Iryna Zarutska stabbing

The Charlotte Area Transit System has increased security on the Lynx Blue Line after the murder in August.

The new Charlotte City Council is sworn in, Iryna’s law goes into effect with stricter bail rules for violent offenses, the state auditor plans to investigate the settlement paid by the city of Charlotte to the husband of the new police chief, and Mecklenburg County officials create a new transit authority.

The murder of Iryna Zarutska on the Blue Line in August led to the passage of Iryna’s Law by the General Assembly. It took effect on Dec. 1 and is designed to overhaul parts of the judicial system. A Republican bill, it passed with some bipartisan support and was signed by a Democratic governor, yet there were still opponents. We discuss the new law and more with caucus leader Rep. Mary Belk.

Mecklenburg County Commissioners and law enforcement leaders weighed in on the impacts of Iryna’s law which begins Monday.

After the rushed passage of a law that could funnel more people into the involuntary commitment process, House lawmakers hear concerns from doctors and hospital leaders.

Ridership on the Lynx Blue Line fell 10% in September compared to the same month in 2024. The city was shocked by the Aug. 22 murder of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on the light rail.

Decarlos Brown Jr., the man charged with stabbing Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail, suffered from schizophrenic delusions and poor mental health since his release from prison in 2020, according to his family. The case shows how the state struggles to contain and treat mentally ill people who may pose a risk to the public.

The stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail renewed conversations about the need for mental health treatment and led some leaders to examine the involuntary commitment process for people who pose a danger to themselves and others. A crime bill recently passed by the legislature takes steps in that direction and we examine how the involuntary commitment process works and where it might go wrong.

As Decarlos Brown Jr.’s competency is evaluated, he is one of a rising number of defendants in North Carolina caught in a system that struggles to keep pace with court-ordered mental health evaluations and treatment.

The General Assembly passed the legislation in response to the widely publicized murder of Iryna Zarutska on board a Charlotte light rail car.