704 Unfiltered

Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks says the next 12 weeks are about doing everything he can to get the team back on track after a disappointing 1-4 start to the season. 

During his first news conference as the team's head coach, Wilks said he's confident Carolina has the opportunity to turn things around starting this week against the Los Angeles Rams. 

"One thing I do know, for sure, they're not canceling our season," Wilks said. "We've got to do a great job of coming together collectively and finding a way to turn this thing around quickly."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/nfl/panthers/steve-wilks-confident-panthers-turnaround-los-angeles-rams-matt-rhule-fired/275-aa1bb8a8-7030-4dff-ae4f-dc4122265a9c

A sleepy section of Uptown is about to get a long overdue makeover.

Let's connect the dots.

Decades ago, Brooklyn was a thriving African-American neighborhood in Uptown's Second Ward. It was a town within a town with 1,500 homes, shops, restaurants and churches.

But in the '60s and '70s, it was all bulldozed in the name of development and replaced by government buildings and Marshall Park.

In recent years, a new plan slowly gained traction for a newly reimagined Brooklyn Village. Ditching the current buildings and park and replacing it with 1,200 apartments and condos of all price points. 

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The multi-year, multi-million dollar Brooklyn Village community is set to be smack in the heart of Uptown. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/connect-the-dots/brooklyn-village-development-uptown-makeover/275-b9dac516-234b-4235-a3e1-4cd30e3276b7

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! 

Renting out property through Airbnb or VRBO is now a popular way to make some money. But in Rock Hill, city leaders have put a pause on issuing new permits for short-term rentals, saying more rules are needed to protect neighborhoods.

But a property owner who opposes the decision told WCNC Charlotte the decision could put business owners at risk. 

In the last 20 years, Rock Hill’s population grew by around 78%. In addition to more people moving here, sports tourism is also booming. 

Earlier this year, Rock Hill leaders put a temporary moratorium in place on new permits for short-term rentals. Leaders voted to extend it through the rest of this year on Monday night.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/rock-hill-consider-extending-short-term-rental-moratorium/275-211a28b2-32b7-4e92-8491-74d6dbf8cdab

 A teenage girl is shaken up after she said she was face to face with a gunman when a West Charlotte Burger King was robbed over the weekend.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department still searching for the man involved in that robbery. This is also not the first time that the same fast-food restaurant has been held up this year.

Jadyn Carter is 15 years old, and she said she was very excited to have her first job at Burger King.

But Friday night was her last shift after she said a masked man came in, waving a gun and demanding money.

“I told him the inside [dining room] was closed and he mumbled something, but I didn’t hear him,” Jadyn Carter explained. “So, I said it again and then he just pulled up his shirt and started holding the gun at me."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/teenager-faced-gunman-burger-king-robbery/275-c4e412d8-49ae-4959-adeb-4d8a87ce2cff

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! 

Authorities have issued a swimming advisory at Lake Norman due to a sewage spill that may have leaked into the lake.

The Lincoln County Health Department issued the advisory on 11 p.m. on Sunday after a sewage spill occurred on Rivendell Lane in Denver. Authorities say around 900 gallons of wastewater may have leaked into Lake Norman in this area.

Officials say a sewer force main break caused the issue and say they have stopped the flow and are testing the water.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/sewage-spill-may-have-leaked-into-lake-norman-lincoln-county-officials-say-north-carolina-denver-rivendell-lane/275-acebca19-7b6f-410e-8c46-3e69c843834b

There are some games where you can look back at the tape and say if just one or two things had went your way, the result would have been way different. Sunday's game between the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers was not one of those games.

The Panthers fell to 1-4 after an abysmal 37-15 loss to the 49ers where they were completely outmatched by their opponent. Carolina opened the home match as 6.5-point underdogs to the 49ers, who only had one more win coming into this game.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/nfl/panthers/baker-mayfield-carolina-panthers-meet-top-ranked-san-francisco-49ers-defense/275-dbda775a-e050-4056-b1b2-cc2aa049fdef

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 Public Schools could soon outsource substitute teachers. 

