NEWS UPDATES FOR MAY 2024

Charlotte FC rallied for a 3-2 win on the road Sunday over Atlanta United. Liel Abada scored two goals for Charlotte. Team Captain Ashley Westwood said after the match it was a good bounce-back for Charlotte after losing last Wednesday.

"It was massive and I said it before, I said in football you always get an opportunity to put things right and they come around quickly. Today we were excellent. We were unlucky to concede the first goal but the character we showed to come back get, we got ourselves back in it at half time and then second half we were, we looked like a real threat going forward and Liel's come up with two moments of magic and won us the game," he said.

Charlotte moves up from seventh to fifth in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. They now get a break until a home match June 15 against DC United.

The Charlotte Fire Department is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for its first all-electric firehouse Monday morning. The facility is being built on Beam Road, just south of Charlotte Douglas Airport, near the Police and Fire Training Academy. City officials say the two-story, three bay Firehouse 30 will be the first all-electric firehouse in the southeast, equipped with the first all-electric North American style fire truck. It will replace the current facility on Belle Oaks drive, built in 1955. The groundbreaking starts at 9:45 am.

Two people were killed and two others were hurt following a shooting in Rock Hill late Saturday night, according to the Rock Hill Police Department.

WJZY reports at about 10 p.m. on Saturday, officers responded to Southland Drive after officers heard gunshots in the area of a neighborhood block party. That’s in the southern part of Rock Hill near where Mount Holly Road and Saluda Road cross.

When they arrived, they saw a 44-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man with gunshot wounds. Both were pronounced dead at the scene

A third victim, a 25-year-old woman, was also found at the scene with a gunshot wound. She was treated at the scene by EMS. A short time later, a 24-year-old man arrived at a local medical center with a minor gunshot graze that he said happened while at Southland Drive. No arrests have been made.

York County Councilman William “Bump” Roddey said the organizers let Rock Hill Police know about the event ahead of time as a precaution because of the size of the crowd. He said more preventative measures could still have been taken.

After about two years of construction and millions of dollars in fundraising, the new Sullenberger Aviation Museum will open its doors to the public on Saturday.

The museum originally opened in 1992 as the Carolinas Aviation Museum. It was founded by aviation enthusiast and commander of the Carolinas Wing of the Confederate Air Force Floyd Swinton Wilson and his wife Lois, according to the museum's website.

It was most recently housed in a corporate jet hangar at the Charlotte Douglas Airport.

The new 105,000 square foot facility is located at 4108 Minuteman Way, just north of the airport, and required some $34 million in fundraising for its completion.

The new facility is named for Captain Sully Sullenberger, who rose to fame in 2009 after safely landing US Airways Flight 1549 flying from New York to Charlotte on the Hudson River after hitting a flock of geese.

The flight became known as the “Miracle on the Hudson." The plane, an Airbus A320, is housed at the new museum, as well as several historic replica planes like the Wright Brothers' Flyer and Glider plane, and one of the Skystreak planes used during sound barrier tests.

Later this fall, the museum plans to open what they call "Aviation City" featuring an F-84 Thunderjet, Lockheed T-33 and many more historical planes, WFAE previously reported.

The museum will also encourage STEM education and careers through the Flight Forward Program. The program will work with the North Carolina aviation industry, colleges, universities, and workforce development groups to create aviation-related career training opportunities for students.

The museum will be open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4:30 p.m., with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Tickets for the grand opening are $5. Regular admission will be $24 for adults; $20 for seniors, veterans and educators; and $18 for students.

A Charlotte brewery will have to pay a $2,000 fine for failing to fix a hole that led to the death of one of the brewery’s co-founders.

In assessing the fine, the North Carolina Department of Labor said Wooden Robot Brewery did not ensure employees were protected from falling through holes, including skylights.

The brewery’s co-founder, Dan Wade was killed by an accidental fall at the brewery’s South End location in February. The brewery has since reopened its South End location.

The stepfather of Madalina Cojocari has been found guilty by a jury of failing to report the 11-year-old girl missing when she disappeared in Cornelius in 2022.

The jury reached that verdict for Christopher Palmiter after just 15 minutes of deliberation following Friday’s closing arguments.

After the verdict was delivered, Superior Court Judge Matt Osman sentenced Palmiter to 30 months of supervised probation.

During the closely-watched trial, Palmiter had maintained he was unaware the 11-year-old was missing from his home for nearly three weeks. Madalina is still missing today.

Her mother, Diana Cojocari pleaded guilty to failing to report the girl missing last week.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles is throwing her support behind President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The Democratic mayor gave her endorsement Thursday at a news conference, part of a nationwide launch of an effort to engage Black voters the campaign worries could be wobbling.

"As mayor of Charlotte I served four terms under two presidents. I’ve seen the differences and I can tell you, unlike Trump, President Biden and Vice President Harris have spent the last four years delivering on the promises that they’ve made to Black North Carolinians," she said.

The news conference was announcing the launch of a local “Black Voters for Biden-Harris” coalition. It’s part of what the Biden campaign is describing as a summer-long push to engage Black student organizations, community groups and faith centers.

A company that produces waste collection trucks plans to add 170 jobs at its plant in Rowan County. Amrep Manufacturing Company plans to build a new production space next to its current facility in Salisbury. The new positions will include fabricators, supervisors, and welders. The average annual wages of those jobs are expected to be about $57,000 dollars. State tax incentives could total $1.6 million over 12 years.

Charlotte fire investigators believe a 3-alarm fire in uptown Charlotte near Frazier Park early Thursday morning was intentionally set.

The building where the fire started was vacant and was undergoing a renovation.

Firefighters were called to the blaze around 2 a.m. as flames leapt high in the air and consumed the building.

The fire spread to next door townhomes, and five people were treated for smoke inhalation. One person was taken to the hospital.

The same building had caught fire less than 24 hours earlier, which police believe was also intentionally set.

Investigators estimate property loss at $390,000.

