WFAE staff and wire reports

Early voting in Mecklenburg County expands to all 21 sites on Thursday for the Nov. 4. municipal elections. All sites can be found here.

Mecklenburg County parks commissioners asked for more money to maintain parks Tuesday night. During a presentation of the advisory group’s annual report to the Mecklenburg County Board, parks commissioner William Colyer said deferred maintenance needs and old, inadequately maintained facilities are the biggest issue facing the county's parks.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health is adding four new confirmed cases of measles in Spartanburg County since last week, bringing the total number of cases in the state this year to 23 and the number of cases in the current outbreak to 20. WYFF reports state health officials say any new exposures at a school mean new exclusions for those who are unvaccinated. They’re deploying a mobile health unit this week to offer the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to unvaccinated individuals at no cost.

Financial services company SoFi said Tuesday that it’s adding 225 jobs in Charlotte. The San Francisco-based company plans to hire loan officers, analysts, sales workers and more, at an average salary of around $109,000 a year. The state of North Carolina is providing a $1.9 million grant to subsidize SoFi’s Charlotte expansion.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is warning parents that schools are not closed on Tuesday, Oct. 21, despite a viral fake post claiming they were closed.

Another iconic Charlotte restaurant is closing. WCNC reports that after 66 years on Wilkinson Boulevard, Bar-B-Q King will shut its doors on November 1st. It was once featured on the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Owners say the property has been sold.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating four homicides that occurred between early Saturday morning and early Sunday.

UNC Charlotte has fired Athletic Director Mike Hill. In a statement, the university said Thursday that the move is in recognition that the rapidly evolving business, regulatory and competitive landscape of higher education athletics demands a new approach and renewed strategic foundation. Vice Chancellor Jesh Humphrey will oversee the department in the interim.

Corning Optical Communications said Wednesday that the company will build a $268 million facility in Hickory to build fiber optic cables and other products. The company will employ more than 130 workers at the new plant, with an average salary of more than $65,000. Corning is set to receive almost $9 million worth of incentives from Hickory and Catawba County, in the form of tax rebates and free land.

Mecklenburg County health officials are urging parents to vaccinate their kids for measles, mumps and rubella amid an ongoing measles outbreak across the border in South Carolina. More than eight cases have been confirmed in Spartanburg County, sending more than 150 unvaccinated kids into quarantine. Measles is highly contagious and a serious illness. Only one case has been confirmed this year in North Carolina.