The Charlotte City Council on Thursday rejected a proposal by Democratic council member Braxton Winston to increase the compensation of council members.

An estimated 56,000 state employees will now be able to take paid parental leave. Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order Thursday granting eight weeks of paid leave to state employees who give birth and four weeks to other parents taking care of a newborn, adopted or foster child.

Charlotte saw one of the largest population increases in the country from 2017 to 2018, according to new Census figures out Thursday. The U.S. Census Bureau says Charlotte’s population increased by 13,151 from July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018. That brought the population of Charlotte to 872,498.  

Twenty-one states extend in-state tuition to either undocumented immigrants or beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Legislation proposed by state Democrats would make North Carolina the 22nd state to offer that tuition rate, but Republican support is an unlikely prospect.

Updated: 2:30 p.m.

One firefighter was injured while battling a large fire Thursday at a business in Kannapolis. WSOC-TV reports the firefighter was working toward the back of the building when the ceiling partially collapsed on him. The firefighter's identity has not yet been released and his condition remains unknown.

It's about that time of year again. Charlotte's maples and oaks have fully unfurled their leaves for the summertime, the humidity in the air has been steadily rising, and Memorial Day weekend is already upon us. That means it's time for the city to celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer with all things NASCAR at uptown Charlotte's Circle K Speed Street Festival.