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A preliminary report from North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek faults the Charlotte Area Transit System for not hiring enough armed security guards on its light rail system. The report released Tuesday says that even though CATS tripled its security budget and hired more security personnel overall in recent years, the number of armed officers fell by 40 percent. The city of Charlotte responded that it has added more CMPD officers to supplement patrols on the light rail. The audit was prompted by the killing of Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line light rail. A final report is pending.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles on Monday said judges and magistrates allow criminals to be released too quickly.

The General Assembly passed the legislation in response to the widely publicized murder of Iryna Zarutska on board a Charlotte light rail car.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday that the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on the city's light rail system was "a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates" and announced new steps to increase transit security.

A U.S. House subcommittee holds a hearing in Charlotte about crime and safety, state auditor Dave Boliek publishes a report on CATS security, Gov. Josh Stein calls on the General Assembly to make up a shortfall on Medicaid, and the impact of the federal government on North Carolina.

Viewed one way, Monday’s hearing on crime in Charlotte was a huge success for Republican state legislators.

The proposal was added to Iryna's Law during debate late Monday evening. It added a partisan element to a bill that had appeared to have bipartisan support.

Decarlos Brown Jr., the man charged with stabbing Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail, suffered from schizophrenic delusions and poor mental health since his release from prison in 2020, according to his family. The case shows how the state struggles to contain and treat mentally ill people who may pose a risk to the public.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles on Tuesday easily won the Democratic primary, getting 71% of the vote against four opponents. That’s a rout. But the results also showed some softening of support compared to her three previous primaries, when she got 85%, 84% and 87%.

Vice President JD Vance visited North Carolina for the first time since taking office, urging Gov. Josh Stein to sign a new crime bill and saying the administration would send the National Guard to Charlotte if asked.

Interim Charlotte Area Transit System CEO Brent Cagle said he has tripled the amount of money the transit system spends on security since 2023.

What did voters say in this off-year election where some key local races and the transit referendum were on the ballot? What will those decisions mean for the area’s future? Republican spending in local races was up. Did it make a difference? We look at the outcome of the election and talk with former North Carolina governor and former Charlotte mayor, Pat McCrory, about a host of issues.

We’re speaking with the three new faces on the Charlotte City Council. All ran on keeping communities safe, expanding affordable housing and improving transportation. Charlotte has been grappling with those issues for years — and now that Joi Mayo, J.D. Mazuera Arias and Kimberly Owens have started their terms, we’ll see how their priorities translate into action.

For years, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather has lobbied for more staffing in his office, which has not had a significant increase in nearly 15 years. With Iryna’s Law now on the books, he should be able to hire 10 more prosecutors. Will that be enough? We will ask about that and about his impression of how the law might affect public safety, as well as other issues facing the DA’s office.

After a fatal stabbing on Charlotte’s light rail, Mayor Vi Lyles has ordered more patrols and fare checks. We rode the Blue Line to hear how riders feel about safety now — and what they want from CATS, police and the courts.

Officials in Charlotte, North Carolina, have stepped up security on the city's light rail system after the fatal stabbing of a woman on a train last month.

The new Charlotte City Council is sworn in, Iryna’s law goes into effect with stricter bail rules for violent offenses, the state auditor plans to investigate the settlement paid by the city of Charlotte to the husband of the new police chief, and Mecklenburg County officials create a new transit authority.

On the next Charlotte Talks, Russ Ferguson. You may have seen him on TV recently, announcing the arrest of a Mint Hill man who allegedly planned an ISIS-style New Year’s attack. Ferguson is the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. He has been in that position since March of last year, but was only confirmed by the Senate in December. We spent time with him early in his tenure and now we get an update on what he and his office have been focusing on.

It’s impossible to review a year’s worth of news in just one hour, especially after the year we just had. But the Charlotte Talks team wanted to highlight the significant news we brought you over the last 365 days. It seemed like there was never a dull moment.

More than a year into his term, North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek says he’s working to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in state government. New laws have expanded the auditor’s investigative powers and even given the office a role in shaping election oversight. Boliek joins to discuss his approach to accountability, his growing authority and what it could mean for transparency and governance in North Carolina.