The public is being asked to help locate a person not seen or heard from since an apparent kidnapping early Wednesday morning in east Charlotte.

“It is a violent attack," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Captain Joel McNelly said during a news conference on Wednesday. "It is imperative that people see this and help identify the people."

Video recorded by a nearby doorbell camera shows the moments the victim, who has not been publicly identified, is violently pulled from a front porch on Driftwood Drive and toward an awaiting car.

Staffing shortages have been a common and at times debilitating side effect of the pandemic. Mecklenburg County, like many other communities across the country, is facing a 911 operator shortage.

When someone dials 911, they are counting on a dispatcher to answer the call quickly. The MEDIC call center gets about 500 calls a day.

“When a caller calls into 911, it is not their best day," Jon Studnek, the Deputy Director of MEDIC said. "They’re afraid, they’re concerned, they might be scared and anxious." 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/medic-dispatcher-shortage-stress/275-9fa4c947-d8f6-4c65-8483-614fa1f2e2b5

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Phillip Adams, a former NFL player accused of killing six people in a mass shooting in Rock Hill before taking his own life in early April, showed signs of severe brain damage caused by CTE, a researcher from Boston University said Tuesday. 

Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist and expert on neurogenerative diseases at Boston University, said Adams had severe CTE in both frontal lobes of his brain. Dr. Sabrina Gast, the York County coroner, said Adams' family told officials he had complained of excruciating pain, memory issues and difficulty sleeping late in life.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cte-study-rock-hill-nfl-phillip-adams-york-county/275-0ca983e8-ba9f-46ac-bafb-546b48d48036

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January.

The head of the EU’s executive branch said the bloc is well prepared to fight omicron with 66.6% of the European population now fully vaccinated against the virus.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/omicron-to-be-dominant-variant-by-mid-january/507-694a68ef-ed67-42b7-9ffd-037fc910e3ad

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The York County Coroner's Office is expected to share the results of a CTE brain study conducted on Phillip Adams on Tuesday, Dec. 14. Adams is a former NFL player from Rock Hill accused of killing six people in a mass shooting last April before ending his own life. 

Police say Adams shot and killed Robert Lesslie, 70, his wife Barbara Lesslie, 69, and two of their grandchildren, Adah, 9, and Noah, 5, as well as two HVAC workers, James Lewis, 38, and Robert Shook, 38 on April 7 in Rock Hill.

Police say Adams took his own life as officers were closing in on him. Adams was from Rock Hill. He played in the NFL six years, most recently with the Atlanta Falcons, until the 2015 season. He had several documented injuries in his career.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cte-study-rock-hill-nfl-phillip-adams-york-county/275-0ca983e8-ba9f-46ac-bafb-546b48d48036

A push to ban exotic or wild animals from circuses in Charlotte has gotten the OK from leaders. 

City Council met on Monday, Dec. 13, and passed a motion, 6-4, that would ban these types of animals from performing in traveling acts. 

On Monday's agenda, two amendments to the original animal ordinance were presented, but a ban was not included. 

After public comments and speakers shared their views, City Council member Matt Newton made the motion for the ban. 

A substitute motion was then made for amendment A for the animal ordinance, which failed 6-4. Newton's motion was then brought back to the floor and passed. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/charlotte-wild-exotic-animals-ban-circuses/275-5b7200ce-5c8a-4eb6-9e07-c305e3bf8239

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The world of stock car racing is mourning the loss of Danny Earnhardt Sr., whose time in the racing world spanned decades.

JR Motorsports shared the news to their website, saying he died at his home on Friday, Dec. 10 at age 66. JRM noted Earnhardt Sr., the younger brother to Dale Earnhardt Sr. and uncle to Dale Earnhardt Jr., spent his career with them in the suspension room, building the cars that won 58 races and three NASCAR Xfinity Series championships.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/motor/nascar/danny-earnhardt-sr-death-nascar-sports-obituary/275-8cdc8c91-8e6b-4de3-8f08-690c4fbba542

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has been formally chosen to lead the Democratic Governors Association next year.

 Association members elected Cooper to the job on Saturday at the group's meeting in New Orleans.

 He's been vice chair and chair-elect in 2021.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/north-carolina-governor-cooper-lead-democratic-governors-group/291-e353f078-46f5-4e3e-b5db-3860e573f78d

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 U.S. health authorities said Thursday that 16- and 17-year-olds should get a booster dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine once they're six months past their last shot.

The U.S. and many other nations already were urging adults to get booster shots to pump up immunity that can wane months after vaccination, calls that intensified with the discovery of the worrisome new omicron variant.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/fda-expands-pfizer-covid-booster-age-16/507-d611dbcf-9286-4190-b98e-e38c5a7b294b

One of the Charlotte area's biggest employers plans to comply with a pending federal COVID vaccine mandate. 

Mooresville-based Lowe's has not required vaccines or testing ahead of the mandate.

In an interview with the Associated Press, the company's CEO, Marvin Ellison said Lowes will execute the mandate as soon as it is issued by OSHA.

