WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 2025

Happy New Year! On this day in 1942, No. 2 Duke lost to No. 12 Oregon State in the 28th Rose Bowl by a score of 20-16. The game was played in Durham instead of Pasadena due to military concerns about large gatherings on the West Coast presenting a public safety risk as the attack on Pearl Harbor had occurred just weeks earlier.

As you celebrate the start of 2025, please enjoy this special New Year's Day edition looking back at last year's top stories. What was the most memorable story of 2024 for you? Let us know by replying to this e-mail.

Today's and Thursday's editions will be a bit shorter than usual as our team greets the New Year. We'll return with our regular Flyover North Carolina on Friday.

Today's sponsor is FinanceBuzz, offering a rare unlimited cash-back match on their credit cards you won't want to miss.

Flyover North Carolina's 2024 Top Stories

Flyover North Carolina launched this summer to focus on news from across the Tar Heel state. Our readership has grown rapidly since then, now approaching an audience of 100,000 every day.

What have you been reading? Our Around North Carolina section lists the most-clicked links of 2024, led by a live tabulation of accepted ballots during North Carolina's general election early voting period.

Apart from the specific articles readers actively engaged with, our data makes clear the three stories that dominated the news in North Carolina this fall: the general election, Hurricane Helene, and NCSU's defeat of UNC during their annual rivalry football game—which was capped off by a post-game brawl.

Below, check out the stories that drew the highest reader engagement. Then stay with us through 2025 as we keep the ride going!

Flying together with our sponsor

If you have outstanding credit card debt, getting a new 0% intro APR credit card could help ease the pressure while you pay down your balances.

On top of all that, this top credit card offers an insane 5% cash back perk that gets matched after your first year. That's up to 10% back on qualifying purchases!

Click through to see what all the hype is about.

➤ Sept. 2: On Aug. 30, home security cameras recorded what appeared to be a meteor shower in western North Carolina but was later identified as the disintegrated remains of a 1,000-pound asteroidal fragment. (Watch Videos)

➤ Sept. 14: A Duke Lemur Center gray mouse lemur named Belladonna gave birth to twin girls Rhubarb and Taro over the summer. (See Photos)

➤ Oct. 4: A satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed the view from space after Hurricane Helene knocked out power for millions of people in the Southeast. (See Image)

➤ Oct. 11: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast a severe geomagnetic storm capable of making the Northern Lights visible to North Carolinians on Oct. 10-11. (More)

➤ Oct. 16: NCDOT's DriveNC.gov website provided a continuously updated map showing road closures and reopenings following Hurricane Helene. (See Map)

➤ Nov. 27: A large box truck rear-ended an RV filled with 28 snakes, two tortoises, five bearded dragons, two dogs, a cat, and five people on I-95 in Wilson County. (See Photos and Video)

➤ Dec. 3: NC State was considered a 3.5-point underdog in the 2024 rivalry game against UNC but ended up winning 35-30. A post-game brawl and a photo of the NC State cheerleaders sitting on the "L" in "Tar Heels" attracted lots of media attention. (See Photo)

➤ Dec. 6: A fox was caught on camera in Mooresville prancing playfully in the snow. (See Video)

➤ Dec. 9: Two white deer—a male and female—were seen roaming wild on North Carolina Zoo property during the past year, which zoo experts call "exceedingly rare." (See Photos)

Flying together with our sponsor

➤ Look no further for the perfect stocking stuffer. Bril is a portable toothbrush case that uses natural UV-C light to kill 99.9% of the unwanted viruses and bacteria living on your toothbrush — protecting you and your family from potential medical issues. (See It Here)