MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2025

Good morning! On this day in 1788, William Tryon, royal governor of both North Carolina and New York, died at the age of 58. Tryon was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1751, rose through the ranks, and was appointed lieutenant governor of North Carolina in 1764. Shortly after Tryon arrived, Royal Governor Arthur Dobbs died, elevating Tryon to the governorship.

Tryon Palace in New Bern was our state’s first permanent capital. Test your knowledge of its architectural style by answering today’s trivia question.

Also, did you know North Carolina claims the world’s largest chest of drawers? Learn more in Et Cetera.

Later today, we’ll be sending you a special email featuring our partner, GoldCo, offering free financial advice to help safeguard your retirement savings. We hope you find their offer valuable!

Today’s sponsor is Mode Mobile, offering an investment opportunity in a smartphone company that is disrupting the market.

Trump Promises 'Rapid Reconstruction' in WNC

Joined by First Lady Melania Trump Friday, President Donald Trump used his fourth full day in office to visit western North Carolina. Upon landing at Asheville Regional Airport, Trump addressed a crowd that included Gov. Josh Stein and stated, "FEMA has failed the people of western North Carolina."

During a subsequent briefing with state leaders and Samaritan's Purse President Franklin Graham, Trump said disaster management should be handled by the state instead of the federal government, and that he would sign an executive order to "begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA."

Trump then visited families whose homes were destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Helene, promising them "rapid reconstruction" before inviting each family to share their experiences.

One woman directed her closing statement to Trump saying, "This is our president. We appreciate you so much. Thank you, thank you."

Two NC Agencies End DEI Policies

Newly elected State Auditor Dave Boliek and Labor Commissioner Luke Farley, both Republicans, announced Thursday that their offices will stop using diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

The announcements came soon after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to eliminate DEI policies in the federal government.

Farley said the change was "effective immediately," adding that future employees would be evaluated and hired "based on merit" and their ability to "protect the health, safety, and well-being of North Carolinians."

Boliek, the first Republican state auditor since 2008, said he believes "DEI is divisive and brings little-to-no return on investment of time and resources."

Boom Supersonic to Break Sound Barrier

Boom Supersonic, a jet startup building supersonic passenger airplanes in Greensboro, will launch its first sound barrier-breaking flight Tuesday from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

While breaking the sound barrier is an important milestone for a company with "supersonic" in its name, the Tuesday launch represents one of many tests that will move Boom Supersonic closer to its goal of constructing supersonic passenger airplanes in Greensboro at the new Overture Superfactory.

Each Overture jet will be capable of carrying 65-88 passengers using 100% sustainable aviation fuel at twice the speed of today's fastest passenger jets.

A live stream of the flight will begin at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday at boomsupersonic.com, with footage provided via a T-38 chase plane.

Do you have any friends or family who would like to receive Flyover North Carolina? Feel free to refer us to them!

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➤ Mecklenburg County: Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of Huntersville cast the 50th vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as the new U.S. Secretary of Defense Friday, prompting Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of Hegseth's confirmation. (More)

➤ Davidson County: Republican U.S. Rep. Addison McDowell of Lexington introduced legislation to rename Dulles International Airport Donald J. Trump International Airport. (More)

➤ Wake County: About 180 cases involving two North Carolina State Highway Patrol troopers have been dismissed due to questions about the troopers' credibility. (See Details)

➤ Morrisville: The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring Raleigh-Durham International Airport to get fair market value for 136 acres of land in Lake Crabtree County Park it has been leasing to Wake County for $1 a year. The airport plans to develop an entertainment destination there. (More)

➤ Wilmington: Comedian Leanne Morgan, known for her frank, Southern-style humor, will tape her next Netflix special in Wilmington's Wilson Center on June 21 as part of her "Just Getting Started Tour." (More)

➤ Pisgah National Forest: Visitors captured stunning ice formations and frozen waterfalls in the 512,758-acre forest during last week's frigid temperatures. (See Photos and Videos)

➤ The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired star forward Mikko Rantanen as part of a three-team deal with the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks. Rantanen is currently sixth in the NHL in points. (More)

➤ No. 2 Duke will face NC State tonight at 8:30 p.m. coming off of the Blue Devils' 63-56 defeat of Wake Forest. (More)

➤ LaMelo Ball scored 25 points in another impressive performance as he led the Charlotte Hornets to a 123-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. (More)

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➤ The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance projects that by 2050, domestic and international migration will grow Charlotte's population by more than 50%—from 3 million to 4.63 million people. (More)

➤ Camping World is being fined daily by the City of Greenville for flying an American flag nearly 15 times bigger than what is allowed on non-residential property. Despite the fines, CEO Marcus Lemonis stated, "The flag is not coming down." (More)

➤ Preliminary numbers show last week's cold snap helped Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress achieve a new peak usage record of 37,387 MWh of electricity consumption on Jan. 23, beating the previous record of 36,670 MWh from Feb. 20, 2015. (More)

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Mode Mobile saw 32,481% revenue growth from 2019 to 2022, ranking them the No. 1 overall software company on Deloitte's most recent fastest-growing companies list. Mode's flagship product EarnPhone, a budget smartphone, has already helped consumers earn & save $325M+.

➤ U.S. News' list of Best Online Bachelor's Programs includes UNC-Charlotte at No. 3 and UNC-Wilmington at No. 12. UNC-Chapel Hill was ranked No. 2 for Best Online MBA Program. (See Rankings)

➤ Six planets—Saturn, Venus, Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, and Mars—can be seen every evening in North Carolina's sky through the first half of February, with Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn visible to the naked eye. (More)

➤ North Carolina's eight strangest attractions include the world's largest chest of drawers, the Land of Oz theme park, and the last shell-shaped Shell gas station. (See List)

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