704 Unfiltered

Fort Mill Schools is pushing for new cameras on school buses to ensure the safety of all students.

"We ran into several challenges this year," Matt Purvis, the transportation specialist, said. "Our current cameras do not allow you to see what's going on."

Purvis said the new bus camera systems would replace the older systems currently in use which are no longer supported by the manufacturer and lack coverage.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/fort-mill-schools-buses-camera-safety-education/275-4d7a4d38-a6de-47fd-8073-d6c2f8617221

Police are investigating a scene where one person died on Tuesday.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, one person was found dead in a home on Malibu Drive near Americana Avenue on Tuesday.

Police say a family member came home and found the man dead. It is believed a suspect broke into the home during the homicide.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/1-person-dies-in-northeast-charlotte-homicide-malibu-drive-eastway-investigation-north-tryon/275-f88b2c4d-2c2a-4eaf-a2b9-4dd714c52e0d

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 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released bodycam footage of an incident where officers fired their weapons at a man while he was evading arrest.

On Monday, CMPD posted the videos to the department's YouTube page. The videos show officers' actions during the incident.

According to CMPD, officers located a stolen vehicle on LaSalle Street on Sept. 15, 2022 and conducted a traffic stop on the driver.

During the traffic stop, Shaheed Covington, 19, fled the vehicle on foot while armed with a firearm, according to police.

Covington then ran into a backyard of a home while still carrying a weapon. Multiple officers then fired their weapons at Covington. According to police, the officers perceived Covington to be an imminent threat.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cmpd-releases-bodycam-footage-of-officers-shooting-at-armed-suspect-shaheed-covington-charlotte-north-carolina-investigation/275-a235db1f-c5ae-4e75-b5d8-309b2df86902

Over a month after a woman was reported missing in Union County, three people have been arrested for her death.

On Monday, the Union County Sheriff's Office announced that Michael Kasminoff, 51, Brandon Kisiah, 27, and Amanda Griffin, 42, were arrested for the death of Alison Thomas, 37.

Thomas was reported missing on Feb. 17. Family members told authorities she was last seen on Feb. 13.

On March 9, Thomas was found dead in Jackson County. Authorities labeled Thomas's death as a homicide.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/three-arrested-for-womens-death-in-union-county-north-carolina-alison-thomas-michael-kasminoff-brandon-kisiah-amanda-griffin/275-1802bec1-54ba-4cf3-85c6-59d8d5f61ccc

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! 

 Donald Trump claimed on Saturday that his arrest is imminent and issued an extraordinary call for his supporters to protest as a New York grand jury investigates hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president.

Even as Trump's lawyer and spokesperson said there had been no communication from prosecutors, Trump declared in a post on his social media platform that he expects to be taken into custody on Tuesday.

His message seemed designed to preempt a formal announcement from prosecutors and to galvanize outrage from his base of supporters in advance of widely anticipated charges. Within hours, his campaign was sending fundraising solicitations to his supporters, while influential Republicans in Congress and even some declared and potential rival candidates issued statements in his defense.

In a later post that went beyond simply exhorting loyalists to protest about his legal peril, the 2024 presidential candidate directed his overarching ire in all capital letters at the Biden administration and raised the prospect of civil unrest: “IT’S TIME!!!” he wrote. “WE JUST CAN’T ALLOW THIS ANYMORE. THEY’RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA!PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!”

READ MORE: wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/trump-arrest-post-new-york-hush-money-case/507-1f806115-6973-4654-8ea2-1027aa1a0649

Two people are dead after a shooting in east Charlotte on Sunday.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, two people were pronounced dead after a shooting in a parking lot on The Plaza near Eastway Drive. 

CMPD and Medic responded to the scene around 9:30 p.m. and located two people suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers believe the shooting happened during an altercation. They are searching for at least two suspects relating to this deadly shooting.

Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact Charlotte Crime Stoppers at (704) 334-1600 or CMPD at (704) 432-8477.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/two-people-die-in-northeast-charlotte-homicide-cmpd-medic-investigation/275-3cc9d64c-fa55-4e25-91c1-35a8caf54744

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 White House Thursday publically addressed the death of Shanquella Robinson for the first time Thursday.

"Let me just first say our hearts go out to Miss Robinson's family and friends," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. "It is devastating what occurred."

Earlier this week, attorneys Ben Crump and Sue-Ann Robinson shared a letter they sent to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken that identified a woman who traveled to Mexico with Robinson that they claim was responsible for her death. The letter includes an 18-page packet with her autopsy and unreleased documents from prosecutors and police.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/white-house-shanquella-robinson-death-investigation-mexico/275-a4bb88fd-44d4-4410-8d64-affb44800f9a'

Colonial Pipeline is seeking a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) wastewater discharge permit, and the public was invited to view and comment on the draft permit Thursday evening in Huntersville.

The permit would allow polluted groundwater to be treated in Huntersville and discharged into North Prong Clark Creek in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin. 

