I traveled abroad for my vacation, but it was a delight to see the familiar greens and blues of North Carolina as we landed in Raleigh. 

As summer winds down, the kids are getting ready for school, the heat index is tapering, and the grocery store—ridiculously—is pushing pumpkin spice stuff. 

It’s also Friday, which means it’s time for our always-popular good news roundup. Today, we lead with a Cary high school student who’s doing some extraordinary things.

Jamie Cheng, who goes to Green Level High in Wake County, is one of just 21 students nationwide who won a $25,000 scholarship to continue her research. 

Cheng wants to reverse the aging of certain cells that contribute to cardiovascular disease. If she’s successful, that would be revolutionary. Good luck and godspeed, Jamie. For that story and more good news from NC, click here. 

Cary high schooler Jamie Cheng doing her thing in the lab. (Courtesy Davidson Institute)

Happy Friday to all of our friends on the coast, the Piedmont, and in the mountains. Here’s what you’ll find in today’s newsletter: 

A beautiful western NC sunset, courtesy of Cardinal & Pine reader Anne Renihan. Send us your view from NC by clicking the button. 😀

(Dylan Rhoney/Cardinal & Pine)

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene turned the French Broad River, a source of life and income in western NC, into a killer. 

The western NC town of Marshall is one of many in the region still looking for a comeback. 

Cardinal & Pine’s Dylan Rhoney took a look this week at economic recovery in Marshall, speaking with four local business owners about what comes next. “We had to start from scratch,” one local told us. 

1. US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to speak at North Carolina A&T on Sept. 3. NC A&T

“The first African American woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States will speak at … America’s largest and leading historically Black university.”

2. As Hurricane Erin moves away from NC, dangerous surf still possible for Wilmington area. Wilmington Star-News

“Several beach towns in the Wilmington area have issued advisories asking people not to go swimming. Farther up the North Carolina coast, some areas of the Outer Banks have been evacuated.”

3. North Carolina gerrymandering case led to redistricting battle in Texas, and perhaps beyond. WUNC

“Bob Phillips mused that if the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled definitively in his organization’s favor, we would not be ‘seeing this kind of arms race at the moment.’”

(Elijah Mears on Unsplash)

No disrespect to the shiny, new theaters out there, we love the historic local ones you’ll find across our state. 

Be the first to tell us where this one is located and you’ll get a shout-out in this space next week, NC. 

Do you or your company want to support Cardinal & Pine’s mission and showcase your products or services to an engaged audience of more than 200,000 subscribers at the same time?

Email advertise@couriernewsroom.com for more information.

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.