Search results

Plus: Remembering the Greensboro sit-ins Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. This newsletter was not written by artificial intelligence.  Why? Because computers are a lot more intelligent than I am. But for my money, I’d rather hear a human voice any day. Speaking of AI, data centers are going up across the state of…

Plus: NC’s biggest restaurant openings of 2026 Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. First things first:  North Carolina’s US Senate race is one of the most important elections in the country.  You can tell by the cash Republicans are putting into trying to make the Democratic candidate, Roy Cooper, look like a different person. …

Plus: AI in dental work? Nah, I’m good. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. Somewhere in every kid, there’s a kernel of a seed of a dream of flying to the moon.  It takes a really, really special person to actually do it. Like Christina Koch.  Koch, who headlines this week’s Good News Friday,…

Plus: Name this North Carolina market Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. Happy Friday the 13th, or for the not superstitious Cardinal & Pine readers, happy Friday. We begin, as we often do on Fridays, with our Good News Friday roundup. We started making these columns weekly around the time that COVID-19 and the…

Plus: Getting banned from a US rep’s McDonald’s Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. Here’s the thing:  Visiting the Great Smoky Mountains is safe. There’s a reason this NC-Tennessee destination is the most visited national park in America.  But a recent uptick in bear encounters—including a couple of pilfered backpacks—has park officials acting. Here’s…

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…

Plus: Name this little NC downtown Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. If you want to know what makes North Carolina tick, there are a few places you can start.  For instance, Nash County in eastern NC. In addition to being the home of Roy Cooper, NC’s former governor and current US Senate candidate,…

Plus: Another arctic blast is heading our way. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. In 2017, five prison employees in North Carolina were killed in two separate incidents. It was the deadliest year in state history for NC corrections workers. Afterward, state investigators pointed the finger at prison understaffing. It’s apparent that our state…

Plus: US Senate candidate running from western NC recovery? Share with a friend     Hey, it’s Billy. When you live in North Carolina, you come to think of snow as an ephemeral thing.  Look at it too long and you might look it out of existence.  But for the second weekend in a row,…

And most North Carolinians don’t know who he is. Share with a friend Hey, it’s Billy. Cardinal & Pine readers are a pretty plugged-in bunch. So most of you know Phil Berger, the longtime leader of the NC Senate.  Folks like former Gov. Roy Cooper might get more national headlines. But you could make a…