In local news:
U.S. News & World Report is out with its Best Colleges ranking for 2020, and once again, North Carolina boasts a number of schools near the top of the list. Duke University, though, is the only one to crack the top 20 among national universities, defined as those offering a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and Ph.D. programs. The prestigious university in Durham comes in at No. 10 overall. The accompanying slideshow offers a look at the top 20 schools nationally.
Other colleges in the Tar Heel State that fared well in the ranking include Wake Forest University, coming in at No. 27 overall; UNC Chapel Hill, at No. 29; and Elon University and N.C. State University, tied at No. 84. The highest-ranked school in the local region is UNC Charlotte, landing at No. 228 on the national list.
Among liberal arts colleges, Davidson College comes in at No. 17 nationally.
In other news, The Sacramento Bee reports negotiations between Major League Soccer officials and backers of an effort to bring an expansion team to the California city are in the final stages, with the parties having agreed to the "framework" of a deal, according to unnamed sources. The newspaper notes the deal would involve replacing the lower-tier Sacramento Republic FC with a franchise of the same name in the MLS, with the new team expected to begin play in 2022.
“While the deal is not finalized, we are working hard and I’ve never been more confident that we will bring (MLS to Sacramento),” the city's mayor tweeted Friday.
If awarded, the Sacramento MLS expansion would mark 29 teams for the league, which has said it would cap expansion at 30 teams and just last month announced No. 28 is headed to St. Louis. And, of course, landing that final team for Charlotte is a top priority for Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper and his lieutenants.
The Charlotte Observer reports on the history and demise of the iconic Dairy Queen restaurant in Plaza Midwood, which is set to close in October. The daily newspaper notes building owner Aston Properties says it doesn't intend to tear down the structure, despite social-media buzz to the contrary. Instead, it will update the building and seek a new tenant; meanwhile, the family behind the DQ store — as well as another long-standing location on Wilkinson Boulevard in west Charlotte — is looking for another spot in the neighborhood.
Tomorrow is the moment of truth for North Carolina's 9th District, which is voting in a special election to fill a vacant seat in Congress after a ballot-fraud scheme came to light and prompted state election officials to toss out the results of that 2018 contest. It's a closely watched race, with The New York Times noting the historically reliable Republican district could be up for grabs. Democrat Dan McCready, a military veteran and entrepreneur, faces Republican Dan Bishop, a current state legislator. It's also primary day for Charlotte's city elections — and, in many cases, the primary will determine the ultimate winner.
And, on the Outer Banks and in other coastal communities, residents and business owners like those in hard-hit Ocracoke Village are picking through the wreckage left by Hurricane Dorian, which battered North Carolina's barrier islands on its trek up the coast on Friday.
After devastating the Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian took aim at the East Coast of the U.S., eventually battering the barrier islands and other coastal communities in the Carolinas.
Top-read story on the CBJ website over the weekend: Nucor CEO stepping down at the end of 2019, successor named
In national news:
- How Trump's plan to secretly meet with the Taliban came together, and fell apart — The New York Times
- It's been a month. Here's what Congress is set to do when they come back to D.C. — USA Today
- China says growth is fine. Private data show a sharper slowdown — The Wall Street Journal
- Stocks are back near records, but memories of 2018 leave investors uneasy — WSJ
- Germany offers a model to Corporate America on labor relations — WSJ
- WeWork parent weighs further valuation cut — WSJ
- Sacklers reject demand they surrender personal wealth to settle opioid claims — NPR
And the top-read story across the bizjournals.com network comes from the Dallas Business Journal: American Airlines president: 'We are ending the era' of spending lots of money
Sports:
The Carolina Panthers dropped yesterday's regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, losing 27-30 at Bank of America Stadium uptown.
This week and beyond:
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