Since 2010, politics in America has changed. 

The US Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision allowed corporations and outside groups to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections. 

It has increasingly made non-local politics into a game played only by the wealthy, or by people with a wealthy corporation in their corner. 

A new proposal for a constitutional referendum in North Carolina aims to change that. It has been all but ignored by the media. But if passed, it would dramatically change politics in our state. 

I broke it down in a new Billy Ball Explains NC. 

A handful of lawmakers want North Carolina voters to limit corporate spending on elections. Here’s why it matters. (Graphic by Kelly Lennon)

Thank you for reading, watching, and sharing, North Carolina. Lots of news today. Here’s what you’ll find below:

C&P reader Wendy Olson knows her way around a good picture. She took this sunset shot from Emerald Isle, one of NC’s finest beaches. 

If you have a view from NC to share, don’t be shy. Send it to us!

More than 10,000 public school teachers and educators marched in Raleigh this month to protest the lack of a budget that would give them raises. (Michael McElroy/Cardinal & Pine)

The big news late Tuesday was Republicans’ announcement of a tentative budget deal. 

C&P’s Michael McElroy has the takeaways for you. 

The GOP budget deal comes about a year late. Despite holding a majority in both chambers of the state legislature in 2025, Republican lawmakers couldn’t come to an agreement on a budget last year.

The deal includes raises for educators and state workers, but NC’s top teacher association is not pleased.  

Helen Vennard of Flat Rock pumps gas at the Shell station along Hendersonville Road on May 12, 2026, in Arden, North Carolina. (USA Today via Reuters)

We don’t know when the war in Iran will end. 

But we do know what it’s doing to fuel prices, one of the most visible ways that North Carolinians are paying more every day for basic things. 

Today, we published an update on gas prices, which are on a rocket ship right now. Will they go up or down? And where is the cheapest gas in North Carolina? Get your answers here. 

More at Cardinal & Pine:

1. Looser liquor law proposed by NC lawmakers faces moral, fiscal objections. NC Newsline

“Sunday sales at ABC stores, canned cocktails on grocery shelves and restaurant happy hours are on the table.”

2. North Carolina resident aboard cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak, North Carolina health officials say. WBTV

“North Carolina health officials on Monday, May 11, confirmed that a person from North Carolina was evacuated with the remaining passengers from the United States to the quarantine unit at the University of Nebraska.”

3. Advocates push for more election funding as Western North Carolina prepares for high-stakes 2026 midterm. Mountain XPress

“Sailor Jones, state director of nonprofit Common Cause North Carolina, says the issue is especially pressing in counties like Buncombe, where past spending on elections has lagged behind state and national benchmarks.”

4. After a pioneering program collapses, NC organizations build a new path forward. NC Health News

“Nearly a year after North Carolina shuttered (Healthy Opportunities Pilot), a first-in-the-nation program that used Medicaid dollars to address nonmedical health needs, the organizations that oversaw the initiative are still working to revive parts of it.”

The stunning tiger seen here, Carolina, is one of the sanctuary’s most vocal. (Photo courtesy of Carolina Tiger Rescue)

Whenever you need a break from people, there’s always animals. 

One of the best ways to connect with cool animals, other than the NC Zoo, is to check out one of our state’s animal sanctuaries. 

As C&P contributor Brook Bolen notes, sanctuaries are usually nonprofits that focus on rescuing, rehabilitating, or rehousing abandoned and injured animals. 

We scoured the state for sanctuaries with a good track record of caring for animals, and a wide variety of critters to meet. 

We’re talking tigers, capybaras, zebras and more. Tap here to read. 

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 Michael McElroy, USA Today Network via Reuters Connect and Brook Bolen. It was edited by Kimberly Lawson.

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