Gwendolyn Glenn

NASCAR came back to the Queen City with its longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, at Charlotte Motor Speedway over the Memorial Day weekend. Meanwhile, in the NBA, there’s chatter about the league returning to play at a magical place. And locally, state officials have made some rulings on youth and high school sports. Will they or will they not return in the fall? Joining WFAE's "All Things Considered" host Gwendolyn Glenn to discuss these headlines and more is Langston Wertz Jr. a longtime sportswriter for the Charlotte Observer. 

NASCAR had a comeback this weekend with races in South Carolina. Drivers returned to the tracks with no fans. Speaking of returning, professional leagues like the NFL and NBA are making plans to restart games amid the coronavirus pandemic. There's also some exciting news for local golf fans. Langston Wertz Jr., a longtime sportswriter for the Charlotte Observer, joins us to discuss these headlines and more. 

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, musicians, artists and entertainment business owners are finding new and inventive ways to keep going and stay connected to their fans and clientele. For instance, Dawn Anthony and Sean Higgins are performing some of their favorite jazz cuts in a livestream concert Friday. And they’re not the only ones.

For the past eight years, high school theater students have showed off their talent to sold-out audiences during the Blumey Awards at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year's production can't be held.

There’s still plenty about sports to discuss amid a pandemic that has halted sports on all levels.

NASCAR is returning with the first of three days of racing in Darlington, South Carolina on May 17. Four other races this month will be held in Charlotte. The governors of both states gave green lights to the events as they began to reopen the states from stay-at-home orders.

No fans will be allowed and numerous safety precautions will be in place due to COVID 19. Doug Rice, president of Performance Racing Network, says the pandemic has had a major effect on the industry.

There has not been a lot of entertainment going on in the Queen City these past couple of months due to the coronavirus pandemic, but a lot of artists and musicians are getting creative with virtual events -- like one coming up this weekend, featuring Charlotte’s own Anthony Hamilton.

Family court is moving a lot slower in North Carolina because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly all divorce and child custody hearings are on hold until at least June 1. In Mecklenburg County, that amounts to about 700 cases. District Court Judge Rex Marvel says exceptions include someone’s life being in danger or if there is an allegation of sexual abuse. He spoke to WFAE about how court services are continuing to proceed.

It’s the NFL’s draft week, when an elite group of college football players will be selected by one of the league’s 32 teams. Locally, folks will be looking to see how if the Carolina Panthers can beef up the team’s defense as they have said they want to do. People are also wondering about the fate of three UNC Charlotte 49ers who are among the prospects, and how this year’s draft will be different in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Langston Wertz Jr., a longtime sportswriter for the Charlotte Observer, joins us to talk about these and other sports questions.

Although members of the Charlotte Symphony won’t be performing live anytime soon because of the coronavirus pandemic, they are doing something special for the public through a virtual performance that includes many moving parts. But they’re not the only ones going virtual. There’s the Boom Festival, Opera Carolina and others. Joining WFAE's "All Things Considered" host Gwendolyn Glenn for this edition of Weekend In Entertainment is Matt Olin, co-founder of Charlotte Is Creative.  

A coalition of community activists and attorneys held a protest Friday to demand the release of certain inmates and an end to arrests by Charlotte police during the pandemic. They are calling for officers to issue citations instead.

In the medical field, Dr. Francis Robicsek has been described by many as an international giant in his field: An innovator in the field of heart surgery and transplants, and a humanitarian who shared his skills with those without access to quality health care around the globe.

Robicsek, a Hungarian native who began practicing in Charlotte 62 years ago, died last Friday at the age of 94. Karen Garloch, a former Charlotte Observer health reporter who covered Robicsek’s career extensively talks about his contributions to medicine.

Even though sports on all levels are on pause because of the coronavirus pandemic, there are quite a few developments in the sports world to talk about. NASCAR is taking a new approach to racing, there is the NFL draft. And on the local scene, fans are still reacting to the Carolina Panthers parting ways with longtime quarterback Cam Newton. One of them is Charlotte rapper Cutty Cutright. Cutright wrote for Newton to show his respect for the quarterback whose accolades include NFL MVP and the first rookie to pass for 400 yards in his first game as a pro player.

Churches have always been a place of refuge for believers of all denominations but with the continued spread of the coronavirus, churches worldwide have closed their doors -- including in the Charlotte area.

According to Mecklenburg Youth and Family Services officials, there are about 600 children in foster care in the county, 11,000 in North Carolina. Stability is important for these children but the coronavirus epidemic has brought changes for many of them.

The legendary Harlem Globetrotters basketball player Fred "Curly" Neal was a Greensboro native and JCSU graduate, who played for the Golden Bulls. He died last week at the age of 77. Curly Neal played all over the world for the entertaining Globetrotters from 1963 to 1985. Joining "All Things Considered" host Gwendolyn Glenn to discuss the legacy of Curly Neal and other sports headlines is Langston Wertz Jr. a longtime sportswriter for the Charlotte Observer. 

In addition to the lost lives and the thousands of people who have fallen ill from the coronavirus, the country and especially Charlotte lost a legendary figure this month. On March 8, the Rev. Dr. Darius Swann died at the age of 95 from pneumonia. 

There are growing concerns in the mountains of North Carolina that people are trying to escape large cities like New York with high numbers of coronavirus cases to come to more isolated areas to ride out the outbreak. Lilly Knoepp of Blue Ridge Public Radio has been covering this issue. She says residents fear people are bringing COVID-19 to their remote towns, and could strain their already limited health care resources.

Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said the county, city and the six towns have agreed to issue a "stay at home" order starting at 8 a.m. Thursday.

The sports world is still on pause due to the impact of the coronavirus, but amidst the pandemic, there are still major sports headlines happening, especially here in North Carolina. Joining WFAE's "All Things Considered" host Gwendolyn Glenn to discuss the recent decisions that officials with the Panthers organization have made and the impact of the coronavirus is Langston Wertz Jr., a longtime sportswriter for the Charlotte Observer.