
Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins
New episodes every Monday through Friday.
Launched in April 1998, Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins has become the region's exclusive forum for the discussion of politics, arts, culture, social issues, literature, human interest, the environment and more. If something is of interest to the Charlotte region, listeners and leaders know the topic is bound to be discussed on Charlotte Talks. Follow along: @CharlotteTalks.
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On this Charlotte Talks, we talk about our state constitution. Fewer than 1 in 10 North Carolinians say they are familiar with what our constitution outlines. One in 5 admits they are not at all familiar with it. This comes from a survey conducted by YouGov, and we dig into the results, take a closer look at our state constitution and its impact on our daily lives.
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Violent extremist movements continue to thrive in online spaces. We examine how extreme ideologies spread, why young people are increasingly recruited into violent ideology and what’s being done to push back.
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The murder of Iryna Zarutska continues to reverberate. In Raleigh, lawmakers pass a crime bill with her name on it and in Charlotte, a vigil is held in her memory. Elsewhere, J.D. Vance visited Concord to focus on the administration’s commitment to state and local law enforcement. Plus, on the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene, the federal government releases millions in relief funding.
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Free speech in America is under scrutiny, from Jimmy Kimmel's suspension to calls for employers to punish speech deemed offensive. We examine the blurred lines between free expression, hate speech and censorship.
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Over the last several decades, areas of North Carolina became news deserts where finding local news was difficult, if not impossible. Mostly, that happened in rural areas. During disasters, a lack of news can result in the spread of misinformation, making it harder to get help and increase distrust of those who really do help.
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A year after Hurricane Helene, we look at the environmental changes that led to the storm and the environmental impact of the aftermath of that storm.
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After many ups and downs, the film industry in North Carolina is making gains. Last year, film and TV productions here generated more than $302 million in direct in-state spending and Charlotte is taking in some of that money with productions like "The Hunting Wives," "Roofman," "Bad Counselors" and "Top Chef" shooting here. We take a closer look at what this means for our economy, culture and workforce.
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Queens and Elon universities announce plans to merge, Mecklenburg County Commissioners approve agreements to create a new MTC if voters approve a transit tax, Congress plans to hold a hearing on crime here in Charlotte following the murder of a Ukrainian refugee on the Blue Line, and Charlotte FC aims to make history this weekend.
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Meet two of the master minds behind running creatively crafted restaurants in repurposed historic buildings right here in Charlotte. We'll sit down with Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel, who are about to be spotlighted in a 10-part PBS TV series, "Fork & Hammer."
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Improving test scores has been a focus of educators at CMS. The pandemic did a number on those scores and the struggle to raise them up has been daunting, but last year showed marked improvement with 72% of students hitting their benchmarks. Still, they fell short of expectations. So, we take a dive into the numbers, look at tools to improve learning, and more.