Today, we’ll begin with some good news. 

Researchers at Duke Health may have found something extraordinary among participants in a 20-year clinical trial. In that trial, a small group of women with advanced-stage breast cancer took a cancer vaccine.

Two decades have passed, and all of them are alive. Researchers say that kind of success rate is “unheard of.” All of the women have strong immune cells that recognize and fight their cancer, even 20 years later. The question is why.

According to Zachary Hartman (photographed below), an associate professor at Duke’s School of Medicine and the author of a new study, those hero immune cells carried a special marker they’re calling “CD27.”

He says that targeting and boosting those cells could dramatically increase the effectiveness of cancer vaccines. 

Anyone who’s been impacted by cancer (and that’s just about everybody) should be enthusiastic about it. Cancer can go straight to hell. For more on this cool story, click below.

It’s midweek and we’re grateful you’re reading Cardinal & Pine. Here’s what’s in today’s email: 

Who says you can’t go sailing when the temperature drops?

Thanks to DeAnne Frazier for this view of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington. 

Click the graphic and see the latest episode of “Billy Ball Explains NC.” 

While we’re on the subject of health care, we’ve reported at Cardinal & Pine on the problems ahead for the Affordable Care Act marketplace. 

With federal subsidies expiring and deep federal cuts coming, people are looking for answers to the American health care system. 

It’s time to talk about the single-payer option, or government health care. Conservatives say it’s a gateway to a socialist nightmare, but if that’s true, why is it so popular in other countries? 

The latest “Billy Ball Explains NC” goes deep on a problem that’s overdue for a solution. Watch and share, NC. 

1. Border Patrol raids terrorize NC classrooms and carpool lines. Cardinal & Pine

“Mecklenburg County school officials say that nearly 30,000 students missed class on Monday, nearly triple the tally of a typical day.”

2. Arrests now top 250 in immigration crackdown across North Carolina. The Associated Press

“It’s the latest phase of President Donald Trump’s aggressive mass deportation efforts that have sent the military and immigration agents into Democratic-run cities — from Chicago to Los Angeles and Charlotte.”

3. North Carolina awards $3.17M grant to support PGA Tour’s return to western NC. ABC-13

“The PGA Tour is returning to western North Carolina for the first time since 1942.”

Cozy socks are peak “hygge.” (Hickory’s Solmate Socks)

OK, what the heck is “hygge”? 

The Danish word, which is pronounced “hooga,” is a vibe. It translates roughly into “cozy.” And people on the internet are using it to refer to things and scenes that are giving off chilled out vibes. 

The concept’s so rooted in Denmark’s culture that the country’s government has a page for it on their website, Cardinal & Pine contributor Dorothy Scott notes. 

Scott took on the enviable task of finding places and things in NC that could be called “hygge.” Like Solmate Socks, an NC sock company out of Hickory, which is known for its cool patterns and cozy feels. Or doing some serious scrapbooking or journaling, using local stores like Carrboro’s NC Crafts Gallery or Fayetteville’s Crafts Frames & Things.

For this, and more “hygge” suggestions in NC, check out our new guide. 

Reach 200,000+ North Carolinians who care about their communities! Sponsor Cardinal & Pine’s Dec. 6 Special Edition, “How to Get Involved and Give Back this Holiday Season.” Book by Nov. 21, 2025, and save 20% off your placement.

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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 content from The Associated Press and Dorothy Scott. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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