🗞️ Drought has dropped the Dan River so low that a Triad outfitter paused its season

🗞️ Truist is getting its first outside CEO ever, and analysts expect big changes

🗞️ A Kernersville teen is Westchester's valedictorian, and he is Georgia Tech bound

🗞️ A Kernersville summer program is helping local boys build confidence and calm

🌡 Sunny and hot | High: 90°F | Low: 69°F

A bright, hot Father's Day with full sun and a high near 90. Great cookout weather, so keep the water and sunscreen close if you are out for a while.

Summer on the water is off to a rough start north of the Triad. David Hoskins, who has run the Dan River Company in Stokes County for more than two decades, decided around June 14 to temporarily stop putting kayakers and canoers on the river because levels had fallen too far. "We decided to return all our deposits and cancel all our reservations for the season," he told FOX8. "We don't feel like putting people on the river is going to be a positive experience at this point."

Hoskins watches the river's flow every day through U.S. Geological Survey gauges. He noticed levels dropping back in April, and by early May the area had slid into a D2 drought, with D3 now under consideration. At one point the river dropped to about 44 cubic feet per second, far below what he needs to float boats safely. He says it would take roughly 13 to 15 inches of rain over three weeks to bring things back to normal.

Recent storms helped a little. Hoskins said the river briefly jumped to 124 cubic feet early one Friday morning, "a great day in July for us," before quickly falling again through the day. For now he is leaning on his other ventures, including the Green Heron Ale House and a shuttle service for hikers, while he waits for rain. It is a good reminder that the dry stretch is touching the whole region, so go easy on water if your yard or garden is feeling it too.

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One of the Triad's biggest employers is about to change at the top. Truist Financial, which keeps a major operations hub near Piedmont Triad International Airport and a community banking hub in Winston-Salem, will make Michael Lyons its chief executive on Sept. 1. Lyons, 55, will be the first leader hired from outside the bank in its entire history, which traces back to its 1872 founding as Branch & Hadley in Wilson. Current CEO William Rogers will move to executive chairman, then retire in April.

Analysts say the move signals the board wants a different approach after years of lagging stock performance. Truist's shares are up about 5% in 2026 while peers are up more than 12%. Lyons comes from running payments company Fiserv and previously held senior roles at PNC and Bank of America. Wells Fargo analyst Mike Mayo said the hire "makes sense," adding that an outsider can "leave the baggage behind" after the rocky BB&T and SunTrust merger that created Truist in 2019.

For local customers, including those at the Truist branch on Harmon Creek Road in Kernersville, the day-to-day will not change overnight. Analysts expect the real shifts in strategy and culture to show up over the next year, once Rogers fully steps away. Some even speculated the leadership change makes Truist less likely to be acquired in the near term, keeping the nation's eighth-largest bank independent for now.

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A Kernersville student earned the top spot in his graduating class. Ryan Engle, son of Marc Engle and Anita McCauley of Kernersville, was named valedictorian of Westchester Country Day School and spoke at the school's recent graduation ceremony. It is a proud moment for the family and another example of local students finishing the year strong.

Engle is headed to the Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall. He plans to study business administration at the highly regarded Atlanta school, which is known for its tough academics and strong career outcomes.

He will not be hanging up his cleats, either. Engle plans to play baseball at Georgia Tech, balancing a demanding course load with college athletics. Congratulations to Ryan and the whole Engle family on a big milestone.

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A Kernersville nonprofit is spending the summer helping young boys handle big feelings and tough situations. The Kernersville Foundation recently gave $1,500 to the Center of Hope to support Strong Minds Crew, a free program for up to 20 boys ages 9 to 11. It is led by Wanda Lawrence of Jehovah Shammah Ministries, who says learning to settle disagreements peacefully is a much-needed skill. "We have seen too many instances that resort to aggression, depression, or suicide," she said.

The crew meets once a week for six weeks and works through a thoughtful list of topics: building emotional awareness and self-control, gaining confidence through effort, sharpening decision-making, forming positive friendships, taking responsibility, building resilience, and developing communication skills and a sense of belonging.

The program is free and runs from early July until just before school starts. Families can register by contacting Wanda Lawrence at (336) 547-0251 or [email protected]. The Center of Hope, an outreach ministry that began in 2011, is one of 13 Kernersville nonprofits the Foundation is supporting this year.

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