We begin with the big news.

Sunday night, we learned that some Democrats have agreed to a plan to reopen the government. It’s a small number—seven Democrats and one independent who tends to vote with Democrats—but it’s enough to probably end the shutdown.

For federal employees, travelers, and anyone who depends on SNAP to buy their groceries, it’s good news. But it also pushes off any deal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, which is what the shutdown was about to begin with.

Without any action on subsidies or a reversal of Medicaid cuts passed in this year’s “One, Big Beautiful Bill”—and Democrats are foregoing their last bit of real leverage on that—here’s what will happen:

Hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians will lose Medicaid. Another 157,000 would likely lose ACA coverage. And those people who keep coverage through the ACA will see their premiums double, triple, or even quadruple.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Now, we want your 2 cents. Tell us what you think of the shutdown deal. Is it good news? Bad news? Why? 

Give us your name and where you’re writing from in NC to be included in a future Cardinal & Pine newsletter.

A brief note: Cardinal & Pine will be off Tuesday to celebrate Veterans Day, a day that means a whole lot to us here in NC (and, as a military brat, a lot to me personally). 

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s email: 

Kites are one of the most delightful things on the planet. 

Cardinal & Pine reader Mickie Walsh sent us this photo from the NC Kite Festival this past weekend at Fort Fisher. Thanks, Mickie!

@cardinalandpine YouTube

Cardinal & Pine’s Alexis Lawson, a former K-5 educator, has been taking a look at banned books in NC. 

That list includes classics from writers like Toni Morrison. Make sure to follow Cardinal & Pine on YouTube to get more like this. 

You can also catch old episodes of “Billy Ball Explains NC” right here. The latest episode premieres Wednesday on Cardinal & Pine’s YouTube channel. It focuses on what North Carolinians can take from last week’s municipal elections across America. It’s not what you think. 

1. Trump renews Supreme Court push to keep SNAP payments frozen. The Associated Press

“The request is the latest in a flurry of legal activity over how a program that helps buy groceries for 42 million Americans should proceed during the U.S. government shutdown.”

2. Scott Nurkin is painting the story of North Carolina’s musical history. WUNC

“John Coltrane, Nina Simone, Earl Scruggs, and Elizabeth Cotten: Muralist Scott Nurkin is putting in the work to make sure their names and faces are front of mind in their home towns.”

3. NC farmers prepare crops for a big temperature drop this week. CBS-17

As the coldest air of the season approaches, and with it the potential for snow out west, NC farms brace themselves. 

Gayle Bedsole, owner of Cheers Too in Fayetteville, runs two of the most popular dive bars in the eastern NC city. (USA Today via Reuters)

Dive bars hold a special place in my heart. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather drink a beer at a seedy bar owned by a local person than post up at a Cheesecake Factory. 

The conversation and the drink specials are better. 

The Fayetteville Observer recently published a look at how two of the most popular dives in that eastern NC city are run by the same person. 

Gayle Bedsole is the owner of Cheers Too, and she co-owns Louie’s Sports Pub.

Bedsole, who’s 73, has lived in Fayetteville since she was a child. She got into the bar business a little differently than most, taking over Cheers Too following the death of her husband in 2009.

“Nobody would hire me at 57 years old, and I was too young to retire, so I better figure out the bar business real quick,” she told the Observer.

Keep serving, Gayle. Check out the story here or by clicking the button below. 

Reach 200,000+ North Carolinians who care about their communities! Sponsor Cardinal & Pine’s Dec. 6 Special Edition, “How to Get Involved and Give Back this Holiday Season.” Book by Nov. 21, 2025, and save 20% off your placement.

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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 The Associated Press, Alexis Lawson, and USA Today via Reuters. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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