Iryna Zarutska stabbing

Michael Whatley’s path to winning the U.S. Senate race has always run through tearing down Democrat Roy Cooper.

Legislators in Raleigh are grilling Mecklenburg County leaders on Monday about crime — especially the high-profile killing of Iryna Zarutska on the light rail — and their cooperation with federal immigration officials.

The Federal Transit Administration audited the Charlotte Area Transit System's safety plans after the August murder of Iryna Zarutska on a Lynx Blue Line train.

A federal audit released Monday found widespread safety problems at the Charlotte Area Transit System, citing 18 areas of non-compliance with federal requirements.

We’re speaking with the three new faces on the Charlotte City Council. All ran on keeping communities safe, expanding affordable housing and improving transportation. Charlotte has been grappling with those issues for years — and now that Joi Mayo, J.D. Mazuera Arias and Kimberly Owens have started their terms, we’ll see how their priorities translate into action.

For years, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather has lobbied for more staffing in his office, which has not had a significant increase in nearly 15 years. With Iryna’s Law now on the books, he should be able to hire 10 more prosecutors. Will that be enough? We will ask about that and about his impression of how the law might affect public safety, as well as other issues facing the DA’s office.

Sheriffs say stricter pretrial release rules could test capacity, staffing and county budgets.

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.