Cardinal and Pine

Plus: Literal pirates in Greenville. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. It’s hardly breaking news that April 20, or “4/20,” is a holiday among marijuana-lovers.  Cannabis is on a lot of folks’ minds this week with the NC General Assembly returning to session. Below, Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy has a run-down of their…

Plus: Why ticket prices are about to take a dive. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. “We won.”  This week, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced that he and 33 other attorneys general—Democrats and Republicans—claimed victory in a major lawsuit against Live Nation.  Live Nation is the company that owns Ticketmaster. That will…

Plus: Your week in NC protests. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. We begin today with one of the most important elections of 2026.  This fall, it pits a former governor and attorney general, Roy Cooper, against a longtime GOP fundraiser, Michael Whatley.  Recently, the right-wing Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) announced that it is investing…

Plus: NC riverwalk makes top 10 in the US. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. If it’s Wednesday, we have a new Billy Ball Explains NC.  This week, I want to talk about gas prices. In politics, this is probably one of the dumbest subjects ever.  Presidents and lawmakers have limited power over what…

Plus: NC stars show out in WNBA Draft. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. North Carolina is one of only 10 states without a regulated adult-use marijuana market or medical marijuana program. Some state leaders are hoping to change that. We’ve published a new story on what changes are possible, and what North Carolina…

Plus: What Lumbee recognition means for southeastern NC Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. The 2026 elections in North Carolina are very much underway.  That means candidates, like Roy Cooper, are beginning their barnstorming. Cooper recently made stops in Fayetteville and Durham to kickstart his “Make Stuff Cost Less” tour.  Democrats are making the…

Plus: This ‘cult classic’ movie has NC roots?? Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. This week, we wrote about a weekend-long celebration of the Halifax Resolves. Today, we have more to celebrate. The historic Revolutionary War document, which announced North Carolina’s plans to declare independent from the British, is returning home for the first…

Plus: The week in protests in NC. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. In 2023, more than 60% of abortions in the United States were performed with medication.  Those numbers reflect a change in the way this medical procedure is done, with more people preferring this safe, at-home option. Indeed, the drug mifepristone has…

Plus: Educators protest Leandro decision. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. I’m no Luddite.  But if even the least disruptive predictions about artificial intelligence (AI) come true, we’re in the middle of a moment of great change.  So who are the leaders making plans for this new world? It might not be who you…

Plus: A full moon over Oak Island. 👀 Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. One of North Carolina’s top physicians has some advice for talking with someone who is worried about the safety of vaccines: Listen.  “My process as a provider has always been when a patient would come to me with certain information…