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Amy Schumer and Oprah Winfrey — Courtesy WW / George Burns

Simply By Being There, Oprah Inspires Fans At Wellness Event

The lines outside the Spectrum Center on Saturday morning stretched along the sidewalks uptown. But they were nothing compared to the lines inside the arena, where Oprah Winfrey was making her third stop of the “Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” tour. That’s a day-long wellness event presented by WW – the newly rebranded Weight Watchers. The focus might have been on overall health and wellness, but the draw, unquestionably, was Oprah.

Viva VisArt! Charlotte's Last Video Rental Store Lives On As Nonprofit

Buttigieg Trying Now To Make It To SC For MLK Day Events

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Presidential Candidate Tom Steyer Talks Climate, Polls, Trump

By Nick de la Canal • Jan 17, 2020

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4:40

WFAE's Nick de la Canal talks climate justice, North Carolina and Trump with Tom Steyer, democratic presidential candidate.

Tom Steyer has been spending a lot of time in North Carolina lately. The billionaire environmental activist and Democratic candidate running for president made campaign stops in Raleigh and Goldsboro last weekend. And this weekend, he has stops in Charlotte. And he joined All Things Considered on Friday.

'Bad Wig Bandit' Back At It, Robs 4th NC Bank

By Jodie Valade • Jan 17, 2020

The man dubbed the "Bad Wig Bandit" for his propensity to wear distinctive wigs while robbing banks has struck again, the FBI said.

UNC Board Of Governors Calls For Quick Passage Of State Budget

By Liz Schlemmer • Jan 17, 2020

Updated at 5:50 p.m. Jan. 18, 2020

The UNC System Board of Governors is taking the side of the Republican-led General Assembly in its budget fight with Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. The Board unanimously passed a resolution Friday urging passage of the GOP version of the budget approved by the General Assembly and vetoed by Cooper.

NC And SC Lawmakers Call For Studies Of Electricity Market Reforms

By David Boraks • Jan 17, 2020

Santee Cooper and SCE&G had been adding two reactors at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant in Fairfield County. — Santee Cooper

A group of state lawmakers from North and South Carolina want to deregulate the states' electricity markets by allowing competition for power production. At a press conference Thursday in Charlotte, the lawmakers said they want the two states to study the issue together and suggest reforms.

York County Woman Pleads Guilty To Poisoning Husband With Eye Drops

By Associated Press • Jan 17, 2020

Lana Sue Clayton — York Police Department

YORK, S.C. — A South Carolina woman pleaded guilty to fatally poisoning her husband by putting eye drops into his water for days. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Panthers' McCaffrey Pulls Out Of Pro Bowl; Kamara In

By Associated Press • Jan 17, 2020

Panthers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey has pulled out of the Pro Bowl after a memorable season.

Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Luke Kuechly Retires; No Raise For NC Teachers; Council Retreat

By Wendy Herkey • Jan 17, 2020

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49:38

Friday, Jan. 17th, 2020

The Panthers’ Luke Kuechly announces his retirement and adds to questions about what’s coming next for the team. Our state’s teachers did not get a raise this week because there was no vote in the legislature to override the governor’s budget veto. And Charlotte City Council holds their annual retreat in Durham.

WFAEats: The Truth About Tea

By Amy Rogers • Jan 17, 2020

As a diehard coffee drinker, I’m about to confess something I was shocked to discover for myself: Tea is amazing – even more so than my beloved bean beverage.

Reporters Challenge New Restrictions In Trying To Cover Senate Impeachment Trial

By NPR Staff • Jan 17, 2020

News organizations and journalists' advocates are challenging restrictive new ground rules for reporters assigned to cover the Senate impeachment trial.

Correspondents who submit to an official credentialing process are granted broad access throughout the Capitol complex and usually encounter few restrictions in talking with members of Congress or others.

But now Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Stenger has imposed new requirements for the impeachment trial, negotiated in part with Republican leadership:

New Figures Show Billionaire Candidates Spending Big, With Little Return

By Jessica Taylor • Jan 17, 2020

The candidates in the top 1% have accounted for about 78% of the ad spending in the presidential race so far, according to new numbers.

The two self-funding billionaires in the Democratic primary, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and activist business executive Tom Steyer, have spent the most by far — a combined $320 million, out of $409.8 million spent in the presidential contest up to Jan. 13.