Below, I have a new column on Senate candidate Michael Whatley's bizarre social media post, as well as in-depth reporting on the secretive deal to push through a $10 billion Amazon data center in NC, but first: 

Of all the things we report on at Cardinal & Pine, it's hemp and cannabis that generate the most intense reactions. 

The growth of NC's hemp industry, which is worth about $4 billion today, created a lot of stir. Much of it has to do with NC's relative lack of regulation. 

State lawmakers who are worried about that lack of regulation are considering a total hemp ban. Hemp advocates filled the halls at the legislature this week to make a case against a ban. 

It appears that state lawmakers listened. Today's edition of Good News Friday has the latest on the NC hemp ban.  

In this 2019 file photo, hemp seedings are being grown at Whitaker Farms and Garden Center in Climax, N.C. Hemp has become a $4 billion industry in North Carolina, even as some lawmakers discuss a ban. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Good News Friday also has a big jobs announcement and a NC sports icon's induction into the NFL Hall of Fame. Read it here. 

Happy Friday, NC. Thanks for reading the Cardinal & Pine newsletter. Here's what's in it today:

Thanks to C&P reader Lucy Grist who snapped this recent picture of the sunset over the Pamlico River. 

You can almost feel the summer heat fading as evening comes on. 

If you have a View from NC to share, don't be shy! Send it to us. 

US Senate candidate Michael Whatley speaks in this 2024 file photo from AmericaFest. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

This week, Senate candidate Michael Whatley posted a photo of a transgender educator who works in Wake County. 

In his post, Whatley implied—with no evidence—that this person is a danger to children. 

In a new column, I wrote about the problem with that way of thinking. And why it's so detached from the things North Carolinians are struggling with today—like high grocery prices, war, and disaster recovery. 

Read the column here. 

More at Cardinal & Pine:

1. Last 3 Republicans to represent North Carolina's 11th district faced House Ethics action. WLOS

"A News 13 investigation has found that the last three Republicans to represent North Carolina's 11th Congressional District have each faced action by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics."

2. Disney reveals entryway concept for planned North Carolina ‘Storyliving’ community. Fox 8

"In December 2023, Storyliving by Disney announced plans for Asteria, a residential community to be established in Chatham County within the larger 'master-planned' community development Chatham Park, created by Preston Development Company."

3. North Carolina high schoolers show improvements in mental health. NC Newsline

"One of the most vexing problems caused by the pandemic was the toll it took on the mental health of young people. Students struggled with school closures, isolation from their friends, and the difficulties of remote learning. But after years of focus on behavioral health, it appears that North Carolina high school students are doing better."

4. The only Carolina Panther to get a Madden cover barely played for them. NC Rabbit Hole

"The picture of a tackle in the fourth quarter of an exhibition game 31 years ago got onto the cover of a legendary video game. One of the players in the photo had no idea until years later."

TMP - An Instant of Time via Shutterstock

If it's Friday, we're playing "Where are we in NC?" 

Last week, we took you east to Cumberland County. A lot of you correctly named Fayetteville, but the fastest fingers belong to C&P reader Chuck Darsie.

OK NC, new challenge. Where does this week's photo come from? To the fastest correct answer goes all the glory. 🏁

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 Ryan Pitkin, Inside Climate News, Brook Bolen, and Dylan Rhoney. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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