This week, Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy talked to North Carolina doctors about federal officials’ controversial new vaccine schedule for children.

Under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new recommendations, which are effective immediately, don’t ban any vaccines, but they remove six widely-used and effective vaccines from the list of routine inoculations federal health officials recommend, including the seasonal flu shot.

We talked to health care providers about their concerns. Chiefly, they fear it will cause fewer children to get vaccinated and cause a resurgence in nearly eradicated diseases.

Why do these recommendations matter? The federal vaccination schedule tells insurers which vaccines they have to cover and helps school systems decide which shots are required for enrollment.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. listens during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Friday is here, at long last. Here’s what’s in today’s Cardinal & Pine newsletter:

Thanks to Cardinal & Pine reader Eric Brauer, who took this photo from the waterfront park in Washington, NC. 

When I was growing up, we called this eastern NC city on the Pamlico River “little” Washington, so we didn’t confuse it with DC.

Thanks, Eric! Tap the button to send us your scenic NC photos.

Harvey B. Gantt Center (@hbganttcenter)

Charlotte’s Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture is exactly what it sounds like. 

Named for the pioneering Charlotte politician, who became the city’s first Black mayor, the Gantt Center is a hub for Black artists and innovation. 

In this week’s Good News Friday, Cardinal & Pine contributor Ryan Pitkin reports that the center is among the first recipients of a multi-million-dollar grant for nonprofits taking a “human-centered approach” to using artificial intelligence. 

The grant comes from the OpenAI Foundation, which is affiliated with the maker of ChatGPT. 

The foundation is providing $40.5 million in grants to 208 nonprofits nationwide. They said that the orgs will “center people, equity, and social good” in their AI programming. 

For more good news from around the state, including a big honor for the state, tap below.

1. President Trump threatens to withhold $50 million in funds from NC over immigrant concerns. WXII-12

“Republican President Donald Trump will block nearly $50 million in federal funds for transportation projects in North Carolina unless changes are made, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in an email under the banner: ‘Make American Roads Safe Again.’”

2. Protests continue across NC after ICE shooting sparks outrage in Minneapolis. WRAL

“Local activists in North Carolina held demonstrations to protest the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Macklin Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, calling for accountability and demanding ICE’s departure.”

3. North Carolina is about to get its first Buc-ee’s. I went to figure out what the hype is about. The Assembly

“If Walmart, Wawa, Cracker Barrel, and Bass Pro Shops jointly procreated, it still wouldn’t amount to a Buc-ee’s.”

4. The South has a lot at stake in what happens next in Venezuela. The Living South

“Of the 10 states with the most active duty military personnel, six are in the South—Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.”

(VioletSkyAdventures/Shutterstock)

We’ll give you a hint:

This town is surrounded on all sides by mountains. Tap below to tell us where we are. Fastest to get it right gets a shout-out in this space next Friday. 

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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 Michael McElroy and Ryan Pitkin. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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