We’ll begin this Friday’s edition with good news. 

Cardinal & Pine is bringing back “Good News Friday,” a weekly roundup of positive news stories across the state. 

And topping the list is the return of the NC Blueberry Festival, which kicks off today in Burgaw. This free festival features music, a pie-eating contest, and the finest local blueberries. 

Check it out.

The blueberry pie-eating contest returns to the 2025 Blueberry Festival. (Photo via NC Blueberry Festival)

Happy Friday, North Carolina. Let’s check out today’s news: 

North Carolina then-Attorney General Josh Stein, now Governor, speaks at a rally at Bicentennial Plaza put on by Planned Parenthood South Atlantic in response to a bill before the North Carolina Legislature, Wednesday, May 3, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

Dr. Beverly Gray is an OB-GYN at Duke University. She says that, a couple times a month, patients come to her office or are referred to her office because abortion care might be necessary to save their lives. 

But President Trump’s removal of a Biden-era directive to hospitals might endanger those patients, she told Cardinal & Pine this week. 

The Biden rule was issued in 2022 after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.  It directed hospitals to provide emergency or life-saving abortions if they had to. 

Recently, Trump withdrew that guidance. The concern is that, in states like North Carolina, which has a 12-week abortion ban in place, doctors might hesitate now when they should act to save the life of a pregnant woman. 

“If there’s an emergency situation and an abortion is necessary to stabilize the patient, then that care should be provided,” Gray said. “So whenever new guidance comes out, it can create confusion, even in states where there are protections.”

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein also sharply criticized the move, calling it “profoundly troubling.” 

Summer fun at Nantahala Outdoor Center, one of eight picks for ways to stay cool in western North Carolina without breaking the bank. (Photo via USA Today Network)

Summer is officially here, North Carolina. 

The bad news is that the hot and sticky weather came with it. The good news is there are a lot of ways to beat that summer heat without breaking the bank in the process.

This week, we published a list of ways to do that in western North Carolina, with white water rafting at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, sight-seeing at Catawba Falls, fun for the family at Asheville Splasheville, and more. Check it out by clicking below.

1. AAA predicts record 2.3 million North Carolina residents to travel for Fourth of July. WLOS-ABC

“This figure, according to the automobile association, represents an increase of 79,000, or 1%, from 2024 travel.”

2. Pilot killed in small plane crash in North Carolina raised a wheel to avoid a turtle, NTSB says. WRAL

“The pilot of the Universal Stinson 108 and a passenger were killed in the June 3 crash near Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville, officials said. A second passenger was seriously injured in the crash.”

3. What will happen if the United States bombs Iran? Popular Information

“Trump campaigned as a peacemaker, promising to ‘end the endless foreign wars.’ Less than six months into his presidency, things have changed.”

Shutterstock

Last week’s edition was a big challenge.

You said places like Davidson, Edenton, Sylva, and Wake Forest. But the right answer, as correctly identified by Cardinal & Pine reader Gary Sanders, is the lovely city of Hickory, which often places on national lists of the best places to live.

In fact, in 2023, Travel & Leisure declared Hickory among the “most beautiful and affordable places” to live in the U.S. 

This week, we have another of North Carolina’s finest destinations, featuring one of its wild, four-legged dwellers. 

Where are we in NC? Be the first to write me and get a shout-out here next week.  

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m a NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Cardinal & Pine is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

Send us your feedback and news tips to info@cardinalpine.com