Here’s a funny thing I learned today about the end of daylight saving time, which happens this Sunday. 

There are studies that show that, after losing that hour of sleep, people are more likely to have a car accident, slack off at work, or suffer a major medical event. 

As if we needed more reason to appreciate the value of sleep. 

We’ve rounded up some tips for pushing through this weekend’s sleep shift:

Wonder if that hour of sleep misses us as much as we miss it. (Shutterstock)

Honestly, I’m a big of the “spring forward” shift. Spring is the finest time in NC. An extra hour of daylight after work is welcome. 

There’s a lot of news to get to today:

A billboard criticizing Republican state Supreme Court candidate Jefferson Griffin is seen on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Marcia Morey is a former judge from North Carolina who sits in the NC General Assembly. 

This week, in an op-ed for us, Morey took some time to explain a bill she’s proposing that would return North Carolina to nonpartisan judicial elections — the idea being that judges should decide cases based on the law and the Constitution, not their party affiliation. 

It’ll help, Morey says, if you remove the “D” or the “R” from the candidates’ names on the ballots, and make them focus on issues. 

In the last two decades, the law has flipped back and forth over whether to make judicial races partisan. Republicans want the races to remain partisan; generally, Democrats are calling for them to be nonpartisan. 

“We should elect judges based on qualifications and merit,” Morey wrote in this week’s op-ed, “and not vote for a judicial candidate because they symbolically wear a Republican-red or Democrat-blue robe.”

Take a look. 

Photo courtesy of Getty Images/Unsplash.

North Carolina has a critical shortage in one key profession, and state health officials are hoping to change that with a $3 million investment. 

State officials say they want to add more professionals who can work closely with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

These folks are called direct support professionals, or DSPs. And a new state initiative will help to find, train, and keep them working with the people who need them. 

Take a look at the program by clicking the button below. 

North Carolina artist Andrea Renee Downs. (Photo courtesy of The Laundry Line)

This week, Cardinal & Pine’s Jessica F. Simmons caught up with North Carolina artist Andrea Renee Downs. 

We’re talking to Downs because the mixed media artist is using her work to get behind something she believes in, and that’s abortion rights. Downs is the founder of The Laundry Line, a Charlotte-based community art project focused on women’s stories. 

Downs created a new piece of art called “Waystation,” a watercolor that will greet women at several local Planned Parenthood offices. The floral art is meant to symbolize strength, healing, and hope with its pink, purple, and yellow flowers. 

There’s been a great deal of scrutiny on reproductive rights in North Carolina since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. 

After Roe fell, in 2023, the Republican-led North Carolina legislature passed SB 20, a law that bans most abortions after 12 weeks, imposes mandatory in-person doctor visits, and enforces hospital-based restrictions on later procedures. 

Check out Simmons’ story below. 

Where are we, folks? (Shutterstock)

Last week, we took you to a charming little cafe in, you guessed it, the Person County town of Roxboro. 

Let’s give a huge shout-out to Otto Brauer in Washington, who got it right in 4 minutes flat. You call it “little” Washington, right Otto? At least I grew up calling it that. 

Take a look at this week’s gorgeous shot above, which was obviously taken in the fall, and tell us where we are. First one to get it right is the winner!

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m a NC native and journalist. Cardinal & Pine is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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