Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins
New episodes every Monday through Friday.
Launched in April 1998, Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins has become the region's exclusive forum for the discussion of politics, arts, culture, social issues, literature, human interest, the environment and more. If something is of interest to the Charlotte region, listeners and leaders know the topic is bound to be discussed on Charlotte Talks. Follow along: @CharlotteTalks.
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South Carolina calls off redistricting as early voting begins, a timeline is set for Charlotte City Council to accept applications from interim mayor candidates, a North Carolina House committee readies for a hearing on the death of 6-year-old Dominique Moody, and the Carolina Hurricanes remain on the road to the Stanley Cup.
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North Carolina’s prison system is facing a crisis, from severe staffing shortages and budget pressures to the growing needs of an aging inmate population. We sit down with Secretary Leslie Cooley Dismukes to talk about the mounting concerns. Then we hear the story of Kerwin Pittman, a former inmate who is now transforming an abandoned prison into a space focused on opportunity, healing and second chances.
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America’s role in the world is changing. The thought used to be that a post-Soviet Russia and a more global China could become more friendly to the West. That has not happened. We hear from New York Times White House and national security correspondent David Sanger about these shifting tides and what they mean.
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We examine the constitutional amendment proposals in North Carolina and discuss if they could boost voter participation at the polls. We’ll also get an update from South Carolina on how their redistricting plan has panned out.
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We discuss a precious time capsule we have here in North Carolina — our state archives. We'll speak with the state archivist about what it takes to maintain history and how someone can find pieces of themselves reflected in archives. We also find out what you won’t discover in the state's archives, and why that is.
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The Charlotte Regional Transit Planning Organization votes down the I-77 project; overcrowding leads the Mecklenburg County Sheriff to announce the reopening of Jail North; amid controversy, Mooresville's mayor hints at possible resignation and the Carolina Hurricanes are in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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American medicine is changing, transformed by breakthroughs in gene therapies, innovative approaches to behavioral health, the advent of retail medicine and artificial intelligence. Dr. Marschall Runge calls this “the great health care disruption,” but says that understanding what is happening is a way to make these changes work for everyone while lowering costs and barriers to care.
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A bill is moving through the North Carolina General Assembly named after Dominique Moody. The 6-year-old died last year after being beaten and starved. Investigations found that the Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services had received reports of abuse but failed to protect the child. We look at that failure, the role local reporting played in exposing it and what this bill would do to address it.
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Americans are more digitally connected than ever, yet more often isolated from the people living closest to them. A national survey last year showed only about a quarter of adults know all or most of their neighbors. What happens when neighborhood bonds disappear? Can rebuilding them improve our health, trust and resilience?
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Despite a rising demand for services, slower revenue growth and uncertainty in support from the state and federal government, County Manager Mike Bryant's proposed budget for FY 2026-2027 calls for no reduction to services, no property tax increases and strategic new investments. He joins us to discuss how he came up with it.