The permit directly relates to the Department's Division of Waste Management's requirement for fuel recovery and groundwater remediation efforts resulting from Colonial Pipeline's August 2020 fuel release in the Oehler Nature Preserve.

The pipeline spill in Huntersville was the largest in North Carolina history, releasing more than two million gallons of gasoline into the preserve. 

Colonial Pipeline was fined $5 million and is forced to clean the mess. 

Two and a half years later, the nature preserve is still closed as crews extract contaminated groundwater from the site and haul it to a treatment facility in Asheboro.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/nc-dept-of-environmental-quality-public-hearing-colonial-pipeline-wastewater-permit/275-27a766cf-7fe9-4917-afcd-76f2b7dd2a7b

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! 

Gov. Roy Cooper proposed 18% raises Wednesday for public school teachers and principals, saying he wants to take North Carolina to No. 1 in the southeast in teacher pay over the next two years.

You can stream WCNC Charlotte on Roku and Amazon Fire TV, just download the free app.

State employees would get across-the-board raises of 8% over those same two years as part of the budget proposal Cooper announced. Planned corporate income tax cuts, and personal income tax cuts for families making more than $200,000 a year, would be stalled under this proposal.

Republican General Assembly leaders are likely to reject much of the Democratic governor’s budget in favor of their own spending plan. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/gov-cooper-education-money-politics/275-5f36df7c-84f0-4371-9d4c-98d817ddad93

And finally on #WakeUpCLT To Go, we're discussing a proposed bill that would raise the maximum speed limit on North Carolina highways. If passed, interstate speed limits could be as high as 75 mph in North Carolina. Do you think this is a good idea? Our anchors discuss the potential risks and respond to our audience during the live chat segment.

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! 

Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday signed an executive order meant to reduce violence and firearm misuse.

The State Office of Violence Prevention will coordinate efforts across various state agencies and local leaders.

"It requires an all-hands-on-deck approach," Cooper said. "That's what this is about today."

The office will offer training, technical assistance and conduct public awareness campaigns.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/wake-up-charlotte/guns-firearms-training-awareness/275-c99515b4-5c94-4020-8086-a9b65ea85f23

The family of a 5-year-old Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools student silently protested during the CMS Board meeting Tuesday night.

The family held signs calling out the alleged mistreatment of the 5-year-old student. The family claims the child was sexually assaulted, filed a report with CMS, but ultimately ended up back on the same bus as her alleged attacker. 

During public comments, the parent of the 5-year-old targeted the district and CMS board members.

"I am here today to specifically and to purposefully ask for the resignation of Dr. Hill and or the termination," Andrea Higgins, the CMS parent, said. "The reasons why her incompetence to safeguard the students within her district."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/family-silently-protests-cms-board-meeting-handling-assault/275-e9293bfa-dc63-4561-b54a-d5a44252c1cf

Cabarrus County school leaders are working to ramp up mental health resources for students, with data showing the ratio of students to counselors is drastically lagging behind.

"We're sitting at one social worker to every 1,144 students, and we're supposed to be one to 250," the school district said. "There is a capacity issue."

They say the goal is to ensure no students are being left out, and that there are enough psychologists and social workers to evenly cover buildings.

"The social workers and psychologists can't be there because we don't have enough of them to have them staffed one per school," the district said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cabarrus-county-schools-mental-health-education/275-e477083c-dac9-4e85-8b97-d2e8387d20f3

Three people have been convicted in relation to a child's death in December 2022.

Hector Mendoza, 23, Savannah Brehm, 23, and Keith Strughill, 21, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and failing to properly secure a firearm that led to the death of Mendoza and Brehm's son, Michael Mendoza, 4, the Gaston County District Attorney's Office said on Monday.

Hector Mendoza and Brehm received 36-month probation sentences. Strughill received a 24-month probation sentence. Initially, each of them were given prison sentences of 24 to 41 months but this was later suspended in exchange for the probation sentences.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/parents-sentenced-to-probation-in-relation-to-childs-death-gaston-county-gastonia-north-carolina-michael-mendoza-hector-mendoza-keith-strughill/275-29170158-a3d4-462c-9871-75ed3c086caa

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 U.S. government took extraordinary steps Sunday to stop a potential banking crisis after the historic failure of Silicon Valley Bank, assuring all depositors at the failed institution that they could access all their money quickly, even as another major bank was shut down.

The announcement came amid fears that the factors that caused the Santa Clara, California-based bank to fail could spread. Regulators had worked all weekend to try to find a buyer for the bank, which was the second-largest bank failure in history. Those efforts appeared to have failed Sunday.

In a sign of how fast the financial bleeding was occurring, regulators announced that New York-based Signature Bank had also failed and was being seized on Sunday. At more than $110 billion in assets, Signature Bank is the third-largest bank failure in U.S. history.

