This show originally aired on Dec. 23, 2020.
On the next Charlotte Talks, it’s our END OF YEAR local news roundup.
2020 has been a year like no other. The news has just kept coming and coming relentlessly for the last 12 months, with the filter of the coronavirus behind everything we’ve covered since March. The news will continue into 2021, but on our last edition of the local news roundup for the year, we take stock of the biggest local and regional stories of 2020.
We began the year focusing on growth, gun violence in the Queen City, and of course all eyes were on the primary election.
And then in March, when the coronavirus spread began, people in Charlotte and around the world stopped in their tracks as we grappled with how to handle the disease. Charlotte and the region saw schools close down and move online. Businesses either moved workers home, or stopped doing business altogether. "COVID-19," "unprecedented," "pandemic," and "hot spots" became new staples of our vocabulary.
But the news continued. The death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minnesota sparked protests and marches all over the country, including Charlotte. The surge of the Black Lives Matter movement and charges against police actions here in Charlotte dominated headlines, along with the coronavirus.
And let’s not forget, we had an unprecedented presidential election, which brought national candidates to our region several times throughout the year — but not in the way we thought. We lost the planned RNC, which was to be held in the Queen City, at the end of the summer due to the pandemic. The event we had here was much-diminished, but was accompanied by protests and a surprise visit from the president.
Some business continued — not quite as usual, but still continued — bringing jobs and money and development to town.
As we face the end of 2020, we look forward to large numbers of people receiving a vaccine now and well into 2021. And we take stock of all that’s happened in our region over this turbulent year.
Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into the top news of 2020 on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.
Guests:
Steve Harrison, WFAE political reporter
Ann Doss Helms, WFAE education reporter
Claire Donnelly, WFAE health reporter
Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal
Glenn Burkins, founder and publisher of Qcitymetro.com
