It’s September. The first day of fall is Tuesday, Sept. 22. It’s really hot outside. But lots of folks are thinking about fall. 

That’s reasonable. They want the cooler temperatures and the pretty views. 

At Cardinal & Pine, we’re helping you get ready for it by publishing loads of seasonal guides. 

Here’s a comprehensive guide to fall in the Wilmington area and a plan for September in Asheville. Keep an eye on Cardinal & Pine for lots more. 

Belle, a German shorthair pointer, owned by Jason Hand of Wilmington, competed in the 23rd Annual Bark in the Park Skyhounz Hyperflite Canine Disc Championships in Wrightsville Beach, NC, on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016. Bark in the Park returns this October to Wrightsville Beach. (USA Today via Reuters)

Happy hump day, NC. What are you most looking forward to about fall? Write us and you could be featured in a future C&P edition. Don’t forget to give us your name and where you’re from!

The best thing we ever did was start The View from NC at Cardinal & Pine. Every day, it’s a pick-me-up.

Thanks to C&P reader David Bland for this view from Waters Bay in Surf City. Got a view from NC to share? Send it to us. 

Western NC farmer Jamie Ager has some Democrats thinking optimistically in the 11th Congressional District. (Photo via Jamie Ager for Congress)

Here’s the thing: 

We have no idea how the 2026 elections are going to go in NC. We can make guesses and speculate. But we don’t know. Of course we don’t. Not a single person has voted yet. 

But—and this is a big but—if western NC farmer Jamie Ager does well on Election Day then it’s probably a good sign for Democrats all over the state. 

Ager—a moderate who’s been pretty open about his ambivalence toward partisan stuff—is running in a conservative-dominated congressional district. In recent years, that district has been held down by a right-wing firebrand named Madison Cawthorn and Rep. Chuck Edwards, a supporter of President Trump’s who’s been reprimanded by Congress because of his alleged behavior toward two women staffers. 

Over the weekend, C&P reporter Dylan Rhoney spoke with Ager and his supporters at an event out west. Many of them are feeling very good about Ager’s chances, despite the odds against him. 

Here’s why.

More from Cardinal & Pine:

Big tech was in Chapel Hill yesterday and today. I have the story here. (Graphic by Luis Castaneda)

The nerds are coming! The nerds are coming! Actually, the nerds are here. 

I went to Chapel Hill’s Carolina Inn, the site of important G20 meetings Sept. 1-2, to report on why artificial intelligence (AI) leaders are huddling with the world’s most powerful financial people. 

Here’s what to know, and why everyone should be paying attention. 

1. 19 eastern NC nurses named to Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina, including 18 from ECU Health. WITN

“I work with these nurses every day, and I know who they are, their hearts and what they bring to our region, so a really great validation of what we know to be true every day.”

2. Here’s what happened at the G20 talks in Asheville. Asheville Citizen-Times

“Nearly two years after Tropical Storm Helene caused $60 billion in damage, a Trump official offered no new federal recovery commitment at the G20 meetings in Asheville.”

3. North Carolina becomes first state to send mail ballots as confusion over voting rules persists. Scripps News

“A court order has put President Trump’s executive order on mail-in voting on hold, but election officials say uncertainty remains high heading into the fall election.”

4. North Carolina school report cards: See how your child’s school did. WFMY 2

“Search the table to find your child’s school’s growth status in math, reading, and overall academics.”

5. This North Carolina county is taking mug shots offline. Not everyone agrees. Wall Street Journal

“Hundreds of thousands of booking photos are set to vanish from a Wake County website, the latest in a national push to protect people whose charges are dropped or cleared.”

The Double Crown in Asheville, one of our favorite dive bars in North Carolina. (Brook Bolen/ Cardinal & Pine)

Sometimes, the best place to get a beer is the place that sort of scares you. 😂

At the very least, you probably won’t be charged $11 for a Miller Lite. 

That said, not everybody wants to brave the trek into unknown dive bars, so we’re doing it for you. 

C&P contributor Brook Bolen has written a fun guide to our favorite dive bars in the state, from Asheville’s Double Crown (pictured above) to Rubies on Five Points in Durham. 

Read the guide here. 

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m an NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Today’s edition includes stories from Dylan Rhoney, Brook Bolen, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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