The Charlotte Symphony’s "Summer Pops" series will return to Symphony Park in SouthPark next month with four concerts led by Resident Conductor Christopher James Lees.

The outdoor concert series brings tens of thousands of residents together to share food, music, and fireworks.

This will be the symphony's 41st year hosting the concert series. This year, the symphony will host four concerts on consecutive Sundays beginning June 9.

They will include a "Latin Sounds" night and a concert celebrating Juneteenth. The final two concerts will celebrate "Music from the Movies," and a "Celebrate America!" concert ahead of the July 4 holiday.

Once free to the public, the symphony now requires people to have tickets to attend the outdoor concerts. Tickets start at $15 in advance at $18 at the gate.

The city of Charlotte has reached a tentative agreement with Norfolk Southern to use its freight tracks for the Red Line commuter rail line to Lake Norman.

City Council member Ed Driggs said the city and railroad have reached an understanding about using the tracks, though a final agreement hasn’t yet been made.

The 25-mile Red Line would run from uptown to Mooresville. The Red Line has been planned for 25 years, but the Charlotte Area Transit System hasn’t had the money to build it. It also hasn’t had the OK form Norfolk Southern.

A North Carolina student has correctly spelled her way to the final round of the Scripps National Bee, which got underway Thursday night.

Thirteen-year-old Ananya Prassanna, of Davis Drive Middle School in Cary, North Carolina, survived eight rounds of words and language questions at the spelling competition in Maryland this week to make it to Thursday's finals.

She’s the only competitor from North Carolina to reach the finals this year. No student from North Carolina has won the national competition since 1970.

Prassanna has previously competed in 2022 and 2023, but has never made it to the final round.

According to her speller profile, Prassanna was an avid reader from a young age, and she enjoys poetry and literature. She lives in Apex, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh.

She said her favorite author is Rick Riordan, and her hobbies include learning kathak, trying new cuisine, watching Marvel movies and learning about science.

Her favorite sport is cricket, her favorite cartoon character is Simba and her favorite book is “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee finals will be broadcast on ION at 8 p.m. ET.

Catholic worshippers and clergy from around the Charlotte region gathered at Saint Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville on Wednesday for the ordination of Bishop Michael T. Martin.

He becomes the fifth bishop to lead the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte following the retirement of longtime Bishop Peter Jugis.

Martin comes to Charlotte from Atlanta where he was a parish priest. He grew up in Baltimore.

As Charlotte’s new bishop, Martin will oversee 92 churches, 20 schools, more than 50 ministries and an estimated 530,000 Catholics living in western North Carolina.

Bank of America is announcing plans to vacate two buildings in uptown Charlotte, as remote work and high interest rates continue to drive up vacant office space in Center City.

The Charlotte Business Journal reports the bank will move employees out of the Fifth Third Center building, just across from the Bank of America Corporate Center on Tryon Street, when its lease expires in July 2025.

The bank will also move employees out of an office space in Gateway Center on Trade Street in September. Bank of America says the moves will not cause any job losses.

North Carolina lawmakers are considering tougher criminal penalties for people who damage water and sewer utility infrastructure, led by a state senator representing Cabarrus County. The bill comes in the aftermath of a 2023 attack on electric substations in Moore County.

A state Senate committee will vote soon on a wide-ranging energy and environmental bill. It would ensure that vandalism or damage to water and sewer facilities would be a felony with prison time. Republican Sen. Paul Newton is the bill's sponsor.

"These provisions should deter bad actors from taking advantage of critical infrastructure that could hurt a number of people. And we ought to act now, not wait until something bad happens. And I will tell you that this week, EPA issued an alert that cyberattacks against critical water systems are increasing in frequency and severity across the country," he said.

The bill would also create a new felony crime for damaging a manufacturing facility. The measure adds to a law passed last year to toughen penalties for attacks on electrical infrastructure. Another provision in the bill would prevent some foreign countries from buying quartz mines in North Carolina.

One of NASCAR’s biggest teams says it will shut down at the end of the 2024 season. The owners of Stewart Haas Racing met with employees Tuesday and issued a statement saying the decision was not easy, but they’ve reached the point where “it’s time to pass the torch.”

Chase Briscoe drives the number 14 car for the organization, which won a championship in 2011 with team co-owner Tony Stewart behind the wheel.

"It's crazy, you know, knowing that this will be the last year that I drive the 14 car, the car that I, you know, looked up to growing up and obviously idolized growing up," he said. "So, crazy times for sure, never thought it would happen but yeah, I have no idea what I'm doing going forward."

Stewart Haas employs some 300 people at its 200,000-square-foot facility in Kannapolis. The organization has won two Cup Series championships and has 69 Cup Series victories since its 2009 formation, but the last came in 2002.

Two Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schools will get new principals this summer. Superintendent Crystal Hill announced Tuesday that Garinger Principal LeDuan Pratt is moving to Hopewell High in Huntersville. Terra Kennedy will take his place at Garinger High, in east Charlotte. She’s a former principal at Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology and currently works in CMS central offices.

Charlotte planners will soon begin studying ways to reconnect the city's Historic West End to uptown and surrounding neighborhoods, after highways and infrastructure projects separated them decades ago.

City Council on Tuesday is expected to select the architecture firm to do the work.

The study is funded by a $1 million federal grant through the bipartisan infrastructure law. It’s part of a pilot program that aims to “re-connect communities cut off from opportunity and burdened by past transportation infrastructure decisions.”

The study will focus on the interchanges of I-77 at West 5th Street and I-77 at West Trade Street.It will look at enhancing mobility and safety between uptown and the historically Black communities on the city’s west side.

City Council is expected to select the architecture firm Neighboring Concepts to do the study. The planning team includes Historic West End Partners. Charlotte is one of 45 communities chosen for the federal grant. It required a local match of $250,000.

Christopher Bell, of Huntersville-based Joe Gibbs Racing, won the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday.

