In middle school, I obsessively read and re-read the book “Jurassic Park,” which was, of course, a huge summer blockbuster in 1993.

To be honest, I still haven’t kicked my fascination with the velociraptor, which, unfortunately, isn’t as smart as they were depicted in the books and the movies. Those dinos were opening doors in the movie, but in reality, they were probably only about as smart as an ostrich. 

No disrespect to the big bird, but they literally put their head in a hole when they’re scared. 😂

All this to say that Graham, North Carolina’s 4th annual “Dino Days Festival” lit up my heart. The Alamance County festival, which runs from noon to 7 pm Saturday, got its start because of a guy who likes to wear inflatable dinosaur costumes. Don’t we all? 

It features a “best dressed” dinosaur contest and a dino-nugget eating contest, so I’ll see you there. More details by clicking the image below. 

This festival “bites.” Get it?? (Photo via Visit NC)

Friday,  you’re looking like a million bucks. Here’s today’s news: 

The National Weather Service is estimating a 40-50% chance that this summer will be hotter than usual, Coastal Review reported this week. 

In other words, it’s not a certainly but it’s not nothing. And North Carolina, which is experiencing increasingly hot and dry spells as the climate warms, is no stranger to heat to begin with. 

Gov. Josh Stein had some things to say this week about the state’s ability to respond to heat waves. Stein said federal cuts to the CDC and the EPA will limit local heat-related programs.

To put it in perspective, in North Carolina there were more than 4,600 trips to the emergency room in the summer of 2024 because of heat illnesses, which was about a 20% increase from 2023. 

The state Department of Health and Human Services told Coastal Review that the cuts “have put environmental health services that support clean drinking water, childhood lead poisoning prevention, food safety, and monitoring of environmental health and climate data at risk at the state and local levels.”

The Trump administration says their cuts are reducing government waste, but state officials say it will impact real people. For more on this story, go here. 

Downtown in Williamston, NC. Rural communities that are struggling to bring in medical care practitioners could benefit from a new program offering loan repayment for local physicians. (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Small towns in North Carolina are having a hard time getting doctors. 

It’s a chronic issue for rural communities, where the pay at independent family practices can’t keep up with pay in urban areas. Combine that with the expense of going to medical school and “Houston, we have a problem.” 

It matters because about a third of North Carolina’s population is looking for healthcare in these areas.

A new state program funded by the North Carolina legislature will hope to help. It’s called the NC Primary Care Physician Incentive Program. 

Here’s how it works:

Physicians can get medical school loans repaid if they commit to working in economically distressed counties. Awards will be given to doctors who work in family medicine, pediatrics, surgery, psychiatry, obstetrics/gynecology, and more. Check it out.

1. North Carolina governor addresses DMV challenges, calls for improvements. WLOS

“The DMV has recently faced criticism from drivers due to long wait times, limited appointment availability and technology issues at several service centers.”

2. Tyrone Mason’s Family, Lawyers and Local Activists Speak Out Against Wake DA’s Decision Not to Charge Troopers Who Lied About Fatal Crash. Indy Week

“At a press conference Thursday, lawyers for the Mason family, which has filed a federal lawsuit against one of the troopers, said they were adding a notice of claim against Raleigh PD for its negligence in investigating the crash.”

3. Medicaid work rule could burden NC agencies. NC Health News

“The possibility of North Carolinians who depend on Medicaid being subject to a work requirement to keep their coverage has grown more plausible with the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of a GOP-backed budget bill that includes the measure.”

 Brandon Griggs on Unsplash

Congrats to Cardinal & Pine reader Steve Pung who was the first to correctly identify Hatteras Village in last week’s edition. 

Steve, you have my respect.

This one is going to be really tricky. But I have faith in Cardinal & Pine readers to get it. First one to email me with the right answer gets a shout-out here next week!

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m a NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Cardinal & Pine is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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