He also spoke about the effect of a pending vaccine mandate on retail staffing.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/lowes-vaccine-mandate-osha/275-cbb4cc3d-c77f-4275-aee5-094cae31559f

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The Senate narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the Biden administration's requirement that businesses with 100 or more workers have their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing.

The vote was 52-48. The Democratic-led House is unlikely to take the measure up, which means the mandate would stand, though courts have put it on hold for now. Still, the vote gave senators a chance to voice opposition to a policy that they say has sparked fears back home from businesses and from unvaccinated constituents who worry about losing their jobs should the rule go into effect.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/senate-votes-against-biden-vaccine-test-mandate/507-7521ba96-4138-4aad-be48-4c0968791333

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders voted unanimously to give retention bonuses to teachers as the district faces widespread resignations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Board of Education held a virtual emergency meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 8, to discuss the consideration of retention bonuses for CMS employees. The board unanimously passed retention bonuses for all employees, including teachers, janitors, cafeteria workers and more.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/charlotte-mecklenburg-schools-retention-bonuses-teachers/275-da625253-4a2e-4f68-a11a-9b58493e12e9

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Mecklenburg County leaders voted 6-2 Tuesday in favor of a tax incremental grant for the new Atrium Health Innovation District that will be anchored by Charlotte's new medical school. 

Atrium Health plans to bring businesses and research facilities to Midtown but the company needs Mecklenburg County’s help to do it. That money would come from tax breaks given by the county. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/atrium-health-innovation-district-charlotte-nc-mecklenburg-county/275-b4168631-ccfd-45c0-aaeb-2bea1d5bca61

The chief executive officer of Fort Worth-based American Airlines is stepping down next year, the airline announced Tuesday morning.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker will retire on March 31. He will be succeeded by Robert Isom, who is currently the president of American. Isom also will join the airline’s board of directors on that same date, and Parker will continue to serve as chairman of American’s board, the company said in a news release.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/business/ceo-stepping-down-american-airlines-doug-parker-robert-isom/287-71f4c65f-b560-4e5b-8717-5d6023035d60

As the country continues to open up due to COVID-19 vaccines being readily available, many people are traveling for the holidays. But beyond the concern of COVID-19, increased travel means the threat of the flu is higher.

Many health systems in North Carolina are reminding residents to continue to take proper precautions to limit the spread of both COVID-19 and the flu. Such preventative measures include washing your hands, covering your nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing, wearing a mask when indoors, practicing social distancing when possible and staying home if you're sick.

It's still early in the flu season, but health systems are reporting an increase in flu cases across the Carolinas.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/flu-covid-19-holidays/275-6ed38b97-92e9-4bf2-9937-14d3abe02b63

Videos of fights at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools have become all too common this school year. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said it’s a shame.

"When you see these fights now, the person is getting beaten up and everybody is jockeying for a position to film them," McFadden said. "Then after they film it, they want to post about it so everybody knows about it.”

McFadden said that can turn a small incident into something potentially fatal.

"When the person gets shot, they want to know why," McFadden said. "When [you] look at all the comments, and look at all the stuff that they're doing. Guess what, you're just fueling the fire."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/mecklenburg-county-sheriff-consequences-recording-fights-school-cms/275-4e40a312-1bd4-4dcb-bf51-8faee2641278

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Leaders with David W. Butler High School are putting in safety protocols to help deter a recent strand of violence that has impacted Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.

According to a letter dated Wednesday, Dec. 1, from Butler High School Principal Vincent G. Golden, the following rules and procedures will be implemented on Monday, Dec. 6.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/butler-high-school-safety-cms-charlotte-schools/275-8c98cb87-96bc-4b3c-8da1-7301e93d6449

The Carolina Panthers announced they have parted ways with offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

In a statement, the team said that Brady met with Head Coach Matt Rhule Sunday morning.

"I met with Joe this morning and informed him that I have decided to make a change," Rhule said. "I'm very grateful to him for his time and effort in helping us get established over this past year and a half."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/locked-on/nfl-podcast/panthers-show/panthers-split-offensive-coordinator-joe-brady-last-5-games-carolina-charlotte/275-6c131e21-4655-4468-b1f7-b07af09797b6

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The omicron variant of COVID-19, which had been undetected in the U.S. before the middle of this week, had been discovered in at least five states by the end of Thursday, showing yet again how mutations of the virus can circumnavigate the globe with speed and ease.

Just a day after the first known U.S. case was found in California, tests showed the omicron variant had infected at least five people in the New York City metropolitan area, plus a man from Minnesota who had attended an anime convention in Manhattan in late November.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/us-first-omicron-covid-variant-case/507-c538e7d3-e176-4e1a-b9b4-375bf7ac5f82

A Mount Holly couple is demanding Gaston County Schools change its bullying policy after they said cell phone video showed a student slapping and pulling the hair of their fifth-grade daughter, who has special needs, on a school bus.

Melisa and Tim Brown said the incident happened in September as their daughter, Lily, was coming home from school.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/gaston-county-5th-grade-daughter-special-needs-assaulted-school-bus/275-e98e37b0-7284-40a4-95d0-5a36de6da9cf

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