School board members will vote on allowing a staff management group to hire substitutes during the next meeting on Monday, Oct. 10. It's a possible action the district could take as school districts across the nation scramble to find substitute teachers.

“We're all hands-on deck and trying to be creative this year,” district superintendent Andrew Houlihan said.

UCPS leaders said over the last year, they've been meeting with potential staffing and management groups to address the need for substitutes. The board of education could vote to approve a substitute staffing company called ESS to fill positions they haven't been able to.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/outsourced-substitute-teachers-union-county-nc-education/275-357b9ee2-b4f4-4af6-8152-19373b5f3ba3

President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color.

Biden's move also covers thousands convicted of the crime in the District of Columbia. He is also calling on governors to issue similar pardons for those convicted of state marijuana offenses, which reflect the vast majority of marijuana possession cases.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/national-politics/biden-pardons-simple-possession-of-marijuana/507-fa1006fe-dbd7-40db-b589-a894bd99130a

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! 

Charlotte area shelters say more families are extending their stays due to inflation and rising rents.

They say they don't anticipate the issue going away any time soon, and the slow turnaround times have a major impact on the number of families they can help.

The Charlotte Housing Authority said as the number of people who are homeless continues to increase, they’re starting to see new trends.

"We are seeing recently a change in the patterns," Elizabeth Kurtz, with Charlotte Housing Authority, said. 

"Typically in the past, we have seen most people coming in for help due to evictions due or financial reasons, now we are seeing people pitched into homelessness simply because rent is going up," she said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/markets/real-estate/affordable-housing-crisis/affordable-housing-money-inflation-families-demand-homes/275-33e9716a-a78e-4ece-a743-28c81fe12e79

In the season's penultimate match, Charlotte FC saw their playoff hopes dwindle away, but it wasn't without giving it an intense effort.

Charlotte FC (13-18-2) had their last home game of the season with Columbus Crew (11-7-15) end with a 2-2 draw. The Queen City team made a noble effort in the second half to get the win, but it just wasn't met to be.

Columbus Crew was the first team to add a point on the scoreboard when Lucas Zelarayán made an insane goal in the 36th minute from near midfield that caught Charlotte FC's defense and goalkeeper by surprise as it soared across the field and landed in the net.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/soccer/charlotte-fc-clinging-on-to-playoff-hopes-ahead-of-final-home-match-columbus-crew-bank-of-america-stadium-soccer-football-game-mls-daniel-rios/275-a859d3fa-b6b6-4e4f-9f27-7159b7e4eab7

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! 

Five high school students could face felony charges after officers accused them of assaulting one of their classmates.

The Statesville Police Department said a fight broke out on Monday, Oct. 3 inside Statesville Senior High School. The student who was hurt was transported to a Winston-Salem hospital for treatment and was later released.

Police said they started a criminal investigation and found video of the group of students hitting and kicking the victim. Investigators then conferred with the District Attorney's Office and said in a news release the department will seek felony assault charges against the five students.

The students' names are being withheld due to their juvenile status. WCNC Charlotte has reached out to Iredell-Statesville Schools for further comment.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/assault-satesville-senior-high-school-north-carolina-crime-education-local/275-5199bfcd-538e-4e85-a39e-4838653296ca

Fort Mill Schools is ramping up security and is putting new policies in place to deal with school threats, and some of them are similar to what the secret service uses. 

This comes just weeks after two students were charged with making threats in the district, and now the district says one of the protocols they will be using is the Behavior Threat Assessment and Management model.

They say this model will be used if you know the person who is making the threat, and will now be closely examined in close coordination with law enforcement and other stakeholders to determine the credibility of the threat.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/fort-mill-schools-security-education-wake-up-charlotte/275-bd241287-6c46-417c-9d02-bdd20305eabe

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! 