The race was stopped when storms moved through at about 9:30 p.m. NASCAR attempted to dry the track, but said high humidity slowed the process, leading officials to call the race. Bell was the leader at the time the race was stopped, making him the winner.

"I never in a million years thought that I was going to be winning that race ...on a rain-shortened event after they didn't call it whenever the rain stopped," he said. "I thought for sure we'd be completing the event."

Bell led 90 of the 249 laps run. The victory was his second of the season.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson was unable to complete The Double — running both the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. The storm that ended the race here also delayed the start at Indy, throwing his tight schedule off.

To prevent disruptive parties during the summer, Airbnb officials are ramping up measures such as blocking one- and two-night reservations for an entire home.

According to a press release, the company is also screening for red flags such as the distance of a listing from a guest’s home and last-minute requests. Those considered high risks for disruptive behavior are being blocked from reserving an entire home or directed to a hotel.

Airbnb officials say about 1,900 reservations in North Carolina and 650 in Charlotte were blocked during the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays last year.

According to the company, reports of parties have dropped by 50% since last year, when their stricter screening measures went into effect.

Gov. Roy Cooper signed a state disaster declaration on Thursday, making grants available to residents of Gaston and Cleveland counties to help recovery efforts after two tornadoes swept through the area earlier this month.

Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday vetoed a bill that was proposed by one of his own state agencies, the North Carolina Department of Transportation — after Republican lawmakers used the bill to insert policy proposals Cooper has opposed for years.

WRAL reports the DOT's annual legislative requests in House Bill 198 includes hiking toll road late fees by 50%, but Cooper opposes a different part of the bill, which DOT leaders say other people wrote: Letting billboard companies cut down more trees on the side of the road while also removing all protections for redbuds, a tree known for its large blooms of pink or red flowers.

Mecklenburg County Commissioners heard from dozens of people at their public budget hearing Thursday night. The county is finalizing its $2.5 billion dollar spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Many speakers said they’re glad the County is fully funding Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ budget request, giving the schools an additional $56 million. Michelle Vonn, who said she’s a teacher, said the district’s needs are great.

"I'm sure it seems like every time you turn around schools need more money," she said. "It's because we do. We are in buildings that are falling apart. While I'm grateful for the bond passage package that recently passed, it doesn't put a dent in all the building maintenance and structural needs of our schools."

County Manager Dena Diorio’s proposed budget includes a 1.5-cent property tax increase, which would translate to about $57 a year for the median-priced home in Mecklenburg.

The County Commission will hold straw votes on the budget next week, and plan to approve a final spending plan in June.

NOAA National Weather Service forecasters released their annual Atlantic hurricane season prediction. NOAA said La Niña conditions and warmer than average temperature will drive above average tropical activity this year. Hurricane season officially starts on June 1st and ends on November 30. NOAA Administrator Rick Spinard said this year’s hurricane season has a chance to produce more storms.

"NOAA is predicting an above average 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. Specifically, there's an 85% chance of an above normal season. A 10% chance of a near normal season and a 5% chance of a below normal season," he said.

Spinard also said the forecast is calling for a total of 17 to 25 named storms this season. Among the storms between 8 to 13 are forecasted to become hurricanes.

Students applying to public universities in North Carolina are completing fewer FAFSA forms than previous years. That's according to data from the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority. According to the data, there's been a 10% decline in form submissions to UNC System universities. That statistic is even worse for minority serving institutions - like the state's HBCU's at 13%. Sharon Oliver is the associate vice chancellor for enrollment at NC Central University in Durham. She says access to financial aid is a lifeline for students at her university. Without it, she's worried about enrollment in the fall.

“Will our students be able to pay for college this fall is the question at hand for us? If our students are unable to gain access to financial aid, we will experience a decrease in enrollment," she said.

NC Central is trying to combat the FAFSA declines by connecting students with in-house financial advisors and holding events to help them complete the form.

Attorney General Josh Stein sued Pactiv Evergreen Thursday on behalf of the North Carolina Department of Commerce. In 2023, the company closed the paper mill it owns in Canton, which had been in operation for more than 100 years in the western part of the state and employed more than 1,000 workers. In the lawsuit, the Attorney General demands that Pactiv Evergreen repay $12 million to the state for breaching a 2014 grant agreement with the Department of Commerce.

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers spoke with Blue Ridge Public Radio this week about a potential new owner for the mill but said that won’t be the end of the story.

"Evergreen is not just going to pass the ball and exit the Canton city limits. They are still on the hook as they should be for many environmental responsibilities and economic responsibilities including the JMAC economic incentives," he said.

 The JMAC Agreement provided Pactiv Evergreen with economic development incentives in exchange for a commitment to maintain operations, and at least 800 jobs, at the paper mill through December 31st of this year. The company closed the mill and terminated all its employees one year ago.

Mecklenburg County Commissioner-elect Yvette Townsend-Ingram was arrested May 1 and charged with driving while impaired in Gaston County, police records show. She was also charged with an open container violation.

Townsend-Ingram told WSOC-TV she was drinking a bottle of wine at a park in Belmont after being laid off and mourning the death of a family member. She said she fell asleep in her car, which she described as parked, but running — and was awakened by a police officer.

According to WSOC-TV, records show Townsend-Ingram had a blood alcohol content more than two-and-a-half times the legal limit.

Townsend-Ingram received the third at-large spot in the March Democratic primary, ousting long-time commissioner Pat Cotham. No Republicans are running.

Several Republicans in the state House say they won't support a Senate bill that could restrict the use of face masks. The Senate voted last week to eliminate language in state law that allows people to wear masks for health reasons. They say their mask ban would only affect people trying to conceal their identity. But the bill prompted concerns that it could make it illegal for anyone to wear a mask.

Multiple House Republicans said on social media that they want the public health exception to remain in state law. House Speaker Tim Moore says he wants legislation that would target people who use masks while breaking the law.

