NEWS UPDATES FOR OCTOBER 2023

Mecklenburg County said today that the application deadline for the HOMES Program has been extended to Dec. 15. The program provides property tax assistance grants of up to $660 dollars for qualified, low-income homeowners. The program was introduced to offset costs for this year’s property tax increase. Applications are on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. For more information go to mecknc.gov.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey fired his top fire official yesterday, along with two other high-ranking employees in an apparent power struggle with the General Assembly.

WRAL reports that in an email to Department of Insurance employees, Causey confirmed the firings of Chief State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor and Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal Mike Williams.

Causey then appointed Deputy Fire Marshal Tony Bailey the new chief state fire marshal. Special Agent Craig Jarman will become the new deputy state fire marshal. Bailey and Jarman assume their new roles today.

The moves appear related to a new law targeting Causey’s duties.

For over 80 years the state’s elected insurance commissioner has also carried the title of state fire marshal, but a separate person — the chief state fire marshal — handled day-to-day duties. That changed this month, when the General Assembly’s Republican majority stripped Causey of the fire marshal title and created an independent Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Causey, who is also a Republican, publicly complained, saying the change was made without his input.

Nearly a dozen cars were seized by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police this past weekend in connection with the department's crackdown on illegal street racing around Charlotte.

The cars included several Mustang and Toyota sedans, some with racing decals, CMPD said in a news release.

Police issued 13 tickets to drivers and passengers for blocking roads and reckless driving. Police said that most of the people cited were from outside Charlotte.

The CMPD says 94 cars have been towed, 17 guns seized and 135 tickets issued in connection with street takeovers since February.

Park rangers say parkgoers' attempts to interact with bears led the closure of an 8-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Charlotte Observer reports the road, very popular with leaf watchers in the fall, is shut down near Asheville “after multiple documented reports of visitors feeding and attempting to hold a young bear” at the Lane Pinnacle Overlook.

The closure began Monday and will last until further notice. It applies to a stretch from the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area to Ox Creek Road.

The Charlotte Hornets lost two of three games on their season-opening home stand after falling to the Brooklyn Nets Monday night 133-121. Terry Rozier led the way for Charlotte with 23 points and nine assists, but rookie Brandon Miller had his best game as a pro, with 22 points and nine rebounds.

After the game, he said the Hornets have to do a better job on defense.

"I think they was just playing the game of basketball, you know. I think teams are gonna go on runs. I think that's what they did. As far as getting a great contest, I feel like we could have been, you know, in the right, in the right spots, for the last bit of the game. So I think just, the defensive side got to get cleaned up. I think that's why we'll come here tomorrow and get better at it," he said.

Point guard LaMelo Ball fouled out with eight points and eight assists. The Hornets take on the Houston Rockets on the road Wednesday at 8 pm.

The November election is just about a week away, and early voting so far has been light in Mecklenburg County.

A little more than 11,500 early ballots have been cast as of Monday, Oct. 30, according to the county's Board of Elections. That’s out of about 776,000 registered voters.

On the ballot in Charlotte are municipal races for school board, county commission, city council and mayor, as well as a record $2.5 billion in school bonds. Voters can cast early ballots at many libraries and some county recreation centers every day through Saturday. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7.

North Carolina’s Drought Management Advisory Council announced Monday that 23 counties in western North Carolina have now reached moderate drought levels.

Cleveland, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania have been deemed to be at severe drought levels.

According to the DMAC, western parts of the state have only had a few recent periods of rain. Officials also said the Triad and western Piedmont have been abnormally dry, with rainfall deficits of 2-4 inches in the last two months.

“The forecast for the next two weeks shows little chance of rain so conditions statewide are likely to gradually worsen,” said Klaus Albertin, chair of the DMAC, said in a release Monday. “We are entering an El Niño pattern, which usually brings cool, wet weather to the Southeast, so we are hoping to see conditions improve by mid-winter.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating a fatal crash that happened this weekend on a busy west Charlotte highway.

On Saturday, CMPD officers responded to 9500 Brookshire Boulevard for a call about a crash that involved three people. When officers arrived, they found a 2018 Freightliner tractor trailer along with two injured people and one uninjured person.

Paramedics pronounced three-year old Corvin Murray dead from injuries in the crash, and 34-year old Samantha Murray was transported to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Another juvenile was sent to the hospital with no injuries.

The driver of the Freightliner, 42-year old Daniel Davis, did not have any injuries.

According to the initial investigation, three people were walking west across Brookshire Boulevard when two of them were hit by the Freightliner. The tractor trailer had a green light in its direction of travel at the time. When the pedestrians were crossing, a solid red hand was on the crossing light. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

The Charlotte Hornets lost Friday night to the Detroit Pistons, and coach Steve Clifford says his team needs to be more physical around the basket.

"You’ve got to be able to speak directly, tell them the truth, and then, and that's one thing I know about the guys in the locker room because that was what I was most proud of them about last year, they'll come in and they'll fix it. That's what they did all last year. People don't give them enough credit," he said.

Charlotte is 1-and-1 on the season.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers are investigating the shooting death of a man early Sunday in north Charlotte.

Police were called to the 5000 block of Acorn Forest Lane, a residential street near Gibbon Road, just after 3 a.m. They found a man with a gunshot wound.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The victim was identified as Lawahon Dwight Hutchinson, 19. CMPD released no other information as of Sunday night, including the circumstances of the shooting or any description of a suspect.

The Carolina Panthers got their first win of the season Sunday. Rookie quarterback Bryce Young led his first game-winning drive as a pro and Eddy Piñeiro hit a 23-yard field goal as time expired for a 15-13 victory over the Houston Texans. After the game, head coach Frank Reich said Young and the offense just kept making plays at the end.

"I think it's a big confidence builder for our whole team, especially for the offense. And Bryce, obviously as our leader, you know, making the plays in that drive that we needed, was clutch and I thought Bryce made a bunch of those during the day, but when we needed him the most, he made the biggest plays," he said.

Reich awarded the game ball to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who called the plays himself for the first time.

"It was his game and, and I, you know, I resisted any temptation to kind of get involved and, you know, we talked on the sideline a couple of times, about a few things, but I thought he did a fantastic job and I thought he did a fantastic job getting the guys ready during the week as well," said Reich.

The Panthers take on the Indianapolis Colts Sunday at 4 pm at Bank of America Stadium.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had 140,836 students on the 20th day of school, officials said Friday. That means enrollment has been virtually flat for the last three years, after peaking at about 147,000 in 2017 and 2018 and dropping sharply during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CMS had 141,217 at the same point last year and had projected growing to 141,456 this year. Instead the total fell by about two-tenths of a percent.

The 20-day count, which fell in late September, is often used as the official snapshot to track enrollment trends. But the state waits for the 40th day count before making financial decisions, such as how many teachers to pay for, based on enrollment.

The state Department of Public Instruction says it will post 20th-day reports for all districts and charter schools as early as this afternoon.

Duke Energy is concerned about low water levels along the Catawba River basin.

WJZY reports Lake Norman’s current reservoir is sitting just below 95 feet. That’s 2.3 feet lower than Duke Energy’s target level.

The utility company’s workers say they’re preparing to enter a drought Stage Zero sometime within the next few weeks. That means Duke Energy will start asking people to voluntarily conserve their water usage both indoors and out.

Republican Cabarrus County Commissioner Kenny Wortman says he’s decided to leave the GOP. In a video posted on social media the commissioner, who was elected in November, expressed displeasure with the county Republican leadership.

