We begin this last week of November with the holidays. They are, impossibly, upon us.

North Carolina’s capital city, Raleigh, held its annual holiday parade Saturday. Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy was there, and he caught some of the fun.

NC’s tourism leaders offer a pretty comprehensive guide to all the tree lightings, parades, light shows, and more.

In the meantime, click below to check out the marching band game Raleigh showed off.

Confession: I was in the marching band in high school. I still remember those heavy yellow uniforms, and what they smelled like when we got rained on. I don’t know if they were wool or polyester, but I don’t recommend clothing anyone or anything in it ever again.

True story: It’s hard to play an instrument and march at the same time. (Michael McElroy/Cardinal & Pine)

Thanks for reading, Cardinal & Pine. When you’re here, it’s a party. Here’s what’s in today’s edition: 

We can thank Cardinal & Pine reader Marcia Jones for this beautiful image of Soco Falls near Cherokee. 

Protesters gather at First Ward Park for the “No Border Patrol In Charlotte” rally to raise their voices for the immigrant community and against ICE raids and Border Patrol activity in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Cardinal & Pine contributor Gwen Frisbie-Fulton wrote today that there are two ways to talk about the Border Patrol operation in North Carolina—which might or might not be over. 

The first way is to talk about the chaos and the fear.

“In Raleigh, an 18-year-old was grabbed from a construction site, thrown into a van, then dumped on the side of the road when agents figured out he was a citizen,” Frisbie-Fulton writes. “They threw the contents of his wallet out the window and drove away.”

The second way is to talk about the grassroots response. 

“Not only were people showing up to protests in major cities and smaller towns alike, they were also plugging into serious organizing,” she wrote. “Night after night, churches filled with hundreds of people being trained to join safety patrols, document detentions, and canvass businesses about their Fourth Amendment rights.”

Check out these on-the-ground observations by clicking the button below. 

1. The ‘disaster’ behind NC’s disaster recovery office, ReBuild NC. Inside Climate News

“The agency wasn’t good at rebuilding, monitoring budgets, overseeing contractors or helping hurricane victims, many of whom were left living in motels for years while their homes were supposedly being rebuilt.”

2. Opinion: The shutdown deal is devastating to NC’s hemp industry. Fayetteville Observer

“North Carolina, where there are more than 1,500 licensed hemp producers, will feel the impact. One CBD and hemp store owner in Raleigh told WRAL the new restrictions would wipe out 99% of the products he sells.”

3. ‘Is the price of doing this worth it?’: North Carolina Republicans worry about Trump immigration raids. Politico

“The concerns surrounding Trump’s immigration clampdown in the Tar Heel state speak to a tension at the center of the president’s immigration agenda.”

4. Four injured in shooting near Christmas tree lighting ceremony in North Carolina. ABC News

“Four people were injured when gunfire erupted in a crowd during an annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Concord, North Carolina, according to police.”

The Salvation Army began the Angel Tree program in 1979. (Margarita/Adobe Stock)

Here’s a pitch to chip in with a long-running program that helps kids have a good holiday season. 

The Salvation Army’s “Angel Tree Adoptions” program connects people with kids from low-income families. With prices up and bills up, local nonprofits are expecting a lot of need this year. The Salvation Army of Wake and Lee counties, for instance, said they have 1,000 more kids this year. 

Check out your local Salvation Army to see how you can help. 

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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, Gwen Frisbie-Fulton, Inside Climate News, Public News Service, and USA Today via Reuters. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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