Today, we have adorable kids giving life lessons and an unbelievable story about NC medical examiners, but first:

If it’s Wednesday, we’re releasing a new episode of Billy Ball Explains NC. 

Recently, NCLocal reported an alarming new statistic about health insurance enrollment. So far this year, North Carolina leads the nation in people dropping off the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. 

Cable news might have the memory of a goldfish, but we don’t. This is what the historic government shutdown in 2025 was all about. 

You might recall lawmakers were fighting about extending federal health care subsidies—which were a big part of driving up health insurance enrollment in North Carolina and other Southern states. 

In a new Billy Ball Explains NC, we break down why this is HUGE news. And it has a direct impact on you even if you still have health insurance. Here’s why. 

Make sure to tap like and subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t have to count on the algorithm to get our news. 

This is one metric we don’t want to lead the country in. Watch the new Billy Ball Explains NC. (Graphic by Desirée Tapia) 

We’re staring down a triple-digit heat index in the coming days. Yikes.

Here’s what’s in today’s Cardinal & Pine newsletter: 

Iron Duff, Haywood County. (Courtesy of Loretta DeVito.)

C&P reader Loretta DeVito brings you this blue-sky view from Iron Duff, a little community in Haywood County. 

If you have a view from North Carolina, share it with Cardinal & Pine’s readers!

Paula Case, a medical examiner in North Carolina, is one of about 150 medical examiners leaving work indefinitely. Here’s why. (Photo via Asheville Watchdog)

Apologies for the morbid headline.

But based on new reporting from the Asheville Watchdog, it might very well be true in the coming days. 

About 150 medical examiners across the state are preparing to take an indefinite vacation. They’re doing it to protest poor pay. 

They say that their pay hasn’t increased in more than a decade. 

So what does that mean? According to the Watchdog, it means that “bodies will stack up at morgues and funeral homes in North Carolina, and some death certificates won’t be signed.”

That actually matters. You have to read this. 

1. What happened to Buddy McCutcheon? A North Carolina true crime case. Asheville Citizen-Times

“Almost 10 years have passed since 69-year-old Brenda McCutcheon was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of her husband in Asheville, North Carolina.”

2. Property tax freeze passes legislature, heads to Gov. Stein. WRAL

“County leaders strongly oppose the revaluation freeze, as do local Democratic lawmakers. They said it could force cuts to rural fire districts, public schools and more.”

3. Coastal lawmakers signal it may be time to modify North Carolina’s decades-old ban on seawalls. NC Newsline

“Over the past six years, increased erosion has caused 32 privately owned structures to collapse along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.”

Join COURIER and 3.14 Action on June 11 for Facts vs. Fiction: The Fight for Science in American Democracy.

Misinformation isn’t just noise. It’s shaping policy decisions that determine who can afford care, which communities are protected, and how our government responds to real-world risks.

This live conversation will examine what’s at stake when facts are ignored and how science-informed leadership has shaped policy on healthcare, climate, agriculture, and public health. At a moment when institutions and public trust are under attack, we’ll explore what happens when decision-making is driven by evidence, what it takes to rebuild trust, and why scientific integrity is essential to democracy.

Stay tuned for more speaker announcements, and don’t miss this conversation.

(Video by Henry Teckam.)

Who doesn’t want to watch cute kids giving advice? Crickets, right? 

C&P contributor Henry Teckam recently took this video of Asheville children handing out life lessons to local high school and college graduates. 

Listen to the kids, y’all. 

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 the Asheville Watchdog, Henry Teckam, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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