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ReVenture Off Superfund List
The EPA has removed the ReVenture industrial park from its Superfund national priorities list. The site, which sits on 667 acres along the Catawba River in western Mecklenburg County, had been on the list since 1983.
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CLT Sets New Passenger Record
Nearly 40 million travelers came through the Charlotte airport last year, setting a new record and marking a second consecutive year of passenger growth. That's a two percent increase from 2010.
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A Peek Inside Standardized Testing
Standardized testing is nothing new in North Carolina. Last year Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools added tests to help gauge how well teachers are teaching. That upset many parents who worry their kids are spending too much time filling in bubbles and not enough time learning. CMS administrators say the tests provide accountability and show teachers where their students need extra attention.
WFAE's Lisa Miller sat down with a CMS teacher to understand how that works.
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Tillis Hosts Emotional Town Hall Meeting On Eugenics
North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis hosted an emotional town hall meeting in Charlotte Wednesday night to discuss plans for compensating victims of the state's Eugenics program. Some 7,600 people were sterilized by the state against their will and as many as a third of them may still be alive.
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JCSU, Law School Team Up For Dual Degree
JSCU and the Charlotte School of Law have created a six-year program in which students earn their bachelor's and law degrees. It usually takes at least seven years to get both degrees.
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Norovirus Spreading In NC
The North Carolina Health Department is warning of widespread norovirus outbreaks and urging people to wash their hands more thoroughly.
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Drain Problems At Occupy Charlotte Location?
Now that police have removed Occupy Charlotte's tents from the lawn of Old City Hall, a new clean-up may be underway.
The dozens of Occupiers who camped out at Old City Hall these last three months weren't allowed to have a port-a-potty. The closest public bathroom designated for their use was a block away at the court house.
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Police Evict Occupy Charlotte Campers
It took CMPD just over an hour Monday afternoon to dismantle the encampment of Occupy Charlotte protesters who'd been on the grounds of Old City Hall for more than three months. The eviction resulted in only a handful of arrests.
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Expect Clash Over Virtual School To Intensify At NC BOE
What could be North Carolina's first online charter school has passed its first round of approval. Now it's up to the state board of education to give the final okay. From there, you can count on it getting a lot of attention in Raleigh both from public school officials and the team of lobbyists employed by the for-profit company that would run the school.
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Occupy CLT Campers Evicted Monday
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police gave Occupy Charlotte protesters a deadline of 2:30 Monday afternoon to remove their tents from the grounds of Old City Hall. A new city ordinance took effect Monday that prohibits camping on city property. When CMPD Captain Jeff Estes arrived at the encampment shortly after 2:30, about 20 tents were still up.
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NC Dems To Gather, Regroup On Saturday
North Carolina Democrats convene in Greensboro Saturday night to kick off their strategy for 2012 and raise funds at the annual Sanford Hunt Frye dinner. Governor Perdue's surprise announcement gives Democrats a lot of table talk.
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Jake Shimabukuro, Ukulele Virtuoso
Jake Shimabukuro is a ukulele virtuoso. He's played stages throughout the world, from Japan to Russia to France. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, and George Harrison, the Hawaiian-born musician has redefined the way audiences hear that small instrument in a big way.
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Bitzer: Perdue's Withdrawal Good News For Democrats
For further analysis of Thursday's news that North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue won't run for a second term, WFAE's Scott Graf spoke with Michael Bitzer. He's a Catwaba College political science professor and writes for WFAE's Party Line political blog.
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From Tractors To A Honky Tonk, The Evolution Of Puckett's Farm Equipment
For nearly 80 years, Puckett's Farm Equipment has been a staple in north Charlotte's Derita neighborhood. While it once sold tractors and farm supplies, it has evolved into what third generation owner Gary Puckett calls a 21st Century honky tonk. Ashley Talley explores how live music has given new life to an old Charlotte institution.
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CMS Deals With Incorrect Data And Principal's Suicide
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools has been in the headlines a lot this past week for two different reasons. The district posted school progress reports that included incorrect information about students on track to graduate. Then, on Monday police found the principal of Northwest School of the Arts dead in his garage. Police have confirmed he committed suicide. Psychologists and social workers flooded the school Tuesday to help students deal with their grief. CMS held a press conference today to talk about these events.
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New Tasers For CMPD
The CMPD distributed a new line of taser guns to its officers Wednesday. Part of the upgrade to the new model includes a built-in safety mechanism.
