A small request: If you haven’t noticed, Cardinal & Pine depends on word-of-mouth to grow this newsletter. There’s a simple reason why.

Social media networks, which is how most people get their news, don’t like it when people leave their platform. So they penalize posts that take you off their site. Ever notice that sometimes you don’t see your friends’ posts? Mystery solved. 

The solution is to cut the social media companies out and get your news from a place like this — the Cardinal & Pine newsletter, which is free, easy to read, and a two-time winner of best newsletter at the NC Press Association.

You know that, but so many folks in North Carolina don’t because social media’s mysterious algorithms can make it difficult for newsletters like ours to grow. 

So let’s try something: If you believe in what we’re doing, delivering local news that focuses on local communities, forward this email to three friends in North Carolina and ask them to subscribe. Once you’ve done that, write me and brag about it. 

Stuff like this makes Elon Musk poop his pants. So let’s go for it. 

X CEO and real-life “James Bond” villain Elon Musk in 2023. (Shutterstock)

Alright enough of that. Let’s talk about the news: 

Photo via Allison Riggs campaign

After six months of wrangling, the Jefferson Griffin case is finally over. This week, Griffin conceded defeat to Allison Riggs. 

On Tuesday, Riggs will be officially sworn into her seat on the state’s high court by Justice Anita Earls. None of us expected that Riggs would have to wait this long to be confirmed, after recounts showed she won the race by 734 votes. 

Cardinal & Pine will cover Riggs’ swearing in, so make sure you follow us on social media to watch. 

A man walks near a flooded area near the Swannanoa river, effects from Hurricane Helene , Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco, File)

A new Associated Press report delves into President Trump’s plans to slash funding for public broadcasting organizations like NPR and PBS. 

One of the stations that could be harmed, Blue Ridge Public Radio, provided urgent news broadcasts to folks in western NC after Helene. 

“The public radio station was alerting people what was going on,” Lisa Savage, a volunteer at an area church, told the AP. 

However, President Trump signed an executive order recently aimed at public subsidies for NPR and PBS. He says there is “bias” in their reporting.

Check out the AP story here. 

1. North Carolina lawmakers focus on guns, immigration, parental rights ahead of key deadline. Associated Press

“Gun access, parental rights and the response to illegal immigration were front and center this week in North Carolina as Republican lawmakers worked to keep their high-priority bills alive, while many other pieces of legislation are likely dead for two years.”

2. Opinion: The conservative war on science continues in Raleigh. NC Newsline

“No modern political leader has done more to undermine science and research – both by slashing funding and directly spreading myths and disinformation — than President Donald Trump.”

3. North Carolina raked in nearly $37 billion from tourism in 2024: ‘Fantastic place to visit’ ABC-11

“According to Governor Josh Stein’s office, travelers spent more than $36.7 billion on trips to and within the state in 2024. The previous record of $35.6 billion was set in 2023.”

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Last week, we took you to a quarry in Winston-Salem. Cardinal & Pine reader Marsha Leonard was the first to get it right, even naming the street its off. 

Way to go, Marsha!

This week’s edition is challenging. I declare you a master of North Carolina geography if you can name this historic building and place. 

Write me with the answer by clicking here. 

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m a NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Cardinal & Pine is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

Send us your feedback and news tips to info@cardinalpine.com