David Boraks

Reporter
  • David Boraks
    David Boraks

David Boraks is a reporter and host at WFAE, covering energy & the environment, politics & government, affordable housing, transportation and other topics for WFAE.  He's a veteran Charlotte-area journalist who also has worked at The Charlotte Observer (1993-2000) and published the online community news network DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net (2006-2015).

He also has worked for American Banker (2000-2005), The China News in Taipei (1991), The Cambridge (Mass.) Chronicle (1989-1991) and The Hartford Courant (1986-89).  He has been a Knight Center for Specialized Journalism fellow (1997), won the North Carolina Information Technology Association Media Award (1998), won the Davidson College Sullivan Community Service Award (2009), and was an Annenberg/Knight Block-by-Block News Entrepreneur fellow (2011). 

David has a bachelor's  degree in history from Cornell University and a master's degree from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.

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NC And SC Lawmakers Call For Studies Of Electricity Market Reforms

By • Jan 17, 2020
Santee Cooper and SCE&G had been adding two reactors at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant in Fairfield County.
Santee Cooper

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

State Proposes 'Asbestos Watch Area' Near Old Davidson Mill

By • Jan 16, 2020
Miguel Alvalle of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality explains the Davidson "asbestos watch area" to residents Monday at the Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson.
David Boraks / WFAE

State environmental officials want to designate part of the west side of Davidson as an "asbestos watch area." But the renewed discussion about asbestos from an old factory nearby is reviving concerns among residents in the historically African American neighborhood. 

Year-End Interest Rate Decline Hits BofA's 4th Quarter Profits

By • Jan 15, 2020
WFAE

Revenues and profits at Bank of America fell during the fourth quarter amid a sharp drop in interest rates at the end of the year. But CEO Brian Moynihan said the bank continues to grow, as it added loans, deposits and employees during 2019. 

DEQ Plans Hearings On Duke's Coal Ash Removal Plans At 10 Sites

By • Jan 15, 2020
Residents held up signs naming the different heavy metals found in coal ash.
David Boraks / WFAE

State environmental regulators will hold a series of public hearings in February on plans to excavate coal ash at six Duke Energy plants around the state, including plants on Lake Norman and Lake Wylie, and to recycle ash at four other sites. 

To Trim Costs, Charlotte And Lake Norman Habitat Groups To Merge

By • Jan 15, 2020
Habitat Charlotte/Our Towns Habitat

The Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Charlotte and Lake Norman are merging, a move they say will save millions of dollars over the next decade and help them build or repair housing for more low-income families.

Wells Fargo Profits Drop Amid Legal Expenses, Lower Rates

By • Jan 14, 2020
Wells Fargo sign at a bank branch
Flickr / Mike Mozart

Wells Fargo's new CEO says the bank needs to cut costs and continue to address legal problems that have dogged the company for years.  Charlie Scharf, who started in October, spoke as the company reported a decline in profits during the fourth quarter.

FAQ City: Why Do Flights Out of Charlotte Cost So Much?

By • Jan 14, 2020
DAVID BORAKS / WFAE

When was the last time you booked a flight out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport? How much did you pay? It's great to have a busy airport, where you can get a direct flight to just about anywhere. But sometimes it can be tough on your pocketbook.

CATS Changing North Meck Express Bus Routes To Use I-77 Toll Lanes

By • Jan 13, 2020
The Interstate 77 Express Lanes are now open between Charlotte and Mooresville. A CATS commuter bus used the lanes Nov. 14. CATS says it's currently training drivers and buses will start using the lanes soon.
DAVID BORAKS / WFAE

Charlotte Area Transit System is overhauling its express bus service from Northern Mecklenburg County to take advantage of the Interstate 77 express lanes. CATS says it will replace the three current express bus routes with four new routes next month, under a new name — MetroRAPID. 

Smithfield's Bladen Plant Now Turns Hog Waste To Energy

By • Jan 8, 2020
The project will convert hog waste from Smithfield's plant in Tar Heel, in Bladen County, into biogas to power about 2,000 homes and businesses.
Duke Energy

Smithfield Foods says it's now producing natural gas from hog waste at a plant in Bladen County, in eastern North Carolina.  The $14 million project is a partnership between Smithfield, Duke Energy and Raleigh-based OptimaBio. 

