“Good News Friday” will return next week. We can’t wait. But in the meantime, here’s a good story to tide us over. 

Rico Dowdle, if you don’t know him, is an NFL player who grew up in Asheville. He plays for the Carolina Panthers. Until a few weeks ago, he was a kind-of unknown, but he’s been tearing it up on the field. 

Last week, he celebrated a touchdown by imitating Key & Peele’s hilarious “two pumps” sketch, in which a dancing football player is penalized for doing his pelvic thrust dance one too many times.  

Dowdle did his own rendition. He landed a penalty flag and then a fine from the NFL. A $14,491 fine to be exact. 

This week, Dowdle turned the story into something swell, starting a fundraiser for the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, which helps children find an adopted family. As of Friday afternoon, it had raised more than $25,000.

“I’m kind of surprised (by the money that has been raised), but not really, because there are a lot of people in the world that have good hearts,” Dowdle said. Check it out.

Panthers running back Rico Dowdle made us laugh last week and then made us saw “aww.” (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Thank you Friday. You’re looking beautiful. Here’s what’s in today’s Cardinal & Pine newsletter: 

Here’s an absolutely gorgeous shot from Jordan Creek in Beaufort County.

Thanks to reader Carolyn Halpern for sharing. Send us your photos, NC!

Demonstrators approach the Legislative Building during a rally protesting a proposed election redistricting map Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

Sometimes elections are a mixed bag. They offer no obvious thesis.

Not so for this week’s elections. Hundreds of local communities held their elections and in NC, like the rest of the country, it was a bad night for Republican incumbents. 

Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy sifted through the results, highlighted the most interesting ones, and offered this thought: 

“Good nights in off-year municipal elections often have brief resonance, and the political realities in North Carolina make it harder to tell if Tuesday’s results were a typical voter reflex against an unpopular president or a sign of rising momentum that will endure through the 2026 midterms, where nearly every race in North Carolina will be as high-stakes and high-profile as they come.”

For more on this week’s outcomes, click below.

1. Charlotte airport one of 40 facing cancellations, delays amid government shutdown. Associated Press

“The strain of the government shutdown is forcing dozens of American airports, including the Charlotte airport, to delay or cancel flights. Here’s why.”

2. New data show Wilmington is one of the fastest-growing cities in NC. USA Today via Reuters

“NC recorded the fourth fastest-growing population in the United States, and the Port City of Wilmington was among the fastest growing in the state.”

3. North Carolinians saw partial SNAP payments come in but it’s not enough, AG Jackson says. WRAL

“Attorney General Jeff Jackson said that after ‘winning’ the lawsuit against the USDA, his department is seeking to bring the case to court again to have the agency issue the full payment after it agreed to issue 50% of the payments.”

4. High turnout for NC municipal elections as voters make themselves heard. Carolina Public Press

“Turnout was up from previous municipal elections Tuesday. That’s not saying much. From 2015 to 2023, municipal turnout ranged from 14% to 17% of registered voters. Tuesday, more than 19% of registered voters turned out.”

Where are we, NC? (Chansak Joe via Shutterstock)

I thought I had you last week. 

Many of you correctly named the Beaufort old burial ground. The fastest was David Whitehead in Greensboro. Color me impressed.

This week’s spot is an excellent one for anyone who enjoys our state’s higher elevations. Where are we? 

Reach 200,000+ North Carolinians who care about their communities! Sponsor Cardinal & Pine’s Dec. 6 Special Edition, “How to Get Involved and Give Back this Holiday Season.” Book by Nov. 21, 2025, and save 20% off your placement.

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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 the Associated Press, Michael McElroy, and USA Today via Reuters. It was edited by Brook Bolen.

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