"As of last week, I switched my party affiliation to unaffiliated because you, Cabarrus County GOP do not represent me. I will not be made to heel. I'm not a foreign object and I'm not your yes man," he said.

Wortman said he won’t run again when his term ends in 2026. The Charlotte Observer reports Cabarrus GOP Chairman Brian Echevarria called Wortman a turncoat in what he described as a “betrayal of Republican voters” during a meeting last week. The move will mark the first time since 1998 that Cabarrus won’t have an all-republican county board of commissioners according to the Independent Tribune.

The Carolina Panthers get back on the field Sunday after a bye week during which they regrouped and made at least a couple of changes. Among them is that offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will begin calling plays. He says another change is the return of Austin Corbett to an injury -depleted offensive line after recovering from an ACL tear. Brown believes Corbett something extra to the line.

"Vocal leadership. He's also a leader, by example, obviously have an opportunity to be around him before in LA. I love what he brings to the table from mentality standpoint. You talk about the O-line position, how it's kind of build us about, you know, being down right, nasty and top, but he's a physical player throws as a point of contact, but also extremely smart as well. So excited about him kind of being back in the mix," he said.

And in six games so far, rookie quarterback Bryce Young has thrown for 967 yards and six touchdowns. This week, Young said he’s appreciated the growth this season as a quarterback.

"You know, I don't think it's just one area where, you know, I, I'm trying to develop, I'm trying to grow. I think, I think all of it, situational stuff. you know, just, whether it's, it's situational, it's, it's philosophical, it's my understanding of things from, you know, Xs and Os to on the field. you know, I feel like, you know, I feel like there's really no limit to what I want to continue to develop on," he said.

The Panthers host the Houston Texans at Bank of America Stadium Sunday at 1 pm.

UNC Charlotte will play host to a college football bowl game in December. Renovations at Thomas Robinson Stadium in the Bahamas are not expected to be completed before the Bahamas Bowl’s original Dec. 16 date.

The game will now be played on Dec. 18 at Jerry Richardson Stadium.

Republican US Senator Ted Budd says North Carolinians are among the more than 200 hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Budd made that announcement while speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday.

"Madam President, last week I met with some of these families here in Washington. They told me stories about their loved ones. They gave me their photos. These families, their fear and their heartache is something that no American should ever have to face," he said.

Budd is sponsoring legislation to withhold humanitarian aid from Gaza until all hostages are released. His office declined media requests for more information about the North Carolina hostages, out of respect to their families. They have not been publicly identified.

For the third straight season, the Charlotte Hornets won their season opener. They downed the Atlanta Hawks 116-110 last night behind 25 points from PJ Washington. Rookie Brandon Miller had 13 points in his regular season debut at home.

"I liked it in there in, in Spectrum Arena tonight. It was definitely loud," he said. "At a point in time, I couldn't hear myself think."

 Terry Rozier added 24 points for Charlotte. Center Mark Williams had 13 points and 15 rebounds.

Charlotte stays at home to host the Detroit Pistons Friday night.

Charlotte FC fell behind early and lost their Major League Soccer playoff debut Wednesday night 5-2 to the New York Red Bulls. Coach Christian Lattanzio says three matches in a week may have caught up with his team, but he’s optimistic about the future.

"Not to find an excuse, I think that they deserve to go through, I congratulate them and I wish them well in the playoff.  But, I think that we are building something here. We need to learn those lessons and, you know, feel them inside and, you know, and then when we come back next season, we will be stronger also because of that," he said.

It was Charlotte’s first loss since Sept. 30 in a year that saw the team make the playoffs in the last match of the regular season.

For the first time in its two-year existence, Charlotte FC is in the Major League Soccer playoffs Wednesday night. They’ll visit the New York Red Bulls in a one-game wild card match. While it’s a new experience for many players on the team, Midfielder and team captain Ashley Westwood said at a press conference this week the playoffs aren’t quite like what he experienced in England, where he played in the Premier League for a decade before coming to Charlotte.

"It's incredible. I've found in America the whole playoff, it means so much to people and it's different to England...but it's gonna be tough. There's a lot of games, if we win Wednesday, it could be three games against a real good team. So it's different," he said.

Charlotte and the Red Bulls faced each other twice this season with both matches ending in draws. Kickoff in Harrison, New Jersey is set for 7:30 p.m. tonight. The winner advances to face FC Cincinnati, the team with the best record in MLS.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating an overnight shooting that left one person dead. It happened just before midnight Tuesday at a convenience store on Beatties Ford Road near the interchange with I-85. Officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call and found three people shot. CMPD says one person was pronounced dead at the scene and two others were taken to a hospital with serious wounds. No further details have been released.

A major dog-fighting case has been resolved this week, two years after officers investigated animal cruelty allegations in northeast Charlotte, CMPD's Animal Care and Control announced.

Animal Control officers seized nearly 30 dogs in the case.

Earl Antron Hamilton, 43, was charged with dog fighting, animal cruelty and cruel restraint. He pleaded guilty on Monday to 32 charges related to the case.

Animal Care and Control said it still has 26 of the dogs.

Two died due to medical issues, and one had to be euthanized, the agency said.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said Tuesday he’ll join 41 other attorneys general in suing the social media company Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

The lawsuit accuses Meta of designing and deploying harmful features on Instagram and its other social media platforms that addict children and teens.

Stein said Meta’s business practices violate state consumer protection laws and federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

"The more time kids spend on the app, the more addicted our kids become and the more money meta makes this addiction harms our kids' physical and mental health," Stein said at a press conference Tuesday.

"Secondly, Meta misrepresented to the public that its platforms were safe. Even when its own internal research indicated that Instagram was harmful to young people."

Stein is running for North Carolina governor.

South Carolina has also joined the federal lawsuit.

Charlotte FC is preparing for their first appearance in the playoffs and will take on the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night on the road.

Earlier this season, Charlotte advanced to the quarterfinals of the Leagues Cup tournament and will play in a similar environment during the MLS Cup.

Head coach Christian Lattanzio said at a press conference Tuesday that the previous tournament run could help the team.

"We had a very good run," he said. "And that helps, that helps because it helps to understand the difficulties that you can have in a, in a knockout game. It helps to even though it's different in, in many ways, but it is also similar in other ways."

The match is set for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Following the contentious 2020 presidential race and its aftermath, experienced election workers across the country and here in North Carolina have chosen to retire or resign.

Among the leading drivers of the mass exodus are personal safety and that of family members. State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell says several harassment charges have been reported and they’re wide ranging, from election day and early voting workers to county office officials, and the state board of elections.

"It’s definitely a difficult work environment at this point in time in elections. And we’ve really worked hard with law enforcement officials to navigate these waters, make sure that we’re protecting our workers but not intimidating voters. But also protecting our voters," she said.

Brinson Bell says North Carolina workers have not faced the same threat level of colleagues in other states. But the exodus of experienced employees and volunteers and the institutional knowledge they leave behind has her concerned, particularly she says the tremendous amount of turnover they’ve experienced at the county level, where there have been 52 changes in county election directors since January of 2019.

"You know a lot of these folks are retiring after decades of experience, multiple presidential elections under their belts. And they’re being replaced by many people who have never even worked as a precinct official or a poll worker," she said.

Brinson Bell adds the responsibility of getting those new county Elections Directors trained on a very complex, wide-ranging set of responsibilities falls on the State Board of Elections.