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A Public Conversation About Politics In SC
South Carolina's presidential primary was the first in the South and an important test of the appeal Republican candidates have among their party's most dedicated supporters.
This week, WFAE gathered a diverse group of South Carolina voters - Republicans, Democrats, and Independents of all ages - for a public conversation on the state of the 2012 election. What issues do they most care about? What do they wish the candidates were talking about? Here are some of their thoughts.
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'Southwest Effect' Unlikely To Lower CLT Airfares
Frequent travelers are aflutter at the prospect of boarding a Southwest flight out of Charlotte. The airline has a reputation for good customer service and low prices. Southwest Airlines is buying AirTran, which already operates in Charlotte.
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GOP, Dems Already Firing TV Ads At Charlotte Viewers
As President Obama gives his State of the Union address tonight, Charlotte area viewers will see an attack ad funded by the Republican National Committee. The GOP has yet to settle on a candidate to challenge Obama, but general election campaign messages are already blaring from TVs in Charlotte.
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'Virtual' Charter School Looks To Cabarrus, Seeks BOE Partnership
North Carolina's charter school law doesn't differentiate between traditional schools with brick and mortar schoolhouses and online ones. So far that hasn't been a problem since the state doesn't have a virtual charter school. But one group is trying to start one and that's raising a lot of questions.
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Charlotte Region Has A Double Life In 2012 Presidential Race
South Carolina's Republican primary on Saturday will play a pivotal role in narrowing the field of candidates. But after that, the state becomes politically irrelevant. It's solidly Republican and simply not worth the time or money of Democratic presidential candidates. North Carolina, on the other hand, could go either way, and the Obama campaign is already digging in.
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Stumping In The Small Towns
Republican candidates are crisscrossing the state of South Carolina leading up to Saturday's primary. There are the big events in city convention centers, like Monday night's debate in Myrtle Beach. But there is also a lot of old-fashioned retail politics.
They squeezed into booths at meat-and-three cafes and barbecue joints in small towns with names like Ridgeway and Blythewood.
We wondered if these campaign appearances are welcome changes or an unwelcome distraction.
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Speedway, BofA Stadium To Host DNC Crowds
Organizers of the 2012 Democratic National Convention today announced plans to kick things off on Labor Day with a free, family festival at Charlotte Motor Speedway and end with President Barack Obama accepting his party's nomination at Bank of America stadium.
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NC Eugenics: A Victim's Story
Janice Black doesn't say much, but she has a sly grin that gives way to an infectious chuckle when something strikes her right.
She smiles and laughs a lot - which is a tribute to her resilience. Janice has developmental disabilities and disfigured hands that make it impossible to live on her own, but not to make a difference.
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Local Professor In High Demand Before SC Primary
If you've read, listened-to or watched any coverage of the South Carolina primary, there's a pretty good chance you've come across the name Scott Huffmon. Huffmon is a political science professor at Winthrop University in Rock Hill.
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Red Line Will Stall Without Iredell
Iredell County Commissioners are expected to vote "no" on a proposed commuter rail line that would connect the southern part of that county with downtown Charlotte. Iredell is one of seven governments that would be involved in the Red Line Regional Rail project. If the commission votes against it, then the project could fail.
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Kannapolis Research Campus Attracts Chinese
A significant cluster of Chinese scientists and their families has migrated to Cabarrus County in the last few years. They've come to work at the North Carolina Research Campus and have found their growing numbers helpful in adapting to the area.
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Commentary: Wake Forest On The Right Track
It's been nearly four years since Wake Forest announced it would no longer require SAT or ACT scores for college admission. The decision received a lot of attention in part because Wake Forest is a prestigious school.
Now, according to a story in the Raleigh News and Observer, Wake Forest reports that its quality of students is improving because of the policy.
That doesn't surprise commentator Bill Diskin.
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Freightliner Brings 1,100 Jobs Back To Rowan County
Talk about a roller-coaster economy. The fortunes of tiny Cleveland - population 871 - rise and fall with the town's biggest employer, a Freightliner Truck manufacturing plant. From one season to the next, the plant adds shifts and cuts them again depending on global demand for its big trucks.
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A Conversation With Chiquita CEO Fernando Aguirre
Chiquita CEO Fernando Aguirre is back in the Charlotte area this week. On Wednesday, he was at the Club at Longview in Weddington. The Chiquita Classic golf tournament is moving to the club. The tournament, a stop on the the PGA's second-tier Nationwide Tour, had been in Cincinnati.
While there, he updated WFAE's Mark Rumsey on the company's move from Cincinnati to Charlotte.
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