Good morning, Greenville.

Greenville’s freestanding Chick-fil-A is reopening Thursday on Greenville Boulevard after moving from University Commons.

The new building (4,864 sqft) is owned by Ben Dixon and offers expanded drive-thru lanes, a dedicated mobile lane, extra parking, and an indoor playground.

More than 200 life sciences leaders met at ECU on Monday, Sep.

21 to connect industry, research and workforce development in the growing biopharmaceutical field while discussing next steps in innovation and technology. Dr. Walter J. Pories was honored with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine for his contributions.

Regional Acceptance Corporation, a Truist Financial subsidiary, will lay off 253 employees in Pitt County with the first cuts in November as the Winterville facility closes by February and the Greenville location shuts in July; local economic teams are helping affected workers.

NC State's College of Agriculture will offer free full-ride scholarships in the newly created Peele Scholars Fund starting in fall 2027.

Funded by a $10 million gift from alumnus David Peele, the program covers tuition, housing, food plus study abroad, internships and research for agricultural majors from 39 eastern counties.

Three incoming MD students from ECU were named the 2026 Brody Scholars after receiving a $135,000 award that covers four years of tuition and supports enrichment projects; they began their studies in early August to serve eastern NC communities.

East Carolina University’s Chancellor’s Scholars initiative has funded 87 scholarship endowments, with 13 in process and two more committed at a Sept.

11 luncheon where sophomore Ashley Austin shared how the $2,500 awards ease college costs for 75 incoming students. The program aims to build 300 endowments by 2028.

ECU’s award-winning Ed.D. in educational leadership received the CPED Program of the Year honor and trains educators as people-first leaders.

The program requires students to begin their dissertation work early – addressing real-world issues in local schools.

ECU School of Theatre and Dance launched its Uncharted Series to give student actors + dancers career experience with nine public performances in an intimate setting at Messick Theatre Arts Center.

The series starts with Fall Senior Dance Solos on Oct. 9 and continues with scheduled events through next spring.

Today, the NCDOT is hosting a demonstration at Pitt-Greenville Airport for its eLIFT-NC initiative; spectators can see the BETA Technologies electric aircraft at 10:15 a.m., with takeoff at 11:15 a.m. to explore its role in rural healthcare and disaster response + support future travel.

Greenville residents along 14th Street and Airport Road face upcoming closures due to the citys 2026 Street Rehabilitation Project.

A section of Airport Road will close Wednesday through Friday for emergency railroad repairs, and 14th Street will close Sept. 29-Oct. 2 for track removal, so drivers should use alternate routes.

Certified child passenger safety technicians gathered in Greenville on Monday to begin Child Passenger Safety Week, offering free car seat inspections and giveaways to 50 families.

Officials note that many car seats are installed incorrectly and free statewide inspections continue through Sept. 27.

The ECU Pirates won a close football game against ODU 20-17 on Saturday.

The local matchup energized fans and sets a promising tone for upcoming contests.