And she says some 26 of these new leaders will be directing a presidential election for the very first time in 2024.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said today CMPD is training their largest recruiting class with 81 recruits. Nationwide, law enforcement agencies have seen a decrease in applications but CMPD has seen an 18% increase in applications for its police academy.

CMPD Major Zeru Chickoree credits a new marketing campaign. "We joined forces with Kelso Communications and launched a marketing campaign that focused not on the what but on the why," Chickoree said.

"Why exactly officers go into policing because of a deep rooted desire to serve and help people. The majority of our why where marketing campaign doesn't include images of police officers. Instead we showcase the many faces of our community members who put their faith and trust in CMPD"

CMPD has also received approval from the city council to raise the starting salary for officers to just over $56,000. In 2024 the base pay will be raised to $57,192.

The YMCA of Greater Charlotte will have a new leader starting in 2024.

The organization said Monday that Sue Glass will be its next president and CEO.

Glass will become the first woman to serve in the role. She’ll start on Jan. 15.

A panel of South Carolina state lawmakers took up a bill last week that would reform municipal elections in South Carolina.

WSPA reports the state currently lacks a state law that designates a specific date for municipalities to hold their elections. That’s resulted in a diverse range of election dates, causing logistical challenges for both election officials and voters. Representative Brandon Newton, a Republican from Lancaster, says the idea is to standardize municipal elections in the state.

"You know, the old joke is there's an election day every Tuesday in South Carolina. So the goal here was to provide some standardization to that so that all municipalities would have three election dates to pick from," he said.

The plan passed the state house unanimously earlier this year. The legislation would require all local elections to be held on one of three specific days in odd-numbered years. These dates would fall in March, July, or November. Currently, a little less than 70 cities and towns hold their elections in even years. After amending the bill, the subcommittee carried it over to a later date. The earliest it could be considered on the Senate floor is in January, when the legislative session resumes.

Early voting starts Monday for more than 200 local elections in South Carolina. Polling places will be open from 8:30 am to 5 pm through Nov. 3rd every day but Sunday, and voters will be asked to show a photo ID. In York County, early voting is scheduled for the York County Government Center. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5 pm on Friday, Oct. 27 and ballots must be received by 7 pm on election day, Nov. 7th.

Charlotte FC is headed to the Major League Soccer playoffs for the first time. The team won 1-nil against Inter Miami Saturday night and got some help from other teams in the final regular season weekend. Charlotte will visit the New York Red Bulls Wednesday night at 7:30 in a one-game wild card playoff, with the winner moving on to a best-of-three series against the top team in the Eastern Conference, Cincinnati FC . Charlotte faced the Red Bulls twice this season with both matches ending in draws, 1-1 in March and 2-2 in June.

Coach Christian Lattanzio said after the match he was hoping for a home game, but just making the post season is an achievement for the second-year team.

"We are very pleased to be in the playoffs and to be alive and, and then whatever team we needed to take, we will take. It would have been great to host for our supporters. But, you know, it doesn't matter. This is what, it's important we are in the playoffs. This is the most important thing," he said.

That game will be played at the Red Bulls' stadium in New Jersey. The team will host a free watch party at Camp North End in Charlotte for fans to follow the action.

More cases of mpox — the infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus — have been reported among North Carolina residents. In the past six weeks, there have been two cases reported to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, and the virus was recently found in one out of the 12 wastewater sites currently being monitored.

The detections were in different counties which suggests a wide distribution in the state. According to the DHHS the number of cases have been low due to community engagement and the vaccinations that followed. For those who are higher risk and unvaccinated, the agency is recommending that now is the time to do so.

The disease is spread person to person through direct skin contact often during physical intimacy. Risk factors include those with multiple or anonymous sex partners and people who suspect they have been exposed to mpox in the last 14 days. Symptoms may include a rash on hands, feet, chest, mouth, or genitals. People with mpox may also experience any combination of fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, muscle or headaches, and respiratory symptoms. To lower the risk of contracting the virus, officials recommend using a condom.

North Carolina’s unemployment rate fell half a percentage point last month, compared to the prior year. The state’s Department of Commerce said Friday that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.4% in September. That’s lower than the national rate of 3.8%.

The Charlotte Hornets lost their final preseason game Thursday night, falling to the Boston Celtics 127-99 at the Spectrum Center uptown. After the game, coach Steve Clifford said his team wasn’t physical enough to win, especially on the rebounding front. Center Nick Richards agreed.

"I think it was just one of those nights for us. You know, I don't think it's something that we have to put our head down on and think that it's, it's over. You know, we weren't as physical as we were the first three preseason games. So, I mean, preseason is over right now. So the main thing, it starts in a week that we got some time to figure it out," he said.

Rihards had 15 points and four rebounds last night. Lamelo Ball led the team with 16 points. The Hornets finished 1 and 3 in the preseason. They’ll open the regular season Wednesday at home against the Atlanta Hawks.

A Charlotte postal worker was indicted Thursday for allegedly stealing checks in Ballantyne. The U.S. Attorney’s office for the western district of North Carolina says 27 year-old Dontavis Romario Truesdale of Charlotte faces charges of conspiracy to commit financial institution fraud and theft of mail by a postal employee.

Investigators say that while Truesdale was working as a processing clerk at the Ballantyne Post Office in south Charlotte, he stole over 200 checks with a value of $1.9 million.

The indictment alleges Truesdale sold the stolen checks to other co-conspirators who committed bank fraud. Truesdale was released on bond following his initial appearance in court.

The Iredell County Sheriff’s office has made an arrest in connection to threats made to several schools.

WBTV reports deputies said several school resource officers began receiving text messages Wednesday night about threats of violence to West Iredell High School, Lake Norman High School, The Brawley School and Lakeshore Middle School.

The threats were forwarded to detectives, who began an investigation.

The sheriff’s office says 20-year-old Christopher Avelar of Mooresville was taken into custody yesterday.

Charlotte's real estate market continued to chill in September, according to the latest figures from Canopy, the Charlotte regional Realtor association, released Thursday.

• The number of homes sold fell almost 25% from last year, as mortgage rates hit their highest levels in two decades.
• The median price fell less than 1%, to $380,000.
• The number of days homes spent on the market jumped by 26%, to an average of 29, indicating homes are taking longer to sell.

"We can expect some slowdown in price growth as we approach the fall and winter selling season. However, demand though lower than previous years, remains steady, and buyers are continuing to look for affordability in a number of outlying areas, within the region. We can expect this growth into the suburbs and rural counties surrounding Charlotte to continue," said Tiffany Johannes, the group's president and a RE/MAX Executive broker.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will host a showcase Thursday evening at South Mecklenburg High School to share designs for projects that would be funded with a record $2.5 billion in bonds.

During the event, there will be a bond information session in the school’s auditorium before the showcase of the designs. The following designs will be available:

North Mecklenburg HS
South Mecklenburg HS
Second Ward HS
Cotswold/Chantilly Montessori Billingsville Elementary Schools
Park Road Montessori Elementary Schools
Sedgefield/Dilworth Elementary Schools

You can also learn more about the projects here. The showcase begins at 6 pm.

Charlotte FC needed a win but got a draw for the thirteenth time this season Wednesday night, 2-2 against Inter Miami. Charlotte now faces a must-win game in the regular season finale Saturday night against Miami playing with superstar Lionel Messi, who missed last night’s match. Charlotte Coach Christian Lattanzio said his team can’t worry about the opponent’s roster.

"If he plays, he plays. And we have to deal with, to play against, against all the players at that. We have to focus on ourselves and we need to play our game. And we also, but also we have our supporters on our side and hope that they will really be behind the guys like you always do," he said.

