Newsletters


  • 3 of our favorite NC events this week

    Plus: NC has a fried apple pie festival?? Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. Spring is, arguably, the finest time to be a North Carolinian.  The air is gentle and warm. The sun isn’t so harsh. And the bugs aren’t back. Yet. This time of year, you will find me digging in the dirt…


  • This story is shaking up NC’s US Senate race

    Plus: Scottish roots on parade at the Highland Games Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. This Monday, we begin with an important new story from Cardinal & Pine’s Michael McElroy.  The Republican running to represent North Carolina in the US Senate is Michael Whatley, the former head of the NC GOP and the Republican…


  • 5 North Carolina men are suing ICE

    Plus: 3 actual pieces of good news this week Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. We begin—as we do every Friday—with three pieces of actual good news.  This week, Cardinal & Pine’s “Good News Friday” centers on the three hero cops behind daring water rescues. Among them, in February, Raleigh Police Sgt. M.T. Foran…


  • 50 ‘No Kings’ protests in NC

    Plus: Get ready for this weekend’s March Madness. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. This weekend in North Carolina, we are expecting some of the largest protests we’ve seen in some time. The return of the “No Kings” demonstrations means dozens of NC communities will be buzzing. However you want to protest, we support…


  • Phil Berger’s out in NC. What now?

    Plus: Best spots to see wildflowers in NC Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. The big news of the week is Phil Berger‘s defeat in a NC GOP primary.  On Tuesday, Berger conceded his loss to Sam Page, the Rockingham County sheriff. I hate the phrase “political earthquake,” but this feels like one.  Berger…


  • The most powerful man in NC politics just lost

    Plus: The Clydesdales are coming to New Bern Share with a friend Hey, it’s Brook. Billy is out today, so I am stepping in to help out with the newsletter. And if you’re anything like me and your brain and soul are beyond saturated with bad news, I’m happy to share a story that made…


  • This NC party is one of a kind.

    It ditches booze and clubbing for coffee and culture. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. If you read this newsletter every day, you know that we love to celebrate the cool stuff in North Carolina. Here’s one example: In the 1960s, the idea of combining dinner and a theater experience was new. Enter the Barn…


  • The very latest on NC’s biggest election

    Plus: Name this historic eastern NC home. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. Even Cardinal & Pine gets a flat tire sometimes.  Today’s email is coming to you late because this newsletter’s fearless writer was temporarily stranded near Williamston. 😂 But we’re still coming at you, NC. As they say, not today, Satan!  Let’s…


  • The NC teams in March Madness

    Plus: What to know about federal vaccine changes. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. By the time, you get this email, March Madness will be well underway.  That said, we’ve published a new guide to the North Carolina teams that made the Big Dance on the men’s and women’s sides—from first-time Cinderellas (what’s up…


  • 🤯 NC giving Native American land back

    An unbelievable story in western NC Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. Never, ever, ever does the United States give land back to Native Americans. Except for a few extraordinary instances. North Carolina had one of those remarkable moments recently. This week, I took a few minutes to go deep on a partnership between…