704 Unfiltered

Netflix is poised to end its once revolutionary DVD-by-mail service that set the stage for the streaming platform to become the name brand for entertainment in the 21st century. The DVD service, which still delivers movies and TV shows to customers in red-and-white envelopes, plans to mail its final discs on Sept. 29. Netflix ended March with 232.5 million worldwide subscribers to its video streaming service, but it stopped disclosing how many people still pay for DVD-by-mail delivery years ago as that part of its business steadily shrank. The DVD service generated $145.7 million in revenue last year, which translated into somewhere between 1.1 million and 1.3 million subscribers, based on the average prices paid by customers.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/entertainment-news/netflix-dvd-by-mail-service-ending/507-42b1a867-e581-4ffa-add3-9676482301dd

Police in Gaston County are looking for a man they say show two people Tuesday. It happened on Grier Street, which is just south of Gastonia. Richard DeVayne has the latest on the search for the suspect, identified as 24-year-old Robert Louis Singletary.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/2-people-shot-in-gaston-county-shooting-police-looking-for-suspect/275-01c013c1-a14c-4ba7-95b6-746a986718b5

Researchers say air pollution is targeting communities of color nationwide. A new report from the American Lung Association says despite decades of progress, people of color are nearly four times more likely than white people to live in a county with high pollution counts. The Charlotte metro continues to be among the areas with the lowest air quality, coming in at No. 2 for the Southeast.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/connect-the-dots/air-pollution-meckelenburg-county-charlotte-nc/275-6824a816-1ef9-43d4-b8d5-44fc8ff0f5b0

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 former West Rowan High School defensive football standout has died, according to his alma mater.

Chris Smith, 31, a Salisbury native, died, according to West Rowan Football on Twitter. His cause of death has not been released at this time.

Smith graduated from West Rowan High School in 2010 and was a star defensive end on the team. He helped the West Rowan Falcons capture the 2009 3A State Championship and was recruited to play for the University of Arkansas following high school.

With the Razorbacks, Smith started games all four years in college and was selected second-team All-Southeastern Conference during his senior year in 2013.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/chris-smith-former-nfl-player-and-west-rowan-football-star-dies-at-31-football-bengals-browns-jaguars-panthers-raiders-texans-football-player-dies/275-afb71a07-954a-40bf-9356-33bfcda58588

 The Supreme Court said Friday it was temporarily keeping in place federal rules for use of an abortion drug, while it takes time to more fully consider the issues raised in a court challenge.

In an order signed by Justice Samuel Alito, the court put a five-day pause on the fast-moving case so the justices can decide whether lower court rulings restricting the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug, mifepristone, should be allowed to take effect in the short term.

The justices are being asked at this point only to determine what parts of an April 7 ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas, as modified by an appellate ruling Wednesday, can be in force while the case continues. The order expires late Wednesday, suggesting the court will decide that issue by then.

The court finds itself immersed in a new fight involving abortion less than a year after conservative justices reversed Roe v. Wade and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.

President Joe Biden's administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, the maker of the pill, asked the justices to intervene.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Friday evening that the administration continues “to stand by FDA’s evidence-based approval of mifepristone, and we will continue to support the FDA’s independent, expert authority to review, approve, and regulate a wide range of prescription drugs.”

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/supreme-court-abortion-pill-rules/507-d6394128-e064-42ff-86fd-48800fc6d3c1

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! 

Attorneys worried it would be a mess, and they were right. 

The new computer system, which is called Odyssey or eCourts, was meant to modernize and connect all North Carolinas courts. Since launching in February in Wake, Harnett, Johnston and Lee counties, there have been so many issues that the planned May launch in Mecklenburg County has been delayed indefinitely.

In February, WCNC Charlotte broke the story about $100 million would be spent on the technology from Tyler Technology, a manufacturer with a history of technical issues in other locales.

The technology was supposed to launch in Mecklenburg County and surrounding counties in May, but the launch in Raleigh has been so troublesome, it’s now been delayed here. The delay could also end up costing taxpayers additional money.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/investigations/tech-issues-delay-charlotte-nc-court-computers-criminal-justice/275-d4d40734-2b34-4ba2-b7e4-88cde1e4db83

The U.S. has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it's mixed with the powerful opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation Wednesday, the first time the office has used it since the category for fast-growing drug dangers was created in 2019.

Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the drug policy office, said xylazine (pronounced ZAI’-luh-zeen) has become increasingly common in all regions of the country.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/us-names-xylazine-fentanyl-mixture-emerging-threat/507-dd09af52-08bc-4367-aa95-5cb78eb73b20

Warning: Story contains graphic details

New information about an alleged Easter Sunday killing at an east Charlotte apartment complex was shared during the suspect's first court appearance just days later.

Around 10 a.m. Sunday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers responded to Southwood Oaks Lane, not far from Reddman Road, according to officials. When they arrived, they found 35-year-old Laura Miller dead.