To make the Major League Soccer playoffs, Charlotte must beat Miami, Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium and get help from other teams.

The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame will formally induct six new honorees Thursday. Charlotte’s Fetchin’ Bones, Scotty McCreary, and Bill “Fatback” Curtis are among the inductees. The ceremony starts at 7 pm at the Mooresville Performing Arts Center on South Magnolia Street.

In Rock Hill, Brent Faulkenberry won the only contested city council seat on the ballot Tuesday, defeating Hope Matthews by just 18 votes.

The Rock Hill Post and Courier reports Faulkenberry, a business owner and school board trustee, will now serve Ward 2 after getting 466 votes, according to unofficial results. Matthews got 448 votes.

City council incumbents Derrick Lindsay, of Ward 1, and Kevin Sutton, of Ward 5, ran uncontested.

Faulkenberry will replace longtime city councilwoman Kathy Pender, who did not seek reelection after 19 years. She’ll keep the seat until January.

The Republican primary for North Carolina governor has another candidate.

The Raleigh News and Observer reports Salisbury attorney Bill Graham is running again. He's starting with a television ad campaign. Graham announced his run Wednesday morning.

He’s lending himself $5 million to enter the campaign and will face off in the Republican gubernatorial primary against Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, State Treasurer Dale Folwell, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, former state Sen. Andy Wells and retired health care executive Jesse Thomas.

Mecklenburg Commissioners Tuesday night voted unanimously in favor of a resolution to support Israel and condemn terrorism.

The resolution said the county stands in solidarity with the greater Charlotte Jewish community, and that it strongly condemns the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.

Eric Willowbee, a high school senior, supported the resolution. He told commissioners he’s experienced antisemitism.

"Personally I’ve experienced it from being called a war-hungry Jew to having coins thrown on the floor in front of me and being told to pick them up like a good Jew. My ancestors in Eastern Europe faced Russian Cossacks who unleashed terror upon them in medieval-style pogrom," he said. "What we saw in Israel on October 7th was a medieval- style pogrom."

Layla El-Allee spoke against the resolution.

"While the rest of the world is condemning Israel for committing war crime after war crime, Charlotte Mecklenburg is deciding whether to condemn Palestinians for fighting for their right to live in peach and security. Through this condemnation, Charlotte will be condoning ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians," she said.

An earlier version of the resolution said the Hamas attack against Israel that killed 1,300 was unprovoked. That was removed.

Multiple advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit against North Carolina over the recently enacted Senate Bill 747. The groups argue that the new bill is unconstitutional because it places more burdens on young voters in the state, specifically because of new restrictions on same-day voter registration and mail-in voting. The rule is set to be enacted in 2024.

Separately, Gov. Roy Cooper filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to overturn a new law passed this year by the General Assembly over his veto. Senate Bill 749 takes the governor's appointment power for state and local elections boards, giving legislators the power to appoint members instead. Boards would also be evenly divided, with the same number of Republicans and Democrats, rather than the current five-member makeup.

The African American Caucus of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party has endorsed three candidates for Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board — and they’re not the same slate selected by the local Democratic Party as a whole. The caucus picked Shamaiye Haynes, Monty Witherspoon and Lenora Shipp, who are among 14 candidates seeking three at-large seats. The local party also endorsed Shipp and Witherspoon, but chose Liz Monterrey, who is Latina, instead of Haynes, who is Black.

In the party's endorsement voting, Haynes also did well but fell just short of third place.

The party and its African American Caucus are both encouraging voters to support the $2.5 billion CMS bond referendum. The bonds and the school board race are on the ballot November seventh. Find more about the school board candidates here.

The Carolina Panthers will make some changes during the bye week after an 0-6 start to the season. The first was announced Monday, when head coach Frank Reich said offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will start calling plays during games. Quarterback Bryce Young said it’s not as big a change as it might appear, however.

"Coach Reich had talked to us, throughout the year and he, this was something that even in training camp that he said we're always working towards that. He made that known, you know, far before, you know, before even the season started," Young said.

The Panthers host the Houston Texans Oct. 29.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating a fatal crash that occurred in the University City area, killing a man riding a motorized skateboard.

On Monday around 6:38 am, CMPD officers responded to the crash at 800 West Mallard Creek Church Road. Officers found a 2000 Buick LeSabre and 20-year old Jalen Worthy, who was injured, in the roadway. Paramedics transported Worthy to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the Buick, 46-year old Chuckwuemeka Odudo, was driving on West Mallard Creek Church Road when he struck Worthy, who police say who was riding a motorized skateboard. According to investigators, the area was dimly lit and Worthy was not in the crosswalk.

A North Carolina man was arrested by the FBI yesterday for making a threat to the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, according to WBTV.

64 year-old Jeffrey Hobgood was arrested around noon at his home in Troy, about 75 miles northeast of Charlotte. Hobgood was booked into a nearby jail as a federal inmate hours later. Hobgood allegedly sent a threat late last week to the Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, an umbrella charitable and humanitarian organization.

There is no indication that the threat was imminent.

A groundbreaking is scheduled for this evening in Cabarrus County. Officials will hold a ceremony for the start of construction on a 46,000 square foot library and Active Living Center at Afton Ridge. That's near the intersection of I-85 and George Liles Boulevard.

The facility is expected to provide convenient access to Cabarrus County Library System services along with space for programs like yoga, tai chi, dance classes, games and more. The event starts at 6pm.

Mecklenburg County Commissioners meet tonight at 6 and will get an update from county manager Dena Diorio as well as the county parks and recreation department about plans to reopen Latta Place in northwestern Mecklenburg.

County commissioners decided not to renew a contract with the historic former plantation after the nonprofit operating the site made a racist post about a Juneteenth event in 2021 about the end of slavery from the perspective of slave owners.

The current plan calls for reopening the site in 2026.

Police are investigating after two pedestrians were killed in separate incidents in northeast Charlotte this morning. MEDIC says one person was killed after they were hit by a vehicle around 5:30 a.m. on I-85 southbound near the 485 interchange. Two hours later, another pedestrian was killed less than a mile away on Mallard Creek Church Road. Both roads were shut down as police investigated. No charges were announced as of Monday night, and none of the victims had been identified.

After a disappointing 0-6 start, Carolina Panthers Head Coach Frank Reich is turning over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. Reich said that the Panthers’ upcoming week off makes this the right time to transition, but that giving up play-calling was always part of the plan.

"I'm excited for this, for Thomas. I'm excited for our team and our offense," he said. "Thomas is a stud. He's a great leader. He's a brilliant offensive mind. We all have a lot of confidence in him.

Reich also said today that owner David Tepper didn’t demand the change, and that he will stay involved in developing rookie quarterback Bryce Young.

"This is not a reactionary move, this is just all part of the plan. And, so, and to help us take the next step for me to be a better head coach. For our, I think it'll help our offense as well," he said.

The Panthers lost 42-21 Sunday to the Miami Dolphins, and their next game is October 29th against the Houston Texans.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police are searching for a suspect in a weekend homicide. It happened Sunday afternoon on Magnolia Hill Drive in east Charlotte off Eastway Drive. CMPD says it responded to a call for assault with a deadly weapon at about 1:30 p.m. and found a victim with a gunshot wound who was pronounced dead at the scene by Medic. No other details have been released as of Monday morning.

The Carolina Panthers are now 0-6 after falling to the Miami Dolphins 42-21 Sunday, despite jumping out to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter. Head Coach Frank Reich said after the game his team had a good balance on offense to start, despite the discouraging final score.

