(The Heart Sq.) — Three airports in North Carolina will obtain $20.37 million in federal funds for varied enhancements.
The funds signify the second a part of the 2022 Airport Enchancment Program, a $518 million nationwide program for airport infrastructure tasks, with 416 grants issued.
The most important grant is for the Charlotte/Douglas Worldwide Airport, the place $14.9 million will go to assemble a brand new taxiway. Charlotte was ranked the sixth busiest airport on the planet in 2021 by the Airports Council Worldwide with 43 million passengers, up 59.2% from 2020.
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Harmony/Padgett Regional Airport will obtain $3.7 million to widen its runway, broaden the apron and set up new runway lighting. In accordance with information from the Federal Aviation Administration, the airport had 139,173 passengers in 2021, up 60.2% from 86,856 in 2020.
Fayetteville Regional Airport will obtain $1.7 million to broaden its terminal constructing, which is required because the airport’s passenger site visitors grew by 60.78% from 2020 to 2021. Fayetteville served 188,451 passengers in 2021, a lot improved from the 117,213 that flew from the airport in 2020.
North Carolina’s grant whole of $20.3 million is tops regionally, outpacing South Carolina ($18.9 million), Virginia ($3.5 million) and Tennessee ($475,000).
“We’re investing $518 million in airports throughout America so communities huge and small can proceed to securely and effectively join with the remainder of the world,” FAA Affiliate Administrator for Airports Shannetta Griffin mentioned in an announcement.
The FAA has awarded $1.1 billion of the $3.2 billion accessible for the AIP program in fiscal 2022.
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North Carolina obtained $1.3 million within the first a part of the AIP. It was given to the Raleigh-Durham Worldwide Airport for an environmental examine.
The USC Trojans are in pursuit of flipping two class of 2025 recruits, Nela Tupou and Alex Payne. Can the Trojans flip one or both of these players before national signing day?
Nela Tupou Player Profile
USC Trojans Projected to Flip, Nela Tupou / @lul_nelaa on Instagram
Nela Tupou is a 6-4, 220 pound tight end/defensive end out of Folsom, California. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the 43rd-best ATH in the class of 2025 per 247Sports.
Tupou committed to the Utah Utes in February of 2024, but he just recently visited USC last weekend for the Trojans’ 28-20 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
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On3 is now predicting that Tupou will likely flip this commitment from Utah to USC.
Alex Payne Player Profile
USC Trojans Projected to Flip, Alex Payne / @usc.today on Instagram
Alex Payne is a 6-5, 265 pound offensive tackle out of Gainesville, Florida. He is rated as four-star recruit and ranked as the 16th-best offensive tackle in the class of 2025.
Payne committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels in January of 2024, but he as well as Tupou, visited USC last weekend.
In 247Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy’s updated crystal ball prediction, he had Payne flipping his commitment from North Carolina to USC. Loy has a good track record of predicting where recruits will end up as his all-time hit rate for predicting recruits’ final destinations is 81.64 percent.
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USC Bolstering Up Offensive Line to Go Along With Weapons
Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans running back Quinten Joyner (0) runs the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
One of the glaring holes for the USC Trojans this season has been the offensive line. For USC to bounce back next season, they will have to get much better in the trenches. This has been exposed in their first season in the Big Ten. Landing Tupou, who can both be a factor in the run blocking scheme as a blocker, and Payne, one of the top tackle prospects in the country, would go a long way for next season and the future of the program.
Barring a flurry of transfer portal decisions, the Trojans will have an abundance of skill position talent coming back next season.
Freshman running back Quinten Joyner has been the second best back this season behind senior running back Woody marks.
Four of the Trojans five leading receivers are sophomores. Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Duce Robinson all have shown flashes of potentially being a number one wide receiver next season.
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Add in the Trojans starting sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava and they have one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. If USC continues to address the offensive line in the last days of the 2025 recruiting cycle and in the transfer portal this offseason, the Trojans could be a dangerous team next season.
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