Below, we have an update on hemp and cannabis in NC, and a rundown on this weekend’s Apple Festival, but first: 

A new report on ICE activity in North Carolina has a few surprises. 

Federal officials insist that the immigration police force is targeting dangerous undocumented criminals, rather than the people working in your community and on the farms. 

But the data continue to tell a different story. 

A new report from the immigration advocacy group Siembra NC  says that the majority of the people arrested by ICE this year had no criminal record. 

C&P’s Dylan Rhoney writes that the analysis found around 66% of people had no prior record. Charlotte has been, by far, the most impacted city in the state, with more than 1,500 arrests in just over seven months.

Take a look at the numbers.

One important point here:

Lots of folks respond to this information by pointing out that, by virtue of being an undocumented immigrant, these folks are lawbreakers. True.

But in a recent Billy Ball Explains NC, I broke down the counterpoint to that. America’s citizenship process is very long, complicated, and can be expensive, taking a decade or more. 

And since President Trump returned to office in January 2025, ICE has been targeting and arresting people trying to obtain citizenship through the process. Watch the video here. 

Here’s what else you’ll find in today’s newsletter from Cardinal & Pine:

C&P reader Heather Sutton took this photo of a sunset rainbow in Newton Grove. 

Got a better View from NC? Send it to Cardinal & Pine!

Hemp plants grow at Franny’s Farmacy in Leicester, NC, on June 24, 2026. (USA Today via Reuters)

It’s been a rollercoaster ride for hemp in 2026. 

The industry is gaining steam in North Carolina, where various companies and stores are selling hemp products that can get you high. We wrote about some of the most popular THC-infused drinks here. 

Some folks are happy about hemp’s growth, no pun intended. But others point out that it’s mostly unregulated in NC, potentially endangering children and leaving the door open to stuff like this. 

Republicans in the NC General Assembly backed off on an outright ban in July. And this week, lawmakers in DC gave a one-month reprieve on a national ban. 

But what now in NC? Here’s what’s happening. 

More from Cardinal & Pine:

1. Fall colors to start soon in western North Carolina as autumn nears. WLOS

“Western Carolina University biology professor Kathy Mathews says the region’s diversity of trees and elevation help create a lengthy fall display.”

2. North Carolina joins push for microplastics testing in drinking water. WRAL

“North Carolina’s attorney general is urging the EPA to require public water systems to test for microplastics, which are excluded from its proposed monitoring plan.”

3. NC Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr. won’t seek reelection, opening door to chief justice run. WRAL

“Phil Berger Jr. won’t seek reelection to his associate justice seat on the NC Supreme Court in 2028, when the chief justice seat is also up. He hasn’t announced his next move but says he’s giving ‘serious thought’ to other ways to serve.”

4. Opinion: NC loves Roy Cooper. All GOP has is misinformation. USA Today

“It’s not surprising that Republicans could be both loud and wrong about their opponent’s record on crime. But this is politics at its ugliest.”

People browse apples from McConnell Farms at the Hendersonville Apple Festival, Aug. 30, 2024. (USA Today/Reuters)

It’s hard to keep a festival going for a year. Try doing it for 80 years. 

We’ve published a behind-the-scenes look at the 80th incarnation of the North Carolina Apple Festival in Hendersonville. 

This year’s festival is scheduled to run Friday-Sunday, with a parade Monday morning. 

Expect 10 varieties of the fruit that supposedly keeps the doctor away, including Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp, and Fuji. 

I’ve tried to grow apples. It’s hard. So give these people their props. 

For more on the festival, 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 Crystal Niforos.

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