North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger is filing four election protests after official results showed him trailing Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page by 23 votes. Berger alleges some voters were improperly allowed to switch to Republican ballots after they started voting. He is also asking for a recount, noting that many people were recorded as leaving his race blank on the ballot.
Elsewhere, wild weather caused severe damage and left customers without power across the region this week. The National Weather Service also confirmed a tornado touched down in Charlotte, just north of uptown, but no damage was observed. Overall, more than 1,100 customers in Mecklenburg County lost power due to the storms.
Speaking of weather, CMS says it does not plan to use makeup days or reschedule missed instructional time after severe weather both this week and earlier this year. The district has faced several interruptions this year, including during two winter storms in January. We discuss.
And Queens University of Charlotte men’s basketball prepares for the NCAA tournament for the first time in its history. The team is a 15-seed and takes on 2-seed Purdue on Friday night in St. Louis.
GUESTS:
James Farrell, education reporter for WFAE
Ashley Fahey, managing editor at the Charlotte Ledger
Ryan Pitkin, co- founder and editor of Queen City Nerve
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte
