We begin Tuesday with the big political news in North Carolina:

On Monday night, Republicans in western NC debated well into the evening hours and arrived at a replacement for troubled Congressman Chuck Edwards. They settled on two-term state representative Jennifer Balkcom. 

Last week, Edwards stepped out of the Congressional election in NC’s 11th District. He was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with two younger women staffers. Edwards denied any wrongdoing, but a bipartisan House ethics committee report this month cast doubt on that. 

Balkcom might be an unknown to folks outside of western NC, but the Henderson County Republican sits in leadership roles on key committees in the state legislature, including the Helene recovery committee and the powerful appropriations committee, which heads up budget writing in the state House. 

As C&P’s Dylan Rhoney reported Monday night, one of Balkcom’s biggest votes in the legislature was against Medicaid expansion, a joint state-federal program that helps provide health insurance for working-class people. 

The Congressional election in western NC is important not just for the people who live in the district. It could also be key in determining which political party holds the majority in Congress after the November elections. 

For more on this story, tap here. 

Happy Tuesday, friends. I’m grateful you’re reading C&P. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s edition of the newsletter:

Here’s a nice view from Lake Thom-A-Lex Park in Davidson County. Thanks to C&P reader Jessica Bowman for sharing. 

We would LOVE to see your North Carolina photos. Send it to C&P, and you could see it featured in the next View from NC!

Schools are reopening this month in North Carolina, leaving many parents asking what age you can leave a kid home alone after school. Here’s what the NC Fire Code says. (USA Today via Reuters)

This month, schools all across North Carolina are returning. Check your local district for the calendar. 

Inevitably, it raises questions for working families, like: Is it safe and/or legal for me to leave my kids home alone? 

We’ve published a guide to what the state’s fire codes say on this point. Honestly, the rules are not what I expected.

More at Cardinal & Pine: 

1. Stein approves budget additions, expands access to ‘granny flats’ in NC cities. WRAL

“Cities with at least 50,000 residents must now allow homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, or ADUs — often known as ‘granny flats.’”

2. How to watch the very small, very short partial solar eclipse in North Carolina this Wednesday. WUNC

“For a brief few minutes on Wednesday, eastern and parts of central North Carolina will get to experience a partial solar eclipse.”

3. Hundreds of NC schools are starting back early despite state law. Axios

“North Carolina changed its law in 2004 after lobbying by coastal communities hoping for more late-summer beach tourism, according to reporting by WUNC.”

4. Same knee surgery, twice the price: Hospital monopolies push up healthcare costs. The Assembly

“Mission Hospital in Asheville, formed by the merger of the two largest hospitals in the region, has little competition and the power to demand higher prices.”

Figure Eight Island in North Carolina is an exclusive beach community near Wilmington. (Trey Waggener/Shutterstock)

We’re throwing you a curveball today. 

Typically, we fill the Cardinal & Pine newsletter with things to do and places to go. But what about places we’re specifically not allowed to go to?

Here’s a look at five places near Wilmington where most people are barred from going. From an exclusive beach community to the largest military in (checks notes) the world, who isn’t curious about this list?

Check it out 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 Ryan Pitkin, Dylan Rhoney, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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