"So there's positive things to build on. Obviously, you lose by three touchdowns. So nothing feels, nothing feels good about it. Nothing," he said.

The Panthers have a bye week now and don’t play again until October 29, when they host the Houston Texans.

Three Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were sent to the hospital with serious injuries Friday after attempting to place a suspect under arrest.

Police say the officers were assaulted by the suspect as they tried to take him into custody around noon in a residential area of north Charlotte on Spring Park Drive.

One officer was injured in his eye, another from a cut to his head, and police say a female officer was pinned down and strangled.

The CMPD says the suspect was also injured but have provided no other details. It’s unclear if the suspect was taken into custody.

The U.S. Department of Energy and White House on Friday announced $7 billion in funding for seven regional clean hydrogen hubs around the country. Missing from the list was the proposed Southeast Hydrogen Hub that included Charlotte-based Duke Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Atlanta-based Southern Company.

The group had been among the 33 invited to submit final bids. The Southeast bid also included big companies from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and the Carolinas.

In a statement, Duke Energy said it's disappointed, but added that the announcement would not affect its plans for a series of new gas power plants that will also be capable of burning green hydrogen.

Here's Duke Energy's statement:

"While it is disappointing that the Southeast Hydrogen Hub Coalition was not selected for Department of Energy (DOE) funding, we believe that hydrogen can play an important role in our clean energy transition. Duke Energy will continue to seek opportunities to partner with DOE, peer utilities, and other stakeholders to advance clean hydrogen in ways that will benefit our customers and our communities.

"This decision has no impact on our plans for new hydrogen-capable natural gas plants. The green hydrogen for those facilities would be generated nearby through nuclear and renewable resources – our resource plan is not contingent on a hydrogen hub."

Winning bidders included groups in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Ohio; California; the Gulf Coast; Minnesota and the Dakotas; the Mid-Atlantic; Illinois, Indiana and Michigan; and Pacific Northwest.

CMPD says a person with a machete approached a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus this morning and had an argument with the driver. CMPD says the incident occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on East 7th Street in uptown.

The person hit the door with the machete and tried to get access to the bus before leaving the area. No one was injured and the person didn’t get into the bus.

CMPD did not release the names of the person or the bus driver. No arrests have been made.

Iredell-Statesville Schools are moving start times for high school football games up for the remainder of the regular season beginning this week.

Junior varsity football teams will kick off at 6 p.m. tonight and the varsity football teams will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

The school district said in a press release that the new early start times will allow local law enforcement agencies, school officials, and the screening agency more visibility during events. The district added that the changes are being made "after seeing the dynamics that are surrounding athletics" throughout the state.

Last week’s game between Statesville and West Iredell High schools was moved to Monday without fans in attendance after school officials stopped the game following a threat of mass violence and finding guns in the parking lot at Statesville High School.

Last week, officials ended the North Mecklenburg/West Mecklenburg game early after a fight near the concession stand. Several were charged in that incident.

Union County put new security measures in place after a brawl at the previous week’s game stopped the contest between Monroe and Forest Hills High Schools. Police said last week they planned to charge up to two dozen people in that incident.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is facing an arrest warrant and criminal summons for an incident in January in which he allegedly violated a domestic protective order, authorities said.

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday they have been unable to serve the warrant. The criminal summons is for misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property.

Bridges is on probation for a felony charge of injuring his child’s parent in Los Angeles. After an NBA investigation of the incident, the 25-year-old Bridges was suspended for 30 games.

In a press conference back in July with Hornets General Manager Mitch Kupchak, Bridges said he looked forward to a new start.

"I want to thank the Hornets organization and the NBA for giving me a second chance," he said. "You know, a lot of people don't get a second chance and I want to use this second chance just to prove to everybody that I'm the same kid that you drafted five years ago."

In a statement Wednesday, the Hornets said: "We are aware of the reports and are in the process of gathering more information."

Bridges still has 10 games left on his suspension. The Hornets are on the road to face the Washington Wizards in preseason action tonight at 7 p.m.

Lambda Legal and the National Health Law Program filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the state of North Carolina to block House Bill 808, which recently became law.

HB 808 prohibits state-funded coverage of gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth under 18.

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, counsel and health care strategist at Lambda Legal, said the law is harmful to transgender youth in the state.

"HB808 sends the opposite message to trans youth in North Carolina and erects barriers to their ability to be themselves,.

"Partnering with the National Health Law program and the law firms, HWG and McDermott Will and Emery. We are representing a group of courageous individual plaintiffs and transformative organizations so that we can ensure the ability of transgender adolescents which enter dysphoria in North Carolina to be free from discrimination and obtain the medical care that they need," Pagan said.

Gov. Roy Cooper had veteod the bill. But the General Assembly overrode Cooper’s veto, and the ban became effective on Aug. 16.

Ally Bank CEO Jeffrey Brown plans to leave the digital-only bank by the end of January to become president at Hendrick Automotive Group, one of the nation’s largest privately held dealership companies. Ally is based in Detroit but has nearly 3,000 employees in Charlotte.

The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg has voted to support the $2.5 billion bond referendum for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

The “yes” vote comes as a group of African American Clergy are opposing the bonds, citing the impact of increased property taxes on low-income Black households.

Black Political Caucus President Caleb Theodros said Wednesday that CMS and the caucus are launching a partnership to ensure greater minority participation in contracts related to school construction.

The bond referendum will be on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police are investigating two homicides in the city in the past several hours.

The first was a deadly shooting in the university area Tuesdaylast night.

CMPD says it happened at about 10 p.m. last night at a convenience store on Pavillion Boulevard, off University City Boulevard.

Officers at the scene found a man male victim with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead by paramedics.

Police have released no information about a suspect or any other additional details about the incident.

The second homicide happened at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday this morning on Wenda Place in east Charlotte, . That’s off Idlewild Road near WT Harris Boulevard.

After 911 calls, officers arrived at the location and found 34-year old Simon Yemane Smere shot dead. Similar circumstances were reported there - calls about an assault with a deadly weapon with officers finding a male victim with gunshot wounds dead at the scene.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police have identified the officer who fired his weapon at a suspect in an uptown shooting.

CMPD has placed officer Braylin Brown on paid administrative leave.

The suspect was identified as 44-year old Nicholas Lopez. On October 4, officers responded around 9:30 pm to 100 Frazier Avenue for a shots fired call.

When Brown encountered Lopez, who police say was armed, he gave him commands to drop the weapon. Both men shot at each other. Lopez was struck and officer Brown attempted life saving measures before paramedics arrived. Lopez was pronounced dead at the scene.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who recently announced he’s dropped his Democratic Party affiliation and will run for president as an Independent, hits the campaign trail this month.

Kennedy will make a stop in Charlotte for the "Declare Your Independence Celebration" at the Norfolk Hall, next to Suffolk Punch in South End, on Saturday evening.

Kennedy will also give a speech in Asheville on Sunday, Oct. 15, at noon at the Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts Asheville.

Retired state Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan on Tuesday took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice his displeasure with Attorney General Josh Stein’s "NC Strong" rally at Shaw University, a historically Black university.

Both men are vying for the Democratic bid in the race for North Carolina governor.

Outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper, who endorsed Stein, is also attending the rally at Shaw.

The winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary will likely face Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, thus far the leading Republican, in the general election.

