Local News Roundup: Pat McCrory Runs For Senate; Barringer Gets A New Name; Update On COVID-19 Vaccinations

Featured at WFAE

On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup:

The list of candidates for Richard Burr’s U.S. Senate seat is growing, now including former mayor and local radio talk show host Pat McCrory. We’ll talk about the field of candidates that has assembled.

This week, City Council provided details about how it plans to fund the arts in Charlotte after it announced earlier this year that it would no longer send money to the Arts & Science Council.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is spending nearly $900,0000 on air quality improvements for several schools in the district. That news came in the same week that it was announced that commencement ceremonies would be in person this year. Also, a new name for Barringer Academic Center, and no more taking temperatures upon entry at CMS schools.

And we’ll have an update on COVID-19 vaccinations in Mecklenburg County.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into 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” and contributor at WCCB-TV

Jonathan Lowe, anchor/ reporter for Spectrum News

Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter

Read the rest atWFAE
Apr162021 TAGS: , , , , , ,

Mary C. Curtis: NC Voter ID Law Heads to Court

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, NC — North Carolina’s latest law requiring voters to show a photo ID at the polls is now on trial.

A  panel of judges is hearing arguments in a lawsuit challenging the 2018 law.

WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses what’s at stake and the impact it could have.

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.

Read the rest atWCCB Rising
Apr152021 TAGS: ,

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

Featured at WCCB Rising

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.

Read the rest atWCCB Rising
Apr072021 TAGS: , , , , ,

POLITICAL WRAP: COVID Relief Plan Passes Senate; Latest on Vaccine Distribution

Featured at WCCB Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The U.S. Senate has passed the latest COVID relief bill.

Next, it heads back to the House for approval, before it lands on President Biden’s desk.

And the latest on COVID vaccination, as North and South Carolina enter new phases, while some states reopen without restrictions.

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

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Mar072021 TAGS: , , , , ,

Black History Month Profile: Chatty Hattie

Featured at WCCB Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When radio ruled the airwaves “Chatty Hattie” Leeper became a prominent voice in Charlotte.

She broke ground as the first black announcer in North Carolina in the 1950s.

When Hattie Leeper was a young girl wondering, ‘How did they get inside that radio,’ as she listened to WGIV, 1600 on the dial, could she have imagined where her dreams would lead?

WCCB Charlotte contributor Mary C. Curtis shows us how Chatty Hattie is making a mark on Charlotte to this day.

Read the rest atWCCB Charlotte
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Local News Roundup: CMS Prepares For In-Person Class; Transit Plan Gets Movement; New Names For Charlotte Streets

Featured at WFAE

City Council okays a recommendation to rename Charlotte streets with white supremacist ties, but what those new names might be is up in the air. We’ll talk about the council discussion.

Charlotte’s transit plan will need some tweaks if City Council wants to get the regional support it’s hoping for. We’ll update you about what’s being said in council and in northern Mecklenburg County.

This week, Gov. Roy Cooper signed a COVID-19 relief bill — the first of 2021. The bill is designed to help schools reopen, extend a deadline for parents coping with remote learning and fund vaccine distribution. We’ll discuss.

And Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students return to the classroom. The youngest students begin in-person learning on Monday, keeping the plan that was approved in February. We’ll talk about what this will mean for each age group as well as continued concerns for risk to teachers and students.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into the week’s top news 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” and contributor at WCCB-TV

Claire Donnelly, WFAE health reporter

Hunter Saenz, reporter for WCNC

Read the rest atWFAE
Feb132021 TAGS: , , , ,

Local News Roundup: Insurrection At Capitol, The Coronavirus Surges As Vaccine Rolls Out, Transit Proposal Moves Along

Featured at WFAE

On the Local News Roundup, protesters angered by what they perceive to be a “stolen election,” engage in an act of insurrection, storming the Capitol in Washington. Four people die. The president continues to spread the lies that led to that event and some Republicans begin to distance themselves while others persist in cynical opportunism.

The rate of the coronavirus infection continues to rise to alarming levels. As a result, Gov. Roy Cooper extends Stage 3 restrictions in North Carolina.

And Charlotte City Council takes up the one-cent sales tax for transit.

Our roundtable of reporters fills us in.

Guests

David Boraks, reporter for WFAE (@davidboraks)

Claire Donnelly, health reporter for WFAE (@donnellyclairee)

Joe Bruno, reporter for WSOC-TV (@JoeBrunoWSOC9)

Nick Ochsner, executive producer for investigations & chief investigative reporter for WBTV (@NickOchsnerWBTV)

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time” and contributor at WCCB-TV (@mcurtisnc3)

Read the rest atWFAE
Jan082021 TAGS: , , , , ,

Black Issues Forum: Looking Ahead to 2021

Featured at PBS

As the Electoral College formalizes the election of President-Elect Joe Biden and COVID-19 vaccines begin to rollout in NC and across the country, can we expect a turning point after what’s been a contentious year? We also discuss the growing trend of reparations in North Carolina with journalist Mary C. Curtis, Morrisville Town Councilman Steve Rao, and NCCU professor Brett Chambers.

Read the rest atPBS
Dec222020 TAGS: , , , , ,

Mary C. Curtis: COVID-19 Vaccinations Underway

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE. NC — The first COVID-19 vaccines, from Pfizer and approved by the FDA for emergency use, have been sent throughout the country, including North Carolina, where health care workers and residents of care facilities are tops of the list to receive the shot. A Moderna vaccine might get approval later this week. This is happening as the country passes 300,000 dead from the virus, with hospitalizations reaching record highs in North Carolina.

WCCB political contributor Mary C. Curtis has more.

Read the rest atWCCB Rising
Dec162020 TAGS: , , , , ,

Local News Roundup: COVID-19 Cases Continue To Surge With Vaccines On The Way; A New Curfew; CMS Returns To Remote Learning

Featured at WFAE

Friday, Dec. 11, 2020

On the next Charlotte Talks local news roundup …

Gov. Roy Cooper imposes a statewide curfew of 10 p.m. beginning Friday as numbers for COVID-19 spike, and in Mecklenburg County, trends reach new highs. We’ll give a local and regional update on the coronavirus and what the new curfew means for businesses.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools opts to go back to remote learning until January in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the area. We’ll talk about the school board vote and what it will mean for all students, especially those about to take exams.

The Department of Health and Human Services has released the list of hospital systems that will receive the first shipment of a coronavirus vaccine. The state expects about 85,000 vaccine doses from Pfizer, which are going first to health care workers and residents in adult care facilities.

And Charlotte Moves recommended last week that the city put a 1-cent sales tax hike on the ballot for next year’s election. The tax would fund several transportation projects in Mecklenburg County. But for that to happen, legislators in North Carolina would need to authorize the increase and approve a referendum. We’ll hear what some of those legislators say about the proposal and its chances.

Those stories and more as Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into this week’s top news 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” and contributor at WCCB-TV

Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter

Annie Ma, education reporter for the Charlotte Observer

Read the rest atWFAE
Dec112020 TAGS: , , , , ,
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