704 Unfiltered

Public school teachers in North Carolina would be required to alert parents before they call a student by a different name or pronoun, under a bill passed by the Republican-controlled state Senate on Tuesday.

Senators rejected a wave of warnings that the law could endanger some LGBTQ students who have unsupportive families.

While sponsors say the bill is needed to keep parents informed about what their children are being taught in public schools, critics say it would destroy the trust between teachers and their students and make schools unsafe spaces for LGBTQ and questioning children to explore their identities at their own pace.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/north-carolina-politics/north-carolina-controversial-lgbtq-bill-general-assembly-parents-bill-of-rights/275-9312134d-dcd7-4b51-b321-49d8052e7192

Steve Wilks won't be out of work much longer, as the Panthers' former interim coach is expected to become the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. 

Wilks will replace the outgoing DeMeco Ryans, who took the Houston Texans' head coaching job, according to NFL insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. 

The Charlotte native was 6-6 as Carolina's interim coach. He was one of three finalists who interviewed twice for the team's head coaching vacancy, along with now-Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Panthers head coach Frank Reich.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/nfl/steve-wilks-san-francisco-49ers-defensive-coordinator-demeco-ryans-carolina-panthers/275-14d3bd15-3e2a-42c7-a149-5a0f585694e8

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! 

Union County leaders will announce Tuesday their new program called Teach UCPS.

The program partners with students and teaching assistants to help them find a path to an associate’s degree with the help of scholarships and low tuition.  

They say their goal is to develop effective teachers.

Right now, North Carolina has about 5,500 hundred vacancies and they’re hoping this new program will help fill in the gaps. They’re optimistic this program will also provide opportunities for classified employees and students who are pursuing a teaching license.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/union-county-schools-teacher-shortage/275-3d54c447-7de9-41e2-b167-4d8a2aad0ca4

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is searching for suspects involved in a shooting that took place at the Northlake Mall on Sunday. 

On Sunday around 1:48 p.m., officers were called to the mall for a report of shots fired at the mall.

Police say a single shot was fired during an altercation between two people. Nobody was injured in the shooting, according to CMPD However, Medic said two patients were treated for non-shooting-related injuries. 

Northlake Mall officials chose to close the mall for the rest of the day after the shooting.

Meanwhile, safety and security are growing concerns for shoppers in the area.

“It’s not going to deter me from going to the mall because I still do go to some of the stores in there but its scary," said Natalie Fields.

"Malls are like a hot spot and you never know what is going to happen," said added Kayla Williams. "You might have some people who are dumb get into an altercation and pull out a gun. You may be at a mall or boardwalk because people don’t care anymore."

With this being the second shooting incident at the mall within two months, Fields said stronger safety measures need to be put in place.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/officials-responding-to-situation-at-northlake-mall/275-401c4ac9-c09a-4ed1-b58e-866522bed33e

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/officials-responding-to-situation-at-northlake-mall/275-401c4ac9-c09a-4ed1-b58e-866522bed33e

Bus operators with the Charlotte-Area Transit System (CATS) voted in the majority to approve a new contract Saturday evening.

A pair of sources confirmed with WCNC Charlotte that operators within the local SMART Union chapter voted 204-11 in favor of the contract. The approval of this contract comes less than a week after SMART Union and CATS managing company RATP Dev came to a tentative agreement to avoid a potential strike.

One source said pay increases of up to $3 per hour are included, along with improved health insurance benefits and coverage options. Night differential pay, double-time pay for holidays, and changes to the bidding of work process are also part of the contract.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cats-bus-operators-contract-approve-north-carolina-charlotte/275-ff86e659-4b19-4eb3-a5e0-da8d6f7b224b

National Democrats voted to move South Carolina up on the political calendar, making it the first in the nation to vote in the Democratic primary.

South Carolina is replacing Iowa and, in this upcoming presidential election, the Democratic Party will be starting here. This means that all Democratic presidential candidates will begin in the Palmetto State with a primary election.

There are multiple contributing factors to why Democratic leaders said they consider South Carolina the ideal state.

“Since 1992, every candidate who has won the South Carolina primary has gone on to be the Democratic nominee with one exception - in 2004," Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist, said.

Aside from a 31-year history of Democratic nominees, it’s also important to note that diversity was a part of the decision when choosing which state to replace Iowa.

“Sixty percent of the people who cast their vote in the Democratic primary in South Carolina are African American. The demographics and the geographics of our state make us very flavorful and reflective of who the Democratic primary party is and where we’re headed," Seawright said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/democratic-national-committee-votes-south-carolina-first-democratic-primary/101-66b9d358-a5a0-4289-bed9-3bc99864626e

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 has shared footage from an officer's body-worn camera and provided a timeline of a shooting suspect's death while in custody.

In June 2022, officers responded to the reported shooting along Featherstone Drive in north Charlotte. Police said they found 32-year-old Jovontay Avery Williams and identified him as the suspect, but noted he was "behaving in an erratic manner". CMPD said Williams was yelling and appeared to be suffering a medical emergency.

The department said Williams was taken to a hospital for treatment. However, he passed away hours later. Because he was still in CMPD custody, his death was investigated by both CMPD's internal affairs division and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (NCSBI).

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/charlotte-body-camera-police-in-custody-death-local/275-db9734d8-7160-47a4-8c9f-65d2604172e9

The city of Gastonia is preparing to prop up local infrastructure with $75 million after passing a transportation bond referendum in November. The beginning phases to fix the city's roads will use about $10 million.

Repair work will start on 30 miles of roadway to repair, widen, and make any needed improvements. That's good news for the restaurant Pita Wheel, which sits at the corner of Highway 321 and 74.

"321 is right on the corner and it's a very busy road coming from South Carolina to North Carolina," Pita Wheel general manager Jeff Cantrell explained. "We get a lot of tractor-trailers."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/gastonia/gastonia-investing-infrastructure-growth/275-2b8cb036-d3e7-4b95-9a67-5c03523890ae

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 Concord police officer says his civil rights were violated after he was fired by the department in a lawsuit against the city.

Timothy Larson filed a lawsuit against the city of Concord and Gary Gacek, Concord police chief, on Tuesday. 

Larson was fired in May 2022, months after he was involved he shot a man in self-defense at a car dealership. 

That incident happened on Feb. 13 around 5 a.m. at the Modern Nissan Dealership in Concord. Larson was on patrol duty at the time and saw Brandon Combs attempting to steal a vehicle.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/officer-fired-after-fatal-shooting-sues-city-of-concord-police-chief-timothy-larson-brandon-combs-north-carolina-nc-lawsuit-court-case/275-536a1905-2171-4462-963a-0fe8f2bc1861

Tyre Nichols’ family and friends gathered Wednesday for a funeral that blended a celebration of his life with outrage over the brutal beating he endured at the hands of Memphis police and heated calls for police reform.

The Rev. Al Sharpton and Vice President Kamala Harris both delivered impassioned speeches calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a broad package of police reforms that includes a national registry for police officers disciplined for misconduct, a ban on no-knock warrants and other measures.'

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/tyre-nichols-funeral/507-584f4996-113f-4237-a727-3f2dd354207c

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! 

 Day four of testimony in the Alex Murdaugh trial continues with more prosecution testimony and continued efforts by the defense to take aim at the evidence.

Murdaugh is accused of killing his wife, Maggie, and adult son, Paul, at the family's 1,700 acre estate in Colleton County in June of 2021. Prosecutors say Murdaugh acted alone, while the defense says investigators rushed to judgment and didn't consider other suspects. 

The defense team begins its cross examination of SLED Senior Special Agent Jeff Croft. On Monday, Croft testified to the evidence SLED gathered at Moselle -- the Murdaugh family property – during searches executed in June 2021.

Croft testified to the guns and ammunition gathered in June and entered into evidence Monday morning. He was also present during Alex Murdaugh’s second official interview with law enforcement, conducted by SLED lead investigator David Owen on June 10, 2021. Prosecutor John Meadors played the taped interview for the jury, starting and stopping in spots for clarification by Croft.

The introduction of evidence and testimony by Croft took the State most of the late morning and all of the afternoon. It followed the defense team’s cross examination of SLED agent Melinda Worley.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/special-reports/alex-murdaugh/alex-murdaugh-trial-updates-january-31/101-ecbdb1d7-8015-4c2a-9575-9d1e84a8b216

Charlotte transportation leaders gave an update on the future Silver Line light rail route and the Charlotte Transit Center during Tuesday's Charlotte Area Transit System meeting. 

The Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) ultimately voted to refine the Silver Line's route near the Bojangles Coliseum in east Charlotte. CATS staff members said the changes will have better traffic flow than the original plan. 

The big debate for some time has been the Silver Line's route in Uptown.

As a reminder, the Silver Line is a 29-mile train system that would connect Belmont to Union County.

The original plan, called the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA), was adopted by the MTC in 2019. The route runs alongside Interstate 277 on Uptown's perimeter.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/charlotte-silver-line-update-transportation-center-uptown-cats-bus-light-rail-blue-line-gold-line/275-6db05def-018a-43e1-b71e-2dbf2435054d

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 cyberattack on Monday left several medical providers with unresponsive websites.

