Good morning Wilmington!

Yesterday we told you about House Bill 328 — the hemp THC restriction that had North Carolina's hemp industry in full alarm mode. Now we can tell you how it ended.

Thousands of protesters made the trip to Raleigh on Tuesday, and Apotheca Cannabis Dispensaries shut down all 50-plus of their NC locations for the day so employees could lobby lawmakers directly. By the end of the day, the House Rules Committee voted to table the bill.

The legislation would have capped hemp-derived THC products at 0.4 milligrams per container — a limit the industry said would have effectively wiped out their entire inventory and tens of thousands of jobs. The bill is tabled for now, but it’s not dead. Lawmakers can bring it back next session.

For today, though: the industry showed up, and it worked.

In today’s Port City Pulse:

• NC Lawmakers Put Hemp Bill on Ice After Industry Revolt

• Midtown Wilmington’s YMCA is set to triple in size

• Novant breaks ground on Wilmington’s first new rehab hospital in 30 years

News Roundup

Local News

North Carolina corrections officials say drones smuggling contraband into state prisons are a growing and difficult-to-stop problem. The Dept. of Adult Correction calls them the "next frontier" in prison security threats and is working with the FAA on mitigation measures, citing a recent Columbus County arrest as an example. WECT

State officials are warning swimmers to stay out of the ocean near Crowell Street in Oak Island after the town began pumping contaminated floodwaters directly into the surf. Heavy rains left streets and yards flooded; the discharge can carry septic waste, gasoline, and other pollutants — warning signs are posted at the site and will be removed 24 hours after pumping stops. WECT

What You Should Know

NC Sen. Thom Tillis voted Tuesday to advance Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general after the Trump administration agreed to rescind the controversial "1776 fund." The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Blanche 12-10 on party lines; a full Senate vote is still needed before the Senate breaks for its August recess this weekend. News & Observer

A Senate committee voted 8-7 along party lines to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a COVID-19 hearing. The matter now goes before the full Senate, where a contempt conviction would face the filibuster; if passed, the DOJ would decide whether to prosecute. NPR

What Might Surprise You

Home Depot launched a "Christmas in July" collection featuring giant 8.5-foot LED Santa and reindeer lawn figures for $299 each — and they're already selling. The battery-powered figures assemble in about 45 minutes and pair with an 8-foot Santa's Sleigh ($349) for a full holiday display — in August. The Sun

North Carolina

A Maple Hill man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a multi-county drug trafficking ring. Eugene James, 48, sold meth and fentanyl directly to undercover officers across New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender Counties before federal investigators closed in. WECT

National News

Federal authorities arrested a convicted felon in connection with Spokane's Old Trails Fire, the most destructive of the recent Washington wildfires. Aaron Farinacci, 37, faces first-degree arson charges and is held on $1 million bail; the fire displaced 65,000 people and destroyed more than 700 structures. WHQR/NPR

Congressional Democrats are demanding answers after the Pentagon quietly reclassified how it counts soldiers killed in the Iran conflict. House Oversight members say four troops killed in Jordan and Iraq were briefly removed from the official Iran war casualty total, then moved to a new "Overseas Operations" category — a move lawmakers say may violate the War Powers Act. Military Times

Progressive Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Democratic Senate primary Tuesday, defeating Rep. Haley Stevens despite an 8-to-1 spending disadvantage. El-Sayed, a former state health official, now faces Republican Mike Rogers in a general election widely seen as a key race for control of the Senate. CNN

World News

Guatemala's Fuego volcano erupted with pyroclastic flows reaching up to 7 kilometers, forcing roughly 1,700 people into shelters and closing a major highway near the volcano. The country declared its second-highest emergency alert level; officials say accumulated material at the summit could still generate additional flows as activity slowly reduces. Al Jazeera

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