The near-financial crisis that U.S. regulators had to intervene to prevent left Asian markets jittery as trading began Monday. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 sank 1.8% in morning trading, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.7% and South Korea’s Kospi shed 0.8%. But Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.5% and the Shanghai Composite increased 0.4%.

In an effort to shore up confidence in the banking system, the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and FDIC said Sunday that all Silicon Valley Bank clients would be protected and able to access their money. They also announced steps that are intended to protect the bank’s customers and prevent additional bank runs.

“This step will ensure that the U.S. banking system continues to perform its vital roles of protecting deposits and providing access to credit to households and businesses in a manner that promotes strong and sustainable economic growth,” the agencies said in a joint statement.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/yellen-no-federal-bailout-silicon-valley-bank-collapse/507-e549942f-8b87-457c-b4a5-fc2730a38442

One man is in custody after a shooting in Lowell left one person dead on Sunday.

According to the Lowell Police Department, officers were called to a home on South Church Street near West 3rd Street on Sunday around 4:26 p.m. in reference to a shooting.

At the home, officers found one man dead from a gunshot wound. After speaking with three other men at the home, police determined that one of them was responsible for the shooting.

This man was taken into custody. The names of the victim and suspect are not being released at this time.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/man-killed-in-shooting-at-home-suspect-arrested-lowell-gaston-county-north-carolina/275-dd6a1771-8b0a-4fc7-a5c3-b3ca10bf8db2

And on this edition of #WakeUpCLT To Go, we're recapping the Academy Awards! Indie comedy "Everything Everywhere All At Once" stole the show, bringing home seven Oscars, including best picture!

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 attorneys for convicted double murderer Alex Murdaugh have filed a notice of appeal of his conviction in the high-profile case.

The paperwork was submitted with the South Carolina Court of Appeals late Thursday afternoon, nearly a week after he was found guilty on two counts of murder and two weapons charges. Under state law, people have 30 days to file their full appeal of a conviction but his attorneys had said last week they would file this notice first. 

The document does not give details of why they want an appeal, but by filing this, they now have more time to make that more detailed argument. However, last week Murdaugh's attorneys said the appeal would include their concerns about how law enforcement's actions in the case and Judge Clifton Newman's decision to allow evidence about Murdaugh's financial crimes. 

Last Thursday, a jury convicted Murdaugh, 54, of killing his wife Maggie and adult son Paul on June 7, 2021 at the family's large estate in Colleton County following a six-week trial. It took the 12 men and women just three hours to render their decision.

A day later, Judge Newman sentenced Murduagh to two consecutive life sentences for his crime. He was then taken to the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia to begin serving his time and undergo a 45 evaluation. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/special-reports/alex-murdaugh/alex-murdaugh-notice-of-appeal-filed/101-5ba52876-261a-43ef-9158-65513d2f2cc6

Police are looking for the people behind another car dealership break-in. This time, the break-in happened in Cornelius. 

Surveillance video shared by Cornelius Police shows people breaking into the dealership around 12:30 a.m. Thursday at the Modern Nissan lot on Statesville Road. 

Police said the people took two vehicles: a 2015 dark gray Audi RS5 and a 2018 black Dodge Durango.

Anyone with information about this crime is encouraged to contact Cornelius Police.

This is the third dealership in the Charlotte area that has been hit within the last two months. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department recently shared surveillance video showing suspects making off with luxury cars off a dealership lot in east Charlotte.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/suspects-stealing-cars-cornelius-car-dealership/275-3266f2c3-c5fa-470f-88ef-b2d94e88b789

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 Union County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday on a rule that would require all high school athletes to compete only on teams that are "consistent with the gender on the student's birth certificate." 

The new rule, which is the latest attempt to legislate transgender athletes, would allow transgender athletes to compete on teams consistent with their gender identity if permitted by NCHSAA rules and regulations.

The NCHSAA's transgender policy does allow students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. Schools are required to submit Gender Identity Request Forms on behalf of the student prior to them playing on any team consistent with their gender identity. 

The requests are based on gender identity for daily life activities in school and the community. Schools may be required to provide additional documentation, including a list of medications and written documents from health care professionals. North Carolina's approval process was established after lengthy reviews of policies from other states, the NCHSAA website says.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/union-county-public-schools-transgender-athlete-birth-certificate-state-rules-north-carolina/275-f18d23e6-0954-4592-a968-0bd30b844dd0

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled on Wednesday a $1 billion plan to address the state’s mental health and substance abuse needs, which have spiked amid increasing overdose deaths and spiraling rates of suicide among young people.

The Democratic governor’s office said his initiatives, which will be outlined in his upcoming state budget proposal, include more behavioral health services for those in schools and in jails. He also wants to spend more on in-patient treatment and supplemental services like mobile crisis units to help people facing psychiatric episodes.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/north-carolina-politics/gov-cooper-mental-health-politics/275-4b8489aa-2d37-42d3-a3df-aeabd595304a

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!