Atrium Health confirmed on Monday that it was one of the medical providers that suffered an attack. The issue was resolved by Atrium's information technology team within hours of the hack.

According to Atrium, the cyberattack only impacted the company's public-facing website. Hospital systems and patient portals remained fully functional during the incident, according to Atrium.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/atrium-health-website-suffers-cyber-attack-hospitals-across-the-country-also-targeted-north-carolina-charlotte-medical-centers-hack-cybersecurity/275-c586e2d8-4e47-40c1-8e15-4032c8ef77a6

One person is dead after a fire truck and motorcycle collided on Monday.

According to a release, the Charlotte Fire Department was called to a medical incident at the 7700 block of Little Avenue on Monday around 5:36 p.m.

As a Charlotte fire truck was en route to the scene, an accident occurred between the fire truck and a motorcycle at the intersection of Pineville-Matthews Road and McMahan Drive.

Charlotte Fire personnel began treating the motorcycle driver after the crash. The person was transported to a local hospital where they were later pronounced dead. The deceased person's name has not been identified.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/motorcycle-driver-dies-after-crash-with-charlotte-fire-truck-north-carolina-firefighter-fire-department-cmpd-police-investigation-pineville-matthews/275-6fba76d9-205f-44bb-90de-a1ae82117910

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! 

Protests continue days after the body camera video was released showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by police in Memphis. Tradesha Woodward joins Wake Up Charlotte To Go with the latest on demonstrations in the Queen City as local leaders seek solutions to prevent another tragedy from happening.

A new report shows a grim reality for the American wine industry, and if something doesn't change soon, it could spell disaster. Ben Thompson connects the dots on why winemakers and advertisers' problem reaching young people could put an end to the wine business in America.

And finally, we hit the morning's biggest headlines as part of your morning rush. New Panthers coach Frank Reich is set to sign his new four-year contract Monday, testimony resumes in the Alex Murdaugh murder trial and we'll have an update on classified documents found at President Joe Biden's home. The Department of Justice says it will give the U.S. Senate a "damage assessment" about the documents found in the homes of Biden and former President Donald Trump.

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! 

Frank Reich was named the sixth head coach in Carolina Panthers history Thursday, finally filling the vacancy opened by the firing of Matt Rhule midseason. Reich was chosen over interim Steve Wilks and Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Reich's hiring is a homecoming of sorts, as he was the team's first quarterback in 1995, and his brother is a longtime football coach at Wingate. We discuss what Panthers fans can expect and hear from you about what folks think about Wilks not getting the job after an impressive tenure as interim coach.

The Union County Board of Education is holding a special meeting Friday to discuss a controversial calendar change for next school year. Jesse Pierre joins Wake Up Charlotte To Go to discuss the details and explains why the proposed change is causing an uproar among some parents.

And finally, former President Donald Trump will be in South Carolina Saturday for the first official stop on his 2024 White House campaign. But you might've noticed Trump is the only candidate who's officially in the race. What's up with that? Ben Thompson connects the dots on the legal restrictions on presidential campaigns and tells us why the list of 2024 candidates is still so short.

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! 

Birkdale Village, a mixed-use property in Huntersville, has modified its redevelopment and expansion plans to eliminate the construction of a new hotel and apartments. The plan preserves the proposal for new offices and a parking deck.

Brian Richards, the Huntersville assistant planning director, credits the developers for listening to opposition from some neighbors.

"This is not atypical for folks to speak for or against projects," Richards explained Wednesday. "And often times the developers do listen. Sometimes they get a bad rap for not listening, but in this case, they are listening to their neighbors."

As WCNC Charlotte reported last year, some in the community were against the plans. Those opposed feared the area could become even more overcrowded with increased traffic.

"We do know folks who have grown up here who's seen things change. Traffic is an inconvenience," Richards said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/birkdale-village-scraps-development-plans-apartments-hotel/275-c58eb74c-b8a8-43bb-8b17-aa59c71e3772

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has approved dozens of legislative items the district will lobby the North Carolina General Assembly to change.

On the list are issues like the controversial school calendar law, reinstating higher pay for teachers with advanced degrees -- commonly known as master pay, and allowing retired teachers to return to the workforce full-time.

Lawmakers in Raleigh have one of the largest impacts on how schools in the state are run.

"90% of the rules and regulations that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and all the schools across the state have to follow are made in Raleigh, what time we have to start school, how many hours of school we have to have," Charles Jeter, CMS's Government Affairs, Policy, and Board Services Executive Director, said. 

CMS Board members will have meetings, send emails, and even visit Raleigh to advocate for changes to laws impacting schools.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-votes-lobby-changes-school-calendar-law-pay-legislative-session/275-5e284c10-45df-4a42-a8ef-86bd14264b9e

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!