🗞️ The Kernersville Family YMCA is back open after a car crashed into the building

🗞️ "Mother-in-law" backyard homes may be coming to Triad cities

🗞️ Duke Energy plans two power plants and its biggest-ever gas facility along the Yadkin

🗞️ JetZero turns to local classrooms to build its future workforce

🌦️ Warm, humid, stray storm | High: 89°F | Low: 70°F

Humidity climbs back in today, so it feels closer to the low 90s even with highs around 89. Expect partly cloudy skies and the chance of a stray afternoon or evening shower or storm. Nothing washout-looking, but keep an umbrella handy and drink plenty of water if you are out and about.

A heads-up for the many families who use the Kernersville Family YMCA.

The Y reopened after a car crashed into the building, and the good news up front is that everyone was safe. The branch was back to its normal operating hours the next day, though it noted that some services would be limited while repairs are handled.

The one thing to know before you go: the main wellness center is closed until further notice. The free-weight room, the training center and the other amenities are open and available, so most of your routine should still work, just plan around the wellness center for now.

The YMCA said it will keep sharing updates as it learns more. If you are a member, it is worth checking the branch's Facebook page or giving them a call before heading over, especially if the wellness center is part of your usual visit.

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If you have ever thought about adding a small home for an aging parent, a change may be on the way.

North Carolina lawmakers are close to passing a bill that would require larger local governments to allow at least one accessory dwelling unit, the small, self-contained living spaces often called "mother-in-law" or "grandmother" housing, on properties with a single-family home. These units usually include a full bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and living space, whether in a converted garage or a prefab pod, and they are meant to let family members live close by while keeping their independence. Senate Bill 445 cleared the Senate 37-0 and was headed to the House.

There is a local catch worth knowing. The rules would apply to cities with a population of at least 50,000, so in our area that means places like Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point rather than Kernersville itself, which is smaller. Gov. Josh Stein has voiced support, and if it becomes law those cities would need to adopt rules by July 1, 2027, or the units would be allowed with no local restrictions.

The bill also sets some guardrails: units between 800 and 1,000 square feet, no extra parking mandates, permit fees in line with a normal home, and no using the two homes as separate long-term rentals. Historic districts are exempt. It is a notable shift in how the Triad's bigger cities may grow, and one to watch if you have family who might want a place of their own nearby.

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A major energy project is taking shape just west of us, on both sides of the Yadkin River.

Duke Energy says it plans to build two 1,360-megawatt natural gas power plants in eastern Davie County and, right across the river, its largest-ever liquefied natural gas facility in western Davidson County. Company spokesman Bill Norton called them multi-billion-dollar investments in each county. Together the two plants would generate enough electricity to power more than 2 million homes. Duke settled on pairing the plants on the Davie side, closer to existing transmission lines, and putting the LNG storage on the Davidson side, closer to an existing pipeline.

Duke frames the buildout as a response to what it calls unprecedented growth in electricity demand, driven by population, industry and power-hungry data centers. The projects still face extensive regulatory review, including the N.C. Utilities Commission and environmental permitting, and they would add only a modest number of permanent jobs, roughly 30 to 50 at the LNG site and about 30 at the plants.

If you want a say, Duke is holding two open houses in late August: 4 to 7 p.m. August 25 at the Davidson-Davie Community College Davie Campus in Mocksville, and 4 to 7 p.m. August 27 at Reeds United Methodist Church in Lexington. "We want to hear from the community," Norton said.

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The giant aircraft plant rising near our airport is already thinking about who will work there, and it is starting in local schools.

JetZero, the company behind a $4.7 billion project to build the first blended-wing passenger jet, broke ground July 15 on an 8-million-square-foot campus at Piedmont Triad International Airport, just up the road from Kernersville. At full production in the early 2030s it expects a workforce of more than 14,000. To get there, the company has teamed up with Deloitte, Guilford County Schools, the Greensboro Chamber and others on a program called Believers that trains teachers and students in coding, robotics, AI and advanced manufacturing.

The first step was a summer camp at UNC Greensboro, where 20 teachers spent eight days learning skills they will bring back to about 3,500 to 5,000 students. "Extending the Believers program to Greensboro means local students will have real paths into the kinds of careers being built in their own backyard," said program founder Brian Umbenhauer of Deloitte. JetZero's Julie Felgar said the goal is for local students to have the skills ready when hiring ramps up around 2028 and 2029, and to show that a good STEM salary does not require a four-year degree.

There is a lot of competition coming for those workers, with other big manufacturers like Boom Supersonic, HondaJet, Siemens and Toyota all hiring in the region. But for local kids and families, this is a chance to get a head start on some genuinely cutting-edge careers close to home.

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