"It's the question of when someone is trying to do something to willfully conceal their identity to engage in some sort of conduct that's a problem. I mean, if someone goes walking into a bank wearing a ski mask, they're probably not doing it because they're worried about COVID," he said.

The House could vote later this week to reject the Senate's proposal, leading to negotiations between the two chambers.

Charlotte City Council is considering changes to next year’s proposed spending plan, which includes a 1.5-cent property tax increase — for now.

The property tax increase would come to about $54 a year for the owner of a median-priced home in Charlotte. Most of it would go to pay for higher wages for city staff, especially police, firefighters and the lowest-paid hourly employees, and hiring more workers.

But council member Tariq Bokhari pleaded with his colleagues Monday in a budget hearing to reduce the size of the property tax increase by cutting the budget. He said the city needs to show the Republican-majority General Assembly that Charlotte can keep taxes low, in order to convince legislators to allow a new, one-cent Mecklenburg sales tax to fund transit expansion.

"We're going to significantly hurt ourselves in our ability to make the case that Charlotte is all in on the sales tax," he said.

Charlotte City Council voted to direct City Manager Marcus Jones to come up with an alternate budget with a smaller property tax increase, though they didn’t discuss any specific plans or cuts at Monday’s meeting.

The city manager will come back with a recommendation, and the council will vote on the final budget next month.

Do you have a pool at your house that you’re thinking of renting? Don’t do it, say public health leaders. The state may take legal action against you.

Like houses and apartments, people can rent out their personal pools using a third-party app. A heated pool in Matthews with firepit goes for $50 an hour on Swimply. What’s called the Piperglen 5th Hole Pool Party goes for $100 an hour.

But Mecklenburg public health leaders say these types of rentals are not allowed in North Carolina.

“It’s about the safety of our residents, especially children,” said Christal Swinger, a county public health director.

County officials say they’re working with the state to shut down illegal use of pools. Public swimming pools require an operation permit and inspections.

The flag of North Carolina has two dates on it. One date, April 12, 1776, is the date of the Halifax Resolves, a meeting at which North Carolina colonists discussed their discontent with royal policies and hinted at independence.

The other date is 249 years ago today: May 20, 1775, and is more controversial. For over a century, many North Carolinians believed that marked the date of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, the first declaration of independence in the thirteen colonies.

Joey Logano of Mooresville-based Team Penske won the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday night, dominating the event and winning the $1 million prize.

The former champion has not won a points-paying race yet this season.

"It feels good. You know, it's funny because the first thing that goes through your mind is, gosh, I wish this counted for points, but let's be honest, a million bucks is a lot of money and it counts for something. So,, pretty proud of, of our race team today. Really this whole weekend," he said.

After the race, the battling continued in the garage area where Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Kyle Busch and their crews got into a brawl over a lap two incident that ended Stenhouse’s night early. NASCAR heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend.

The trial of the stepfather of a missing girl from Cornelius is scheduled to start Monday morning. Cornelius Today reports computer experts from the FBI are expected to testify as the trial of Christopher Palmiter opens.

He’s the stepfather of Madalina Cojocari, the missing girl who vanished from Cornelius on Thanksgiving weekend 2022. Palmiter is accused of failing to report a child’s disappearance.

Police say Madalina had been gone for three weeks when Bailey Middle School authorities contacted the parents asking why the sixth-grader hadn’t been in class. They were later told that Madalina hadn’t been seen since Nov. 23, 2022.

Both Palmiter and Madalina’s mother, Diana Cojocari, were arrested and charged with neglecting to report her disappearance. Neither parent has told investigators what happened to the girl, whose 13th birthday would have been in April. Diana Cojocari also has a court appearance scheduled for Monday. Her trial date has not yet been set.

Friday is Endangered Species Day, meant to celebrate success in protecting endangered species and to recognize the species that need conservation action. That includes several endangered animals in North Carolina, from large to small. Dr. Mike Cove, Research Curator of Mammalogy and a Research Associate at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, said one concern in eastern North Carolina is bat species that live in caves. He said white nose syndrome, a fungal disease, is estimated to have killed millions of bats in eastern North America since 2006.

 "It has caused massive bat declines of upwards of 90-95% in cave-roosting bats," he said.

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will host a series of short presentations about endangered species in North Carolina and around the world on Friday, and then a discussion about how the museum is acting to save species in NC and beyond.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing & Homelessness officials say homelessness is still on the rise locally.

In January, a group of community volunteers conducted the annual Point In Time Count Unsheltered Census. They found 384 people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, meaning they were living outdoors.

This marks the highest unsheltered count since 2010 and is a 79% increase since the 2020 pre-pandemic count. Data also showed that 44% of those who experienced homelessness were between the ages of 25-44.

Practice and qualifying begin Friday at historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star Race. The track hosted the event last year after being idle for decades. Charlotte’s William Byron, who drives for Concord-based Hendrick Motorsports, says it’s different from other All-Star events.

"Other sports, you see them doing flag football or they're not really playing defense in the NBA game. So I think for us we actually take it seriously and there's a lot on the line. It's a chance to learn and you can't just take a week off. If you just approach the All-Star race like it's a week off, you're gonna have some bummed out feelings after that race, so we wanna win it and obviously some money on the line as well. So that would be nice," he said.

The winner gets $1 million. The race is Sunday at 5:30 pm.

Gaston County manager Kim Eagle presented a budget plan Thursday that would cut property taxes by 1.1 cents. But even with the proposed cut, Gaston County’s rate of 59.9 cents per $100 assessed value would be well above Mecklenburg’s rate.

Eagle’s budget plan totals $420 million, up 6 percent. Gaston County Schools and Gaston College each would get 1-percent operating increases. Gaston commissioners will hold a public hearing on the budget on May 28th.

Charlotte FC has a three-game Major League Soccer winning streak after Wednesday night’s 1-nil win over the Chicago Fire. It was also the Crown’s first road win of the season. Team captain Ashley Westwood scored the lone goal on a free kick in the 59th minute.

