Meineke and Auto Glass Now owner to explore a sale or breakup to unlock shareholder value. (More)

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➤ The Duke Lemur Center announced the Feb. 11 birth of a male Coquerel's sifaka to parents Cassia and Eustace. The infant, to be named by the public, is the great-grandson of Jovian, the lemur who played the famous “Zoboomafoo” in the children's television series. (See Photos)

➤ NC A&T alumnus Joshua Suiter has been cast as Andre in Netflix’s A Different World reboot, which is filming 10 episodes in Atlanta about new students attending Hillman College. (More)

➤ Pilots to the Rescue, a nonprofit organization that transports at-risk animals from under-resourced shelters, flew six dogs from Odell Williamson Municipial Airport in Ocean Isle Beach to shelters in New Jersey, where their chances of adoption are higher. (More)

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