CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings released details of his settlement with the city and says he will retire at the end of the year. Jennings disclosed the $305,000 settlement with the city on Sunday night, ahead of the Memorial Day holiday. Charlotte City Council held a closed-session vote where they agreed to pay Jennings after he complained about text messages sent to him by now-former council member Tariq Bokhari, in which Bokhari threatened to get him fired and destroy his legacy. Meanwhile, some on City Council want to crack down on “leaks” within the body.
Elsewhere, parents at Ardrey Kell High School are asking CMS for more transparency after news broke that principal Jamie Brooks was first suspended with pay for nearly a month without public explanation and then announced her retirement. The news was first reported by WCNC. A public record request by WCNC found that Brooks was suspended May 2, but officials provided no information about the removal to the school community or the public. She has been the principal since 2008.
The Trump administration is suing North Carolina over its voter registration records. The administration claims the State Board of Elections violated federal law by failing to maintain accurate voter registration records. The lawsuit also refers to President Trump’s executive order on election fraud, signed in March.
And despite the city’s efforts, the CIAA men’s and women’s tournaments will not return to Charlotte — at least for now. Instead, the tournaments will remain in Baltimore. Charlotte had hoped to bring the tournament back beginning in 2027 but failed, at least in part, due to scheduling conflicts at the Spectrum Center. Charlotte hosted the CIAA tournament from 2006 to 2020.
Those stories and more with our roundtable of reporters on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.
GUESTS:
Julian Berger, WFAE race and equity reporter
Nick Ochsner, WBTV chief investigative reporter
Ely Portillo, senior editor at WFAE News
Hunter Sáenz, WSOC-TV reporter
