Below, we have a rundown on NC’s controversial early voting plans and a guide to early fall daytripping in NC, but first:

The shoes are new. The backpack still smells like the factory where it was made. My daughter’s trying out a curling iron. 

It must be the first day of school. 

For many families in North Carolina, kids returned to the classroom today. Many more will do so tomorrow in Charlotte. Wherever you are and wherever the kids are headed, I hope they’re bound for a mind-expanding year. After all, that’s the point. 

The return of school leads off today’s 3 things happening in NC, in addition to an anniversary exhibit at the NC Transportation Museum and a historic hero’s return to Raleigh. 

Read 3 things happening in NC this week. 

Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch, pauses to keep from getting emotional as she speaks during a crew return event Saturday, April 11, 2026, at Ellington Field in Houston. Koch, who’s from Raleigh, will be back home this week for a reunion at her alma mater, NC State University. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Happy Monday. You’re one of more than 100,000 North Carolinians reading Cardinal & Pine’s newsletter. 

Here’s what is in today’s email: 

C&P reader Matt Brumbaugh took this shot recently in Chatham County. 

Think you’ve got a view to beat this one? Send it to Cardinal & Pine!

Dave Boliek, N.C. state auditor, addresses the crowd before Vice President JD Vance speaks Friday, March 13, 2026, in Rocky Mount, N.C. Boliek, a Republican, has been criticized for his oversight of North Carolina election boards. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Since 1970, the nonpartisan group Common Cause NC has been advocating for government transparency, political ethics, and voting rights. 

Today, we published a new op-ed from the group’s director, Sailor Jones. In it, Jones takes stock of the early voting plans passed last week by the State Board of Elections. 

The board voted on 20 plans from NC counties where local election boards couldn’t agree to when and where to put early voting sites. As Jones points out, the Republican-led board approved to plans crafted by partisan Republicans that appear to make voting easier for conservative voting districts and harder for liberal districts. 

As Jones writes, “even in the 80 unanimous counties decided locally, analysis from political scientist Chris Cooper shows that while the total number of sites increased by five (+1.8%) since the last midterm, sites available per 10,000 voters actually dropped (-3.2%), signaling a shift away from where voters actually live.”

Read the op-ed here. 

More at Cardinal & Pine:

1. GOP Senate candidate, campaigning as truck-driving everyman, travels by private jet. Popular Information

“North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley’s committees have spent over $100,000 for use of a private jet linked to a convicted felon.”

2. Devastation, doubt, and blame: Hurricane Helene looms over North Carolina’s US Senate race. The Guardian

“The state’s return to national political prominence in the midterms has reinvigorated questions over how the storm recovery was handled, as North Carolinians weigh which candidate would better champion the needs of the region in Washington.”

3. Republican NC Senator from the Outer Banks resigns. NC Newsline

“In a Facebook post, (Bobby) Hanig did not say why he resigned. The legislature is unlikely to hold another session before the midterm elections.”

4. As Atrium pursues WakeMed, a look inside its last big North Carolina deal. North Carolina Health News

“Atrium points to its partnership with Wake Forest Baptist in 2020 as evidence of the benefits for WakeMed of joining a larger system. Baptist employees have a more nuanced view.”

This animal—a wild elk—looks straight out of a fairy tale, but somehow it exists in North Carolina. (phoebeswildlife/Instagram)

In the hot latter days of summer, it’s hard to imagine fall in North Carolina. 

But, like gravity, it will happen. And this remains one of the best states in America to see fall happen. 

C&P contributor—and western NC resident—Brook Bolen helps get you ready for it with her guide to early fall activities in NC. 

Brook’s guide takes you elk-watching, apple-picking, corn-mazing, and, of course, leaf-peeping.

Read the guide 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, Sailor Jones, and Brook Bolen. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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