No matter how many times you’ve seen a fireworks show, when the first one goes off, it’s like the first time. 

The novelty is renewable. It’s a little scary. Hell on dogs and small children. And, usually, thrilling. 

As the holidays overtake us, we’ve published our guide to the upcoming New Year’s Eve fireworks shows. From Manteo to our state capitol to Sugar Mountain, there are plenty of shows to choose from. Some are free. Some are bougie. 

Here at Cardinal & Pine, we hope that your holidays are renewing and fulfilling. The year 2026 is ahead. With it comes new opportunities. We’re grateful you’ve chosen to be a part of this newsletter, which in year six will be going out to more than 100,000 North Carolinians. Unbelievable.

Fireworks blaze over the mountains on New Year’s Eve. (Sugar Mountain Resort)

Starting Wednesday, the Cardinal & Pine team will be taking a well-earned break. We’ll see you on the other side, NC.

Here’s what’s in today’s email: 

Cardinal & Pine reader Elena Gallenberger shared this sunrise photo from Hendersonville. The skies look like cotton candy. 

Send us your views from NC!

NC educators and their allies protesting at the state legislature in Raleigh in 2019. (Shutterstock)

“After nearly three decades in the classroom, Matthew Townsend says he can no longer afford to be healthy,” writes reporter Jessica F. Simmons. 

Simmons took a deep dive into the state of the teaching profession in North Carolina. It’s no secret that we have some of the most poorly-paid educators in the nation. 

But as Simmons explains, the rising cost of healthcare, the loss of benefits, and inflation have left our teachers struggling to see a doctor and working side hustles to make ends meet. 

“I feel like I’ve been robbed,” Townsend, a 27-year teacher in Durham, told us. “I feel like I was promised one thing as a teaching fellow years ago, but the rug was pulled out from under me.”

This is an important read and a must-share. 

ICYMI from Cardinal & Pine:

1. Nearly 1 million in NC to see health premiums skyrocket in 2026. Public News Service

“Health insurance costs are set to rise in 2026 for many North Carolinians, after Congress decided not to vote on extending Affordable Care Act insurance tax credits, which were cut in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and expire at the end of the year.”

2. 20 NC legislators are running unopposed, and they’re all Democrats. WUNC

“The largest concentration of uncontested legislative races is in Mecklenburg County, where Reps. Terry Brown, Julia Greenfield, Carolyn Logan, Laura Budd, Aisha Dew and Jordan Lopez, and Sens. Mujtaba Mohammed and DeAndrea Salvador are all running unopposed.”

3. More than 1 in 3 NC counties seek permission to reduce early voting access in 2026 primaries. WRAL

“After Republicans took control of county and state elections boards in North Carolina, efforts are underway in some areas to slash Sunday voting or eliminate college campus polling sites. But in other counties, voting access could increase.”

4. Novo Nordisk gets landmark obesity pill approved, with NC site core to production. News & Observer

“In a milestone development Monday, the Food and Drug Administration green-lit an oral version of the Novo Nordisk obesity treatment Wegovy, the first FDA-approved GLP-1 pill for weight loss. Novo Nordisk then confirmed where it will produce this new pill.”

V Pizza NC, one of several businesses owned by NC restaurateur Anthony Rapillo, stepped up to help people who lost their SNAP benefits during the shutdown. (@vpizzanc on Instagram)

We’re wrapping up 2025 with some good vibes. 

Cardinal & Pine contributor Karishma Desai wrote this compendium on some of NC’s most heartwarming news stories of the year. 

We have stories of local businesses, like those owned by Triangle restaurant owner Anthony Rapillo, stepping up to provide food to people who lost SNAP benefits during the shutdown. 

As Rapillo explained, he was raised by a single mom who immigrated from Cuba. He remembers his family benefiting from food assistance and wanted to give back.

Lots more warmhearted stuff to read. Click below. 

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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 Dorothy Scott, Jessica F. Simmons, and Karishma Desai. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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