MORE NEWS: 15 people hospitalized after crash involving bus, Medic says

CMPD said they later located their suspect, identified as 36-year-old Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Rasales, when he was found allegedly driving Miller's car. He was then charged with murder, desecrating a body, and auto theft.

Speaking to WCNC Charlotte through a translator, José Gonzalez said he called 911 Sunday morning after visiting his brother Gonzalez-Rasales' apartment and finding Miller's body inside. He said she lived nearby and was shocked, adding that it could be mental illness or others involved, but police say Gonzalez-Rasales is the man responsible.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/homicide-investigation-underway-in-east-charlotte-neighborhood/275-a33b170a-8f46-425b-bae0-2a513d4cd2df

The family of Shanquella Robinson and their attorney will be speaking on Wednesday nearly six months after she died in Mexico.

On Wednesday, the Robinson family along with their attorney Sue-Ann Robinson will give an update on their meeting with White House officials from the Little Rock African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.

Robinson's family met with White House officials in early April to speak about the investigation surrounding her death in October 2022.

The community has been looking for answers and a bigger involvement from federal authorities ever since Robinson died on vacation in October 2022.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/shanquella-robinsons-family-to-give-update-after-meeting-with-white-house-officials-charlotte-north-carolina-shanquella-death-investigation/275-2077458a-3dc4-4151-bd58-34cbbfcee10f

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 and other local officials will meet Tuesday to continue their efforts of combating gun violence.

"I have been working on gun violence for a number of years since I was a state lawmaker," Nancy Mace, a U.S. congresswoman, said. "I have tried to bridge the divide between the left and the right to find real hardened solutions."

The push comes days after a shooting on Isle of Palms, which left six people injured, with a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old facing charges.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/wake-up-charlotte/henry-mcmaster-south-carolina-gun-penalties/275-bc29a5fb-86b6-46a8-8cb5-434961a113b8

The Charlotte City Council approved new third-party contracts for private security on Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) vehicles and at CATS facilities during its Monday meeting. The goal is to increase safety and security in the city's transit system. 

As the proposed contracts were awarded, security will change from Allied Universal Security to Strategic Security Corporation and Professional Security Services. 

Over the next few years, CATS plans to double what it spends on security from $7 million annually to $14 million to staff more guards. The new contracts will cover armed and unarmed security guards.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cats-private-security-charlotte-city-council-transit-system/275-c23f6dfa-4f4e-4b76-aa88-ecc27a007be3

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! 

Family and friends will gather Monday to celebrate the life of a prominent Charlottean.

The memorial service for Leon Levine is Monday at Temple Israel on Providence Road.

Levine founded Family Dollar Stores in 1959 with the first store opening on Charlotte's Central Avenue. And although Family Dollar has grown to over 8,000 stores across the country, Levine is most remembered as a philanthropist who donated millions toward advancing Charlotte's medical resources.

According to Atrium Health, Levine is the largest individual donor to the Atrium Health Foundation.

His donations to Atrium began in 1987 with a pledge to support the Children's Medical Network. Levine continued to be a big supporter of pediatric health in the area and donated $10 million to establish the Levine Children's Hospital in 2003.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/wake-up-charlotte/leon-levine-funeral-temple-israel-charlotte-nc/275-58456181-4ec9-444f-883e-6bc030145f55

A homicide investigation is underway after a person died at an apartment complex in east Charlotte on the morning of Easter Sunday.

There are conflicting stories, as Medic pronounced this incident as a cardiac arrest, while CMPD says it was a homicide. WCNC Charlotte is working to learn more about the situation and conflicting statements from officials.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department responded to the scene along Southwood Oaks Lane, not far from Reddman Road, around 10 a.m.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/homicide-investigation-underway-in-east-charlotte-neighborhood/275-a33b170a-8f46-425b-bae0-2a513d4cd2df

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! 

Republican lawmakers say their proposed North Carolina budget addresses inflation with big worker raises while spending cautiously, after the state House approved the two-year plan Thursday.

The chamber voted 78-38 for the plan, which now goes to the Senate for consideration. The proposed budget would spend $29.8 billion during the fiscal year starting July 1 and $30.9 billion starting in July 2024.

The House backed the measure on an initial vote Wednesday following roughly three hours of debate. In both votes, nine Democrats joined all Republicans present in voting for the bill.

The bill would offer teachers a combined average raise of 10.2% over two years and rank-and-file state employee's raises of more than 7.5%.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/north-carolina-politics/north-carolina-house-budget/275-307ad28c-37d0-47f8-b8ba-d10ec6f5839c

North Carolina lawmakers are looking at two bills to restrict high school sports for transgender athletes.

Senate Bill 631, known as the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," says sports teams must be designated as either "male, men or boys," "females, women or girls," or "co-ed or mixed."

The bill says male students can not partake in athletics designated for women and girls. The sex would be based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association allows transgender student-athletes to play sports based on their gender identification upon request.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/nc-legislation-proposed-to-restrict-transgender-student-athletes-north-carolina-transgender-bills-laws-restrictions/275-0cb69ead-536f-4362-bc1d-3aaf4d2d22be