SATURDAY, JULY 18, 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1775, about 500 Patriot militiamen from Brunswick and New Hanover counties, led by John Ashe, Cornelius Harnett, and Robert Howe, approached Fort Johnston. Finding Royal Gov. Josiah Martin had fled and artillery removed, they set the wooden fort ablaze early the next morning—the first military action of the Revolutionary War in North Carolina.

Is an $121,000 retreat video a reasonable expense for a city? State Auditor Dave Boliek doesn't think so. Learn more in Around North Carolina.

For years, spotting an email scam felt easy. Bad grammar, a fake logo, an obvious ask, and you'd catch it. But the emails that drained nearly $21 billion from Americans last year didn't look sloppy at all. They looked like they came from your bank, your pharmacy, even your own family, and adults over 60 lost the most of anyone. In today's episode of The Flyover Podcast, Amy breaks down five quick inbox moves that clean up your clutter and quietly lock scammers out. Which one are the con artists counting on you never learning? Tune in here to learn more!

Today's sponsor is Immersed, offering investors the opportunity to get in early on an extended reality company developing next-generation productivity software and XR hardware before its planned public listing.

Anson County's Water Woes Continue

More than 40 agencies have mobilized to help roughly 22,000 Anson County residents through a water crisis triggered by two separate water main breaks this month.

The breaks happened along Highway 74—the first on July 7 near Morven Freight Line Road, the second on July 11. County crews have finished repairs at both sites, but officials say scattered outages are still possible as workers flush the system's 850 miles of pipeline.

A boil water advisory remains in effect while bacterial testing continues; the first round of samples went out Thursday. Residents are asked to boil tap water before drinking it, brushing teeth, or washing food.

Anyone needing bottled water can pick it up at any county fire station between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Those who can't make it there can call for a delivery instead.

Clock Ticks on I-77 Toll Fight

Charlotte and other Charlotte-region towns have 90 days to reverse their opposition to a $4 billion I-77 toll lane project or repay North Carolina $64 million.

The requirement is buried in the new state budget Gov. Josh Stein signed last week, and it applies to any town that unilaterally pulls the project from its transportation plan. The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization will vote again on Sept. 23, with Charlotte controlling 31 of the board's 74 votes.

Cornelius and Monroe have reversed course to back the project, while Mecklenburg County, Matthews and Davidson plan to stay opposed. Cornelius Mayor Denis Bilodeau said the penalty, not the project's merits, is driving towns to switch; paying it, he said, is "not something we wanted to pass along to our taxpayers."

Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs, a toll-lane supporter, urged colleagues this week to reconsider the project rather than risk the penalty.

Stricter Teen Curfews Debated

Charlotte's city council safety committee voted this week to advance a strict 9 p.m. curfew for everyone under 18, citing a summer surge in youth violence.

Assaults involving a gun and a juvenile suspect are up 58% from a year ago, Chief Estella Patterson said at a midyear briefing.

The push follows a string of "teen takeover" gatherings, including a July 11 event in University City where police arrested 12 teenagers and cited 10 parents. A similar gathering in Raleigh over the Fourth of July ended in gunfire, prompting Raleigh's police chief to propose a curfew there too.

Not every city agrees a curfew is the answer: Wilmington police say they haven't seen the same pattern and aren't planning one. Charlotte's full council votes in August.

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This Private Company Is Up 4,000% Already

How do you follow 4,000% valuation growth? By preparing for what’s next. That’s what Immersed did, reserving the Nasdaq ticker $IMRS. But the real opportunity for investors is now, before public markets.

Why? Immersed changed the game in extended reality (XR), developing the Meta Quest store’s most popular productivity app. 1.5M people, including Fortune 500 teams, already use it up to 60 hours a week.

But that’s not all. Immersed’s soon-to-be-released XR headset has 2M more pixels than Apple’s Vision Pro for 70% less money. No wonder they’re projecting $71M in first-year sales.

And with partnerships in place with Google and Samsung, investors are taking advantage of this limited-time chance before its next stage of growth.

Executives and founders from Intel, Meta, and Reddit invested. Don’t miss your chance to join them before the July 30 deadline.