"We're a great bunch. Everyone works for each other and that's what it takes to win football matches, especially away from home. So it's, yeah, it wasn't our best performance, but we showed real character and a real grit to see the game out," he said.

Charlotte moved into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. They’re back home Saturday night against the LA Galaxy, who are currently in a four-way tie for second place in the West.

Topsail Turtle Project officials are issuing a plea to people celebrating milestones not to do so by releasing balloons into air. Almost 20 balloons were found on the beach just this week.

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences Mammalogy Research Curator Michael Cove said balloon releases can put whales and other creatures that live in the oceans in danger – because they look like food.

"Many of the beaked whales, their primary prey, are squids and other cephalopods, and so balloons and other plastic debris certainly look just like those when they're floating around in the open ocean,” he said.

Last fall, a live Gervais' Beaked Whale washed up in Emerald Isle and died soon after. A necropsy found the female calf died from eating a plastic or mylar balloon.

With very low turnout in Tuesday’s primary runoff election in North Carolina, the State Board of Elections says they have removed precinct-level data files from the vote because with so few ballots cast that if the data was released, it could be clear who individual people voted for.

A total of 2.8%, or 133,419 voters, cast a ballot.

A Pineville police sergeant is on administrative leave after shooting and killing a suspected shoplifter Tuesday outside of a south Charlotte grocery store.

The Pineville Police Department declined to name the sergeant in a news release on Wednesday.

Police say the officer was working off-duty at the McMullen Creek Shopping Center in south Charlotte when he encountered 46-year-old Dennis Bodden in the parking lot outside of the shopping center's Food Lion.

The officer ordered Bodden to stop, but Bodden continued walking across Johnston Road as the officer followed and called for backup.

Police say the officer used a Taser on Bodden following a physical confrontation, but Bodden continued to move away from the officer toward Cedar Circle Drive. A backup officer arrived and used a Taser on Bodden a second time.

According to the police department's statement, the second officer's Taser had "little to no effect on Mr. Bodden," and he "lunged towards our sergeant and tried to grab his service weapon, ending up with the use of deadly force."

Police say no weapon was found on Bodden after the shooting, and the police sergeant was wearing a body camera that captured the deadly encounter.

In the news release, police said Bodden was known to officers as a "chronic" shoplifting suspect at the Johnston Road Food Lion, and had felony warrants for breaking and entering and larceny from the store.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have opened a criminal investigation into the shooting, and the Pineville Police Department has opened an internal investigation.

The Carolina Panthers will take the field in Germany this fall, facing the New York Giants in Week 10 of the 2024 season, the NFL announced this morning.

The game will kick-off November 10 at 9:30 a.m. eastern time.

After searching for nearly a week, Albemarle Police have located the body of 17-year-old Bailee Carver in Cabarrus County. Her remains were found near the intersection of Highways 49 and 601 just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Police said they were called to a home on Floral Drive in Albemarle Friday and arrested 20-year-old Joshua Biles, charging him with felony obstruction and concealment of death. He’s currently in the Stanly County Jail.

WCNC reports investigators say Biles told them Carver died and he disposed of the body. Investigators believe Biles moved Carver's body from his home and said they found evidence suggesting Carver had "obvious wounds to the body indicating an unnatural death."

Biles has not admitted to killing Carver.

Charlotte FC is looking for a third straight Major League Soccer win Wednesday night when they go on the road to face the Chicago Fire, a team with just two wins all season. Charlotte has moved into a tie for fifth in the Eastern Conference but coach Dean Smith said he’s not taking anything for granted.

"It will be a tough game. As everybody keeps telling me it's tough on the road but you know, hopefully we can put a change to that, but it's going to be another tough game. We have to concentrate on ourselves, really," he said.

Kickoff is at 8:30 pm.

Voters chose two Republican nominees for North Carolina Council of State and for Gaston County Commissioner in a runoff on Tuesday.

Hal Weatherman defeated Forsyth District Attorney Jim O’Neill for lieutenant governor with 75% of the vote. Weatherman is a former aide to former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and former Rep. Madison Cawthorn. Weatherman will face Democratic nominee Rachel Hunt in November. She’s the daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt.

In the race for state auditor, attorney Dave Boliek defeated certified public accountant Jack Clark, getting 53% of the vote. Boliek is a member of the UNC Board of Trustees. He’ll face Democrat Jessica Holmes in November. The former Wake County Commissioner was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to fill out the term of Beth Wood, who resigned.

In Gaston County, Jim Bailey won the runoff for a county commission seat over incumbent Ronnie Worley. There’s no Democratic challenger in the race.

About 75 people signed up to share their thoughts on Charlotte’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year at Monday night’s City Council meeting. It was the first public hearing on the proposed budget, which includes the city’s first property tax hike in six years.

Most of that 1.5 cent increase, which comes out to about $54 a year for the median home in Charlotte, would go to higher pay for municipal workers. The lowest-paid hourly employees would see their wages go to $23 an hour, compared with $20 an hour two years ago and $13.58 an hour in 2018.

Speaking on behalf of city workers, local organizer Kass Ottley said public sector salaries still lag.

"City workers have been trying to play catch up for years. The last two years have been great as far as increases. But 10 years before that, city workers were not making any money, they were not making a living wage," she said.

Carol Hardison, CEO of Crisis Assistance Ministry, said her nonprofit still regularly helps city workers who can’t pay their rent and utilities.

"So far this year, 44 city workers have come to crisis assistance ministry because they cannot afford to live in the city," she said.

Charlotte Solid Waste Services worker Roy Pegram said he’s proud of the work he does, but he wants to be able to afford a house, vacations and stop living paycheck to paycheck.

"I love my job. I love working for the city. I work uptown. So, when you uptown and you see how clean it looks. I'm one of the ones that do that," he said.

Pegram and other workers asked the City Council to consider a $25 an hour minimum wage, saying their workloads keep increasing as the city grows.

