This is not a sports newsletter, and if it were, it would be filled with college basketball.

But I’m saving this space today for the Carolina Panthers. In the last two to three years, they were the worst sports team I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen lots of little league games, y’all.

But this year, even when they lost, they left you with some hope. 

The Panthers nearly pulled off an epic upset Saturday against a lot of folks’ Super Bowl favorites. It was sort of like the end of the first “Rocky” movie. I mean, the dude lost. But you could walk away feeling like he sort of won. 

Here’s a look at how the Panthers went from being a joke with a bad punch to this year’s “Cathartic cats.” 

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker celebrates a touchdown during Saturday’s playoff home game against the Los Angeles Rams. (USA Today via Reuters)

Welcome back to the work week. How far away is spring? 

Here’s what’s in today’s Cardinal & Pine newsletter: 

A hearty “thank you” to Cardinal & Pine reader Jen St. Clair for this eye-opening view from the summit of Pilot Mountain. 

We want to see your neck of the woods, NC, so tap the button below. 

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson speaks during a press conference on the steps of the Haywood County Courthouse, April 14, 2025. NC is suing the Trump administration over $50 million in cuts to rural education grants. (USA Today via Reuters)

Students in North Carolina’s schools don’t just rely on them for classes. 

Oftentimes, as Cardinal & Pine correspondent Jessica F. Simmons writes, they rely on after-school programs, mental health counselors, and staff who connect families with food and transportation.

Now, many of those support networks could disappear with just weeks’ notice.

Simmons has a crucial report on the state’s lawsuit against a Trump administration plan to cut grant funding from the federal Full-Service Community Schools program (FSCS). 

In NC, millions of dollars in grants were expected to run through the next five years. Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s office says that the abrupt decision to cut them is “unlawful.” 

“Our kids deserve better,” Jackson said. “A surprise cut of nearly $50 million from rural schools, with virtually no notice and no allegation of misuse, is unlawful and harmful. The Department of Education approved these programs, allowed schools to build them, and now it’s trying to pull the rug out from under dozens of rural communities.”

1. NC commission advances PFAS testing rule for public review. Coastal Review

“Proposed rules that would require hundreds of industrial manufacturers and public sewer plants across the state to test the wastewater they discharge into rivers, creeks and streams for three types of PFAS and 1,4-dioxane will go out for public comment next month.”

2. Storm system brings chance of snow to western North Carolina this week. WLOS

“News 13 has issued a Weather Warn Day, from Wednesday evening through Thursday, for snow, leading to some slippery roads.”

3. Measles has ‘hit closer to home,’ Mecklenburg County public health director says. Axios

“Measles has been detected in the county’s wastewater, so Mecklenburg County Public Health is now providing free same-day vaccines to the community.”

4. Buddhist monks captivating US on ‘Walk for Peace’ to arrive in North Carolina. Spectrum News

“A group of Buddhist monks and their rescue dog are striding single file down country roads and highways across the South, captivating Americans nationwide and inspiring droves of locals to greet them along their route. On Thursday, Jan. 15, the group is expected to arrive in Charlotte, North Carolina.”

(Biltmore)

I know some of you are having a hard time letting go of the holidays. We can literally see the lights still in your yard. 😂

No judgment. I’m all for anything that keeps the mood in the gloomiest months of winter. Here’s one more chance to keep the spirit through the January doldrums. 

Cardinal & Pine contributor Ryan Pitkin points out in his new “3 things happening in NC” column that Asheville’s Biltmore will keep the lights on at its Antler Hill Village through mid-February. 

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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 USA Today via Reuters, Jessica F. Simmons, Coastal Review, and Ryan Pitkin. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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