A few years back, I covered the prominent civil rights leader Bishop William Barber II when he came to eastern NC.

Barber was speaking on behalf of the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. He talked about the enormous changes that we’d see if turnout among low-income voters increased by just a few percentage points. Especially in a state like North Carolina. 

Cardinal & Pine’s Jessica F. Simmons has new reporting on Barber’s new four-day voting initiative, which he’s calling “This is our Selma”—a reference to the 1965 Alabama marches that inspired the Voting Rights Act.

Early voting in the 2026 primaries begins Thursday, Feb. 12, in NC. “This is our Selma,” begins the day before. Organizers will march from the Saint James Christian Church in Wilson to the state Capitol building in Raleigh. After that, things really heat up. Don’t miss this story. 

Bishop William Barber II has a new voting initiative aimed at supercharging turnout among low-income North Carolinians. (Repairers of the Breach)

Thanks for reading this newsletter. Share it with everyone you know, y’all. Here’s what’s in it today: 

Cardinal & Pine reader Heather Sanford clearly had some choice seats at the UNC-Duke game Saturday, an instant classic that ended with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

One of the most important political developments of 2025 was actually something that didn’t happen. 

In the latest “Bad Medicine” story, Cardinal & Pine reporter Dylan Rhoney takes a look at the lapse in Affordable Care Act subsidies. Those subsidies played an enormous part in driving down the rate of uninsured people in rural places. 

The loss of subsidies was expected to make health care premiums skyrocket for many. We spoke with a doctor in rural Halifax County, where nearly 1 in 4 residents live below the poverty line. He told us what he’s seeing. 

More from Cardinal & Pine’s Bad Medicine:

1. What we’re getting wrong about that Bad Bunny halftime show. The Living South

“Sure, the show was in Spanish. But anyone who saw this as something foreign doesn’t know the country around us. There are more than 2 million Puerto Ricans living in the South, including about 150,000 in NC.”

2. Stein, Republican NC lawmakers square off over control of elections. WRAL

“The North Carolina Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a case that could determine which political party is in charge of setting the rules for and confirming the results of the state’s elections.”

3. The whistleblower, the Forest Service, and an endless battle in North Carolina’s mountains. Mountain XPress

“In a 277-page document shared in December with five Native American tribes, Scott Ashcraft, retired U.S. Forest Service archaeologist for the Pisgah National Forest, accused his former employer of failing to protect sites of cultural importance and systemically keeping tribal agencies and the public in the dark.” 

Monk Bhikkhu Pannakara waves as Buddhist monks who are participating in a Walk For Peace walk through a neighborhood on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

If there was a universally beloved story in the first month of 2026, it was the Buddhist monks making an arduous “Walk for Peace” from Texas to Washington, including stops in North Carolina.

On Tuesday, they finally arrived in DC. They were greeted by large crowds in the nation’s capital as they crossed the Potomac.

No, this didn’t happen in North Carolina. But yes, these monks made a large impact on the people living in this state.

For the latest on the monks’ journey, and where they go from here, tap here or on the button below.

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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 content from Jessica F. Simmons, Dylan Rhoney, Michael McElroy, and The Associated Press. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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