➤ Statewide: North Carolina's new Farm Act now classifies permitted composting facilities as agricultural operations, giving them the same protections as farms. (More)

➤ Cary: A 2,600-page state audit found former manager Sean Stegall's administration racked up more than $24 million in Visa bills, including $120 ribeye steaks and a $121,000 retreat video. State Auditor Dave Boliek said Stegall was "enabling the excessive spending." (See Details)

➤ Western NC: The General Assembly steered $20 million to repair or remove aging dams damaged by Hurricane Helene, including the high-hazard Ridgecrest Pond Dam in Buncombe County. More than 40 dams failed or were damaged in the storm. (See Report)

➤ Fayetteville: Nonprofit Inasmuch will break ground Aug. 19 on a 16-cottage village for homeless veterans, backed by $2 million from philanthropists Ralph and Linda Huff. (See Details)

➤ Brunswick County: A gas leak closed both directions of U.S. 17 in Winnabow on Friday, with crews initially diverting traffic onto Green Hill Road before shutting the highway completely. (More)

➤ Rockingham County: Public schools will ban metal, opaque, and insulated water bottles starting next school year, a policy meant to curb vapes and other contraband hidden inside containers. (More)

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➤ ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said the league had developed doubts about Rio de Janeiro’s ability to host the season opener between NC State and Virginia, which was moved back to Charlottesville. (More)

➤ The Carolina Hurricanes’ 84-game schedule has been released, featuring a Sept. 29 opener, the NHL Global Series in Finland, and 12 Saturday night games at the Lenovo Center. (Details)

➤ Bill Belichick said North Carolina’s football culture is “a lot different” this year as the Tar Heels seek to rebound from last season’s 4-8 record. (More)

➤ North Carolina lacrosse standout Chloe Humphrey, the first freshman to win the Tewaaraton Award, is among several current and former Tar Heels selected for the U.S. team competing at the Women’s World Championship in Tokyo. (More)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: The Open | MLB | WNBA

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➤ Two identical twin sisters. Same DNA. Yet one appeared years younger than the other. What Harvard scientists discovered next led them to a little-known "facelift protein" that researchers now believe may play an important role in how our skin ages. See the fascinating discovery here.

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Google, Microsoft, & Meta Partnered With This XR Startup

The world’s leading tech giants have all partnered with Immersed, an XR startup chasing a $250B+ opportunity in remote work.

Immersed combines the world's most-used remote work XR software ($127B by 2030)1, AR/VR hardware ($100B+ by 2026)2, and AI productivity tools ($36B)3 into one productive, collaborative virtual office. Its valuation has grown 4,000% to date.

Over 1.5M professionals, including Fortune 500 teams, already use Immersed. The company is now scaling mass production of Visor, a productivity-designed headset with 75,000+ people on the waitlist, representing $71M in projected first-year sales.

Executives from Intel, Meta, and Reddit have invested, and Immersed has already reserved the Nasdaq ticker $IMRS. You can become an early-stage shareholder before the July 30 deadline.

1Source: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ai-productivity-tools-market-23074
2Source: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/ai-productivity-tools-market-report
3Source: https://www.giiresearch.com/report/grvi1512062-ai-productivity-tools-market-size-share-trends.html

This is a paid advertisement for Immersed Regulation A+ offering. Please read the offering circular at https://invest.immersed.com/

➤ Local police are hosting the fifth annual Dutchman Dinghy Dash on Aug. 1 on Oak Island, challenging teams of two to paddle homemade cardboard boats across Dutchman Creek without sinking. (See Video)

➤ The Stephen King-directed cult classic Maximum Overdrive, filmed in Wilmington in the 1980s, returns to theaters for its 40th anniversary with screenings at Jengo's Playhouse on July 24 and Thalian Hall Aug. 28-30. (Details)

➤ Sloomoo Institute, an immersive slime experience, celebrates its grand opening in midtown Charlotte today, with plans to make about 600 gallons of slime on-site each day. (See Photos)

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➤ Most People Blame the Wrong Thing for Easy Bruising "I must just be clumsy." "It's my age." "It's probably my medication." If you've ever caught yourself thinking one of these after another bruise seemed to appear out of nowhere, you're not alone. But health experts say many people dismiss easy bruising as a normal part of aging when it may actually be one of the first visible signs your body is trying to tell you something. Click here to discover the 7 warning signs experts say are worth paying attention to—and why so many people overlook them until much later. Learn More

The following stories are featured exclusively on The Flyover Podcast—a daily show that gives you the most important headlines in under 15 minutes, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ The emails draining billions from Americans no longer look fake, and these habits stop nearly all of them. (Hear Tips)

➤ Researchers have found a way to smuggle a drug past the brain's toughest barrier and into glioblastoma tumors. (Hear Details)

➤ Federal officials have linked lettuce served at this fast food chain's locations to a multistate parasite outbreak that has hospitalized dozens. (Podcast Available)