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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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

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.

A violent killing in Charlotte's transit system has gotten a lot of attention. The numbers say trains and buses remain safe overall, but assault has eclipsed robbery and theft as the biggest concern.

Charlotte transit officials say assaults involving passengers and bus operators declined during the first three months of the year, though the total number of incidents remains relatively small.

The gruesome stabbing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman aboard a Charlotte light rail train has sparked an outpouring of grief, anger and a rush by politicians to assign blame. One thing both parties can agree on: Repeat offenders cycling through the system present a major problem.

A man is recovering after he was seriously injured in a stabbing during Friday evening rush hour on the Blue Line light rail north of uptown Charlotte, police said. The victim, who was identified in court records as Kenyon Dobie, was in critical but stable condition.