Local News Roundup: CMS continues superintendent search as Gaston County’s superintendent resigns; Tricia Cotham sponsors private school voucher bill; NC legislature bill on trans athletes and more

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On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup…

The search for a new CMS superintendent continues, as the board receives candidate bios, and over in Gaston County, the superintendent resigns.

Plus, potential boundary changes in the southern part of the CMS district are cause for concern among many parents and students. We’ll bring you up to speed on those and other education headlines.

The North Carolina legislature advances a bill barring trans-athletes.

A new North Carolina bill would make drag shows where minors can see them, illegal. We’ll talk about what the bill, which was filed Tuesday, says.

Mecklenburg County’s air quality report came out this week, and we got an “F.” We’ll look into what the grade really means and what officials are saying.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Katie Peralta Soloff, reporter for Axios Charlotte
Ann Doss Helms, WFAE education reporter

Read the rest atWFAE
Apr212023 TAGS: , , ,

Local News Roundup: Tricia Cotham switches parties; NCDOT tells CATS to fully staff; Mecklenburg Commissioners frustrated at revaluations for golf courses; Leon Levine dies

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North Carolina Representative Tricia Cotham announces she’s switching parties. The former Democratic representative from Charlotte has changed her party affiliation to Republican, giving the GOP a supermajority in the North Carolina House. We’ll talk about what happened.

More news about the Charlotte Area Transit system this week, as the North Carolina Department of Transportation conducts a surprise inspection and tells CATS the light rail needs more workers in the control room or risks being shut down. And we’ll bring you the latest on further investigation into the CATS derailment and its aftermath, including decisions regarding outside or third-party investigations into the matter.

Mecklenburg County commissioners react with frustration to revaluations of golf courses in the county.

Plus, the reaction from North Carolina lawmakers on the arrest and arraignment of former President Donald Trump in New York City this week.

And Family Dollar founder and Charlotte philanthropist Leon Levine has died. We’ll have a remembrance.

Guest host Erik Spanberg from the Charlotte Business Journal and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter
Shamarria Morrison, WCNC reporter

Read the rest atWFAE
Apr072023

Local News Roundup: CATS goes off the rails, political maps back at NC Supreme Court, ‘Banktown’ reacts to SVB collapse

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On the Local News Roundup, the Charlotte Area Transit System goes off the rails. At least one Lynx train did in a derailment last year that officials are just now hearing about. They also discovered that every train car in the fleet needs repairs and until that happens, trains will be slowing down.

North Carolina’s voter maps are back in front of a now-Republican-controlled State Supreme Court. They’re rehearing a case at the request of the legislature.

Meanwhile, the legislature calls Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget “unrealistic.”

And we look at possible reverberations here from the collapse of a Silicon Valley bank.

Our roundtable of reporters fills us in on those stories and more.

Guests

Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”

Danielle Chemtob, investigative reporter with Axios Charlotte

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Mar172023 TAGS: , , ,

Where does North Carolina stand in the national culture war?

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Republicans in the North Carolina legislature are moving forward with legislation that is fanning the culture war flames. The state Senate has just passed SB 49, also known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

Supporters say it gives parents a voice in their children’s education. Critics say the bill targets the LGBTQ+ community. It bans curriculum on gender identity and sexuality for elementary students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Democratic Governor Roy Cooper said if the House passes the measure, he’ll veto it.

The measure is similar to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation that passed in Florida last year. That state’s governor, Republican Ron DeSantis, said this is a pushback on what he called “woke” culture. Along with LGBTQ+ legislation, there have been changes to what can be taught regarding race, with a limit on curriculum on the history and culture of people of color.

On the next Charlotte Talks, Mike Collins and our panel of guests discuss whether North Carolina is following the culture war path of Florida and how these issues are shaping the future of education and politics in our country.

