704 Unfiltered

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the Queen City on Thursday to discuss the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the benefits the state of North Carolina will receive from it. 

The White House confirmed Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Congresswoman Alma Adams will be in attendance as well. 

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said it is preparing for significant traffic impact due to the visit, and officials encourage community members to use public transportation when possible and avoid impacted areas. 

Heavy traffic delays and closures are expected specifically from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Charlotte Douglas International Airport area and in Charlotte's South End neighborhood.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/kamala-harris-dec-2-charlotte-visit/275-0e00f122-8c15-4b73-9d24-4e7b4d1f291b

The wife of music legend Clarence Avant has been fatally shot in Beverly Hills, California. Netflix spokeswoman Emily Feingold confirmed that Jacqueline Avant was killed in the shooting early Wednesday. Avant’s daughter, Nicole, is married to Ted Sarandos, who is Netflix's co-CEO and chief content officer. The suspect — or suspects — fled the scene and have not been found. The shooting in a neighborhood was reported to Beverly Hills police in a 2:23 a.m. call. Police did not identify the victim and provided few details about the shooting in a news release. The police chief is expected to hold a briefing later in the day with more information. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/jacqueline-avant-wife-music-legend-killed-shooting/103-562c0ebb-92ec-46f4-aea3-2c9b01ae7ced

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

A federal district court judge in Louisiana has ordered a preliminary injunction against the start of President Joe Biden's mandate that health care workers become fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

The lawsuit was brought by 14 states -- Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah and West Virginia. But U.S. District Judge Terry A. Doughty's ruling takes effect nationwide except for ten states that were part of a separate order on Monday.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/biden-covid-vaccine-mandate-federal-workers-blocked/507-3837b17a-580e-4dd9-854c-12d24fda487a

An exciting era continues for Honeywell in Charlotte.

The company announced back in 2018 it would relocate Honeywell's global corporate headquarters to the Queen City. 

Company stakeholders, along with state and local leaders, will be able to see the final product on Wednesday, Dec. 1, with a special grand opening ceremony for the HQ, located on South Mint Street in Uptown. 

A spokesperson for the company said Honeywell has been adding on to the skyline while welcoming in employees since the early part of November.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/honeywell-charlotte-uptown-headquarters-uptown/275-a30a47cb-ad59-4cfb-af57-f88d356dfbfd

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

The North Carolina Forest Service issued a statewide burn ban as of 5 p.m. Monday due to hazardous forest fire conditions. With the increased fire danger, N.C. Forest Service issued a ban on all open burning and all burning permits have been canceled statewide until further notice. 

It comes after a days-long fight to contain a massive wildfire on Pilot Mountain in addition to a dry autumn season across the Carolinas.

As of last Thursday's U.S. Drought Monitor update, over 80% of the state of North Carolina was under “drier than normal” conditions. The biggest expansion lately, however, has been the moderate drought -- sitting at 47%. That means almost half the state needs multiple inches of rain to be back to normal.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/nc-state-forest-service-burn-ban/275-bce5083b-5211-40c2-a661-dab0d09c4dc0

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education will continue the regular annual evaluation process for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Earnest Winston at the board's closed session meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The board is meeting at 6 p.m. for a special session on "Student Outcomes Focused Governance," school improvement plans and more. Winston's annual evaluation will take place during the 4:30 p.m. session.

Winston was named superintendent for the district in August 2019 and has been with the district since 2004. During his time as superintendent, he's had to deal with challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, weapons found on campus, protests over schools' handling of sexual assault claims and more.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-superintendent-evaluation-annual/275-39bef5f2-e409-412a-9ee1-f7cb480d0526

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

There have been several COVID-19 variants at this point. So why does omicron have experts so concerned?

Let's connect the dots.

Like the delta variant, omicron appears to be more contagious than the original strain of COVID-19.

The data is still very limited, but there is concern that it could also cause more re-infections in people who already had the virus. That's because omicron has more mutations than we've seen in other variants.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/omicron-variant-covid19-cdc-coronarius-vaccine/275-707f1394-22a5-45a5-957a-3f4dc7fe2ad7

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is investigating three homicides in three different shootings in Charlotte within 24 hours. 

CMPD responded to the Druid Hills area on Saturday, Nov. 27, for a shooting that left a teenage girl dead at a home in the Druid Hills area.

Around 1:30 p.m., officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call along Olando Street near Norris Avenue.

Officers said they found 14-year-old Vanessa Sarai Santos Garcia with an apparent gunshot wound inside the home. MEDIC pronounced the victim dead a the scene, according to police.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/gunshot-wound-investigation-druid-hills-charlotte-nc-north-carolina-crime/275-a5058b37-6e36-472a-95ca-f8e6a4b13155

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

As Charlotteans enjoyed Thanksgiving Day festivities, mayor Vi Lyles took time to share a recorded message to her social media with her family, sharing what she's thankful for.

She also used the video to confirm her plans for 2022: she's running for re-election.

"I want you to know I'm so proud of our community for all of the good works that our community is doing, for jobs and housing and so much more," she said on Thursday. "And I also want to let you know -- and I ask for your support -- that I'm going to run for re-election in 2022."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/2022-charlotte-mayor-race-vi-lyles-politics-local/275-e28182fb-dd24-4b2e-a211-91c375fdbf9d

 A new coronavirus variant has been detected in South Africa that scientists say is a concern because of its high number of mutations and rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country's most populous province, Health Minister Joe Phaahla announced Thursday.