Other workers who would see significant pay bumps include police officers, firefighters and other emergency service providers.

Other speakers asked the City Council to consider increased funding for the arts, affordable housing, bike lanes and animal control.

Charlotte City Council will vote on the budget next month.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster says he is pleased with lawmakers for passing bills that will reduce the state income tax, increase teacher pay, and freeze tuition at public universities for in-state students for another year.

But speaking to reporters Monday, McMaster said he’s disappointed that several other bills have failed, including a bill that would have consolidated six South Carolina health care agencies. McMaster said he wants lawmakers to reconsider.

"The health agencies — all of these agencies that are mentioned in South Carolina are the most unorganized — the most fractured of any in the country. That is not a good reputation to have, and it’s not a good fact to know. That just won’t work," he said.

The bill received overwhelming support from lawmakers in the state House and Senate, but was killed last week via a procedural move by members of the state’s Freedom Caucus.

In the National Hockey League Playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes forced a game six in their series against the New York Rangers on Monday night with a 4-1 win. The Canes trailed 1-0 until the third period, when they scored all four of their goals.

Game six is Thursday night in Raleigh with Carolina trailing three games to two.

Polling places in North Carolina opened this morning for a statewide primary runoff election. The election will determine who will be the GOP nominees for Lieutenant Governor and State auditor. Many polling places, including some in Mecklenburg County, have been consolidated with turnout expected to be low.

North Carolina Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell says the state has approved that practice for years to help save money.

“There's a provision within the law about creating a burden for someone to have to travel across the county. It's not that level of consolidation, but nearby precincts can be consolidated,” said Bell.

Registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters who either did not vote in the March primary or voted a Republican ballot are eligible. The last statewide runoff was in 2012 – and less than 4% of eligible voters participated.

Charlotte’s housing market is still hot, but sales are going down, as the market seems like it just can’t seem to find its balance.

The average price of a home sold in the Charlotte region crossed a milestone in April: $500,000. That’s up more than 9% from the same month last year. Those high prices, paired with mortgage rates hovering around 7%, are keeping eager buyers on the sidelines and pushing down the number of homes sold. The actual number of sales in the region fell about 3% in April.

There’s one more twist: Despite those high prices, mortgage rates, and falling sales, homes are still selling faster. On average, a house sits on the market for about five weeks in Charlotte — three days fewer than last year.

The Hornets have announced their business operations will be overseen by a veteran of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Shelly Cayette-Weston will be the Hornet’s president of business operations starting July 1. She was with the Cleveland Cavaliers for 12 years and is now the team’s chief commercial officer.

Cayette-Weston succeeds longtime Hornets president Fred Whitfield, who retired in December.

North Carolina drivers will soon see a different feature when the power goes out and traffic lights start flashing, as happened across the region with last week’s storms.

The NC Department of Transportation says instead of flashing yellow at the larger cross-street and red at the smaller one, all traffic lights will now blink red, turning those intersections into a four-way stop.

NC DOT controls many of the major roads in Charlotte.

An 18-year-old high school student who went missing in Matthews last week has been found dead, according to police.

Olivia Kathleen Bruce was reported missing last Tuesday. Police in Charlotte said officers found her body about 3 p.m. last Thursday afternoon in the parking lot of a Ballantyne movie theater.

Police said they do not suspect foul play.

Bruce was a student at Providence High School, according to a letter from the principal sent to families. Grief counselors are available to students, the principal said.

Charlotte City Council is set to hold their first hearing Monday night on the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.

Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones’ proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts in July includes the city’s first property tax increase in more than five years. The rate would go up by 1.5 cents, which translates to about $54 a year for the median Charlotte home. Jones says the increase is necessary to pay for wages that have increased dramatically, especially since the pandemic.

Much of the tax increase would go to raising salaries and hiring more police, fire and other public safety employees. The budget plan also includes $400 million worth of bonds to pay for projects such as sidewalks, roads and affordable housing.

BMX competitors and their fans from around the globe are arriving in Rock Hill on Friday for the start of the world championships.

It's the second time the city has hosted the event at its $4 million cycling center next to the Catawba River. The first time was in 2017.

Mark Sexton with Rock Hill's Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department said more than 3,300 BMX riders will compete from 43 countries.

"We've got the streets lined with all the flags of the countries, and they're pulling over on the side of the road, and the riders are getting out, holding the flag up, taking pictures," Sexton said.

The city will host an opening day festival in Fountain Park at 6 p.m. Friday. Races start on Sunday and will finish with the elite finals next Saturday.

The city expects more than 50,000 spectators during the week-long event.

Cleanup efforts continue in Gaston County after storms swept through the area this week. County officials said the National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-1 Tornado with winds peaking at 110 miles per hour went through Cleveland County near Polkville then toward Cherryville in Gaston County Wednesday.

Work is still ongoing to clear trees, downed power lines and debris. Gaston County Schools remain closed Friday. According to Duke Energy, about 12,000 customers are still without power in Gaston and Mecklenburg counties. Duke estimates most people should be back online by about noon today.

Charlotte FC is back on the pitch Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium Uptown, looking for a second straight win. The Crown is up to sixth in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference and Nashville SC comes calling Saturday. Striker Enzo Copetti is not expected to play amid reports that he may return to Argentina to play there. Charlotte coach Dean Smith was asked about that at his weekly press conference Thursday.

"As the head coach, you're not always involved in the, you know, the front office and a club has got an interest in Enzo. So we, he's had an excused absence from training today, and we'll see where that goes, but, as of yet, I can't say anymore, really," he said.

Kickoff is at 7:30 pm.

UNC Charlotte will hold commencement ceremonies this weekend for more than 5,100 graduates, a university record. Ceremonies start Friday morning, then continue at 3 p.m. and then Saturday, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in Halton Arena. Expect extra traffic in the area.

