THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025

Good Morning! On this day in 1973, Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The iconic mountain community landmark now operates stores across the Southeast and symbolizes country stores of yesteryear.

North Carolina is famous for short springs, and this year is no exception. With 90-degree weather on tap for some parts of North Carolina on Friday, you might be planning a weekend trip to the beach!

Before you go, check out the parking fees some beaches are now charging—covered in today's Top Stories.

Later today, The Flyover will send you an offer to invest with our partner BOXABL. BOXABL is at the forefront of patented housing technology.

Today's edition is sponsored by, Legion M. Legion M is the world's first fan-owned movie studio that turn fans into shareholders.

Crop Loss Disaster Applications Open to Farmers

The Agricultural Disaster Crop Loss Program opened Tuesday for farmers who suffered crop, infrastructure, and equipment losses due to Hurricane Helene, Tropical Storm Debby, drought, and other severe weather conditions.

The package allocates $311 million for farming relief, with $200 million designated for verifiable losses from Hurricane Helene, and $100 million for verifiable losses from any agricultural disaster in 2024, excluding Helene. The remaining funds will be used as detailed in HB 47, the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025.

Agricultural losses for farmers in 2024 totaled almost $5 billion, and some have said they may not be able to start the growing season without financial assistance.

After announcing that applications had opened, North Carolina Agricultural Commissioner Steve Troxler said, "Our farmers are reeling from a disastrous 2024 season," and without the assistance, "the food supply goes away."

Troxler Pushes for Forest Service Rebuild

Agricultural Commissioner Steve Troxler is also calling on the General Assembly to fund the rebuilding of North Carolina's Forest Service, which battled 1,823 wildfires in March—104% more than the average of 891—despite having 100 open positions and worn-out equipment.

Troxler, a Republican, said during the April Council of State meeting Tuesday that the risk from wildfires is "expected to get worse, not better." Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, told Troxler he'll continue to push for more funds.

Forest Service Assistant Commissioner Greg Hicks provided updated numbers on current wildfires at the meeting. As of Tuesday, Polk County's fires ranged from 60% to 100% containment, Swain County's was 62% contained, Haywood County's was 24% contained, and Transylvania County's was 32% contained.

Paid Parking Begins at Cape Fear Beaches

If this weekend's warm temperatures lure you to North Carolina's southeastern beaches, get ready to pay up. Parking fees at four Cape Fear region beaches went into effect April 1 and were already in effect at many Wilmington-area beaches.

Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, and Topsail Beach are charging parking fees for the first time. Sunset, Ocean Isle, and Oak Island are charging $5 an hour for up to three hours, $20 a day, or $80 a week, while Topsail charges $6 an hour for up to four hours or $30 a day.

Paid parking is already in effect at Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Surf City, North Topsail Beach, and Holden Beach.

Learn more about parking fees and rules for those beaches here.

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

Flying together with our sponsor

Emmy-Winning Founders Reinvent a $100B Industry

With traditional Hollywood dominated by corporate gatekeepers and billion-dollar studios, fans have always been left on the sidelines. But not anymore. Emmy winners Paul Scanlan and Jeff Annison are flipping the script with Legion M—the world's first fan-owned movie studio.

Legion M is already proving their model works. Here's more reasons why FANS are flocking to invest:

$5M+ in revenue: with promising projections on tap for 2025
54,000+ investors: making it one of the largest equity crowdfunded companies in history
Biggest deal yet in 2025: 7-figure international rights sale for My Dead Friend Zoe (🍅95%🍿95%)

By turning fans into shareholders, the studio gains a built-in audience before a project is even released. This is a competitive edge that most studios simply don't have.

And this is just the beginning.

As Legion M takes on the $100B film industry, they're inviting investors to join their moonshot. Shareholders get exclusive perks, backstage access, and a voice in deciding what movies get made. Most importantly, investors own an early-stage stake in a company aiming to become one of the most influential forces in Hollywood.

