Good morning, North Carolina! Here's what you need to know today.

The Big Story

N.C. public school students improve on standardized tests, report says

Students performed better this past spring than the year before on standardized tests, according to data reviewed by the State Board of Education, but they remain below proficiency rates recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic. Fewer schools were labeled low-performing or received poor performance grades than the year before.

“We’re seeing progress back toward our pre-COVID levels,” said Tammy Howard, senior director of the Department of Public Instruction’s testing office. “We may not be 100% back to where we were, but there’s definite progress being seen here."

Your Weather Planner

Expect morning lows to again be mild and conditions muggy. Temperatures will range from the upper 60s to low and mid-70s for most, except in the higher elevations.

An upper-level trough of low pressure will dive into the state today, bringing a chance for scattered showers. A few of them could pack a punch with gusty wind and heavy rainfall. Most of the state, though, will see a dry and hot day with temperatures in the low to mid-90s except the cooler mountain regions.

Better chances of rain set up for Friday as a cold front approaches, and cooler temperatures are back to end the week.

Get your full forecast:
Charlotte | Triad | Triangle | Coastal | Mountains  | Rip Currents

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Around North Carolina

1. Pittsboro's system making water clean again

Bottled water or reverse osmosis are no longer needed in Pittsboro. The town is celebrating one year of its new water treatment system, which is removing nearly 100% of the PFAS chemicals in Pittsboro's drinking water.

2. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools distribute safety kits with tools to barricade doors, stop bleeding

The school system's effort is the culmination of five years of training on the ABCs of survival — avoid, barricade and counter.

3. Dramatic video shows N.C. officer pull man from burning truck

Body camera video released by the Salisbury Police Department shows Lt. Corey Brooks running up to a burning tractor-trailer to pull out the unconscious driver as flames rise.

Around The Nation

1. Lee strengthens into a hurricane

2. Report: This summer was the hottest on record

3. Legal fights over voting districts could play role in control of Congress for 2024

Editor's Pick - Small businesses continue to thrive in N.C.

North Carolina for a second time was ranked No. 1 by CNBC for business in the nation, and small businesses benefit from the state's environment. A record number of enterprises such as Da Kine’s Kava, a non-alcoholic bar in Durham, have opened in the past two years.