Despite a push by leaders in Charlotte as well as the state legislature, the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament announced today that it’s staying in Cincinnati. In a social media post, 2023 tournament champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff were featured announcing the decision. Charlotte City Council approved spending up to $65 million for a tennis complex in the planned River District development west of the airport. State lawmakers also agreed to spend $20 million on the project. City Council member Malcolm Graham, who led the city's push, said Charlotte did everything the tournament's owners asked.

"We met all the criteria that they laid out in terms of public investment, advancing infrastructure. And so, it’s nothing that we didn’t do. They just made a business decision. One that I respect but one that I’m extremely disappointed in hearing," he said.

It's a major blow to Charlotte leaders, who were counting on the $400 million dollar tennis complex to lure one of the sport's premier tournaments. The tennis complex's future is now unclear.

Cabarrus County Republican Rep. Kristin Baker says she will not seek reelection to the state House when her term ends next year.

WRAL reports she played a key role in bringing new abortion restrictions to the state. Baker also pushed successfully for a new law that bans transgender girls from playing on school and college sports teams that align with their gender identity.

The announcement comes as legislators are about to consider new General Assembly districts for use in the 2024 elections. Candidate filing will begin in early December.

The Charlotte Hornets start preseason play for the upcoming NBA season tonight in Miami. Coach Steve Clifford said after practice yesterday (Monday) he’s not concerned about matchups or game planning for a specific opponent right now.

"Oh, there's a lot of ways it could go, you know? I mean, and again, like, it's not like we're gonna come out in these first two exhibition games and play guys 38 minutes and stuff too," he said. "I mean, these are, like, really good practices basically. So, yeah, I mean, we, we have a ways to go before we get to that."

Hornets center Mark Williams says everybody is eager to face a different opponent after battling teammates in training camp.

"(I'm)Feeling good. Obviously going up against a really good opponent, you know, just went to the finals," he said. "It'll be good for us, a good learning experience, good for us to get out there and like you said, play somebody different."

Tonight’s game against the Heat tips at 7:30. The Hornets then visit the Washington Wizards Thursday night.

The Charlotte City Council held a public hearing Monday night on a proposed 1.3-mile-long social district for Plaza Midwood.

If approved, people within the district would be allowed to drink alcohol from specially designated, reusable metal cups in public, sipping and strolling on the sidewalk.

Jason Michael, executive director of Plaza Midwood Merchant Association, said the district would be a boost to small businesses.

"The main goals that we have come upon, that we are excited to see come to life, is to activate the pedestrian network; support our local businesses; facilitate community and improve public safety," he said.

But at-large City Council member LaWana Mayfield is concerned about the impact the district will have on nearby homeowners.

She noted that the city already has a problem with public drinking in uptown — and is considering reimplementing criminal penalties for public urination.

"What protections are we putting in place for those homeowners that are going to have the regular occurrence of drunkenness and the impact of that on their property and in their community?" she asked.

City Council may vote on whether to approve the district later this month. It would be the city’s first, and more social districts could soon follow.

A monument honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the city of Concord was vandalized over the weekend.

Concord officials said in a press release that the monument on Cabarrus Avenue was spray-painted Saturday night at about 11:30 p.m.

City workers cleaned up most of the paint overnight Saturday, but more work will be needed.

The monument, made from polished and natural granite, will remain covered and protected until restoration is finished.

Concord Police said late Monday that their investigation suggests two people may have witnessed the crime or seen the suspects fleeing.

Police are asking anyone in the area of the Cabarrus Avenue traffic circle at the monument between 10:15 and 10:45 p.m. on Saturday to call Concord Sgt. Gary Mearite at 704-920-5000 with information.

The Carolina Panthers fell to 0-5 Sunday after losing to the Detroit Lions 42-24. Rookie quarterback Bryce Young threw three touchdown passes and passed for almost 250 yards, but he was also intercepted twice.

"First and foremost I have to lead by example, making sure that all the stuff that we're talking about and that we preach that I'm exemplifying that," he said. "I'm looking in the mirror first, I'm owning all the stuff that I can do better. I'm owning all the stuff that I can improve on and all the stuff that I need to attack on a day-to-day basis. So making sure that, you know, I'm doing my part and look in the mirror and trying to grow.

The Panthers also had a fumble and seven penalties in the game and are the last remaining winless team in the NFL this season.

The three turnovers helped sink the Panthers but head coach Frank Reich says the team has no choice but to move forward.

"You get to this position and no one envisioned this, no one envisioned this. And so you have to, you know, this is the embodiment of 'keep pounding.' And the only way you do that is if you believe, you know, if you believe it's going to make a difference, otherwise you just check out," he said.

They’ll travel to take on the Miami Dolphins Sunday.

Charlotte FC won a second straight match over the weekend to stay in the thick of the Major League Soccer playoff hunt. Charlotte beat Chicago 2-nil Saturday night for the team’s second shutout in a row. Captain Ashley Westwood scored the first goal for Charlotte Saturday night and said after the game the team could be a tough out in the playoffs – if they can make it in.

"When we play, well, we, we're a real force to be reckoned with and the way we control games, we're starting to score goals now. So everything's clicking at the right time and I'm sure we, if we do, if, and when we do get there, we'll be a team that no one will want to play, that's for sure," he said.

Charlotte is off until October 18 when they take on Inter Miami for the first of back-to-back games to finish the regular season. Charlotte is one point out of the final playoff spot. A half-dozen teams are within three points of that position, and Charlotte can guarantee a playoff spot by winning out.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say a woman and a man were shot in south Charlotte on Saturday evening, and the woman died.

The shooting was reported at about 5:30 pm near 10500 Park Crossing Drive, off Park Road near Pineville. Police found a man with a gunshot wound, and paramedics took him to Atrium's main hospital with life threatening injuries.

Soon after, a woman with a gunshot wound arrived at Atrium's Pineville hospital, about a mile away. She died, police said.

Investigators hadn't released the victims' names, said what might have led to the shooting, or a description of any suspects as of Sunday afternoon.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said one man was shot and injured early Sunday during a domestic violence-related disturbance uptown.

Officers were called at about 5:30 am to the 300 block of E. 5th Street for reports of a man pointing a gun at a woman. That location is next to the Spectrum Center arena, several hotels and the Blue Line light rail.

Before police arrived, they received a follow-up call that shots had been fired. Police say a security guard shot the man with the gun. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

The security guard is cooperating with investigators, and police said they aren't seeking any other suspects. The man's name was not released Sunday. It's the latest shooting uptown and the second in that immediate area, following last month's fatal shooting by private security guards of a man with a gun near the transit center.

Mayor Vi Lyles will recognize Monday as Indigenous People’s Day with a proclamation at Sunday evening’s City Council meeting.

Gov. Roy Cooper signed a proclamation in 2018 proclaiming the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day in North Carolina.

The focus of Indigenous People’s Day is to honor Indigenous people, their culture, contributions and sacrifices. The move also shifts attention from Columbus Day, which is also on the second Monday of October.

Various events will be held in Charlotte, including Indigenous People’s Day: Shorts Showcase on Monday at 6 p.m. at the Independent Picture House. The event is hosted by the Levine Museum, and the Independent Picture House.

There will also be a Live Story Time-Indigenous People’s Day from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday at the Ballantyne Arts Center.

North Carolina 8th District Republican Congressman Dan Bishop says he’s supporting Republican Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House. Bishop, who’s leaving Congress after his term to run for state Attorney General, voted earlier this week to keep Kevin McCarthy in the post. Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina’s 10th District, is interim Speaker while GOP members try to decide on McCarthy’s replacement. Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise is also in the running for Speaker.

