SUNDAY, AUGUST 16. 2026

Good Morning! On this day in 1970, NFL defensive tackle Eric Swann was born in Sanford. He was drafted sixth by the Arizona Cardinals in the 1991 NFL Draft from the Bay State Titans semi-pro team. Swann never attended a four-year college but played 10 pro seasons for the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers.

A North Carolina native who served as a postal employee aboard the RMS Titanic is being honored in a new museum exhibit. Learn more in Et Cetera.

In case you missed it, this week on The Flyover Podcast, Ayla shared what scientists said about when you should actually be eating dinner. Scientists say your dinnertime could be shaping your blood sugar, your cravings, and even your heart health, and the growing field of chrononutrition finds that eating at the wrong hour can throw off the body's internal clock. Poorer blood sugar control. Stronger cravings the next day. Even a higher risk of heart disease. Ayla explained what dinnertime is actually right for you, so before you plan tonight's meal, find out whether your schedule is working for you or against you. Tune in here!

We're always interested in products that take an everyday task and simply make it easier. That's what caught our attention about today's sponsor, the Sonic Glow Brush. If you've ever wished brushing your teeth was quicker without sacrificing a thorough clean, this is worth a look.

Developer Drops Raleigh Data Center Plan

Beacon Partners withdrew its plan for a 100,000-square-foot data center on Jones Sausage Road in southeast Raleigh, Mayor Janet Cowell said.

The 13-acre site sits across the street from a neighborhood and was already zoned industrial mixed use. More than 30 people had signed up to speak against the project, which was still at the annexation stage.

Raleigh has passed no moratorium on data centers. Wake, Orange, and Chatham counties have.

The pushback runs to the coast. Southport's aldermen set a hearing for next month on a 15-month freeze even though no data center has been proposed there, and nearby Boiling Spring Lakes already approved a one-year moratorium.

Greensboro, Alamance County, and Yadkin County all hold hearings Monday on moratoriums of their own. Greensboro's would pause approvals for anything drawing more than 10 megawatts while the city studies the effect on its power grid and water supply.

NCDOT Sets Hearings on Bridge Replacement

NCDOT set two September hearings on replacing the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and released the project's environmental assessment.

The 1969 bridge carries more than 65,000 vehicles a day between New Hanover and Brunswick counties, past its design capacity. Replacing it is estimated at $1.1 billion.

Two designs remain: a movable span with 65 to 135 feet of clearance over the river, or a fixed span at 135 feet with interchange work.

Hearings begin at 6 p.m. Sept. 14 at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington and Sept. 15 in Leland. Comments run through Oct. 15.

Crews Train in Simulated Helene Floods

Instructors at a state training center in Stanly County can flood a mock village with 200,000 gallons of water a minute so crews can practice roof rescues.

The North Carolina Emergency Training Center pairs a five-million-gallon reservoir with a mock river channel whose gates each push 50,000 gallons a minute. At its center sits "The Village," a cluster of buildings with pitched roofs.

Before it opened, teams drove to mountain rivers to train, where drought and recreation schedules sometimes canceled classes. Officials say it's the only course where crews can run motorized boats.

Helene's water was violent and turbulent, not the slow, wide-area flooding crews usually work, said Lt. Sean Johnson of the Highway Patrol's swift water rescue unit.

State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor, whose office runs the center with the Air National Guard and Stanly County, says trainers told him it would have prepared them for Helene.

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➤ Cumberland County: A woman and man were in critical condition after they were pulled from a Linden house fire late Saturday morning that spawned a “mass casualty incident” designation because so many firefighters were impacted during a heat advisory, fire officials said. (More)

➤ Greensboro: A sanitary sewer overflowed 165,000 gallons of untreated wastewater at 3701 Battleground Ave. The water entered Horse Pen Creek, which ultimately drains into the Cape Fear River basin. (More)

➤ Guilford County: A High Point church collected hundreds of donations Friday to help people impacted by the earthquake in Colombia. (See Video)

➤ Mecklenburg County: An independent review of MEDIC found clinical care among the best in the country but flagged response times outside the center city and staffing as weak spots. The agency ran more than 10,000 extra calls last fiscal year. (More)

➤ Wilmington: The City Council will decide Tuesday on several major infrastructure and housing proposals, including a $1.5 million contribution to construct 86 affordable housing units and more than $6.8 million in local road improvement contracts. (See Details)

➤ Hillsborough: A 6-inch water main break on Elizabeth Brady Road dropped pressure across Hillsborough's central zone, and the town issued a boil water advisory Friday. The city is buying water from Durham to refill the tank. (See Details)

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➤ The Charlotte Hornets acquired Dennis Schroder from the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Tre Mann and cash considerations, continuing one of the team’s wildest offseasons in recent memory. (More)

➤ NC State has unveiled a new version of its vintage “slobbering wolf” logo, attempting to refresh the university’s brand identity. (More)

➤ The Carolina Panthers starters struggled in their brief preseason debut yesterday, going three-and-out in their only offensive drive and eventually falling to the Buffalo Bills 29-14. (More)

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➤ A Person County native and one of five postal clerks aboard the RMS Titanic is honored in a new display at Titanic: The Exhibition in Charlotte. The exhibit runs through Sept. 7. (Read Story)

➤ Twenty-five New Hanover County middle schoolers took a career exploration flight out of Wilmington International Airport for a firsthand look at aviation jobs. It was the third year Avelo Airlines has run the trip. (See Details)

➤ North Carolina State University welcomed one of its largest classes yet, with move-in happening on Friday amid sweltering temperatures. (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, straight from the heart of the country. Clicking the link will take you directly to these stories:

➤ College costs outpaced wages and left families scrambling to cover the bill. (Hear More)

➤ Teen trouble prompted one New Jersey town to tighten its summer rules. (Listen Now)

➤ A Supreme Court justice said conservatives faced an unexpected barrier on college campuses. (Podcast Available)