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In today’s Port City Pulse:

• “Booze It & Lose It” Campaign Targets Impaired Driving

• NC Hospitals Begin Wiping Out $4 Billion in Medical Debt

“Booze It & Lose It” Campaign Targets Impaired Driving Through Sept. 7

[WECT] With Labor Day weekend approaching, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program has kicked off its “Booze It & Lose It” campaign, running through Sept. 7. The Wilmington Police Department expects an increase in impaired driving and warns drivers that more checkpoints and patrols will be active. In 2024, 444 alcohol-related crashes occurred statewide during this period, resulting in 11 fatalities. Officials urge drivers to plan ahead by using rideshares, taxis, or designated drivers to avoid tragedy and protect lives.

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NC Hospitals Begin Wiping Out $4 Billion in Medical Debt Under New State Program

[NC Newsline Thousands of North Carolinians are receiving letters from hospitals announcing that their old medical debts have been erased under a state-approved program. The initiative, launched last year under former Gov. Roy Cooper and the Department of Health and Human Services, increases hospital Medicaid payments in exchange for forgiving debts dating back to 2014. Eligible recipients include Medicaid enrollees and individuals earning up to 350% of the federal poverty level. The program also bans hospitals from selling certain debts to collectors or reporting them to credit agencies. Officials estimate up to $4 billion in medical debt could ultimately be eliminated by June 2026.

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News Roundup

Local News

• A massive 12-foot, 600-pound female great hammerhead shark was found washed up near Sand Dollar Lane in Carolina Beach. Biologists collected data and DNA samples before sending the shark’s head to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and disposing of the rest at a waste management facility. WECT

• Newly released video shows crews rescuing pilot from submerged plane in Oak Island. WECT

What You Should Know

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute people for burning the American flag, despite a 1989 Supreme Court ruling protecting it as free speech. AP News

What Might Surprise You

• Taylor Swift announces that she and Travis Kelce got engaged by posting on Instagram: Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨 Instagram

• Cracker Barrel is returning to its classic logo after facing conservative backlash over a recent redesign that removed the iconic old man and barrel imagery. NBC

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