Today is a day for chocolate and romance. 

So, in that spirit, take a look at our conversations with 11 North Carolina power couples about how they met, and how to keep the torch burning.  

We hope it's a good Valentine's Day weekend, and however you spend it, do it having fun with someone you love. 

We talked to 11 North Carolina power couples, including Sarah and Jeff Shepherd of Raleigh, about keeping love alive. (Adam Chapin Photography)

Here's what you'll find below, North Carolina: 

Here's a bit of good news, courtesy of Cardinal & Pine's Michael McElroy. 

Pactiv Evergreen closed the Canton paper mill in 2023, a year and a half earlier than the company had agreed to under an economic development deal with the state that included millions of dollars in incentives.

The closure laid off more than 1,000 employees, causing economic ripples in Canton and Haywood County.

Then attorney-general Josh Stein sued the company in 2024 for $12 million, accusing it of breaching the terms of the deal. Under the terms of the settlement announced this week by Stein, now the governor, and current Attorney General Jeff Jackson, Pactiv will repay $5.75 million from its incentives to Canton and Haywood County.

The state will receive an additional $500,000.The company will also waive any rights to collect payments from Canton or Haywood County for any previous services or tax disputes.

“We are now turning the page and writing a new chapter to help Canton build back even stronger,” Gov. Stein said in a statement on Thursday.“The people of Canton are so resilient; they lost the paper mill and have overcome two major floods in the past three years. They will build a brighter future, and the state is committed to working right alongside them to help.”

The Airborne & Special Operations Museum in Fayetteville. (US Army/Public domain)

I love a good history trail.

Something about the experience of going to the places where important things happened makes it all the more real. 

If that sounds like your cup of tea too, then check out our new guide to 15 stops along Fayetteville's African American Heritage Trail. 

One of those stops is the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, which includes a tribute to the historic 555th Battalion, or the "Triple Nickle." This all-Black unit was the first military smokejumpers in the US (meaning they parachuted into forest fires). 

“The history of the Triple Nickles is an untold chapter in Black social history,” said Lt. Col. Bradley Biggs, who served with the battalion. “The high professional standards of the men of the 555th, their skill in airborne operations, fearlessness in testing new concepts, and effectiveness in training other service personnel marked them as Black pioneers.”

Check out the Triple Nickle and other significant moments on Fayetteville's trail by clicking below. 

Ever want to feel inspired? Just read anything this guy wrote or said. (Photo via Library of Congress)

Not everyone went for chocolate and romance today. 

We connected with a group of locals in Chapel Hill who spent the day doing history a service, in honor of Franklin Douglass, the historic abolitionist who's remembered as one of America's greatest speakers and writers. 

Douglass, who was born enslaved, didn't know his birthday, so he chose Feb. 14 because it was a day of love. 

As Cardinal & Pine's Jessica F. Simmons reports, locals spent hours going over historic documents and transcribing them so they would be more readily available for others to learn about. 

Read more about Frederick Douglass' extraordinary life here. 

Shutterstock

Time for a special Valentine's Day edition of "Where are we in NC?" 

Take a look at the picture above and tell me where in North Carolina it comes from. First one to get it right gets a shout-out in this newsletter next week!

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I'm a NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Cardinal & Pine is happily free to read for everyone. Your financial support means a lot to us. Donate here.

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