Local News Roundup: CMS complies with NC Parents’ Bill of Rights; Fentanyl overdoses are up; Mark Robinson speaks in Charlotte; Panthers prepare to host Detroit

This week, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools became one of the first North Carolina school systems to comply with the new North Carolina Parents’ Bill of Rights. We’ll hear parent reactions and get an update on “back to school” since CMS starts classes on Monday.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department says overdose deaths in Mecklenburg County have gone up 20% so far this year, and the fentanyl crisis continues to grow.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a Republican candidate for governor, visited Charlotte this week to speak to the Charlotte Rotary.

Might Charlotte finally be home to a social district? Smaller cities around the area have already made the move to social districts, but none have happened yet in Charlotte — but that soon could change. We’ll discuss Plaza Midwood’s efforts to form a social district and when the city might decide on approval.

Amid the vetoes, overrides, the lack of an approved budget and other issues, North Carolina Republicans are currently divided as lawmakers consider allowing casinos in the state.

The Carolina Panthers play the Detroit Lions in the preseason finale at Bank of America Stadium on Friday. Will we see a different outcome?

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

GUESTS:

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

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Ann Doss Helms, WFAE education reporter

Ely Portillo, WFAE senior editor

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

‘Equal Time’ podcast: For Pride Month, reflecting on progress and the road ahead

As Pride Month ends, celebration is tempered by setbacks across the country, from laws that ban transgender athletes from competing in school sports to efforts to remove books on the LGBTQ experience from library shelves. And with a Supreme Court willing to overturn precedent, many wonder if LGBTQ rights will be next. What is needed, culturally and legally, to ensure forward movement on the path to equality for all Americans? What can organizations and corporations do to be more intentional in supporting the LGBTQ community?

“Equal Time” host Mary C. Curtis explores what comes next with guests Sasha Buchert, a senior attorney in the Washington, D.C., office of Lambda Legal, and Kendra R. Johnson, executive director at Equality North Carolina.

Local News Roundup: redistricting continues, another high school lockdown, new nondiscrimination ordinance for Mecklenburg

On the Local News Roundup, the redistricting process continues for state and local elections. Legislators get into the nitty-gritty of drawing state Senate and House districts while Mecklenburg County Commission reviews three possible maps for local districts.

A local Charlotte high school goes on lockdown after a gun is found on campus. One student is arrested and charged following a shooting near the school.

Volleyball players at Olympic High are benched for participating in a protest over sexual assault.

And, Mecklenburg County passes its own LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinance.

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

Guests

Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter

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

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter

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

WFAE Friday News Roundup: NCAA and ACC Bring Championships Back, and more

On the local news roundup, the NCAA brings championship games back to the state but not to Charlotte.  The ACC is more generous.  And another lawsuit connected to Wells Fargo’s sales practices.  Mike Collins and the roundup reporters cover those stories and more.

NCAA Games and CLT

CHARLOTTE, NC– Repealing House Bill Two is enough to bring NCAA games back to North Carolina, but Charlotte didn’t make the roster cut for tournament games past 2018. Raleigh, Greensboro, Cary and Winston-Salem will host dozens of NCAA tournaments from 2019 to 2022. WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in.

NCAA Deadline Looms, Confusion Over HB2 Repeal Efforts

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Another effort to craft legislation to get rid of North Carolina’s “bathroom’s bill” and halt more economic losses appears gone as Republicans and Democrats point fingers over whether an agreement ever existed. The GOP-controlled legislature and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper have been trying to find a way to repeal House Bill 2 before the NCAA decides to leave the state out of hosting championship events through 2022. The NCAA had mentioned a deadline this week. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger said Tuesday evening that they had agreed to a plan from Cooper’s office that would repeal HB2 but include other provisions. Berger said Cooper backed out of that plan. The House Democratic leader said later there had been no formal offer and called the Republican leaders’ news conference a stunt because the GOP lacks the votes to pass a bill.

WCCB Political Contributor, Mary C. Curtis, weighs in.

Jason Collins tells students to continue to push on social and LGBT issues

Jason Collins, the former NBA player who made history in 2013 as “the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport,” as he said in a Sports Illustrated cover story, has continued to speak out. “I try to have as many conversations as I can with people to change our society and have a positive impact on someone’s life,” he said.

At Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday, Collins’ main message to students was clear: “I remember listening to stories from my grandmother who grew up in the segregated South; she grew up in upstate Louisiana. Her telling me how hard it was for her to first vote … hearing those stories and the sacrifices of the people who have come before me, this is important because the people in power fought so hard for us not to have it, whether you’re a woman or a minority, they didn’t want us to have this. So that tells you right there how important it is to vote.”

College Sports in North Carolina Are Now Feeling the Fallout From HB2


CHARLOTTE, NC — The fallout from HB2 has now reached into North Carolina’s love of college sports after the NCAA announced they will pull seven postseason events from the state. WCCB Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in on the the decision, HB2, and how it is shaping the race for Governor.

The NBA moves forward as North Carolina drifts back

Not even its storied basketball history and inevitable disappointment for legend and Charlotte Hornets chairman Michael Jordan could stand in the way of North Carolina’s rightward drift. The NBA has moved the 2017 NBA All-Star Game from Charlotte, making it hardly the first but simply the latest and surely the highest-profile casualty of House Bill 2, the so-called “bathroom bill,” which regulates the restrooms transgender folks use – and so much more.