We begin today with immigration.

In February, we reported that ICE was considering several new facilities within North Carolina. Since the Minneapolis protests, the federal agency has been in the news less, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been busy. 

In a new Billy Ball Explains NC, I broke down the latest update on ICE’s plans for our state, including the news that they are keeping detainees indefinitely in “hold rooms” with very little public scrutiny. 

These rooms don’t have beds or even toilets. You won’t want to miss this episode.

The new Billy Ball Explains NC is out now. Tap the image to watch. (Graphic by Desirée Tapia)

Make sure to hit “like” and “subscribe” so Billy Ball Explains NC shows up in your feed every week. 

You won’t find any Aprils Fools’ jokes in this newsletter. I promise. 😂

We can all thank Kathy Seeley for this view from Looking Glass Rock in Pisgah National Forest.

I love how you can see the green starting to fill in.

(Graphic by Desirée Tapia)

I hope you’ve been following Cardinal & Pine’s “Bad Medicine” series. 

The goal is to unpack healthcare access in North Carolina—the problems and the solutions, and the new federal regulations that are changing things quickly. 

C&P’s Dylan Rhoney has a new must-read story on curing opioid addiction. Halifax County’s Leroy Harris talked to us about his battle with addiction and how one medication helped him overcome it. 

Harris’ story isn’t unusual. The drug Buprenorphine has helped many people fight off opioid addiction long-term. 

But if it’s so effective, why is it so hard for many people to actually get it in some parts of North Carolina?

More Bad Medicine:

1. NC renews push to collect $100k from group run by wife of Mark Robinson. WRAL

“The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says a nonprofit run by former Second Lady Yolanda Hill over-billed taxpayers by tens of thousands of dollars.”

2. Trader Joe’s Focaccia Bread recall issued in North Carolina. WSOCTV

“The manufacturer says pieces of metal were found in the roasted tomatoes from a supplier.”

3. Astronaut with North Carolina ties part of NASA’s Artemis II space mission to moon. WBTV

“Christina Koch grew up in North Carolina, went to NC State.”

4. North Carolina’s electoral future may hinge on rural Black voters who feel ignored by Democrats. The Associated Press

“’People don’t come out like they should and ask you how you feel about things,’ Brinkley said while he manned the counter at his daughter’s beauty supply store down the street from the Nashville courthouse. ‘You want somebody to vote, but you don’t want to do nothing to get the vote. No, it don’t work that way.’”

Hendersonville artist Karen-Eve Bayne shows off some of her art. Bayne recently conveyed 62 acres bordering the Green River Game Lands, near Saluda, to Conserving Carolina with a vision for future public access. (USA Today via Reuters)

Growing up in the western NC community of Zirconia, Karen-Eve Bayne was taught to give back. 

Bayne, who’s also an artist, is doing that with an extraordinary plan to conserve 62 acres bordering the Green River Game Lands near Hendersonville.

“I want my great-grandchildren and anybody else’s great-grandchildren to be able to walk or have a picnic on this property,” she says.

This is a really cool story. Tap 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 Dylan Rhoney and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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