Local News Roundup: a milestone for the proposed Charlotte tennis complex; a crack in a beam at Carowinds shuts down ride; a lawsuit against Tim Moore is resolved; USMNT comes to the Queen City

The proposed tennis complex slated for Charlotte needs funding from local government to go through. We discuss where the project stands after a milestone this week.

A crack in a support beam on the largest roller coaster at Carowinds forces it to shut down while repairs are made.

A lawsuit against North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore has been resolved. He had faced allegations of destroying a marriage and exchanging sex for political favors.

And, for the first time, the U.S. men’s national soccer team played in Charlotte, beating Trinidad & Tobago 6-0 in the Gold Cup group stage. More than 40,000 fans showed up for the match. What does this mean for the future of international soccer in the Queen City?

Guest host Erik Spanberg and our panel of guests discuss those and other top stories from the week on the next Charlotte Talks.

GUESTS:

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter

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

Ely Portillo, senior editor at WFAE News

Alexandria Sands, reporter with Axios Charlotte

Local News Roundup: State budget approved, COVID state of emergency to end, UDO feedback

On the Local News Roundup, Gov. Roy Cooper signs the new budget into law. The $28 billion budget includes money for teacher raises but no Medicaid expansion.

Cooper also vetoed some bills, including one that would have required sheriffs to cooperate with ICE.

Two and a half years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the state plans to lift its state of emergency next month.

Charlotte City Council hears from citizens on the Unified Development Ordinance.

And, the nation’s new poet laureate is an instructor at the Queens University of Charlotte.

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

Guests

Steve Harrison, political reporter for WFAE

Seema Iyer, chief legal correspondent for FOX 46 Queen City News

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

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Local News Roundup: Early voting, local public safety conversations, CATS driver shortage and more

Early voting started Thursday in the election for Charlotte mayor and city council. The election was pushed to July from last year because of delayed census data needed to draw new districts. We’ll talk about who is running and how it’s going.

Conversations about safety during large-scale events are top of mind this week for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police after a deadly Fourthof July parade in Illinois. CMPD officials say they’ll be on high alert for Charlotte’s next big public event, August’s Pride Parade.

In other CMPD news, Chief Johnny Jennings defends and praises actions taken by police during a dangerous high-speed chase this week.

Driver shortages within Charlotte Area Transit System continue to impact travel for Charlotte transit commuters. The shortages have been happening for weeks.

As the heat continues in the Charlotte region, Mecklenburg County activates cooling stations to provide relief to residents.

And Salisbury becomes the backdrop for an upcoming movie.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters talk about those stories and all the week’s top local and regional news.

GUESTS:

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

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter

Ann Doss Helms, WFAE education reporter

Shamarria Morrison, WCNC reporter

Local News Roundup: Mecklenburg mask mandate continues; Gov. Cooper will sign NC budget into law; Cam Newton’s return a roaring success

On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup:

Mecklenburg County has not managed to keep its COVID-19 positivity rate low enough for long enough to remove the county mask mandate. We’ll get an update on where the county stands on COVID-19 trends and hospitalizations.

Gov. Roy Cooper says he’ll sign the North Carolina legislature’s budget bill into law, noting that it’s a compromise, but that the good “outweighs the bad.”

Hundreds of parents from Hopewell High School gathered at a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools town hall this week in Huntersville after an incident where guns were found at the school. We’ll discuss what they had to say about how they wanted to see the school district address safety for students.

And Cam Newton is BAAACK. His first game back in a Carolina Panthers uniform last week was a roaring success, and he helped the team put a W on the board. Can he do it again, and will he be the starting QB this week?

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories, updates on county commission and city council, and all the week’s top news on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.

Guests:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Katie Peralta Soloff, reporter for Axios Charlotte
Steve HarrisonWFAE’s political reporter
Joe BrunoWSOC-TV reporter

Local News Roundup: School Districts Buck CDC Mask Guidance; Charlotte Unveils Nondiscrimination Ordinance

It was only a few weeks ago that North Carolina’s rate for positive COVID-19 tests was below 2%. But the spread of the delta variant sent the positivity rate above 10% this week — the first time since February it crossed that threshold.

