Fallout continues after one of the co-founders of Sycamore Brewing was arrested and charged with breaking into a Stanly County home and raping a 13-year-old girl. Justin Brigham, 44, is also facing felony charges from a separate incident. Grocery stores, bars and restaurants have removed Sycamore products, and the Sycamore taproom and restaurant in Terminal E at Charlotte Douglas International Airport is no longer listed on the airport’s website. Brigham’s wife, Sarah Taylor, said she has taken over the company.
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said that he believes U.S. Customs and Border Protection will return to Charlotte. McFadden and other officials have expressed frustration over what they say was a lack of communication by federal immigration officials. Meanwhile, immigrant-owned businesses have struggled to bounce back in the time since the border patrol crackdown.
Elsewhere, President Trump is set to travel to North Carolina on Friday to give a speech in Rocky Mount. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley announced the event on social media earlier this week. Rocky Mount is located in the redrawn 1st Congressional District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Don Davis. Legislative Republicans recently redrew the district in an effort to pick up an additional seat.
The Carolina Panthers take on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and first place in the NFC South is on the line. Carolina blew a chance to hold the advantage in the division entering the matchup with a last-second loss last Sunday against New Orleans. The Panthers play the Buccaneers twice in the final few weeks of the season.
GUESTS:
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Ryan Pitkin, co- founder and editor of Queen City Nerve
Ely Portillo, senior editor at WFAE News