GUESTS:

Laura Leslie, capitol bureau chief at WRAL

Ana Ceballos, state government reporter at the Miami Herald

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”

Read the rest atWFAE
Feb142023 TAGS: , , , , , , ,

Local News Roundup: CATS Bus driver strike averted; naming rights proposed to generate money for city; pioneering judge Shirley Fulton dies at 71

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A strike by Charlotte Area Transit System bus drivers is averted and discussions begin regarding a new deal with the drivers’ union this week. In addition, CATS will look for a new company to run the bus system. We’ll dig into details and hear what Interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle said to city council’s transportation committee this week.

A consultant for the city of Charlotte thinks naming rights in the new proposed Hornets practice facility and the new festival district could generate nearly $140 million.

Mecklenburg County Commissioners have passed their 2023 legislative agenda. This week, the county leaders are asking state and federal lawmakers to expand Medicaid, and additional funding for public education. Will they get what they want?

A bill was passed by the North Carolina Senate this week that would require teachers to alert parents before calling a student by a different name or pronoun in class. This comes after warnings to the senate about how this could endanger LGBTQ students.

Shirley Fulton, the first female African American Superior Court Judge in North Carolina, died this week at the age of 71. We’ll talk about her accomplishments and her legacy.

And a look at North and South Carolina lawmakers’ takes on the State of the Union address this week.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those and more.

GUESTS:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter

David Boraks, WFAE reporter

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Feb102023 TAGS: , , , ,

Local News Roundup: Myers Park sexual assault trial; Controversial Cotswold Chick-Fil-A plan approved; AG Josh Stein throws his hat into the ring for NC Governor

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The trial of a former Myers Park High School student against Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the city of Charlotte after an allaged sexual assault started this week. The former student alleges her Title IX rights were violated after she was sexually assaulted in 2015.

Charlotte City Council approves a controversial rezoning on Randolph Road to allow the rebuilding of a Chick-fil-A to become a drive-through-only business. While the decision goes against the 2040 plan, some council members say it’s the best solution to alleviate a traffic nightmare in that area.

Attorney General Josh Stein throws his hat in the ring, announcing he’s running for North Carolina Governor in 2024. He’s the first major candidate to announce in a race that promises to be competitive as the governor’s seat will be open with no incumbent for the first time since 2012.

Now that the Carolina Panthers season is over and a widespread head coach search is on, can Steve Wilks get the top job permanently? We’ll talk about why this hire is getting attention, and get an update on who the Panthers are talking to.

And Bojangles is entering the adult beverage world with an alcoholic version of its famous sweet tea!

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Shamarria Morrison, WCNC reporter
David Boraks, WFAE climate reporter

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Jan202023 TAGS: , , , , ,

Reflections on the January 6th Capitol attack, two years later

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Two years ago, our democracy was attacked by a group of angry insurrectionists trying to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

At the time, most people viewed it as a misguided group of angry voters involved in something that just got away from them. Since then, investigations seem to point to an effort controlled in many ways by Donald Trump.

We look at what has happened since to those involved, what may happen next, and how this moment in our history will be remembered.

And we hear from a documentary photographer, who was at the Capitol, and whose pictures capture how close we came to losing our democracy.

Guests

Michael Gordon, reporter for The Charlotte Observer

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”

Nate Gowdy, documentary photographer, author of “Insurrection,” a book of photographs capturing the events of Jan 6.

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Jan052023 TAGS: , ,

2022 End Of Year Local News Roundup

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In our End of Year Local News Roundup, we gather our team of local journalists to go through the top local and regional stories they’ve covered in 2022.

SEGMENT 1:
We cover education and the environment. From book bans to a payroll issue in Gaston County, to this year’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board race, safety issues, a revolving door of superintendents and more stories, education has frequently had top billing on the roundup this year. We’ll be joined by our education reporters to remind us about the year in education and what’s ahead for 2023. We’ll also be joined by environmental reporter David Boraks to cover energy reform, electric vehicles, lithium mining and those beach houses falling into the ocean this year.