Gov. Roy Cooper and others said the worsening metrics were the result of COVID-19 spreading among those who have not been vaccinated.

“This virus is now much more contagious and spreading fast, and it’ll find you if you’re unvaccinated,” Cooper said Thursday.

Join our roundtable of reporters for more on those and other stories from the week’s news.

GUESTS

Mary C. Curtis, Roll Call columnist and host of the Equal Time podcast (@mcurtisnc3)

Claire Donnelly, WFAE health care reporter (@donnellyclairee)

Hunter Saenz, WCNC local government reporter (@Hunt_Saenz)

Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal managing editor (@CBJspanberg)

POLITICAL WRAP: COVID Restrictions Scaled Back

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The CDC says vaccinated people can go out and about and leave their mask at home.

But health officials strongly recommend unvaccinated people keep wearing their masks.

Our political contributor, Mary C. Curtis, gives us her take in the video above.

Mary C. Curtis: North Carolina Expands Vaccine Rollout, Pres. Biden Steps Up National Goal

CHARLOTTE, NC — President Joe Biden says all adults will be eligible to receive a covid-19 vaccine by April 19.

The date is almost two weeks earlier than the previous deadline may first.

The news comes as North Carolina makes vaccinations available to anyone 16 and older starting Wednesday, April 7.

WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis has more.

You can catch Mary C. Curtis on Sunday nights at 6:30 PM on WCCB Charlotte’s CW discussing the biggest issues in local and national politics and also giving us a look at what’s ahead for the week.

POLITICAL WRAP: Will Governor Cooper Re-Implement COVID Restrictions?

And in Washington, what’s the latest on efforts for another stimulus package?

Our political contributor Mary C. Curtis has more in the video above.

Local News Roundup: COVID-19 Numbers Up In NC; Vance High Gets New Name; Early Voting; Remembering Judy Williams

On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup:

North Carolina’s coronavirus numbers are creeping back up under Phase 3, and state Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen urges residents to remain vigilant, stating that she’s no longer able to pinpoint a specific location or cause, and that “this virus is everywhere.”

CMS begins its first round of in-person classes this week as Pre-K students return to school. We’ll get an update on how that went as well as other CMS news, including the week’s COVID-19 numbers and the renaming of Vance High School.

Early voting started this week in North Carolina, and candidates are descending on Charlotte and other locations around the state. We’ll give an update on all things “election,” including how potential voters are responding to news of the scandal in Cal Cunningham’s campaign, and record money raised by South Carolina candidate for U.S. Senate Jaime Harrison.

And we remember Judy Williams, the co-founder of Mothers of Murdered Offspring and anti-violence advocate in Charlotte who supported countless families of murder victims. She died last week after a battle with lung cancer.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters bring the week’s top news in the local news roundup.

Guests:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal.

Glenn Burkins, founder and publisher of qcitymetro.com.

Ann Doss Helms, WFAE’s Education Reporter.

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time” and contributor at WCCB-TV.

Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Cooper’s ‘Last Call’ Rule; Has Charlotte Reached COVID Peak?G

On this week’s Charlotte Talks local news roundup …

Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday that there would be a “last call” order throughout North Carolina beginning on Friday, banning alcohol sales in restaurants after 11 p.m. Charlotte has a similar order already in place, but it’s more restrictive. We’ll give details on that, as well as a general update on Coronavirus — has Charlotte reached its peak?

President Trump announced this week that he will accept the GOP nomination for president in North Carolina, leaving many wondering if he means Charlotte, or somewhere else in the state. We’ll hear reaction from Charlotte officials.

There were talks of a conflict of interest — or the appearance of one — at city council this week. We’ll talk about what transpired regarding COVID-19 Relief Funds, council member Tariq Bokhari and his company Carolina Fintech Hub.

For the first time since World War II, the North Carolina State Fair (which was scheduled for Oct. 15-25 in Raleigh) has been canceled.

We’ll have those stories and much more with our roundtable of local reporters on the local news roundup.

Guests:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com and WCCB 

David Boraks, reporter for WFAE

Joe BrunoWSOC-TV Reporter