It’s the first Friday of 2024.

Can you believe it? Me neither. 

If you’ve struggled to get back into the swing of things this first week of the year, we get it. (In fact, we get it so much that we asked our reporter Leah to look into cheap direct flights to get out of NC for the weekend.) And now parts of North Carolina are expected to be impacted by a winter storm? It’s like the universe is telling us to go back to bed.

Here’s what we have in today’s newsletter:

Have a good weekend, NC, and stay warm.

PS:  A quick reminder that Saturday is the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack at the US Capitol. In Monday’s edition, we’ll have a story from our own Michael McElroy about the role NC Republicans played in the lies that fueled the violent attack that threatened democracy and the peaceful transfer of power.

[Image via Shutterstock]

As of Jan. 1, the nation’s three major insulin makers are all officially offering price caps and savings programs to lower the cost of some of their most widely used insulin products to only $35 per month.

The price cuts are expected to benefit many of the roughly 8.4 million Americans who need insulin to survive. In North Carolina, 12.3% of the adult population has diagnosed diabetes, including hundreds of thousands of people who rely on insulin. 

The changes went into effect this year, but are probably a response to a provision in President Biden’s 2021 American Rescue Plan, which threatened to penalize the companies if they kept prices high.

[Image via screenshot]

📍Cary
NC Chinese Lantern Festival
Now – Jan. 14  

Don’t miss the NC Chinese Lantern Festival, open for only two more weekends!

The Koka Booth Ampitheatre is hosting the lantern festival for the 8th year, and is proud to show cultural performances every night along with 40 new light displays.

C&P reporter Leah Sherrell went last weekend and recommends the twilight ticket entry at 4:30 p.m. to avoid the crowds and watch as the lanterns start lighting up the amphitheater. 

[Image via screenshot]

The nation’s largest movie theater chain apologized recently after employees called police on NC civil rights leader Rev. William Barber II for using his own chair in a Greenville theater. He was there to see “The Color Purple.”

During an hourlong news conference last week, Barber spoke in support of people with disabilities and the need for businesses to provide the accommodations required under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“I know that if I cannot sit in my chair in a theater in Greenville, North Carolina …. that there are thousands of other people who will be excluded from public spaces in this nation,” he said.

AMC apologized in a written statement, saying it welcomes and works hard to accommodate guests with disabilities, local media reported. “We are also reviewing our policies with our theater teams to help ensure situations like this do not occur again,” the statement said.

[Photo via North Carolina Highway Historical Markers Program]

An important glass ceiling was shattered on this day in 1921.

Lillian Exum Clement was a trailblazing figure in NC history, recognized as the first woman to serve in the NC General Assembly and the first woman in the South to hold legislative office. Her election in 1920—she was 26 at the time!—marked a significant milestone, paving the way for women’s participation in state politics. She took her seat in the state House on Jan. 5, 1921. 

Fun fact: Clement was nominated two months before the 19th Amendment granted her and all women the right to vote.

Thanks for being such a loyal reader of our newsletter. As we look to grow our community in North Carolina, we could use your help.

Let your friends & family know about Cardinal & Pine by sharing your referral link below!

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. 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