Here’s an important piece of reporting from Inside Climate News.

Environmentalists in NC—and regular non-advocacy types who, ya know, don’t like toxic water—have been worried about the prevalence of PFAS, a group of human-made compounds that can be harmful to people. 

According to Inside Climate News’ NC reporter, Lisa Sorg, there’s been less concern about a type of PFAS called TFA, which has been found in large quantities in eastern NC. But that may be changing. 

In October, researchers at NC State and UNC released the results of a new study based on blood samples collected in the Wilmington area.

“All of the blood samples contained at least one of 34 toxic chemicals known as PFAS,” Sorg wrote, “including some used in fluorochemical manufacturing at Chemours, 80 miles upstream in Fayetteville. More than three-quarters of the Wilmington blood samples contained elevated levels of TFA, whose health and environmental effects aren’t fully understood.”

PFAS polluters like Chemours say TFA is not a health concern, but the new study argues that it is at high levels. This is a must-read.

Jane Hoppin, an environmental epidemiologist at NC State University, stands for a portrait at her campus office in Raleigh, NC, on Dec. 9, 2025. (Cornell Watson for Inside Climate Central)

ICYMI, we dove into PFAS in one of the first episodes of “Billy Ball Explains NC.” You can watch that explainer here. 

Here’s what’s in today’s Cardinal & Pine newsletter:

It’s been a cold, cold week across NC, and we’re not yet to winter. 

Cardinal & Pine reader Laurie Weiner snapped this snowy landscape in Boone. I’m loving the contrast between the shade and the sun. Thanks, Laurie!

Cardinal & Pine is here to give North Carolinians straightforward, easy-to-understand reporting about what’s happening across the state. As our year-end drive continues through Dec. 16, reader support shapes what we’re able to cover in the year ahead.

Your contribution keeps this work free for everyone who turns to us.

Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy reports that NC’s senators, Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, have joined nearly all their fellow US Senate Republicans in voting against a bill to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

The subsidies, which were passed during the pandemic, led to a surge in ACA marketplace sign-ups, especially in the South. Without them, ACA premiums are expected to soar in 2026, impacting nearly a million NC residents.

You might recall that this fall’s government shutdown was chiefly about subsidies.

The Senate vote this week highlights the minimal chances that Congress will extend the ACA subsidies before the end of the year. They expire at the end of December.

The nonpartisan healthcare researchers at KFF estimated that about 157,000 North Carolinians will lose their coverage because of the loss of subsidies. For more on this story, click below. 

1. Law enforcement isn’t supposed to act like this. The Living South

“There is no reason to believe in ICE and Border Patrol in the way we might our local cops. Their power is derived not just from guns and uniforms, but from a bargain with the people they serve. They are supposed to protect and serve within certain boundaries. The boundaries are gone. The bargain is broken.”

2. Tips to avoid scams during the holiday season. Public News Service

“Scammers are kicking their operations into high gear for the holidays and consumers in North Carolina and across the country should be on high alert.”

3. Border Patrol left Charlotte. The damage stayed behind. NPR

“As Charlotte’s immigrant communities regroup from what felt like a whiplash operation last month, they’re finding that its impacts on their lives and their city have endured, and could last a long time.”

4. Progressive groups back a new recruit in North Carolina in their push to oust incumbent House Democrats. NBC News

“Nida Allam launched her campaign against Rep. Valerie Foushee with endorsements from multiple groups, signaling a more organized effort to take on incumbent Democrats.”

Ride down the ice slide at the Ice Extravaganza in Maggie Valley. (Visit Haywood)

Here’s some more winter fun for you.

Cardinal & Pine contributor Vanessa Infanzon has a new guide to Haywood County’s upcoming Ice Fest. Now in its fourth year, this Maggie Valley festival features loads of winter sports, ice skating, ice sculptures, ice slides, icy jazz, icy drinks, and lots of other icy things.

Infanzon offers not just a guide to the Jan. 29 – Feb. 1 festival, but tips for how to shop, eat, and find lodging in one of Haywood County’s biggest tourist attractions. Check it out.

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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 Inside Climate News, Michael McElroy, and Vanessa Infanzon. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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