Invest in Legion M to unlock red-carpet access, shareholder exclusives, and 10% bonus stock before the offer expires at midnight tonight.

Disclaimer: This is a paid advertisement for Legion M's Regulation CF Offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.legionm.com.

➤ Statewide: Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined 21 other attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania in a lawsuit against the federal government for cutting $11 billion in health care funding, which includes $230 million for North Carolina. (More)

➤ Raleigh: In a 106-10 vote, the House passed a bill on Tuesday that bars discrimination based on political beliefs in state-administered disaster aid. (More)

➤ Wilmington: The 78th North Carolina Azalea Festival runs through Sunday. Weekend events include the Airlie Luncheon Garden Party, Queen's Dance Party, a parade, a street fair, and various garden tours. (See Schedule)

➤ Lexington: The Lexington Depot District revitalization is on track for completion in 2028 and aims to reconnect rail passengers with essential resources, restaurants, and entertainment venues located along the North Carolina commuter rail. (More)

➤ Yancey and Mitchell Counties: Construction is expected to begin this summer on repairs to 74 miles of roads and bridges along sections of N.C. 197 and U.S. 19. The majority of the work should be completed within the next two-and-a-half years. (See Details)

➤ Brunswick County: Thanks to warm March weather, the owner of The Gator Hole Country Store and Tackle reported seeing up to 12 alligators along Town Creek before the start of April. (Watch Video)

➤ UNC baseball pitchers Folger Boaz, Olin Johnson, and Camron Seagraves combined to throw the team's first no-hitter since March 1999 on Tuesday. (More)

➤ NC State baseball rallied from a 5-0 deficit against in-state rival UNC-Greensboro on Tuesday to give them a season sweep of the Spartans. (More)

➤ Freshman guard Jonathan Powell has announced he is transferring to UNC's basketball team after starting 23 games in his first season with West Virginia in 2024-25. (More)

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➤ Launch Chapel Hill is partnering with KPMG LLP to introduce an AI-enabled, next-generation accelerator program designed to help startups transition from ideation to commercialization. (More)

➤ Charlotte-based Novolex completed its $6.7 billion acquisition of Illinois-based Pactiv Evergreen, a food, beverage, and packaging products company. (More)

➤ Greensboro-based Tencarva Machinery, a distributor of flow control and process equipment solutions, acquired Richmond, Virginia-based Atlantic Valve & Equipment. (More)

➤ NC State researchers identified "forever chemicals" in household dust near the Fayetteville Works fluorochemical manufacturing facility, a known source of contamination in the Cape Fear River Basin. (More)

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MOVIE FANS UNITE! Join the Fan-Owned Studio Behind One of 2025's Most Impactful Movies

My Dead Friend Zoe—starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, and Utkarsh Ambudkar—is one of the best-reviewed (🍅95%🍿95%) movies of 2025. It's a funny and deeply impactful movie with the potential to save lives.

And it was all made possible BY FANS.

The film is produced by Legion M, a studio built on the premise that fans can unite to make an impact—and create competitive advantages—in the $100B entertainment industry.

The company has grown from a "novel idea" into an award-winning movie studio. Now they are inviting you to join their next phase of growth, giving you a voice and a stake in the movie business. Get 10% bonus stock in Legion M when you invest by tonight's deadline.

Disclaimer: This is a paid advertisement for Legion M's Regulation CF Offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.legionm.com.

➤ Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis reiterated Tuesday on X that he will not remove his Greenville location's 3,200-square-foot flag and called it his "love letter to a country that gave me a chance when I didn't have one." (More)

➤ The Battle of the Badges pitted the Raleigh Fire and Police Departments against each other in a Lenovo Center hockey game on Tuesday night, raising over $12,000 for the family of an officer who was injured in the line of duty. (Watch Video)

➤ Four R&B legends—Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, and Stephanie Mills—are bringing their "The Queens! 4 Legends. 1 Stage." tour to First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro on Sept. 19. It will be the tour's only North Carolina stop. (See Photos)

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