Ely Portillo
Executive EditorEly Portillo is Executive Editor at WFAE. In this role, he is responsible for planning and editing daily news coverage, as well as working on newsletters, digital content and long-term projects. A Charlotte journalist for more than 15 years, Ely worked at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and the Charlotte Observer before coming to WFAE.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill has been placed on leave amid an investigation into how the district is run, the school board said Wednesday. Hill has been on the job for more than three years. -
A South Carolina man has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly defacing buildings at Shalom Park, the center of Charlotte’s Jewish community, with Nazi symbols and other threats, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. -
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pam Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson finished first and second on Tuesday in the South Carolina Republican primary to be the state’s next governor, setting up a runoff vote in two weeks. The winner will likely succeed Gov. Henry McMaster in the heavily Republican state. -
For decades, the so-called Charlotte Way has meant collegial government, deference to business leaders and a shared belief that growth is good for a world-class city. Now, after several less business-friendly votes by a new City Council, some leaders worry the Charlotte Way is cracking. Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger joined WFAE Executive Editor Ely Portillo for our weekly segment BizWorthy. -
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education and Superintendent Crystal Hill struggled Friday to reach an agreement on the district’s budget for the upcoming school year, during a nearly five-hour meeting that grew heated at times. -
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education met for three hours Saturday morning to outline its concerns with the superintendent's proposed budget. -
On the Sea Islands, climate change is an everyday reality, with rising seas and stronger storms. Queen Quet, the first elected Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, talks with WFAE’s Ely Portillo ahead of her appearance at WFAE’s Climate Summit. -
Most Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners incumbents faced challenges in Tuesday's primary election, which, in the largely Democratic county, will almost certainly determine the eventual winners in November. -
It’s election season again in North Carolina. The March 3 primary will determine which candidates appear on the general election ballot in November. -
WFAE, in partnership with the League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, hosted a forum with the Democratic candidates for Mecklenburg County Commission at the WFAE Center for Civic and Community Engagement in uptown Charlotte.