Guests:

David Boraks, WFAE reporter
Ann Doss Helms, WFAE education reporter
Shamarria Morrison, WCNC reporter
Jonathan Lowe, WSOC-TV education reporter
SEGMENT 2:
Politics is always at the top of the list of topics we discuss on the local news roundup, whether it’s about Charlotte Area Transit System and the loss of bus ridership with CATS, North Carolina Republicans missing the supermajority in the General Assembly, city council and county commission dramas, or the idea of the independent state legislature theory. We’ve spent time this year on the Unified Development Ordinance, on voting maps, transparency, ethics and, of course, elections. Politics in our area in 2022 could be the focus of several hour-long shows, but we’ll distill down the stories we’ve told this year with our political reporters.

Guests:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter
Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s executive producer for investigations & chief investigative reporter
SEGMENT 3:
We’ll dive into topics that help shape the city and region we live in, from the health of our sports teams (and who was fired and hired) to aborted business deals between the owners of some of our sports teams and local governments. We’ll get an update on crime in the Charlotte and talk about how we’re weathering another year of the coronavirus pandemic along with flu and RSV thrown in and more for the remainder of the hour.

Guests:

Katie Peralta Soloff, reporter for Axios Charlotte
Hunter Saenz, WSOC-TV reporter
Danielle Chemtob, investigative reporter with Axios Charlotte
Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Read the rest atWFAE
Dec312022 TAGS:

Local News Roundup: A local graduate among those killed at UVA, Tepper and Rock Hill come to an agreement, Juneteenth officially a holiday in Charlotte

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The shooting at the University of Virginia hits the Charlotte area as one of the victims, Devin Chandler, was a graduate of Hough High School in Cornelius. Chandler was a member of the UVA football team, and his former high school team plans to wear decals on their helmets for the rest of the season.

The Carolina Panthers and Rock Hill have settled a legal dispute over a proposed headquarters and practice facility. Rock Hill will receive $20 million in the bankruptcy settlement. GT Real Estate Holdings, David Tepper’s real estate company, was set to build an $800 million facility. York County also filed a lawsuit but is not named in the settlement deal.

The city of Charlotte has adopted Juneteenth as a holiday. It commemorates the dates in 1865 when the last enslaved people in Texas were informed that they were free. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.

And after being benched earlier this season, Baker Mayfield is back as the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers with P.J. Walker injured. The team is 3-7, two games out of the lead in the NFC South, and travels to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters dive into those and other topics this week on the local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Claire Donnelly, WFAE health reporter

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter

Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s executive producer for investigations & chief investigative reporter

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”

Read the rest atWFAE
Nov182022 TAGS: , , , , , ,

Local News Roundup: Early voting starts, McCaffrey trade, Mecklenburg leaders look at how to end violence and new toll lanes discussed for I-77

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Early voting is underway in Mecklenburg county. How are the numbers?

Mecklenburg County leaders talked about a long-term approach to stopping violence in the region this week. The plan, “The Way Forward,” approaches violence as a public health issue.

The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization met with North Carolina DOT officials this week to talk about a plan to add new toll lanes to I-77 south of uptown. Are the lanes on the horizon?

Mayor Vi Lyles says the city will learn from mistakes that allowed a talent coach without certification to get over $400,000 in work over other qualified businesses. What she said about what happened and how city staff will handle the situation.

Mecklenburg County Health officials are concerned about the BQ.1 subvariant of omicron, now that a case has been found in Mecklenburg county. Dr. Raynard Washington, county health director, is encouraging county residents to get the latest booster shot.

And trouble already for the Hornets despite a win on the road for their first game, as they start the season without key players for a variety of reasons.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and all the week’s top local and regional news on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Shamarria Morrison, WCNC reporter

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”

Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter

Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s executive producer for investigations & chief investigative reporter

Read the rest atWFAE
Oct212022 TAGS: , , , ,
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