If it’s Wednesday, we have a new Billy Ball Explains NC. 

This week, I want to talk about gas prices. In politics, this is probably one of the dumbest subjects ever. 

Presidents and lawmakers have limited power over what we pay at the pump. But that doesn’t stop candidates from rolling out the attacks when prices start to go up. 

But what about today’s soaring prices? This time, is someone actually to blame? Let’s sort out the facts from the political spin. 

Watch here. 

A new Billy Ball Explains NC is out now. Tap the image to watch. (Graphic by Desirée Tapia)

We have record spring heat ahead. Try to stay cool. 

Here’s what’s in today’s C&P newsletter: 

Shout out to Vera Davis, who snapped this photo of her front yard’s spring foliage in beautiful Franklin, NC. 

Show us your view from NC!

Buncombe County lawmaker Lindsay Prather speaking with former NC Gov. Roy Cooper after Helene. (Photo via Lindsay Prather)

Lindsay Prather was at home in Candler, NC, when the rain started falling on Sept. 27, 2024. 

Prather, a North Carolina state lawmaker, knew the remnants of Hurricane Helene were going to be trouble. But she was still surprised by what she saw.

“I didn’t have a great sense of what this much rain was going to look like in the mountains,” Prather told Cardinal & Pine in a recent conversation with C&P reporter Dylan Rhoney. “It felt like floods we had gone through in the past seemed pretty isolated…It didn’t quite hit me how serious it was going to be for the entire region.”

The storm did about $60 billion in damage. But so far, western NC’s received less than 20% of that in relief, chiefly because of federal delays. 

Here’s what Prather wants to do about it. 

More Helene recovery:

1. North Carolina lawmakers propose changes to Iryna’s Law. WCNC

“State legislators are calling for more providers for psychiatric evaluations.”

2. Black transgender women report uniquely inescapable abuse across North Carolina prisons. WUNC

“This is the first of three stories that chronicles the stories of transgender women who say they were abused by the prison system, as well as difficulties they face when reentering society. “

3. Chemicals released in North Carolina threaten South Carolina rivers, report says. The State

“A river that flows from North Carolina into South Carolina has been named one of the nation’s most endangered waterways because of pollution from forever chemicals, the harmful industrial compounds that have been found trickling from landfills, wastewater plants, industries and other sources.”

Wilmington’s iconic Riverwalk in 2023. The Port City walkway made a national list of the best riverwalks in America. (USA Today via Reuters)

There are riverwalks and then there’s the Wilmington Riverwalk. 

This well-traveled destination in the Port City is a popular destination for tourists and locals. It combines great views with restaurants and shops. 

 A new USA Today list ranks the best riverwalks in America. 

Here’s where Wilmington’s Riverwalk placed.

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 stories from Dylan Rhoney and USA Today Network via Reuters Connect. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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