The coronavirus evolves as it spreads and many new variants, including those with worrying mutations, often just die out. Scientists monitor for possible changes that could be more transmissible or deadly, but sorting out whether new variants will have a public health impact can take time.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/covid-variant-south-africa/507-951b32be-dd98-4f67-b4a8-e9d3ecd6cceb

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

Governor Henry McMaster on Tuesday issued an executive order aimed at giving trucking companies a greater chance of making deliveries on time. 

The governor issued a statement that explained the order is about giving trucking companies and truckers more flexibility when on the road.

Executive Order 2021-40 suspends some regulations related to commercial vehicles.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/mcmaster-relaxes-trucking-rules-to-help-with-supply-chain-crisis/101-14567e69-28bc-4087-9e60-741296681dec 

Security company CPI is facing scrutiny after a former employee filed a lawsuit alleging racist practices. 

The lawsuit claims the employee was fired in retaliation for objecting to procedures by CPI as well as comments by CEO Ken Gill.

Last year, Gill came under fire after making controversial remarks following the murder of George Floyd.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cpi-former-employee-lawsuit/275-d10954e6-6e94-4438-b4cb-5299304961f1

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

 A Lenoir-Rhyne University football player was killed in a shooting early Saturday morning in Hickory, police said.

Officers responded to a shots fired call along 17th Avenue NE near Good Shepard Church in Hickory just before 1 a.m. Saturday.

Omari Drovon Alexander, 19, was found in the driver's seat of a black 2015 Chevrolet Camaro with the engine running, police said. Police said he had with multiple gunshot wounds.

Paramedics pronounced Alexander dead at the scene. 

Lenoir-Rhyne said Alexander was a sophomore from Concord, NC and a member of the university's football team.

”Omari was a special young man who had a bright future. He will always be remembered fondly by his teammates and the LR community,” Kim Pate, vice president for athletics for Lenoir-Rhyne, said in a statement.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/teen-dead-hickory-shooting-overnight-police-chevrolet-camaro/275-061bb1e0-9de4-46d8-ad82-8dafb56b9536

A weapon was located at East Mecklenburg High School after a school resource officer responded to a fight around 9:39 a.m. on Monday, CMPD said. 

This incident comes after a string of violence, fights, and weapons being located at other schools in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.  

With the incident still being under investigation, CMPD was only able to release limited information but confirmed that one student was injured but MEDIC was not needed. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/fight-at-east-meck-hs-knife-found/275-a8fce540-3dbb-42d9-b419-1ec8076a506e

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT! 

A Lenoir-Rhyne University football player was killed in a shooting early Saturday morning in Hickory, police said.

Officers responded to a shots fired call along 17th Avenue NE near Good Shepard Church in Hickory just before 1 a.m. Saturday.

Omari Drovon Alexander, 19, was found in the driver's seat of a black 2015 Chevrolet Camaro with the engine running, police said. Police said he had with multiple gunshot wounds.

Paramedics pronounced Alexander dead at the scene.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/teen-dead-hickory-shooting-overnight-police-chevrolet-camaro/275-061bb1e0-9de4-46d8-ad82-8dafb56b9536

It is expected to be a big night for Charlotte City Council on Monday, Nov. 22. 

Council members are expected to address several items on the agenda, including how federal COVID-19 money was spent within the community. 

Congressman Rep. Ted Budd, who represents the state's 13th congressional district spanning from Rowan County through Caswell County, sent Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles a letter asking for answers about how the city planned to spend $60 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). That dollar amount represents the bulk of the $71 million awarded to the city as part of pandemic relief.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/charlotte-city-council-covid-funding-atrium-health-district-airport/275-c985d206-6404-4919-84a3-103dd3c745ba

It's happened again: Another Charlotte school was placed on lockdown after a violent incident on campus. This time, police were called to Mallard Creek High School after a "series of fights" broke out Thursday morning. Richard DeVayne joins the show to share what parents think of the situation and what the district is considering to stop violence at schools in Charlotte. 

Thanksgiving is less than a week away, which means holiday shopping is about to hit high gear. Sarah French explains why the supply chain issues are leading to a surge in "digital gifts" this year, and why the best gifts might not be under the tree at all. 

North Carolina finally has a budget for the first time in over two years. Gov. Roy Cooper signed the $25 billion bill into law Thursday, and it promises to invest in infrastructure statewide and give teachers a much-needed pay raise. It also has an income tax break for many North Carolinians. Kendall Morris details what is in the plan and what it means going forward for our state. 

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!

Flight attendants with Piedmont Airlines say they are going on strike to demand better pay and working conditions. Piedmont, a wholly owned regional carrier for American Airlines, handles many flights to and from Charlotte along the East Coast. The union says while other carriers are getting record bonuses and benefits, they can't even make a living wage. Kendall Morris joins us from Charlotte Douglas International Airport after speaking with the union president about their needs from Piedmont Airlines. 

If you haven't heard, the White House Christmas tree is coming from North Carolina! For the third time, Ashe County's Peak Farms will send a 20-foot Fraser fir to Washington, where it will be displayed in the Blue Room. Ruby Durham explains why the state is so proud of this honor and why North Carolina is a popular pick for presidential Christmas trees. 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is holding another hiring event for bus drivers this week. Despite raising pay to above $17 an hour and a $1,000 sign-on bonus, district leaders say they're having a hard time finding qualifying candidates or keeping existing workers around. Sarah French connects the dots on why bigger paychecks alone aren't enough to end the driver shortage. 

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!