CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Mayor Vi Lyles putting a question mark around RNC 2020 in Charlotte.
Could that pit the city, CDC, and state officials against the president?
WCCB Charlotte political contributor Mary C. Curtis has more in the web video above.
Mary C. Curtis: How U.S. Governors and Mayors Are Fighting Coronavirus
CHARLOTTE, NC — Governors and mayors across the country including the Carolinas have taken a lead role in confronting the coronavirus pandemic.
Many are giving day-to-day updates and holding press conferences to keep you informed.
WCCB political contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in on how different leaders are responding.
Apr012020
The Importance of North Carolina in the 2020 Race
CHARLOTTE, NC — We’re less than a week away from the Iowa caucuses and while much of the focus will be on the Hawkeye state, North Carolina also play a critical role in the 2020 race. Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis talks about why North Carolina matters.
Jan292020
Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: MLS Announcement Coming Tuesday; Murder Of NoDa Business Owner
Some of the stories we’ll cover on this week’s Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup…
A dual announcement about Major League Soccer in Charlotte is expected on Tuesday by Mayor Vi Lyles and Panthers owner David Tepper. Charlotte is widely expected to receive the newest expansion team for MLS. We’ll talk about the week’s latest developments on soccer, including some possible team names.
The newly formed Truist Financial Corporation (formerly BB&T and SunTrust) is quickly making its mark on Uptown. The bank’s Charlotte headquarters will be in what’s now the Hearst Tower. They’ve bought the high rise for more than $450 million and will rename it the Truist Center.
Elyse Dashew is the new chair of the Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board. The vote was unanimous to make Dashew the new chair, after two terms as vice chair of the board.
The beloved co-owner of a favorite Charlotte sandwich shop was murdered this week in Charlotte, with robbery a likely motive, leaving family, friends and former customers to looking for answers, and remembering Scott Brooks. The killing is Charlotte’s 104th homicide of the year.
Although the Charlotte Catholic Diocese’s list of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse has not yet been released, several announcements by the Diocese have been made in recent weeks involving accusations of misconduct by Charlotte clergy- including one this week from St Matthew Catholic Church, the Rev. Patrick Hoare, who has been placed on administrative leave following the announcement of the allegation.
Mike Collins and a panel of local journalists will fill you in on these stories and much more on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.
Guests:
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com and WCCB-TV
Jonathan Lowe, anchor/reporter for Spectrum News
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV Reporter
Ann Doss Helms, WFAE Education Reporter
Dec132019
Takeaways From Election Night 2019
CHARLOTTE, NC —Voters in Mecklenburg county reject one of the biggest items on Tuesday’s ballot, a quarter-cent sales tax increase.
The sales tax would have generated an estimated $50 million a year for the arts, parks and schools.
As for the mayor’s race incumbent Democrat Vi Lyles has been re-elected for a second term.
She easily beat republican challenger David Rice.
Political contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses some of the biggest takeaways from the election.
Nov062019
POLITICAL WRAP: Election Preview – City Council, School Board, Sales Tax Referendum
CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Tuesday voters in Charlotte will elect a Mayor and City Council. Across Mecklenburg County, three at-large school board seats are also up for grabs. And there’s a quarter-cent sales tax referendum on the ballot to support arts, parks, and schools.
Click above for more in this week’s political wrap with WCCB Charlotte Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis
Nov032019
Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Clayton Wilcox Accusations; NC Congressional Maps; Arts Tax
On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup…
People have been wondering for months what led to former CMS Superintendent Clayton Wilcox’s July suspension and later resignation from the school system. This week, the Charlotte Observer reported that there were reports of racist and sexist remarks by Wilcox that were reported to officials in the system and that the school board knew about remarks. We’ll discuss details.
Two more rulings about political maps in North Carolina came out this week, one upheld, and one thrown out—for now, and there are implications for the 2020 Election… we’ll take a look.
City Council approves spending for improvements at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, but postponed a vote about the Silver Line, the proposed rail line that would go from Matthews to Gaston County.
Senator Richard Burr is receiving a lot of attention– and it’s not positive- on Twitter for a comment he tweeted this week about whether NCAA athletes should have their scholarships taxed if they receive compensation for the use of their likeness. This comes after the announcement by the NCAA Governing Board that student athletes will be allowed to be compensated for their names, images and likenesses.
We’ll cover those stories and much more on this week’s Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.
Guests:
Ann Doss Helms, WFAE News
Nick Ochsner, WBTV news reporter
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com and WCCB
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV Reporter
Nov012019
CMPD Chief Retirement Plan
CHARLOTTE, NC — Chief Kerr Putney has announced he is retiring at the end of the year but returning in March for the Republican National Convention. The city cancelled a news conference planned for Wednesday to make sure their plan doesn’t violate a state statute. Political contributor Mary C. Curtis talks about the chief’s retirement plan and what it means for the upcoming RNC.
Oct092019
Tackling Charlotte’s Affordable Housing Crisis
CHARLOTTE, NC — A new report is shedding light on Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis.
The report from the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute found that more than half of minority resident’s in Mecklenburg county can’t afford to buy groceries, gas and medicine because they’re spending one-third of their paycheck on housing.
Political contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in.
Oct022019
What a close Republican win in a North Carolina House race means (maybe) for 2020
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Though Republicans tried to downplay the importance of an off-year special House election in North Carolina, President Donald Trump certainly thought differently. Why else would he have held an election eve rally alongside Dan Bishop, the GOP nominee in the state’s 9th District? And if that was not enough to belie the seeming lack of official party interest, Vice President Mike Pence also managed a North Carolina campaign trip the same day.
It paid off Tuesday, as Election Day turnout gave Bishop a 2-point win over Democrat Dan McCready. Bishop certainly credited Trump — the president, of course, took all of it — who helped the candidate overcome scandal over the race and his own controversial support of a “bathroom bill” that hurt business in the state. The newly elected congressman portrayed himself as Trump’s “mini-me” on every issue, from guns to abortion rights to immigration.
True, it was only one seat and one election, albeit one that has been going on for what seems like decades, and it was in a district Trump won by 12 points in 2016 and where Democrats have not had success since the early 1960s. So you could characterize Trump’s visit as a rescue mission. But a win is a win. On second thought, though, is it?
Sep122019
