Search results for

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, JDMazuera Arias and Kimberly Owens have started their terms, we’ll see how their priorities translate into action.

Over the last decade, several inmates suffering from mental illnesses have died inside South Carolina jails. An investigation by the Post & Courier dove into the reasons why, how the situation got so bad, and possible solutions. Plus, in the wake of Iryna's Law, we'll see what lessons North Carolina can learn.

Rob Harrington has served as Charlotte’s mayor for about two months, filling the post vacated by Vy Lyles. He’s only in office until the end of next year, but he has a lot on his plate as the council grapples with data centers, Interstate 77 toll lanes, teen takeovers and other issues.

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.

We sit down with Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden to discuss jail overcrowding, deaths in custody, cooperation with immigration enforcement officials, the need for a juvenile detention facility, and lawsuits and investigations involving the operation of the county jail.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles is calling the fatal stabbing of a young woman on the city’s light rail system a “tragic situation” that underscores broader challenges with mental health and homelessness.

A federal audit released Monday found widespread safety problems at the Charlotte Area Transit System, citing 18 areas of non-compliance with federal requirements.

During Tuesday night’s address to Congress, President Donald Trump falsely claimed the suspect in last year’s fatal stabbing on Charlotte’s light rail entered the country through “open borders.”

North Carolina Rep. Laura Budd spoke Monday about safety on Charlotte’s transit system and political violence nationwide.

Citing concerns about a wave of homicides in the past six weeks, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police is requesting that the National Guard be deployed to Charlotte.

Michael Whatley’s path to winning the U.S. Senate race has always run through tearing down Democrat Roy Cooper.

The Charlotte Area Transit System said its private security firm, PSS, is now fully staffed.

Mecklenburg County Commissioners and law enforcement leaders weighed in on the impacts of Iryna’s law which begins Monday.

Mecklenburg County voters in November approved a new one-cent sales tax for transportation.