Friday, December 27, 2019
A look back on the most important news stories in 2019. Charlotte’s homicide rate spiked this year and the Queen City was added to the growing list of cities where mass shootings have occurred as UNC-Charlotte experiences tragedy. The 9th Congressional District battle raged for most of the year and David Tepper scores a win: for Major League Soccer. Our roundtable of reporters takes us through the year.
On the Charlotte Talks end-of-year local news roundup...
2019 has been an incredibly busy news year around the country, but particularly here in Charlotte. As the year comes to a close, we gather members of our local news roundup team to talk about Charlotte’s biggest stories of the year.
Charlotte’s homicides spiked this year, nearly doubling our count from last year, and it’s leaving community leaders, the police and citizens wondering why.
Charlotte was added to the cities in America where mass shootings have taken place, as UNC Charlotte is the site of a shooting just before the end of the spring semester.
The 9th congressional district in North Carolina remained a headline in 2019 with a ballot fraud scandal that resulted in a special election in the district, and a shakeup within the board of elections and a decision between “two Dans”. Ultimately Republican Dan Bishop was the winner of the special election over Democratic opponent Dan McCready.
Charlotte Banking was back in the news this year with a major bank merger between BB&T and Suntrust Banks, with the new combined bank, Truist, calling its headquarters in Charlotte. This solidifies the Queen City as the 2nd largest banking city in the US, after New York.
And David Tepper has spent 2019 making his mark on Charlotte. After buying the Panthers in 2018, the team had a season of struggles, from Cam Newton’s injuries to an inconsistent backup quarterback in Kyle Allen. Ron Rivera as head coach didn’t even last the season. But it’s not all bad news, Tepper was key in bringing a Major League Soccer expansion team to the city late in the year, and that will affect development in areas around the city.
And a much publicized vote on a sales tax for the arts in Mecklenburg County fails.
Host Mike Collins and our local panel of jouralists go through this year’s top Charlotte stories and add some context on 2019, on Charlotte Talks.
Guests:
Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal
Glenn Burkins, editor and publisher of Qcitymetro.com
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV Reporter
Ann Doss Helms, WFAE Education Reporter
