After an investigation and temporary leave, CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill has been reinstated.
Board Chair Stephanie Sneed did not specify what the issues were or if there are any ongoing issues that are being addressed. Sneed said the board believed they can still have a good working relationship with Hill. Hill officially returned to work on Wednesday, while students return to class on Aug. 25.
Democrats on Charlotte City Council are uneasy about CMPD’s push to apply for a federal “Make America Safe Again” grant. The money could fund drones, license plate cameras and other public safety initiatives. The money comes from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Congress passed in 2025. Council members are concerned because the funding would be a “cooperative agreement” with the federal government, not a traditional grant. That would give the federal government more oversight of the city’s spending.
After western North Carolina U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards dropped his reelection bid last week, Republican leaders in the state’s 11th Congressional District chose Jennifer Balkcom to replace him on the November ballot. Balkcom is a mortgage loan officer from Henderson County and represents the 117th N.C. House District. She will face Democrat Jamie Ager in November. Edwards dropped his bid after a House Ethics Committee report detailed allegations of sexual harassment.
Meanwhile, in South Carolina, U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, did not receive enough votes to win Tuesday’s special Republican primary outright. She will face U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman in an Aug. 25 runoff. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham to serve the rest of her brother’s term after he died in July. The winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.
Those stories and more on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.
GUESTS:
Alexandria Sands, reporter with Axios Charlotte
James Farrell, WFAE education reporter
Erik Spanberg, managing editor at the Charlotte Business Journal
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte
