Good morning Wilmington!

Got a home office to stock? Know a student heading back to school? UNCW Surplus is holding its next sale this Wednesday, July 15 from 11AM to 1PM at 1152 Plyler Dr. on campus. On the block: Apple products, Dell desktops and laptops, desks, chairs, file cabinets, shelves, heaters, and more. Cash only, no early entries — but fair warning, the line has been known to form hours before it opens. Follow UNCW Surplus on Facebook to stay in the loop on future sales.

In today’s Port City Pulse:

• NC budget allocates for farmland

• Three UNCW baseball players selected in MLB Draft

NC budget allocates $48.9 million for farmland preservation

Carolina Journal The new state budget allocates $48.9 million to the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund — $46.9M non-recurring, $2M recurring. North Carolina ranks No. 1 in the nation for farmland at risk of development, with an estimated 1.2 million acres projected to be lost to housing and commercial development by 2040. The fund has already protected over 42,000 acres statewide.

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Three UNCW baseball players selected in MLB Draft

WECT Three UNC Wilmington Seahawks were taken in this year's MLB Draft: pitcher Trevor Lucas (4th round, Seattle Mariners), pitcher Cooper Allen (Washington Nationals), and pitcher Connor Marshburn (Seattle Mariners). Allen led UNCW with 8 wins and a 2.79 ERA in 15 starts; Marshburn logged a career-high 80 2/3 innings. UNCW has now had 104 players drafted since the program began in 1965.

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News Roundup

Local News

Three North Carolinians — including a 7-year-old child — were killed in fireworks-related fires during the Fourth of July holiday. The state Fire Marshal documented 27 incidents statewide, causing more than $4.3 million in property damage. A woman faces involuntary manslaughter charges after an aerial firework entered a home and ignited a couch; two others died when a roof collapsed during a porch fire sparked by fireworks debris. WECT

The Wilmington Fire Department is accepting applications for its next Firefighter Recruit Academy, set to begin in November. The application window closes July 22. Recruits train in fire suppression, emergency medical response, rescue operations, and hazmat awareness. WWAY

What You Should Know

With Sen. Lindsey Graham's death last week, a scramble is underway to fill his South Carolina Senate seat ahead of November's midterms. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham's sister, Darline Nordone Graham, as a temporary replacement. A GOP special primary is set for Aug. 11, with Rep. Nancy Mace, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Rep. Ralph Norman among those weighing runs. The nominee will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. The Hill

President Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran "over" this week as U.S. forces resumed strikes on Iranian military assets and Iran struck two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. and Israel have been at war with Iran since February 28, following airstrikes that killed Supreme Leader Khamenei and other officials. CENTCOM announced it will reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ports; global oil prices surged more than 9%. CNN

What Might Surprise You

President Trump signed orders Monday reducing protections on nearly 3 million acres across two Utah national monuments — cuts more drastic than during his first term. Grand Staircase-Escalante will lose nearly 1.7 of its 1.87 million acres; Bears Ears shrinks from 1.36 million acres to about 121,000. The moves open land to potential drilling, mining, and grazing, though environmental groups note limited energy potential at either site. Legal challenges are expected. Axios

"Gus," a 38-foot Tyrannosaurus rex discovered on a South Dakota ranch, sold at Sotheby's New York on Tuesday for $50,130,000 — smashing records for dinosaur fossils at auction. Gus is named after the late rancher Gary "Gus" Licking, on whose property the skeleton was found in 2021. The specimen is approximately 61% complete by bone count. Scientists raised concerns that private sales remove specimens from public research institutions permanently. CNN