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Local News Roundup: Riggs/Griffin race hits the courtroom; CMS raises wages; NC General Assembly begins session

Candidates for N.C. Supreme Court. Incumbent Justice Allison Riggs, left, a Democrat, and challenger, Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Images courtesy of candidate campaigns
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Candidates for N.C. Supreme Court. Incumbent Justice Allison Riggs, left, a Democrat, and challenger, Republican Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. Images courtesy of candidate campaigns

The final contested statewide election in the country moves to the courtroom with Republican Jefferson Griffin and Democrat Allison Riggs making their case for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. Griffin continues his effort to get a number of votes tossed out. We discuss where the case stands.

CMS is raising wages for thousands of employees as part of an effort to stay competitive. Meanwhile, national reading and math scores are out. How does CMS stand when compared to similar districts? To what level are lingering effects from the pandemic still playing a role? And what's being done to improve numbers?

Officials around Charlotte and North Carolina are responding to executive orders issued by President Trump during the first couple weeks of his second term. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden told WFAE his department is not under threat by the Department of Justice for failing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on deportation efforts. At the same time, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson joined counterparts in 20 other states in suing the administration over an effort to freeze federal funding. The administration has since put a halt on that effort for the time being.

Residents in Lincoln and Catawba counties may see boundaries shift in the coming days. The border between the two is moving south, giving more land to Catawba County. Some residents are concerned about how this could impact property values and schools.

Those stories and more on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.

GUESTS:

Nick Ochsner, WBTV chief investigative reporter
Ely Portillo, senior editor at WFAE News
Alexandria Sands, reporter with Axios Charlotte
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte

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Gabe Altieri is the Executive Producer for Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins. Prior to joining WFAE in 2022, he worked for WSKG Public Media in Binghamton, New York.