James Goodnight, co-founder and CEO of the Cary data analytics firm SAS, remains North Carolina's wealthiest resident, according to Forbes' recently released list of the world's billionaires.

The big picture: Most of North Carolina's richest business leaders saw their fortunes grow in the past year, including Goodnight, 81, whose wealth rose 36.5% to $10.1 billion last year, according to Forbes.

• Goodnight has used his fortune to benefit his alma mater, N.C. State, start Cary Academy and bankroll real estate projects across the region.
• The billionaire could have a huge liquidity event in 2025 — if SAS ends up listing its shares on the stock market as planned.

Zoom in: Cary's tech founders dominate North Carolina's richest list. Besides Goodnight, here are other Triangle connections on it:

• Tim Sweeney, 53, founder and CEO of Cary-based Epic Games: $5.7 billion, up 21.3%.
• John Sall, 75, co-founder of SAS: $5 billion, up 35.1%

Other billionaires with North Carolina connections:

• David Tepper, 66, hedge fund operator and Carolina Panthers owner: $20.6 billion
• Michael Jordan, 61, UNC basketball legend and Charlotte Hornets part owner: $3.2 billion
• Roy Carroll, 61, founder of the Greensboro real estate firm Carroll Cos.: $2.6 billion
• Ric Elias, 56, founder of Charlotte's Red Ventures: $1 billion

Not on the list:

• Dennis Gillings, founder of Durham clinical research company Quintiles (now IQVIA), was on the list last year with a net worth of $2.1 billion, but is not listed this year.
• Tom Dundon, the Carolina Hurricanes owner.

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Tom Dundon, the Carolina Hurricanes owner, contemplated relocating the hockey team when he first bought a controlling stake in 2018, according to an in-depth profile in the Sports Business Journal.

Why it matters: Six years later, Dundon has never been more committed to the City of Oaks. He signed a 20-year lease at PNC Arena, invested large sums in redeveloping the area around it and — most ambitiously — is attempting to bring a Major League Baseball team to the city.

What they're saying: "In probably his first year and a half, we might have had two conversations about, 'Are there other places that might be better?'" Canes GM Don Waddell told the SBJ, recalling the team was bleeding money, had poor attendance and couldn't attract star players.

Driving the news: The Canes are now performing well by nearly any measurement. They've made the playoffs six consecutive years and have blown out attendance records.

• The value of the Hurricanes has more than doubled under Dundon by most estimates, per SBJ.

Zoom in: Here are some other things we learned from the profile:

• Dundon still hasn't bought a house in the Raleigh area, preferring to stay at the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary when in town. He says he will likely get a place in one of the residential projects planned around PNC.
• He's considered among the most "hands-on" owners in the NHL.
• Dundon's desire to bring an MLB team to Raleigh is very serious — and he said he believes the community would want to help build a baseball stadium.

Read the Dundon profile in the Sports Business Journal ... Share this story

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Quote du jour

"We'll find a place for them."

— N.C. State Chancellor Randy Woodson said about next year's freshman class being bigger than expected because of the Wolfpack's Final Four run, according to reporter Brian Murphy.

After losing in double overtime in New York in Game 4 on Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes have another shot at eliminating the Islanders from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Raleigh tomorrow.

Why it matters: The matchup against the Islanders has been incredibly close and physical each game. The Canes had a chance to sweep them and get several days of rest if they had managed to win in sudden death.

What they're saying: "They're back in it. We gave them some hope here now," Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour said, according to ESPN.

• "We've talked about how tough it is to win four games in a row, especially with the game being as even as they are," he added. "It could have gone either way in the previous three. We expected it to be a long series and now we've just got to focus on the next one."

What's next: The puck drops at PNC Arena at 7:30pm on Tuesday.

Several hundred protesters began gathering at Polk Place on UNC-Chapel Hill's campus on Friday. The demonstration over the war in Gaza began as an encampment, but UNC administrators asked the group to take the tents down to comply with campus policy.

• Joined by students from Duke and N.C. State, the group camped out all weekend, at times marching, chanting, dancing, singing and socializing. Protestors put the tents back up on Sunday.

• UNC Students for Justice in Palestine, the group that organized the demonstration, is calling on the university to disclose any investments and divest from any companies connected to Israel.  

What they're saying: "Because there are no more universities in Gaza and because 70% of the weapons going to Israel are from the United States, we here have a moral obligation to do everything in our power to disrupt business as usual and to reject the genocidal status quo," UNC grad student Sylvie Tuder told Axios.