Ever heard of the term “popcorn brain?” 

“It’s the real, biological phenomenon of feeling your brain is popping because you’re being overstimulated online,” Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Aditi Nerurkar wrote in Harvard Health Publishing. “Then it’s hard to engage with the real world, which moves at a much slower pace.”

I can hear all of you nodding from here.

That’s why more people are looking into things like a “digital detox,” which is exactly what it sounds like: Taking time to get away from the never-ending feed of social media and the internet.

I don’t believe in checking out, but I do believe in taking care of yourself. If you pummel yourself with all the things in the world all the time, your brain turns to goo.

This week, Cardinal & Pine contributor Dorothy Scott wrote about digital detox retreats in North Carolina. Check out the Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone and the 3 Day Personal Healing Retreat in Asheville. Or, to save some bucks, you can simply go to your neighborhood park or your local forest. Outside is free, y’all.

The Art of Living Retreat Center in Boone. Not even the internet can stand up to a view like this. (Art of Living Retreat Center)

A heads up that Cardinal & Pine will be signing off this week after Wednesday. In the meantime, here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

Amy Coker took this beautiful photo of the Pasquotank River in northeast North Carolina. That’s gorgeous year-round. 

Send us your views, NC!

People protest against federal immigration enforcement Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Charlotte, NC. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

So far this week, all has been quiet on the immigration front. But locals are still unpacking what they saw in Charlotte and the Triangle last week. 

In a new op-ed, journalist Paul Cuadros dug into an important question following the ICE and Border operations: Will these raids galvanize Latino voters, especially younger Latinos? 

As Cuadros noted, Latinos account for about 20% of the US population, and 11% of NC’s. But the Latino vote dropped slightly in 2024. 

He says that he suspects that the Border Patrol raids—which were, at times, violent and directed at people who are lawfully in this country—will change the dynamic, forcing people into political organizing. 

“What began as a reaction to aggressive enforcement is rapidly becoming the foundation of a broader movement with the potential to reshape the political and civic landscape in the South and beyond,” Cuadros wrote. 

Check it out. 

1. Aide to NC senator arrested on first-degree arson charge. CBS-17

“The legislative assistant to Republican Senator Norman Sanderson, Diane Cook, has been arrested and booked into the Wake County Detention Center.”

2. La Niña returns: Expect warmer winter with below-normal snowfall for Triangle in 25-26. WRAL

“Get ready for a warmer winter as La Niña makes a comeback, bringing below-normal snowfall to our area.”

3. Apple gets more time to meet required NC hiring, investment goals for RTP $1B hub. ABC-11

“ABC-11 has learned that Apple requested an extension on its 2021 grant, and the Economic Investment Committee, which is part of the North Carolina Department of Commerce granted the request on Tuesday. A spokesperson says Apple is still committed to this state. In fact, the company has two big investments slated for North Carolina.”

4. Are THC drinks coming off the shelves? Down From DC

“The owner of Raleigh’s Trophy Brewing told Axios that brewers ‘are very concerned and were really blindsided.’”

Charlotte’s Thanksgiving parade kicks off Wednesday night in uptown. (Photo via Novant Health Thanksgiving Parade)

“3 things happening in NC” returns today with a big dose of the holidays. 

Cardinal & Pine contributor Ryan Pitkin takes us on a tour of the goings-on in a cram-packed Thanksgiving week. 

Charlotte hosts one of the state’s largest parades on Thanksgiving eve, Swansboro holds its annual Christmas flotilla, and UNC and NC State football plan to sow Thanksgiving discord by playing each other. 

“It’s been in the air for a while,” Pitkin writes, “but this week the holiday season is officially upon us.”

Check it out and share. 

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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, Paul Cuadros, and Ryan Pitkin. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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