In Charlotte, U.S. Housing Chief Unveils Plan To Roll Back Fair Housing Rule

By • Jan 7, 2020
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson discusses proposed fair housing rules changes Tuesday at Renaissance West.
David Boraks / WFAE

Federal housing secretary Ben Carson unveiled plans Tuesday in Charlotte to roll back an Obama-era rule aimed at preventing racial segregation in housing. Carson announced a new rule that he says would increase housing choices for families. 

Duke Energy's Solar Rebates For 2020 Go Quickly

By • Jan 6, 2020
Duke Energy's solar rebates help homeowners, businesses and nonprofits pay for the cost of installation.
RENU ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Duke Energy says 2020 rebates for new residential and commercial solar installations in North Carolina were taken up quickly after applications opened on Jan. 2. But there's still money left for nonprofits and local governments.

Finding Home: YIMBY Movement Says Yes To Urban Density, Affordable Housing

By • Dec 30, 2019
Nicole Seekely chairs the Hulsey Yard Study Committee in Atlanta, where neighbors support redevelopment of a big vacant rail yard, including affordable housing.
DAVID BORAKS / WFAE

A frequent obstacle to developing affordable housing is NIMBY, which stands for "not in my backyard." Neighbors bombard elected officials with concerns about traffic, crime and demand on city services as they try to halt new developments. Often, they succeed in blocking developments.

But in some cities, there's now a growing pro-development movement called YIMBY — for "yes in my backyard." 

It's Official! Charlotte Gets Major League Soccer

By , & • Dec 17, 2019
David Boraks / WFAE

Charlotte has officially scored a Major League Soccer franchise.

Gaston Lithium Mine Gets Key Permits, Plans Kings Mountain Processing Plant

By • Dec 13, 2019
Workers pull core samples out of the drill.
David Boraks / WFAE

A company hoping to mine lithium in northern Gaston County has received key state and federal permits for the project and plans to speed up development of a processing plant in Kings Mountain. But it's pushing back the mine's projected opening by a year.

Possible Names For A Charlotte MLS Team: Crown, Monarchs, Gliders

By • Dec 11, 2019
Edoardo Busti / Unsplash

Charlotte Crown? Charlotte Monarchs? Carolina Gliders? Those are among the possible names for a Charlotte Major League Soccer team that surfaced in filings last week with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.

Developer Proposes To Cap Asbestos, Renovate Davidson Mill

By • Dec 10, 2019
The developer wants to turn the mill into a commercial center that could have shops, restaurants and a brewery.
NCDEQ

State environmental officials have given Charlotte developers the preliminary go-ahead to redevelop a former asbestos factory in downtown Davidson. But they still need to overcome the concerns of residents in the historically black neighborhood around the mill. 

Charlotte Business Leaders Expect Slowdown In 2020, Worry About China Trade

By • Dec 9, 2019
Moderator Ben White of Politico with the CEO panel, from left, Darius Adamczyk of Honeywell, Susan DeVore of Premier, Marvin Ellison of Lowe's, Lynn Good of Duke Energy and Brian Moynihan of Bank of America.
David Boraks / WFAE

CEOs of some of Charlotte's biggest companies said Monday they expect U.S. economic growth to slow next year amid global trade wars and declining confidence among businesses and consumers. 

Meeting Looks At Davidson Asbestos Mill Cleanup And Redevelopment

By • Dec 9, 2019
The Metrolina Warehouse in Davidson was an asbestos factory from 1930 to 1960.
David Boraks / WFAE

The N.C. Division of Waste Management will hold a public meeting Monday night in Davidson to talk about how a former asbestos mill could be cleaned up and redeveloped. 

Finding Home: Habitat Repair Programs Help Preserve Affordable Houses

By • Dec 9, 2019
Gwen Sherrill and her great-grandson, Cali Williams, 3, pose on the porch of her home on Potts Street in Davidson. She recently got $18,000 worth of repairs with help from the town and Our Towns Habitat for Humanity.
David Boraks / WFAE

Affordable housing efforts across the Charlotte region often focus on building new homes. But the city of Charlotte and surrounding towns increasingly are working to preserve existing housing so it's not lost to gentrification.

Huntersville Residents Push Back, Win Halt To 100-Unit Project

By • Dec 5, 2019
Devloper Nate Bowman talked to residents about his proposed Valea project in Huntersville Wednesday night at the Dellwood Center.
David Boraks / WFAE

A Huntersville housing developer says he's putting on hold a 101-unit project in a historically African American neighborhood because of neighbors' concerns. It's a rare case where organized opposition has given a voice to residents threatened by gentrification. 

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