LYNX Blue Line and CityLYNX Gold Line service will be suspended Saturday and Sunday as CATS conducts annual preventative maintenance. Bus bridges will be in place to help people move between stations.

The Carolina Panthers are the only winless team in the NFL this morning after the Chicago Bears won Thursday night. The Panthers visit the Detroit Lions Sunday, a team that has won three of their first four games behind a strong running game. Panthers linebacker Brian Burns says stopping that will be the key to the game.

"This is the true game of team work, you know what I'm saying? So it can just be one guy that's out his gap and, you know, it can fall, it can crumble. So, we just have to count on everybody doing their job, you know, and being disciplined because the run game really doesn't take a lot of talent to just take discipline and, and grit. So, I think those are the main two things that we just need to hone in on," he said.  

Kickoff in Detroit is 1 pm Sunday.

The NCAA has granted UNC Chapel Hill wide receiver Tez Walker a transfer waiver, which will make him eligible for the 2023 season.

Walker, a Charlotte native, played at West Charlotte High School and was originally going to play for North Carolina Central in 2020. Due to the cancellation of the season Walker transferred to Kent State where he played two seasons.

In 2022 Walker entered the transfer portal and transferred to North Carolina this season.

The Charlotte Division of the FBI has started a hate crime awareness campaign which will include social media ads along with billboards in Charlotte.

According to the FBI, in North Carolina there has been a 47 % increase in reported hate crimes from 2020 to 2021. Nationally, reports have increased 11.6 % in the past five years.

 This story appeared first in WFAE's weekly climate newsletter, which is out Thursdays. Sign up at WFAE.org/newsletters.

A new advertising campaign is targeting Gov. Roy Cooper and the North Carolina Utilities Commission, saying they're not doing enough to limit Duke Energy's use of fossil fuels to generate electricity.

"Is Roy Cooper a Climate Change Pretender?" asks one ad.

NC WARN, a Durham-based environmental watchdog group, is behind the statewide TV, digital and print campaign. It's a follow up to a letter sent to Cooper two weeks ago.

The group opposes Duke's plans for adding more gas-fired power plants and says it's not moving fast enough to add solar, wind and batteries. The ads link to an anti-Duke Energy website, https://www.stopdukeenergy.com/.

The governor's press secretary, Sam Chan, said in a statement Thursday afternoon: "No state leader has worked harder or accomplished more for North Carolina’s clean energy future than Governor Cooper. Governor Cooper’s record includes numerous climate-related Executive Orders, the enactment of ground breaking legislation that requires our power sector to achieve a carbon neutral future, a strategic clean transportation plan, offshore wind leases, more solar energy, positive steps toward environmental justice and extensive economic recruitment of clean energy businesses."

Charlotte FC did something Monday night they haven’t done since late August – they won a Major League Soccer match. With their playoff hopes on the line, Charlotte downed Toronto 3-nil to stay in the hunt with just three matches left in the regular season. Midfielder Brecht Degjaegere scored the final goal of the night for Charlotte. He says it was a relief to not have another draw.

"It happened already that much that it stays in the head from everybody," he said. "But I think we, we played really mature. We kept the ball when we needed to keep it and we let them come and the moments when the moments were there, I think we really played well. So and also the guys who came off the bench, they did a really good job. I think it was like a complete performance of the whole team.

Charlotte FC visits Chicago Saturday night and then finishes the regular season with two games against Inter Miami next week. Lionel Messi sat out Miami’s loss last night to Chicago with an injury.

A confrontation led to the shooting of a suspect by a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Wednesday night, the department said.

CMPD says the incident started at about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday with a report of shots fired on Frazier Avenue, near West Trade Street, just outside uptown Charlotte.

The department said officers encountered an armed suspect and gave repeated verbal commands for the man to stop and drop his weapon.

CMPD says the man started to walk away but pointed a gun at officers, one of whom shot the man. Police said the man was taken to a hospital where he later died.

CMPD has not released the name of the suspect or officer involved.

The Carolina Panthers are 0-4 to start the 2023 NFL season and are looking to gain their first win when they take on the Detroit Lions this weekend. The Panthers and the Chicago Bears are the only winless teams so far this season. During a press conference Wednesday, Head Coach Frank Reich said despite the slow start, the team has made progress in building together.

"There are without question, things that are growing and building, not just with Bryce, but really, I believe with the whole team coming together around the systems, you know, that we're running more familiarity with them, you know, more tweaking to what we do best and what our players like and, and try to put them in the best position," he said.

Carolina faced the Lions in the preseason opener and lost 26 to 17. Sunday’s regular season matchup will kickoff at 1 pm.

Despite currently facing multiple criminal charges, Donald Trump remains South Carolina voters’ top pick to become the 2024 Republican candidate for president, according to the latest Winthrop poll.

With just under five months until the 2024 South Carolina GOP presidential primary, half of South Carolina Republicans say they’re most likely to support Trump for the Republican nomination.

Former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, though now leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, trails far behind Trump in her home state, with 17% of Republicans saying they support her nomination.

The Charlotte Hornets got back on the court Tuesday as they opened training camp for the new season. Point guard LaMelo Ball was back as well after having surgery in March on his broken ankle. The former Rookie of the Year and All-Star selection says he’s trying to get back in game shape after playing in just 36 of the team’s 82 games last season.

"I’m actually trying to kind of push myself, you know, to get over that hump and then just keep on conditioning and stuff like that. So, yeah, just getting that run in," he said.

Ball says he’ll wear ankle braces this season to help limit injuries. Also Tuesday, Hornets coach Steve Clifford said former NBA All-Star center Patrick Ewing is working with the team as a consultant. Ewing was an assistant under Clifford here from 2013 to 2017 before taking the head coaching job at Georgetown.

Coach Steve

"It's the most enjoyable time of the year this month. You know, because it's the, you know, this is when you got to get your team gaming. You know, like after this it's a lot different than it used to be. We just don't, with the way the schedules are, we don't practice like we used to. So it puts more onus on this first 22 days and that's the fun of it," he said.

Charlotte FC is getting ready for the final four games of their season, and the team is sitting in the second-to-last spot in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. Their playoff hopes have almost slipped away after four draws and two losses in the last six matches. Charlotte would have to win all four of its final matches to guarantee a playoff spot.

Head coach Christian Lattanzio said Tuesday that the young team has struggled in the final minutes and given up leads in too many games.

"Unfortunately, this happened a lot in the season. I think we will be comfortable in the playoff spot if we were more, cautious in handling the last few minutes of the game. But this is also part of the growing up," he said.

Lattanzio said that in soccer, good teams find ways to win games they should have lost.

"We did the opposite. The one that we deserve to win, we draw — we drew many times — and the one that we deserve to draw, we lose," he said.

Charlotte FC takes on Toronto at home tomorrow night, before heading to Chicago and finishing their season with back-to-back matches against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami CF.

Charlotte-area Republican Congressman Dan Bishop said Tuesday he will not vote to remove Kevin McCarthy as House speaker.

Bishop is a member of the right-wing Freedom Caucus and voted last week against the spending bill to keep the government open.

But he said on social media that he will not vote against McCarthy, an effort being pushed by Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz.. He said one person’s move with roughly 5 to 7 supporters in the Republican caucus “portends no path of success - only chaos.”

Bishop also said there is a “reckoning due in the Republican Party to make it a force capable of confronting the crisis and opposition that it faces.” But since Bishop is leaving Congress to run for North Carolina attorney general, he said it’s not his decision to make.

