Below we have a free summer meals program in jeopardy and our guide to affordable NC road trips, but first:

Not every hero wears a cape. But sometimes they do.

You simply have to read this story out of the western North Carolina town of Burnsville, where a 25-year-old local man has donned the cape and cowl to become Batman. 

Samuel David Daniels became the caped crusader after his cousin’s tragic death in 2021. Now he patrols the streets of his hometown doing good—handing out supplies to homeless people, cleaning up graffiti, or even driving people home from the bar.

He also helped out after Helene devastated the region. 

“I looked out my window and I saw the bats swooping across the distance, and that almost signaled an omen to me: to become a bat I took the symbol, and I try to inspire good into everyone I meet to be their better selves,” Daniels said.

Check it out here.

Burnsville Batman Samuel David Daniels poses for a portrait in Burnsville on July 9, 2026. (USA Today via Reuters)

Happy Tuesday. You’re reading the best little newsletter in North Carolina, in my opinion. 

Here’s what’s in it today: 

This scene of pastoral beauty comes to you from Lelia Knight out in Leicester.

If you have a view to share from your neck of the woods, send it to us! 

(Poe Center for Health Education)

Here’s one example of how national politics finds its way down to local communities. 

C&P’s Jessica F. Simmons wrote this week about how summer meals programs—which are designed to help feed kids who rely on school lunches during the summer break—are facing an even taller task this year in North Carolina.

Republican budget writers in last year’s “One, Big Beautiful Bill” included deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Many summer programs, like PlayWELL Park in Raleigh, are trying to make do without.

Simmons reports on how they’re managing.

More at Cardinal & Pine:

1. ‘Garbage and lies’: Senate candidate Michael Whatley lashes out at media as campaign flounders. NC Newsline

“Months of souring media relations culminated in a reporter’s ejection by the police Thursday.”

2. Arrest order issued for Bill Belichick’s daughter-in-law in North Carolina. WBTV

“Records indicated she was due in Brunswick County court on Friday, July 10, but did now show up. Then, on Monday, July 13, an order for her arrest was issued. As of Tuesday morning, that order had not been served.”

3. Fifteen players from North Carolina high schools taken in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft. High School OT

“With Day 2 of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft now concluded, here’s where former N.C. high school players have ended up.”

4. NC Zoo historic marker honors famous astronaut chimp. WRAL

“A new North Carolina highway historical marker near the N.C. Zoo honors Ham, the first chimpanzee in space, and recognizes his pioneering 1961 mission and final years living with other chimpanzees in Asheboro.”

The giraffes at the NC Zoo in Asheboro, one of our favorite road trip destinations in the state. (NC Zoo and Botanical Gardens)

Summer is road trip season. The calendar clears up a bit. Schools are out. And it’s too hot to just sit there. 😂

In that spirit, we’ve published a new guide to NC road trips with an eye on something very important—affordability.

We’ve got stops in the mountains like Mingo Falls. The always-popular North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. The very cool, very weird Cryptozoology & Paranormal Museum in eastern NC. And lots more.

Check out our 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 Jessica F. Simmons, Brook Bolen, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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