The first day of spring is next week, but we’re not waiting.

Today, we published a look at upcoming North Carolina flower festivals. If you don’t know what a flower festival is, it is what it sounds like:

Local communities holding parties and festivals to celebrate spring’s arrival.

There’s something about spring that resonates with people. It’s beautiful, it feels good outside, and it signals the start of the warm season.

Our guide to flower festivals begins March 19 with Art in Bloom, a five-day floral festival raising money for the NC Museum of Art. 

Then there’s Biltmore Blooms in Asheville, a two-month celebration of the 100,000 or so flowers that will be popping out and showing off from March 21 through May 22 at Biltmore Estate.

Check out our flower festival guide by clicking here or on the image below. And make sure to share it too. That’s how we grow!

The Rodin Courtyard, located in the North Carolina Museum of Art. (Joe Wolf/CC BY-ND 2.0)

At long last, Friday is here. Let’s get to the news: 

Give Congressman Chuck Edwards credit. When many Republicans are backing away from Town Hall-style meetups with their constituents, many of whom are angry about President Trump’s policies, Edwards showed up to an event in Asheville Thursday night. 

He got an earful too. Thousands protested outside the auditorium, and inside, things weren’t any quieter. 

One veteran was escorted out after blasting Edwards and Republicans for Trump and Elon Musk’s plan to cut staff and contracts for Veteran Affairs, the federal agency tasked with caring for the nation’s service members.  

Afterward, that veteran, a North Carolinian named Jay Carey, talked about it. “I depend on the VA for my health care, as do many other people here,” he said. “I feel like what’s been happening within the government, we’re not being represented equally.” 

At press time, Cardinal & Pine was also covering a demonstration of North Carolina veterans in Raleigh. Keep an eye on our social media pages for the latest. 

@cardinalandpine on Instagram

Republicans in Congress recently passed a budget that includes trillions of dollars in tax cuts, disproportionately favoring the wealthy. 

As Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy explains, those cuts can’t happen without cuts to Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that helps people of modest means get health care. 

We’re not sure how that will be administered at the state level. In North Carolina, state lawmakers agreed last year to expand Medicaid services to about 600,000 people who couldn’t get it before, so it’s fair to ask whether those folks will be affected. 

To get a breakdown of the latest on this important story, click the button below. 

1. Duke will play UNC-Chapel Hill in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte. Axios

It’s the matchup sports fans dream of — Duke vs. North Carolina. And it begins at 7 pm Friday night.

2. Plane crashes near Pitt-Greenville Airport, no survivors, North Carolina troopers say. WXII-NBC

Officials said the plane crashed on Friday morning near the Pitt-Greenville Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said two people were on board the aircraft.

3. Martin County seeks operator to bring rural hospital back to life. NC Health News

First-in-the-nation effort to reopen a shuttered medical center as a Rural Emergency Hospital moves closer to finish line.

4. North Carolina signs contract with Musk’s SpaceX to buy Starlink products, fill internet gaps. NC Newsline

Starlink is a satellite internet service company owned by SpaceX and Musk. The company sells mobile kits that connect to orbiting satellites; they were widely used in western North Carolina during the early days after Hurricane Helene.

Shutterstock

Last week, we took you to the mountains, and Cardinal & Pine reader Karl Schlatzer took just a couple minutes to identify it as Blowing Rock. 

Nicely done, Karl. 

This week’s challenge is going to be a little tougher. We’ll give you a hint. Since 1989, this eastern North Carolina park has been a destination for garden-lovers who like to watch things bloom. 

Tell us where it is. First one to get it right gets 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