Gov. Josh Stein is sounding the alarm about troubles with mail-in voting. We’ve got the solution here to make sure your ballot counts. Plus, a big jobs announcement in Wilmington, but first:

President Trump returned to North Carolina this week. And just like his September trip to Gastonia, he came with bizarre threats.

In September, he cracked a joke about withholding hurricane relief money if Republican Senate candidate Michael didn’t win. 

This week, he suggested he would withhold funding for victims of water contamination at Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps base in Jacksonville, if Republicans didn’t “win” the 2026 elections. 

Cardinal & Pine’s Dylan Rhoney has the story. 

President Donald Trump addressing supporters in Greenville, North Carolina. Oct. 20, 2026. Photo: Dylan Rhoney/Cardinal & Pine

Share this newsletter with your friends and family. Help us spread good information. 

Here’s what you’ll find below: 

Our reader, Carol Erlingheuser, shared this photo from Bolivia, NC, down in Brunswick County.

Do you have a View from NC to share? Send it to us!

Corning’s Wilmington Plant. The manufacturer says it’s investing millions in an expansion that will bring more than 400. new jobs to the Wilmington area. (USA Today via Reuters)

Here’s some good economic news from southeastern NC. 

Corning Inc., which creates fiberoptic cables for high-speed internet, says it will invest $585 million and create 414 new jobs at its Wilmington plant. 

The facility is already one of the largest optical fire plants in the world, according to the Wilmington StarNews. 

The jobs will be added over five years, the company says, with an average annual salary of about $85,000. 

Here’s what to know.

More from Cardinal & Pine:

This is not a drill. 🙏  Please share.

This week, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein spoke out about new vote-by-mail rules that have already gotten thousands of absentee ballots tossed.  

As Stein spoke, we were putting the finishing touches on a new video at Cardinal & Pine about why GOP changes have made voting by mail riskier, especially as we get closer to Election Day. 

That’s why folks should be voting IN PERSON with your ID during early voting or on Election Day. I recommend early voting.

In our new video, we explained why all this is happening. It tracks all the way back to the White House, where for years now, President Trump has been after mail voting.

And we tell you how to MAKE SURE that your vote is counted in North Carolina. Tap here to watch. 

If you’ve already submitted your ballot by mail, tap here to verify that it’s been accepted.

1. NC State fairgoers say pricing is getting out of hand. CBS-17

“This year, for the first time at the North Carolina State Fair, vendors are paying more to sell and, in some cases, passing the extra cost on to fairgoers.”

2. Halloween weekend brings an extra scare: Earlier sunsets. Axios

“Nov. 1 marks the start of much earlier sunsets across most of the U.S.”

3. Surprising no woman: Men are more likely to say they trust how officials handle sexual assault. The 19th

“New polling finds a gender gap in trust of elected officials and college Greek culture — two weeks before the midterms and amid the ‘Cornell seven’ case.”

4. New unit aims to fill gaps in mental healthcare for NC youth in juvenile detention. North Carolina Health News

“The 10-bed unit will treat young people with acute behavioral health needs who often face long waits for psychiatric residential care or are rejected by other providers.”

A bear eats from a bird feeder in this undated photo from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

In recent weeks, we’ve had a series of bear-involved home invasions in the Asheville area. 

It’s not a coincidence, local wildlife leaders say, which is why they’re proposing new rules to crack down on people feeding bears. 

“Usually the natural food supply can help manage that bear population,” Colleen Olfenbuttel, of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, said recently. “That’s not what’s happening here. What’s happening in Asheville is unnatural.”

Under a proposed temporary rule, feeding bears would be a Class 3 misdemeanor with a $25 fine, plus the cost of court. 

A close encounter with a bear might be exciting for some wildlife lovers, but it’s not safe for the bear or the people. 

Here’s what to know.

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 Dylan Rhoney and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

Cardinal & Pine is free for everyone. Your support makes our work possible.

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOTING, REGISTERING TO VOTE, OR PROOF OF VOTING IS NOT REQUIRED. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C., 18+. Entry Period: 12:00 a.m. ET 10/19/26 – 11:59 p.m. ET 10/23/26. Void where prohibited. Subject to Official Rules. Sponsor: Courier Newsroom, Inc.