704 Unfiltered

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department bomb squad responded to Pine Mountain Road, not far from Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road, after the discovery of "an old, possibly hazardous device."

The bomb squad was active at a private home in northwest Charlotte where the device was found.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cmpd-bomb-squad-charlotte-residence/275-412c0b81-6c32-426d-8aef-4dfed13f0f14

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board is getting closer to voting on its upcoming district goals for academic achievement for the next four years.

For weeks, the board has debated on what goals the district should set out to both challenge the district and have a guiding light to shape board directives that are student-focused. 

Every five years, CMS centers itself around new goals and guardrails that can range from increasing literacy among elementary school students to ensuring a safe environment for its students at school activities. 

CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill made a final recommendation on four goals for the 2024 through 2029 school years. 

First, students in kindergarten through second grade scoring at or above grade level in early literacy will go from 67% to 91% by 2029. It was previously at 97% percent before board members knocked this goal down at a previous meeting.

“There is absolutely no way we can require our staff to have 97% in anything, we're just setting them up to fail," CMS Board Member Melissa Easley said at a previous board meeting.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-academic-goals-guardrails-2024/275-4faa0988-296e-4956-910a-4a615ba85b6e

Western & Southern Open, a tennis tournament sought after by Charlotte officials, will stay in Cincinnati despite a bid for a new stadium and facility in west Charlotte.

Beemok Capital, the family office of Charleston-based businessman and philanthropist Benjamin Navarro, announced Tuesday the decision to keep the tournament at the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, just outside Cincinnati, for another 25 years. 

Instead of paying nearly $300 million on building a new state-of-the-art facility in Charlotte's future River District, Beemok will instead invest $200 million in upgrades to its current Mason facility.

“The leaders in Charlotte and the state have been incredible partners as we’ve evaluated our options. This was a very difficult decision, and we are deeply appreciative of the time, energy and resources that were invested alongside us,” Navarro said in a released statement. “We have strong ties to the area and will look for ways to invest in the community and local tennis development in the future.”

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/tennis/west-charlotte-loses-bid-tennis-tournament/275-9a3520bb-8781-464f-bd47-162a811d2c07

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 was some confusion at Mecklenburg County’s courthouse Monday morning as a long-delayed computer system rolled out.

eCourts, with taxpayers footing its $100 million price tag, has faced hundreds of glitches since first being deployed in Raleigh. Those issues prompted a lot of concern about the rollout in Charlotte.

It was very much a Monday morning for hundreds of people who showed up to deal with traffic tickets at the Mecklenburg County courthouse.

"I came to court this morning and they told me court was canceled," Collins Cornwell said.

Traffic Court is canceled all week because of the eCoruts launch but WCNC Charlotte's Michelle Boudin learned the clerk's office didn’t notify hundreds of people.

"I’m actually feeling some type of way," Celeste May told Boudin Monday morning. "If we knew this was gonna happen we could have prepared the people. We’ve taken off work. Have to take care of our families. He told me it might be February before I can get a court date."

eCourts, the new technology meant to digitize and connect the North Carolina courts system, rolled out in Wake and surrounding counties in February. It was delayed in Charlotte because of so many ongoing glitches.

The technology has even prompted a class action lawsuit after people were left in jail when their cases were dismissed but the computer systems did not update.

Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman told Boudin she wants an independent review of the system because there are still major issues on a regular basis.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/investigations/ecourts-mecklenburg-county-launch-public-safety-concerns-civil-rights-violations/275-ed1a0b45-a43a-4220-a6db-f8b830cec1e3

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 man was shot by a security guard in Uptown Charlotte early Sunday, police said. It happened along East Fifth Street, not far from Brevard Street, around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8. Officers initially responded to a call about a man pointing a gun at a woman. When they arrived, they learned a security guard opened fire at the man.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/assault-treated-injuries-uptown-shooting-confirms-suspect/275-e8098375-dd1b-4831-ae13-3fd6043af319

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! 

Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.   

SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || TuneIn || Google Podcasts || iHeart 

All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere. 

More than nine months after a North Carolina native was found brutally murdered in Nashville, Tennessee, police say an arrest has been made in the case.

On Wednesday, the Metro Nashville Police Department announced the arrest of 23-year-old Jordan Christopher Thompson. He is now being held in jail without bond, pending a hearing.

Thompson is accused of killing 30-year-old Jamal Moore, who split his time between Charlotte and Nashville. A passerby found him dead in a grassy area not far from the downtown area of Nashville on Jan. 28. MNPD said Moore was stabbed in the neck and had injuries that suggested he was run over by a car.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/nashville-tn-murder-charlotte-man-update/275-8448c848-2a43-476e-bdaa-6e95a208c237

Multiple people were shot at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Tuesday, according to police, who urged students to take shelter on the campus of the historically Black college.

