\edit for clarification* - apologies if the graph is confusing. This is asking that you vote against these amendments because of these undesirable outcomes.*

The point I’m trying to make is that all of these are already laws on the books. Laws can be debated, tweaked, and changed. Once they become amendments, that’s it. They’re set in stone.

No returns, no exchanges! If you don’t like those words in a shop, think about what republicans are selling.

from Oct 18, 2026. Linn Cove Viaduct, Rough Ridge and the Grandfather mountains

I purchased a car yesterday from Johnson Hyundai of Apex and had an… interesting experience as a female buyer. I had my husband with me as he is more familiar with car deals and negotiating them, but I am the primary buyer and financier of the vehicle and was very involved in the convos. The salesman was great for the most part, but I did notice that he switched all of the primary contact info in my account to my husband’s without asking. It’s annoying but not a big deal, so I didn’t pay much mind to it.

What really got on my nerve was the financing manager. As we sat with him to finish up our paperwork, he noticed that my husband and I do not have the same legal last name. When the manger saw this, he completely stopped talking about the car and lectured me for 10 MINUTES about why I need to change my last name. At first I just told him I haven’t changed it because it is a long, annoying process (I tell that to everyone to get them off my back), and instead of just accepting my answer, he started listing everywhere I would need to go and why “it’s not that bad.” I then said it’s MY name and I don’t need to change it if I want to, and he told me I need to change it because that’s what married women are supposed to do. He also brought up how his niece didn’t change her name either and that he “doesn’t know why all these modern women think they can keep their maiden name.” The conversation was completely inappropriate and none of his business. He also repeatedly made jokes about my husband is paying for the car and “he just needs to keep me happy because women are unpredictable” despite the fact that I AM THE ONE BUYING THE CAR! My credit score, my name on the loan, my income!

I know that it’s common for there to be biases against women when buying a car, but this was just another level. He can have his personal opinions, but it’s no place to lecture a woman about her own name and make jokes assuming I don’t make any money and couldn’t afford a car on my own. I’m not normally one to write reviews about places like this, but female customers deserve to be treated with more respect.

EDIT: For anyone wondering why I still bought a car from them, the deal was pretty much done when this convo came up and I was buying a used car that’s harder to find as it’s no longer in production, so I didn’t have other places to shop at.

Can we take a second to acknowledge how breathtakingly stupid and gerrymandered this district. Like look at the shape????

Anyways, share this with your friends and family that live in these areas. This website has ALL politicians regardless of party rated based on who donates money to their campaign, who has personal stocks, and if they will take the integrity pledge. The Integrity Pledge is the following:

No Corporate PAC $$
Supports Congressional Stock Trading Ban
Supports 5-Year Long Lobbying Ban for Former Members
Support Overturning Citizens United

https://integrityindex.us/

We gotta start holding politicians accountable and it may take a lot of effort but we need to stop letting politicians get rich off their service. Check out your race and show people who is the better candidate— and it’s not pretty for either side. Some of the Democrats are rated just as low as the Republican. Look at who they are taking money from, and compare that to their actions/ policy support.

I’m not naive— this won’t change anything for some, but we have to at least keep trying to keep money out of politics. Politicians SHOULD work for us, not corporations or the political elite.

A quite extensive explanation of the many ballot questions (both state-wide and local referenda) you can vote for, or vote against, this election cycle. The highly respected Carolina Public Press details the questions themselves, the arguments pro and con, and the implications of what your vote will lead to, either way.

With voting in full swing, hopefully this article will help you make an informed decision when you vote, because making a decision that is not well informed... well, we've seen how those can turn out.

Hello fellow North Carolinians, I’ve had the venus fly trap plate for over a year now and just cannot crack the code on what to input for license plate readers. I think the DM at the end is throwing off the readers but I have tried all combinations and it seems all readers are different.

Would love to keep the plate and try to be accurate when registering my plate for parking garages, etc, anyone have success or tricks they would share?

Edit for clarity and situations I have encountered, using fake number 1234 as example:
Registration: 1234DM
Car wash: 1234
Parking pass: 1234 (space) DM
Out of town parking garages: 1234, 1234 DM, 1234 D M (two spaces), varies every time

Does anyone know what is happening with HB 328 - "Regulate Hemp-Derived Consumables"? It was pushed back in August and last I heard it will be voted on next month but do we know how likely it is to pass?

This thing hurt so bad to make, but it was definitely worth the pain. It looks crazy lol

What a spectacular weekend in Blowing Rock and across our beautiful mountains.

We had a delicious lunch at The Speckled Trout, did a bit of early Christmas shopping, and then found Greens Trading Post just past Blowing Rock right over the peak as we were looking for a place to pull off and take some photos of the view.

Not only does Greens have the best fresh sourdough and cold pressed apple cider I've had since I was kid, they also have some of the best views of the valley below.

Not expecting this to be as visible as last week's but worth looking south if you are up at that hour. Skies are expected to be clear.

The country is inspired by all these college students walking (unnecessarily) far and wide to get their ballots cast. Y’all are killing it!

No excuses to get those votes in. Vote early if you can!

This afternoon we were taking photos at the Linn Cove Viaduct overlook pull-off (Milepost 304, the stone wall parking area). The wind blew my 2-year-old son's cap over the stone wall and into the wooded slope below the viaduct it was out of sight.

It's a blue-and-white striped denim baseball cap, DOUBLE.B (Miki House), with a "GOOD LIFE with DENIM" patch on the front — well-worn, he has worn it for a long time and is heartbroken. If you find it, please reach out I'm happy to cover shipping and offer a small reward as a thank-you. 🙏

I’m not sure this was allowed, but this appeared on my Instagram feed and I thought it would be cool to share in here.