Below, we’ve got a big Asheville controversy and everything to know about NC waterparks this year, but first:

We started this newsletter in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, like you, I’m still a little traumatized from the whole thing. 

Which is why I sat up and paid attention when word started spreading about a dangerous variation of the hantavirus, including the news that a North Carolinian was on a cruise ship carrying infected passengers.

But should North Carolinians be freaking out about it? Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy has the facts.

A hospital in Argentina, where the recent hantavirus outbreak is believed to have originated. (AP Photo/Euge Neme)

Facts, not fear, y’all. Share this story with your friends and family. 

Here’s what else is in today’s C&P newsletter: 

Cardinal & Pine reader Robin brings you this lovely splash of color from Clayton.

Do you have a view from NC to share? Send it our way!

Lewis Cantwell, owner of Moon & Root Apothecary, poses for a portrait inside the business along College Street in downtown Asheville on May 13, 2026. (USA Today via Reuters)

This story has a lot of folks feeling some kind of way in western NC. 

A North Carolina man recently opened a new apothecary in downtown Asheville. Soon after, word spread that he was convicted for his part in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol in Washington, DC. 

Some locals in Asheville are mad about it.

1. He’s a Democrat in Trump country. He says his party became ‘too urban.’ Washington Post

“Candidate Jamie Ager is distancing himself from the national party.”

2. Taxes, farms, unions targeted in proposed constitutional amendments. NC lawmakers to weigh in. WRAL

“The amendments would cap the state income tax at 3.5% as proposed in Senate Bill 1080; protect the “right to farm” as proposed in Senate Bill 1081; and protect the “right to work” as proposed in Senate Bill 1082.”

3. Cooper leads Whatley, Earls leads Stevens. Politics NC

“Carolina Forward is out with a poll this morning that should make Democrats in North Carolina happy.”

4. NC families with disabled children press lawmakers to maintain funding as federal Medicaid cuts loom. NC Health News

“Family members and home care advocates worked the legislative hallways last week. They were seeking better pay for home health aides, nurses and advocating for continued service levels for disabled and medically fragile people.”

(Wet ‘n Wild Emerald Pointe Instagram)

We have come to it. 

The temperature is soaring across North Carolina. And we can expect many more days like this in the weeks to come. Which makes this the perfect time to get some info about NC’s best water parks. 

From opening day to the price of tickets and season passes, we have everything you need to know. 

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 Michael McElroy, Chaunie Brusie, and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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