President Trump highlighted the 2025 murder of Iryna Zarutska during the State of the Union this week. Zarutska, who was originally from Ukraine, was allegedly killed by DeCarlos Brown. During his speech, Trump said Brown entered the country through open borders, but Brown is a U.S. citizen. He has a history of criminal activity and mental health concerns. Zarutska’s mother, Anya, was in the chamber for the speech.
Four people were taken into ICE custody at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse this week. Each person was due for a court hearing at the time of the arrests. Court records show some of those arrested were charged with violent crimes. According to WSOC-TV, the Mecklenburg County Sheriff says ICE threatened to arrest attorneys who interfered with the arrests. The report also says none of the suspects have active detainers.
The self-driving Waymo taxis will soon be on the streets of Charlotte. Several of the vehicles have been spotted in a lot uptown on land owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Waymo, owned by Google, is based in Silicon Valley and now operates in 10 cities across the country.
The impact of the winter storms that hit the area in January continues. Duke Energy set a record for hourly peak on Jan. 27 at more than 37,000 megawatts across its Carolina service territories. Now, power bills have some customers on the brink of disconnection. We break down the impact on residents across the state.
GUESTS:
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter
Ashley Fahey, managing editor at the Charlotte Ledger
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte
Zachary Turner, WFAE climate reporter
