None of this matters very much if we don’t vote.

My take: Voting is the thing that makes powerful people give a damn about basic “Joe Schmoes” like me. They might not want to listen to us, but when we show up, they have to.

This year is going to be an enormous one for showing up. We’ve heard that every couple of years for the last decade or more. But just because we’ve heard that message on repeat doesn’t make it any less true.

“Showing up” began today in North Carolina, with early voting kicking off for the March 3 primary. Here are the dates to know:

For a fast rundown of the important storylines, check out this from NC Newsline.

An election worker in 2024 in Raleigh. Early voting begins Thursday, Feb. 12, in the 2026 NC primaries. Here’s what to watch for. (Wileydoc via Shutterstock)

I like to think of Cardinal & Pine readers as the coolest people on the planet. Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter: 

A brief correction: In Wednesday’s email, I accidentally typed “bullfighting” when I meant to say “bull riding” at this week’s rodeo in Raleigh. Shout out to eagle-eyed Cardinal & Pine reader Nancy Parsons for spotting the error. 

Points for you if you can spot the brilliantly camouflaged American woodcock. Cardinal & Pine reader Michael Wienholt photographed this woodcock at Blue Jay Point County Park in Wake County. 

Fun fact: Audubon Magazine says that people have been known to call this bird a hokumpoke, bogsucker, or timberdoodle, among other fantastic nicknames. 😂

Take this information and store it away for a rainy day.

(Video via Jessica F. Simmons/Cardinal & Pine)

North Carolina, like most states in the South, passed a lot of new voting laws at the turn of the 20th century. 

The point was to eliminate the Black voter. States like NC that had a large population of formerly enslaved people and their descendants saw a power shift coming without these laws, which we’ve since come to call “Jim Crow” laws. 

One of the holdovers from that era was a law denying the right to vote for people convicted of crimes. It was an era when Black folks were arrested for all sorts of trumped-up charges—like, for instance, loitering. 

Today, people convicted of a felony are still excluded from voting until they finish serving their time. Not everyone who gets out gets back on the rolls. Cardinal & Pine’s Jessica F. Simmons, who’s been reporting on local voting drives, spoke recently with a Rocky Mount man about his efforts to vote following his incarceration. 

1. A new Helene documentary premieres in North Carolina this weekend. USA Today via Reuters

“A new Helene documentary, ‘Air Angels: Flight Helene,’ tells the story of North Carolina residents who used their private planes and resources to help out after Helene devastated western NC.”

2. Will it be a warm spring in NC? See NOAA 2026 long-range forecast. USA Today via Reuters

“Just over a month before the official start of spring, here’s what weather forecasters are predicting for NC.”

3. 1,700-pound great white shark named Contender spotted off North Carolina coast. CBS News

“Contender was tagged by (a) research group in January 2025. He weighs nearly 1,700 pounds and measures over 13 feet long.”

Emily Witherspoon holds a copy of The Intersection newspaper during an interview with the Asheville Citizen Times outside the Buncombe County Courthouse in Asheville on Dec. 2, 2025. (USA Today via Reuters)

Here’s an incredible story. 

Sarah Honosky of the Asheville Citizen Times reported this week on the formation of a street newspaper written and distributed by local homeless folks and other people dealing with extreme poverty. 

There’s a small team of writers and vendors for The Intersection. It was produced by 12 Baskets Café, which is part of an anti-poverty initiative in Asheville. 

They want the paper to be a resource for local people who are living in poverty, and they hope it helps others see another side of their local community. 

“I spent two years on the street, and I work every day — three years later — to not feel invisible,” one of The Intersection’s reporters told the Asheville Citizen Times. 

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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 content from NC Newsline, Jessica F. Simmons, and USA Today via Reuters. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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