A vote on McCarthy’s future is expected later Tuesday.

Superintendent Crystal Hill is holding two town hall meetings this week to talk about academic goals and the upcoming $2.5 billion bond referendum for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. One starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday at East Mecklenburg High and the other starts at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at South Meck. Registration is required.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police made two arrests in connection to the murder of Ceyonna Morris, a woman killed almost a year ago.

On Friday, CMPD arrested 20-year old Michael Fulwiley. He he has been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder. On Saturday, 20-year old Saniya Heard turned herself in at the Law Enforcement Center in Uptown. She has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and accessory after the fact of murder.

On December 17, 2022 CMPD officers responded to a call about a shooting near 4300 Valeview Lane. When officers arrived they found Morris suffering from gunshot wounds. She was taken to the hospital and was pronounced dead.

The Apple snail, a harmful invasive aquatic species, has been identified along the Lumber River in Lumberton, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission announced.

Native to South America, this is the first known population of Apple snails in the state. Apple snail grazing habits can damage plants used by many native aquatic species and they have even been observed feeding on amphibian eggs.

Apple snails can also present human health risks. They are most easily recognizable by their distinctive large, bright pink egg clusters, which are laid on solid surfaces.

Another damaging invasive, zebra snails, were spotted last month in Iredell County.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police officials said Monday that it supports making some so-called quality of life offenses, such as public drinking, be arrestable offenses.

Two years ago, the General Assembly passed a law that made all ordinances in cities and towns non-criminal by default, unless those municipalities voted to make them criminal.

The Charlotte City Council decided against making some offenses like public defecation and public drinking criminal offenses. That means that police officers can only write tickets for those infractions, but can’t arrest people for them.

Residents of Fourth Ward have said that’s led to an increase in lawlessness in uptown and have urged the city to give CMPD more power.

Deputy Police Chief Dave Robinson told City Council that his officers don’t want to arrest people for things like public urination. But he said police need that option.

“When we arrive and don’t have any other options it makes our job difficult,” he said. “That lessens our effectiveness as a police department. And to that person who called I go back to that person and say, hey we did our best but that wasn’t good enough because that person, that problem is still there.”

Some city council members were concerned about the impact the change could have on people who are homeless. But the city council’s Housing, Safety and Community Committee voted to study the issue further.

Mecklenburg County’s Democratic Party has broken with tradition and chosen three candidates to support in the nonpartisan Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board race.

Fourteen candidates are running for the three at-large seats on the ballot Nov. 7, and 11 of them are registered Democrats. In recent years the party has simply highlighted all the Democrats on the school board ballot.

But this year the party is endorsing three: Liz Monterrey, Monty Witherspoon and Lenora Shipp, who’s the only incumbent running. In addition to the registered Democrats, one Republican and two unaffiliated voters are on the ballot, which won’t list party affiliation.

Local party Chair Drew Kromer says the party narrowed its own field partly to concentrate Democratic votes.

"By splitting our own vote 11 ways, we would be handing the election to a Republican, when in reality the majority of voters are looking for a Democrat to fill these seats," he said Monday, after the executive committee chose the three on Sunday.

And Kromer says it’s partly to avoid something like state Rep. Tricia Cotham’s switch to the Republican Party in April, just five months after she was elected as a Democrat from Mecklenburg County. Cotham defeated three other Democrats in the primary.

"This is the sort of thing that we should have done when Tricia Cotham was running for the Democratic primary and we failed to do, to our detriment. And now we’re paying the price," Kromer said.

Cotham’s switch gave Republicans a veto-proof majority in the General Assembly. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board currently has eight Democrats and one Republican.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say DNA helped lead them to a suspect in an attempted rape on a busy greenway in southeast Charlotte last year.

Khalil Boler, 28, was arrested last week. CMPD Lt. Jim Ivey recounted on Monday the attack on McAlpine Creek Greenway in September 2022.

"This was a heinous attack on a survivor who was merely out getting exercise and enjoying some fresh air in one of our parks. And this case brought all available resources to bear. I can promise you that," he said.

DNA was analyzed from the attack, and police say they were able to connect that evidence to Boler after he was charged in two separate indecent exposure cases at the University City Target.

He’s being held in the Mecklenburg County jail on a $300,000 bond, facing charges that include attempted second degree rape and sexual battery.

Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs said Monday the city is "scrambling" to determine how to respond to a demand by the mayors of Mecklenburg’s towns last week to have a greater say in running Charlotte’s transit system.

The mayors and county commissioner Leigh Altman want to help decide who the next Charlotte Area Transit System chief executive will be, and they want a greater say in shaping the budget. They are members of the Metropolitan Transit Commission.

The mayors and Altman are frustrated over the city’s response to maintenance and safety problems on the Lynx Blue Line. They have said they don’t want to be a rubber stamp for the city, which ignored their request to hire an independent investigator to review safety problems on the light-rail line.

Driggs said the city wants to work with the towns, but also wants to ensure that Charlotte has the most power — since it’s by far the biggest municipality on the MTC.

“Our goal is to kind of protect the interests of the 900,000 people that we represent on City Council while also working with the towns to respond to concerns they have about being excluded from decision-making,” Driggs said.

The MTC is expected to discuss the mayor’s demands at next month’s meeting. CATS is a city department, but its biggest funding source is a countywide half-cent sales tax.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating a shooting at a Taco Bell on Albemarle Road.

On Saturday shortly before 9:30 p.m., officers responded to a call for a man with a deadly weapon at 8800 Albemarle Road.

When officers arrived, they found an employee with multiple gunshot wounds. The employee was taken to the hospital with life threatening injuries.

According to witnesses, the male suspect became aggressive when he didn't receive the correct amount of change. He then went into the restaurant and started shooting.

Officers were able to identify his vehicle with surveillance footage and witness statements. After warrants were obtained, he was arrested. CMPD did not release the name of the suspect as of Monday.

On Wednesday afternoon at 2:20 pm, WFAE – along with every other TV, radio and cellphone in the country - will broadcast the distinctive sound of the Emergency Alert System as part of a nationwide test of both the Emergency Alert system and the Wireless Emergency Alert system. The purpose of the test is to ensure that both systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies and disasters. It should last for just a minute or so.

Charlotte FC lost a second straight match over the weekend and saw their playoff hopes dwindle after falling to New England 2-1 on Saturday. Charlotte is still four points out of the final playoff spot but the team now has just four matches to make up that ground — and they’ll have to pass five teams to get into the postseason. Next up, Toronto visits Bank of America Stadium Wednesday night. They have the fewest points in all of Major League Soccer.

Despite getting two interceptions – one of them returned for a touchdown – the Carolina Panthers remain winless on the season after losing to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, 21-13. Rookie quarterback Bryce Young was sacked five times and had a costly fumble that was returned 50 yards for a touchdown.

"You know, turning the ball over is something that we talk about a lot, that is, was a, a huge, huge, huge swing of the game and again, that's solely, single- handedly on me — again, stuff we talked about. We, that's, that, that, that's, that's no one else but, but me," said Young. 

The Panthers visit the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon at 1 pm. Also in Sunday's game, cornerback Donte Jackson left the contest with a shoulder injury and did not return.

Head coach Frank Reich said the focus is on improvement, not blame.

"We're not going to finger point, we're going to go back to work, we're all going to own it. We've got to get better. You know, kind of our theme this week a little bit was, you know, talk is talk it’s time for action. And so, you know, that's what we got to do. We've got to get back to work," he said.