Friday is finally here, NC. Below, we have a handy guide to get you ready for NC’s judicial races, and a new edition of “Where are we in NC?” But first:

Good News Friday is Friday content done right. 

In this week’s roundup of positive news stories from NC, we check out the Charlotte man who went viral at a Trump rally Thursday, and a lawsuit accusing Dollar General of price gouging. 

But the stars of this edition are undoubtedly the five new otter pups born at the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. 

Read Good News Friday now.  

This is absurdly cute. (Photo via NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher)

We’re so happy you’re reading Cardinal & Pine. Here’s what you’ll get below:  

I’ll give you two guesses where C&P reader Clinton Fogg took this picture.

Ok, it’s obviously Mount Olive, NC, aka “Pickletown.” 

Do you have a View from NC to share? Send it to us!

Video via Cardinal & Pine

Unbelievably, 184,000 North Carolina voters showed up in 2024 and did not pick a candidate in the NC Supreme Court race. 

When you consider that crucial race ended up the subject of six months of post-election wrangling over a 734-vote gap, it gets even wilder that people sat it out.

Farther down, even more folks didn’t vote in the statewide NC Court of Appeals races, despite the incredible power these judgeships have. 

This year, there’s another Supreme Court race and three appellate court seats on the ballot, and they’re just as important. 

We don’t want to see another 100,000 or more people go silent on such an important subject. So I dove into the judicial races.

Share this video far and wide!

1. Bullies created sexually explicit images of student with AI. An Asheville private school allowed it, lawsuit says. Click here

“The lawsuit alleges acts of bullying included creating AI-generated, sexually explicit imagery of the student and sending the boy’s personal information to a known pedophile.”

2. Michelin Guide lauds North Carolina restaurants. Click here

“North Carolina restaurants show out in a new Michelin Guide to the American South. Plus, early voting surges and a big jobs announcement.”

3. Opinion: NC’s last-minute voting change threatens thousands of mail ballots, but they can be fixed. Click here

“The statewide rate is 5.8%, but it is much higher – 7.5% – for ballots processed in the 21 counties where Black and other voters of color comprise a third or more of the registered voters.”

4. Video: Charlotte man says he was held at gunpoint by ICE. Click here

“‘I’ve seen all over the country that they’re not looking for criminals; they’re looking for people with my skin color—whether you call it brown, Latino, or Hispanic,’ Portillo told reporters.”

Photo by Zack Brame on Unsplash

When we played this game last week, I included a photo that was sure to light up our hiking enthusiasts. 

Indeed, that photo was of Triple Falls in DuPont Forest. The fastest to get it right was C&P reader Mike Hawkins. Thanks for playing, Mike!

Where are we this week, NC?

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. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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