Wingate University has graduation ceremonies starting Friday morning in Cuddy Arena and Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory has its Friday at 6 pm in Moretz Stadium.

The Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament is starting late Thursday morning due to the weather. Gates will open at Quail Hollow Club at 11 am with play beginning at noon.

Thirteen of North Carolina’s 14 members of Congress voted Wednesday to kill a move by Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene to oust Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. Democrat Valerie Foushee did not vote.

One of the members who voted against Taylor Green’s effort was Republican Dan Bishop of Waxhaw. Bishop, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, had been one of the last holdouts in early 2023 when naming Kevin McCarthy as speaker, and a proponent of throwing him out of the office.

In South Carolina, all seven members of Congress voted to support Johnson.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board presented its budget request to county commissioners Wednesday afternoon.

The school board is asking the county for $643 million. That’s a $46 million increase from this year’s budget.

Commissioner Arthur Griffin didn’t hold back his criticism after CMS officials' presentation.

"This is perhaps the, the worst budget that I've seen in 30 years for CMS as it relates to student achievement. This appears to be a people and things budget, but very light in terms of academic excellence," he said.

CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill said her staff had looked for savings in the budget by shifting some spending.

"We were able to review what was working, what wasn't working, we were able to redirect funds, we were able to create efficiencies. And so, because of that, our expansion request only reflects what we cannot do with our current operating budget," Hill said.

Next week, Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio will present her own budget proposal.

County commissioners will vote on the budget in June.

City officials unveiled a new open space and gathering place Tuesday at Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library in the Beatties Ford community.

A large wooden deck was built on the side of the library, with a tree from the banks of the Catawba River transplanted on the edge of the structure. A mural, sculpture and a pathway that connects Holly Avenue to the library’s front door were also added.

A $225,000 grant from the Knight Foundation funded the project. That funding will also be used for improvements at the intersection of Beatties Ford Road and LaSalle Street.

The Beatties Ford community is one of the city's six designated Corridors of Opportunity, established to revitalize economically disadvantaged areas in parts of east, west and north Charlotte.

A legal battle is shaping up not just over whether the NFL failed to provide proper care for ex-player Phillip Adams — who killed six people near Rock Hill before killing himself in 2021 — but where the case will be heard. The Rock Hill Herald reports the NFL wants to move a wrongful death brain injury lawsuit filed by Adams’ family against the league and S.C. State University to federal court. But lawyers for the family of Phillip Adams told The Herald they anticipated the legal move and will fight to keep the suit in South Carolina state civil court in Orangeburg County, where it was originally filed.

The NFL filed to move the lawsuit to federal court on May 1. Adams was living with his parents in York County in April 2021 when sheriff deputies say he killed six people at a neighbor’s home then shot himself after police surrounded his parents’ house.

Mecklenburg County Commissioners heard Tuesday night about a new strategy public health staff are developing to improve mental and behavioral health services.

Robert Nesbit, chief of staff for Mecklenburg County's Consolidated Human Services Agency, said drug death overdoses and mental health issues like depression and anxiety have surged, especially since the pandemic.

"That's approximately one out of four people experiencing some sort of mental health- or substance use-related challenge at any time within our community. It's something that truly affects everyone, whether personally or with a family member or a friend, nobody's left untouched," he said.

The county will focus on better coordinating care between different agencies, helping people navigate the mental health system, and creating early interventions and targeted outreach for at-risk populations.

You can find the county’s draft plan and leave feedback here.

In the National Hockey League Playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes are now down two games to none in their best-of-seven round two series against the New York Rangers. They fell 4-3 in New York on Tuesday night in double overtime. Game 3 is Thursday night in Raleigh.

A bill that could improve weather radar coverage in Charlotte has passed the US House of Representatives. The bill is co-sponsored by Democrat Jeff Jackson. Speaking on the House floor, Jackson said on Tuesday that Charlotte needs a National Weather Service radar within city limits to improve the accuracy of severe storm and tornado warnings.

"Our nearest NEXRAD radar is roughly 100 miles away, which makes it very difficult to have accurate forecasts for especially low altitude storms and fast moving tornadoes," he said.

The federal government is preparing to roll out a new generation of weather radars. Under the bill, areas like Charlotte that are more than 75 miles away from a radar would get first priority. The bill now advances to the US Senate.

A bill that could improve weather radar coverage in Charlotte has passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill is co-sponsored by North Carolina Democrat Jeff Jackson.

Speaking on the House floor, Jackson said Charlotte needs a National Weather Service radar within city limits to improve the accuracy of severe storm and tornado warnings.

"Our nearest NEXRAD radar is roughly 100 miles away, which makes it very difficult to have accurate forecasts for especially low altitude storms and fast moving tornadoes," Jackson said.

The nearest radar to Charlotte is located in Greer, South Carolina.

The federal government is preparing to roll out a new generation of weather radars.

Under the bill, areas like Charlotte that are more than 75 miles away from a radar would get first priority.

"This legislation isn't going to just help solve this problem, but it's going to identify a number of these spots across the country and prioritize those to make sure that we have accurate forecasts across the country," Jackson said.

The bill now advances to the U.S. Senate.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Democratic leaders outlined new legislation that would place a moratorium on taxpayer-funded private school vouchers.

The bill, which is unlikely to move forward in the Republican-controlled General Assembly, would place a stop on further expansion of the voucher program and add new accountability measures for private schools accepting voucher students. That would include requirements for voucher students to take standardized tests for their grade, and providing students with disabilities services that match federal and state law.

The General Assembly is considering adding nearly $300 million to expand the program to cover all applicants in the coming school year.

The Carolina Hurricanes get back on the ice in New York Tuesday for Game 2 of Round 2 of their playoff series against the Rangers. The Canes lost the first game of the best-of-seven series. The puck drops Tuesday at 7 pm.

The city of Charlotte is looking at a property tax hike to cover higher salaries and costs, and to pay for more infrastructure projects.

Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones presented his budget for the upcoming fiscal year to City Council Monday night. One highlight: A 1.5-cent property tax rate increase. That would translate to about $54 more a year in taxes for the median Charlotte house.

Jones said that would pay for a raise of up to 7.5% for police officers and firefighters, 5% for hourly employees and 4% for salaried employees. The city would also improve services by doing things like hiring more 911 operators.

"We've gone back and looked at public safety increases over the last 20 years. This would be the largest and this is helping fund that," said Jones.

Jones’ plan also includes doubling affordable housing bonds to $100 million, and asking voters to approve $238 million in bonds for transportation projects like roads and sidewalks.

Jones said Charlotte has the lowest property tax rate of any big North Carolina city, and needs more revenue to keep up with growth. City Council will consider Jones’ plan and vote on it in June.

The lowest-paid city employees would see the pay rise to $23 an hour. That's up from $13 an hour a decade ago. The bonds would also include $50 million worth of bonds for sidewalks, closing major gaps in the city’s sidewalk network. 

The property tax increase proposed would be the first in six years for the city of Charlotte.

Jones said the city's Housing Trust Fund has already spent its most recent $50 million bond allocation, approved by voters two years ago and doesn’t have any more money to subsidize new developments.

"We think that we have done a very good job with the, the trust fund and to the point where normally we have a spring RFP (request for proposals), but we ran out of money," he said.

A Charlotte City Council committee on Monday will consider recommendations on how to reduce crime committed by juveniles.

CMPD made more than 3,000 juvenile arrests last year and more than 100 juveniles were suspects in shooting investigations. Police Chief Johnny Jennings has said that’s a marked increase from the previous year.

The committee is drafting recommendations on how to reduce those numbers.

The committee has discussed ways to bolster neighborhood safety, boost mental health care services and prevention programs, and strengthen relationships between schools and law enforcement.

Jennings and court officials have said reopening Mecklenburg County’s juvenile detention center is critical to keeping repeat offenders off the street. A push to do that hasn’t emerged from the committee so far.

The families of the two men who died at the construction site fire in South Park last summer have filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

According to WSOC, the families of Demonte Sherrill and Reuben Holmes are suing Mill Creek Residential, SouthPark Charlotte Apartments and MCRT Carolinas Construction.

Last May, Sherrill and Holmes were working at the construction site where a fire broke out after a foam-spraying machine broke.

The families are asking the court for a total of $100,000 in damages between them.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will be in Charlotte on Monday to deliver remarks at a memorial service for one of the four law enforcement officers who was killed in a shootout with a suspect.

The service for Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Weeks Jr. starts at 10:30 a.m. at Bojangles Coliseum.

The four officers were among a group of law enforcement trying to serve an arrest warrant at an east Charlotte home a week ago when the suspect opened fire and was later shot and killed by officers.

Monday's service will be livestreamed on the Justice Department’s website.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are warning drivers to be ready for traffic disruptions Friday morning, as the department lays Officer Joshua Eyer to rest. A procession of police vehicles will head from CMPD headquarters to First Baptist Church in uptown at 9:30 am, before the memorial service starts at 10 am.

Immediately after the service, the law enforcement procession will drive a little more than five miles to Sharon Memorial Park on Monroe Road. Most of the route follows Monroe Road, and police say to expect delays.

Streets are also closed throughout much of First Ward in uptown, where the three-day Lovin’ Life music festival starts tomorrow

A man charged with shooting and killing a Charlotte Area Transit System bus driver in 2022 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Thursday morning. According to several media outlets, 24-year-old Darian Thavychith was sentenced to a maximum of 17 years in prison for the killing of Ethan Rivera. Rivera was driving a bus in uptown Charlotte when video shows the two drivers got into an argument at a red light – and police say Thavychith fired into the bus, hitting Rivera

Unemployment ticked up in March in Mecklenburg County compared to the same month a year ago. The state Department of Commerce said Wednesday that the unemployment rate was 3.7%, up from 3.4% in March 2023. That’s squarely in the middle of North Carolina’s 100 counties, ranking 49th.

President Biden will visit Charlotte on Thursday afternoon to meet with family members of the law enforcement officers who were wounded and killed in Monday’s mass shooting in east Charlotte.

A U.S. deputy marshal, a CMPD officer and two N.C. Department of Corrections officers died. Four other officers were shot but survived.

The shooting started when a man wanted for possession of a firearm by a felon opened fire on a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force trying to arrest him.

Biden is expected to arrive at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in the early afternoon. He’ll meet the families at the airport. Gov. Roy Cooper and other elected officials will also meet the families.

Biden is heading to Wilmington later in the afternoon to talk about infrastructure investments.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police will honor the life and service of Officer Joshua Eyer on Friday.

He was one of four officers fatally wounded during a shootout with a suspect during an attempt to serve warrants in east Charlotte on Monday afternoon.

The memorial service will be at First Baptist Church on Davidson Street in uptown Charlotte at 10 a.m. Friday. The service will be livestreamed on the Government Channel, as well as the CMPD YouTube and CMPD Facebook pages.

The Carolina Hurricanes advanced to the second round of the National Hockey League Playoffs after Tuesday night’s 6-3 win over the New York Islanders and a 4-games-to-one win in the first round best-of-seven series.

The Canes will take on Metropolitan Division rival New York Rangers next. The schedule for that series will be announced Wednesday.

United Methodist delegates made changes to policies on sexuality Tuesday — voting without debate to reverse a series of anti-LGBTQ policies.

United Methodist News reports delegates voted at their conference in Charlotte to eliminate mandatory penalties for conducting same-sex marriages and to remove the Methodist’s bans on considering LGBTQ candidates for ministry and on funding for gay-friendly ministries.

The 667-54 vote, coming during their legislative General Conference removes some of the rules around the United Methodist Church’s longstanding bans on LGBTQ-affirming policies regarding ordination, marriage and funding.

Votes on the bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage in church law and policy are expected later this week.