FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2024

Good morning! On this day in 1997, the second largest cash robbery in U.S. history took place in Charlotte when Gulf War veteran David Ghantt finished up his shift as a vault supervisor for Loomis Fargo, then loaded nearly $17 million into a company van and took off to Mexico. Accomplices Steve and Michelle Chambers moved into a mansion, alerting the FBI to their newfound wealth.

Our coverage of the devastation in western North Carolina continues today. Check out Et Cetera to see a satellite image showing power outages in the Southeast after Helene hit.

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Biden Authorizes Military and FEMA Help

President Joe Biden directed the deployment of up to 1,000 active duty soldiers Wednesday to disaster areas impacted by Helene, now considered the second deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005.

Troops are mainly being deployed in North Carolina to expedite movement of Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel into hard-hit areas. As of Thursday, over 1,200 FEMA personnel were in the state, with more arriving daily.

Biden’s authorization came six days after the Category 4 hurricane made landfall, provoking criticism from Republican Sen. Tedd Budd.

Additional Hurricane Helene updates:

Moore County soldiers and veterans are dropping supplies by parachute into rural areas.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says I-40 near the North Carolina-Tennessee border won’t reopen for months.
Ivanka Trump flew 300 Starlink units to Hickory for delivery across western North Carolina.
Raleigh’s Rocky Top Catering prepared 2,000 meals for hurricane victims.
The IRS postponed the tax deadline for residents and business owners affected by Helene to May 1.
Appalachian State University remains closed through Oct. 15.
All state parks west of I-77 remain closed through Oct. 31.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is closed indefinitely.
Two quartz-producing companies in Spruce Pine have shut down indefinitely.

Tillis and Budd Push for Disaster Relief

North Carolina Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd are leading an initiative to increase federal funding for Helene disaster relief.

The initiative may require lawmakers to return to Washington from a recess scheduled to stretch past the November election.

Tillis, Budd, and bipartisan colleagues sent a letter urging Senate leaders to address the “unmet needs” and “scope and scale of destruction” impacting their constituents.

Lawmakers working with Tillis and Budd include Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-SC; Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-NY.

17 NC Venues Chosen for NCAA Championships

The NCAA announced Wednesday that North Carolina will host 17 of 240 upcoming championships between 2026 and 2028.

Venues include Raleigh’s Lenovo Center for the East Regional of the 2028 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament; Cary’s WakeMed Soccer Park for the 2026 and 2027 NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Cups; UNC-Chapel Hill for the 2026 Division 1 Field Hockey Championships; Raleigh’s Reynold’s Coliseum at N.C. State for the 2027 women’s gymnastics regionals; and Cary’s USA Baseball National Training Complex for the the NCAA Division II baseball finals.

North Carolina tied with California for hosting the third-highest number of NCAA championships behind Florida (first), and Pennsylvania and Texas (tied for second).

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➤ Chimney Rock: A state parks team hiked to the top of Chimney Rock to raise the American flag as a sign of hope and resilience for victims of Helene. (See Photo)

➤ Swannanoa: A pregnant woman and her dog floated on a mattress for nearly eight hours during Helene’s flooding before her husband was able to rescue her. (More)

➤ Raleigh: The Alexander YMCA on Hillsborough Street broke ground Wednesday on a new 10,000-square-foot youth center. (More)

➤ Wake County: The school board is looking into a story assigned to Athens Drive High School students that included a brief description of sexual activity between two cousins. (More)

➤ Triad: Piedmont Triad International Airport has been named one of the country’s 10 best small airports. (See List)

➤ Nags Head: The National Science Foundation provided $3.6 million for researchers to study the best way to harvest wave energy at Nags Head and Beaver Island, Michigan. (More)

➤ The Carolina Hurricanes sold out their preseason matchup against the Nashville Predators after announcing that all ticket revenue would go to Hurricane Helene relief efforts. (More)

➤ UNC, Duke, and N.C. State will all take on ACC opponents this weekend. Undefeated Duke sits as a nine-point underdog to Georgia Tech. (More)

➤ Amid rumors of a Diontae Johnson trade, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters he doesn’t see it happening. (More)

Yesterday's Results: NFL | MLB | NHL | PGA

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➤ ABC News reported Thursday evening that the dockworkers' strike has been suspended until Jan. 15, with both sides reaching a tentative agreement on wages and agreeing to return to the bargaining table in January. (More)

➤ The Triangle Tweener Fund announced a $778,000 investment in 19 local startups made during the third quarter. (See Details)

➤ The 2024 Forbes 400 list includes three North Carolinians: James Goodnight, CEO of SAS Institute ($9.9 billion); Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games ($5.7 billion); and John Sall, executive vice president of SAS Institute ($4.9 billion). (See List)

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➤ A satellite image released by the National Weather Service shows the view from space Saturday after Hurricane Helene knocked out power across the Southeast. (See Image)

➤ A private citizen who provided hurricane relief assistance to western North Carolinians shared a previous ”red tape” experience he had during Hurricane Irma. (See X Post)

➤ A new report reveals that zero professors across six departments at N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill are registered Republicans. (See Details)

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