Local News Roundup: Robinson fallout; Trump campaigns in Mint Hill; CMS assignments; Hurricane Helene latest

Featured at WFAE

On the Charlotte Talks local news roundup, the fallout continues after a CNN report accused North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson of making racist and misogynistic comments on an online porn forum.

Both presidential candidates continue to emphasize North Carolina with high profile visits this week, including a stop in Mint Hill by former President Donald Trump.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education votes to make several changes to student assignments, but it avoids some controversial assignments, at least for now.

And, as Hurricane Helene makes its way toward the southeast, we discuss the impact on Charlotte and the Carolinas.

GUESTS:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Mary Ramsey, local government accountability reporter for the Charlotte Observer
Hunter Sáenz, WSOC-TV reporter
Lisa Worf, senior editor for news and features at WFAE

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Oct032024 TAGS: , , ,

In battleground North Carolina, a Kamala Harris crowd overflowing with joy — and urgency

Featured at Roll Call

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One rule for politicians and politically inclined citizens: Stay away from Hitler references. They have a “boy who cried wolf” quality and usually end up backfiring, making you appear more extreme than the opponent you’re trying to label.

However, as everyone knows, every rule has an exception. And 93-year-old Ruth Hecht has more than earned hers.

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Sep192024 TAGS: , , ,

Local News Roundup: Tracks for the Red Line price tag; back to school; Panthers make roster cuts

Featured at WFAE

After decades of effort, the city of Charlotte has agreed to buy the Norfolk Southern freight rail line. The $91 million purchase will pave the way for a commuter rail line to the Lake Norman area. We’ll go through the details.

Leaders from the Charlotte region headed to Florida this week to see how Miami’s Bus Rapid Transit program works. The region’s new mobility plan includes BRT, but skeptics aren’t convinced it’s a good option here. We hear what they learned.

It’s back-to-school week for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, and there’s no shortage of news about education. In addition to teacher shortages leading up to the first day, there’s news that CMS violated North Carolina’s records law by withholding rape and sexual assaults records within the district. And is the district playing favorites with the media by only inviting certain outlets to a briefing?

And last week, the Carolina Panthers won their first game since last December. It was a preseason game, but put an end to a dismal losing streak by the team. Does it mean more wins are in our future? We discuss.

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

GUESTS

Ann Doss Helms, WFAE education reporter
Erik Spanberg, managing editor of the Charlotte Business Journal
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.” Mary is also a contributor to a new book, “We Refuse to Be Silent: Women’s Voices on Justice for Black Men”

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Aug302024 TAGS: , , , , , , ,

Why It Had to Be Walz: What is the Minnesota governor bringing to the ticket?

Featured at Slate.com

How Minnesota Governor Tim Walz slipped past VP-favorite Josh Shapiro and joined Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket.

Guest: Guest: David Faris, associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and author of The Kids Are All Left and It’s Time to Fight Dirty.

Read the rest atSlate.com
Aug112024 TAGS: , , ,

Kamala Harris is the likely Democratic nominee —what does this mean for Black voters?

Featured at WFAE

On the next Charlotte Talks, we discuss the sea-change in enthusiasm among Democrats since President Joe Biden announced his decision not to run.

The ascension of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket has been remarkable in the speed with which the party threw its support to her. But what impact has this had on a key Democratic constituency — Black voters?

Polls in recent months showed that Biden was losing support among Black voters, leaving Democrats worried. Would Democrats lose Black voters to third candidates or Donald Trump?

But Harris may be the key to keeping the support of Black voters with the Democratic Party.

We’ll hear from a panel of Black voters to learn about their thoughts and perspectives on a Harris presidential ticket, and what it means for women and people of color.

GUESTS:

Bakari Sellers, former S.C. lawmaker, attorney and author
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Christine Edwards, founder and principal consultant of Civility Localized

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Jul302024 TAGS: , , ,

The DEI Smear Against Kamala Harris: New candidate, same old playbook.

Featured at Slate.com

Calling Kamala Harris a “DEI hire” is both sexist and racist, and despite the GOP leadership’s pleading, it has quickly emerged as a favored line of attack from the right.

Guest: Dr. Brittney Cooper, professor of gender studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University

Read the rest atSlate.com
Jul302024 TAGS: , , , ,

Biden’s First Year Wins and Flops

Featured at PBS

On PBS Black Issues Forum, with host Deborah Holt Noel and panelists Steve Rao and Harold Eustache, weighing in on the first year in office for President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris and Biden’s plans to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

Read the rest atPBS
Jan302022 TAGS: , ,