On Monday night, Charlotte City Council members voted unanimously to approve a 150-day moratorium on new data centers. This comes after community members voiced concerns regarding high water usage, the potential for rising electricity bills, noise and other data center side effects on neighborhoods. The moratorium will not impact existing data centers that were already approved.
Also this week, the council approved its general fund budget of more than $1 billion in a 9-2 vote. The city will use a 7% property tax increase to provide raises for police officers, firefighters, other employees and council members, including the mayor.
Meanwhile, DeCarlos Brown, who is accused of killing Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail in August 2025, was deemed incompetent to stand trial in federal court this week. Brown had previously been found incompetent to stand trial on North Carolina state charges in the case. Brown will remain in federal custody, where he will undergo treatment to restore his competency.
The Carolina Hurricanes are in the chase for the Stanley Cup, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. After another round on the ice in Raleigh on Thursday, they are heading back to Las Vegas for Game 6 on Sunday night.
We discuss it all on this week’s local news roundup.
GUESTS:
Mary Ramsey, local government accountability reporter for the Charlotte Observer
David Hodges, WBTV investigative reporter
Hunter Saenz, WSOC-TV reporter
Zachary Turner, climate reporter at WFAE
