Below, we’ve got some troubling news about NC jails, and Blowing Rock’s big art in the park party, but first: 

Over the weekend, the Republican US Senate candidate from NC, Michael Whatley, had some more trouble with the press. 

Organizers for a Whatley event in Waynesville blocked an award-winning local reporter from getting in, even though they had no legal standing to do so. 

This wasn’t just any reporter. It was a journalist who’s been on the ground covering Helene and its aftermath from the very beginning.

In a new Billy Ball Explains NC, we explain why this is such a bad look for the guy President Trump picked to be his hurricane “recovery czar” in NC. Watch it here. 

The new Billy Ball Explains NC takes on Senate candidate Michael Whatley’s war with reporters. (Graphic by Desirée Tapia)

Happy midweek to all the North Carolinians wasting away under the hot summer sun. Here’s what’s in today’s C&P newsletter: 

Here’s a gorgeous view from the Pilot Mountain area, shared by Cardinal & Pine reader Leann Hineline. 

Have a nice view from NC to share? Share it with C&P’s readers!

State data show Scotland County has the state’s most overcrowded jail, averaging about 160 percent of capacity so far this year.

Many of North Carolina’s jails are overcrowded, a new report from NC Health News reveals. 

In the state’s largest jail in Mecklenburg County, hundreds are sleeping on the floor on portable cots. 

Why? There are several factors at play, state officials say, including NC’s rising population, slow-moving court cases that keep people in jail longer, and the widely-reported gaps in the state’s community mental health network. 

That means people wind up in jail when they should be getting treatment for a mental illness. 

Some are also pointing to Iryna’s Law, which was passed by Republicans in 2025 and, among other things, limits pre-trial release. 

Here’s why this matters. 

More from Cardinal & Pine:

1. Guilford Board of Elections declines to adopt 2026 early voting sites at NC A&T, UNC Greensboro. NC Newsline

“Students pushed to use early voting sites that served the university campuses in 2024, but board members declined to do so.”

2. North Carolina to offer first elk hunting permits since reintroduction 25 years ago. WLOS

“On July 7, Governor Josh Stein signed House Bill 747, allowing for the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC) to issue two elk hunting permits during the 2027 hunting season.”

3. Elevated levels of ‘likely human carcinogen’ discharged from Asheboro water plant. Fox 8

“DEQ says it has been notified of elevated levels of 1,4-dioxane discharged from the Asheboro plant into Hasketts Creek. The United States Environmental Protection Agency categorizes 1,4-dioxane as a ‘likely human carcinogen,’ meaning it is a substance that can likely cause cancer.”

4. Anti-ICE protesters tell NC lawmakers ‘we will not go back’. WRAL

“Latino advocates and other activists say they oppose plans to build a new immigrant detention camp in North Carolina as Republican leaders at the state and federal level push to ramp up deportations.”

Blowing Rock, NC, is a famously adorable town. This weekend, they host their Art in the Park festival. (Shutterstock)

If you’ve never been to Blowing Rock—the town and the rock—you’re missing out. 

The town’s got boatloads of charm. Think fudge, fresh produce, playgrounds, and cool local restaurants in the mountain air. 

This weekend, the town hosts its Art in the Park festival. From May to October, local artists take over Park Avenue. Blowing Rock has been putting this on since 1962, and it’s a great way to see (and buy) the work of local craftspeople. 

Read about it in this week’s “3 things happening in NC.“

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 Ryan Pitkin, and NC Health News. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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