The Baltimore Police Department said officers were on the scene for an “active shooter situation." The address given for the shooting appeared to match a residential building that's on the same block as a city police station.

“We’re asking everyone to shelter in place and avoid the area,” police said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Police spokesperson Vernon Davis told the Baltimore Banner that at least four people were shot. Their conditions weren't immediately known.

Police spokesperson Amanda Krotki also said “multiple victims” were shot.

City Council member Odette Ramos said on X that students and staff were ordered to shelter in place.

At the scene Tuesday night, officers were blocking off the south entrance to campus near dorm buildings while a police helicopter circled overhead.

The shooting happened amid a week of activities ahead of the school’s homecoming game on Saturday. The coronation of Mister & Miss Morgan State was scheduled for Tuesday night at the Murphy Fine Arts Center, one of the areas the school urged people to avoid.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/morgan-state-university-shooting-multiple-people-shot-baltimore-police-say/507-93973fe7-04de-4c35-a317-60daa4b94ef4

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!

Mohamed Alansari is the owner of Cairo Cuisine, a mobile food truck.

"People really love our chicken and lamb over rice, as well as our lamb gyro," said Alansari.

Alansari has been cooking up special dishes in his mobile food truck for five years, serving hot plates all over South Carolina.

Nick Cauthen, the manager of planning and development at Tega Cay, is now pushing for more relaxed regulations for mobile food truck vendors like Cairo Cuisine, with the goal of being more friendly to small businesses.

One of the revisions includes reducing separation requirements.

"Tega Cay is a good area and a busy area," said Alansari.

Right now food trucks are required to be 400 feet from any mobile vendor, residential use, or zoning area. But the planning and development team is hoping to reduce that to 200 feet unless invited by residential amenities.

"After comparing this to other jurisdictions around the state, this seemed excessive based on the direction we heard from the council, so we will reduce that to 200 feet," said Cauthen.

Cauthen also proposed renewing permits annually rather than 15 days along and allowing some food trucks to have the option to park overnight.

The ideas came with pushback from some city leaders.

"If I give a food vendor permission to park in my driveway but someone across the street a neighbor doesn’t want to see that food truck, shouldn’t he have a say in that," said a city spokesperson.

Some city leaders shared concerns about liability when leaving a food truck on city property overnight.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/tega-cay-considers-relaxing-regulations-food-trucks-south-carolina/275-7c97c4d3-27ae-406a-90e5-62e84fb8e012

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!

New details are expected Monday in the arrest of a man for an attempted sexual assault at McAlpine Creek Greenway last September. Richard DeVayne has the latest report on why investigators said the victim's quick actions helped them identify a suspect in the case.

Plus, October is here, which means it's officially spooky season. But did you know there's a scientific reason behind so many people loving scary movies? Ben Thompson connects the dots on the science behind the scream.

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! 

Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.   

SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Pandora || TuneIn || Google Podcasts || iHeart 

All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere. 

A Cleveland County man is accused of trying to cover up his uncle's murder several months ago, according to the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responded to a home in the Waco community along Racine Drive on April 6, 2023, after a person reported finding a victim lying down outside of a home. The victim, identified as Clifford Wade Ward, was found dead with a metal object in his head.

As the investigation got underway, the sheriff's office said deputies interviewed the victim's nephew, identified as 53-year-old David Eric Ward. The nephew initially led investigators to believe his uncle was prone to falling and had possibly fallen backward onto the object, leading to the uncle's death.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/cleveland-county-murder-cover-up-crime-local/275-4c184017-6c0b-49b2-983a-bae795f56a90

A man has been taken into custody after allegedly leading Union County deputies on a chase in a stolen car with his kids inside. 

Kirby Faulkner, 32, is accused of fleeing officers on Tuesday, according to the Union County Sheriff's Office. Deputies attempted to stop Faulkner in the Indian Trail area for a bad license plate but he allegedly refused to stop. Deputies initiated a pursuit that ended on the outer loop of Interstate 485 when Faulkner ran over tire spikes. He then ran from the scene, according to investigators, and into the woods. 

Deputies said Faulkner left his two children in the car, a 1-year-old and an 11-year-old. Both children were unharmed during the incident, according to the sheriff's office. The vehicle was found to have been stolen with a large amount of marijuana inside, according to the sheriff's office.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/man-leaves-children-in-car-after-fleeing-police-chase-union-county-deputies-say-north-carolina-kirby-faulkner/275-0b87a214-1135-4e97-bf95-04fd3644d30f