🗞️ NC is No. 2 for business, but 35th for cost of living

🗞️ Kernersville turns out for Eating for Education

🗞️ Simple ways to cut your summer electric bill

🗞️ Kernersville resident charged in THC-candy crackdown

🌞 Hot and humid with storms likely | High: 90°F | Low: 71°F

A muggy one, with showers and thunderstorms likely by afternoon. Get outdoor plans in early, and keep an eye on the radar later in the day.

North Carolina just landed near the top of the country's most-watched business scorecard, and the fine print says a lot about how life actually feels here. CNBC ranked the state No. 2 in its 2026 Top States for Business list, behind only Ohio, marking the fifth straight year in the top two. The state placed first for the strength of its economy, third for workforce quality and eighth for both business friendliness and technology.

Now the other half of the report card: North Carolina came in 34th for quality of life and 35th for cost of living. In other words, the same economy that looks great to corporate America is squeezing plenty of households. Gov. Josh Stein celebrated the ranking but said the state "can't rest on our laurels," pointing to work on the cost of housing, child care, health care and utilities. Critics were blunter, noting the state still has a $7.25 minimum wage even as it lands top marks for its workforce.

Locally, the growth is real: the Triad landed JetZero's headquarters and manufacturing hub at Piedmont Triad International Airport, part of more than 22,000 advanced-manufacturing jobs pledged across the state. Economists say the affordability squeeze is partly the price of that success, since fast growth pushes up housing and everyday costs, and those higher costs land hardest on people who already live here. As one put it, North Carolina is not one economy but several, and the places generating the growth are not always the ones feeling the strain.

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Kernersville showed up hungry for a good cause. Residents and members of the local business community packed into restaurants around town on Wednesday for Eating for Education, the initiative in which participating spots hand over a share of the day's proceeds to a Kernersville Chamber of Commerce program that funds grants for local education projects.

Diners spread out across town, from Blue Skies Creamery and Sixty-Six Grill and Taphouse to The Loop and Fitz's Restaurant, turning an ordinary lunch into a boost for local classrooms. If you missed it, you get two more shots: the next Eating for Education days are Aug. 12 and Sept. 9. Pick a spot, grab a meal, and a slice of your bill goes right back to Kernersville students.

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If your power bill has been climbing along with the temperature, a few small moves can take real money off it. Start with the thermostat: ENERGY STAR points to 78 degrees as the sweet spot when you are home, and nudging the setting up 7 to 10 degrees while you are out for the day can trim about 10% a year off heating and cooling costs. A smart thermostat does that work for you and saves households about 8% on average.

The unglamorous stuff matters just as much. Check your AC filter monthly, because a clogged filter chokes airflow and forces the system to run harder for the same cool air, and get the unit serviced once a year. Run ceiling fans in rooms you are actually using; they make a room feel up to 4 degrees cooler for pennies, so you can raise the thermostat a notch. Close blinds and curtains against the afternoon sun, since lined draperies can cut heat coming through a window by about a third.

Bigger picture, sealing air leaks and topping off attic insulation can save up to $190 a year, and the attic is usually the easiest place to start. None of it is exciting, but together it adds up to a cooler house and a smaller bill.

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A Kernersville resident is among five people charged after a multi-agency crackdown on Winston-Salem shops accused of selling tobacco and marijuana products to middle and high school students. State Alcohol Law Enforcement agents, Winston-Salem police, Triad ABC, the Forsyth County Drug Task Force and the Secretary of State's Office served search warrants July 7 at five businesses, all of them within walking distance of schools, parks, churches and daycares.

What alarmed investigators most was the packaging. Officials say many of the THC products were made up to look like popular candy, including knockoffs of Gummy Bears, Nerds and Skittles, and were displayed right alongside ordinary candy, making them hard to tell apart at a glance. Agents seized more than 100 pounds of marijuana, 126 pounds of THC vapes, two firearms, nearly $12,000 in cash and about $10,000 in counterfeit products aimed at kids.

Juedy Rafael Lopez Reyes, 25, of Kernersville, faces charges including two counts of trafficking marijuana, possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana, maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance and selling alcohol without a permit. The charges are allegations, and the case is pending. It is a good reminder for parents to take a close look at anything candy-shaped that turns up in a backpack.

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