One person was killed and another was seriously hurt in a shooting at the Pilot Travel Center off Statesville Avenue and I-85 in north Charlotte late Monday night, police say. WCNC Charlotte's Richard DeVayne has an update on the shooting and what we know from police and witnesses. So far, no arrests have been made, but it's unclear if police are searching for any suspects.

FULL STORY: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/shooting-pilot-truck-stop-charlotte-north-carolina/275-e2ef5e48-e604-4cbe-871e-3aed6bd623ab

Tradesha Woodard joins us from Huntersville, where residents are pushing back against a proposed development that would bring apartments and hotel accommodations to the already crowded Birkdale Village. Neighbors voiced those concerns at a town meeting, saying the traffic is an unwanted nuisance for an already busy area.

Plus, Ben Thompson connects the dots on how experts say the COVID-19 pandemic changed everyone's personality and we have your top stories in the morning rush.

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 Carolina Panthers lost an ugly 26-16 game at home to the Arizona Cardinals, leaving fans frustrated. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was under pressure all game long and the offense struggled to move the ball against the Cardinals' defense.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/nfl/panthers/carolina-panthers-seek-to-continue-complete-dominance-over-arizona-cardinals/275-d553bcc1-d1ee-4c8d-9de5-45606c01b143

Plus, we've got the latest on construction at Charlotte Douglas International Airport that could affect travelers, Cabarrus County district leaders will discuss new recommendations that will allow parents to submit concerns about books with controversial material after outcry over new rules and Lancaster County Schools announced plans for a new bus-tracking app for parents and students.

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! 

 Guidance on who qualifies for Biden's student loan forgiveness program changed weeks before the application is set to open and will affect eligibility for millions of student loan borrowers. 

Borrowers who had Perkins loans or Federal Family Education Loans are at the center of the most recent change, NPR reported. Federal Family Education Loans, known as FFEL loans, were issued and managed by private banks but were backed by the federal government.

The program ended in 2010, but over 4 million borrowers still have FFEL loans, NPR reported. Before Thursday, the Department of Education told borrowers they could consolidate the loans into federal Direct Loans to qualify under the debt relief program. 

"As of Sept. 29, 2022, borrowers with federal student loans not held by ED cannot obtain one-time debt relief by consolidating those loans into Direct Loans," the website says. 

Borrowers who applied to consolidate their FFEL and Perkins Loans into Direct Loans prior to Thursday are still eligible for the one-time debt relief through the Direct Loan program, according to the website.

It is unclear why the department changed its guidance on FFEL loans.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/education-dept-changes-student-debt-relief-guidance/507-8fc37d55-cb70-4fe7-844a-db7a716e2457

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, stood by the false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent during an interview Thursday with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, the panel's chairman said.

“It’s a work in progress,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters after the more than four-hour interview ended. “At this point, we’re glad she came.”

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/virginia-thomas-jan-6-hearing/507-4eb0d89f-37d7-4135-a065-120aa952961a

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! 

Test scores show high school students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are severely underperforming in math. 

On Wednesday, CMS released data that show just 8.2% of high schoolers are testing at the highest levels of end-of-year exams in this area. 

The goal for CMS is to have at least 26% of high schoolers scoring a level 4 or 5 on end-of-year math exams by 2024. When students reach this score, this means they’re ready for a job or to head to college. 

CMS says teachers are no longer tamping down expectations due to the pandemic.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-high-school-math-scores-data-education-local/275-45fb3f92-c391-414b-b29a-cde432b56062

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released bodycam footage of an incident where a 14-year-old shot an officer in December 2021.

On Wednesday, CMPD officers released the footage from the shooting that occurred on Dec. 27, 2021, on Winged Elm Court.

The video shows CMPD officer Elliot Whitley chasing after a suspect before the teen turns around and shoots Whitley in the shoulder. Whitley fell to the ground after being hit and shot at the suspect, but did not strike the teen.

Whitley stays around the area before other officers come to offer aid. He was transported to a local hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/released-bodycam-footage-shows-teen-shooting-cmpd-officer-elliot-whitley-shot-teen-crime-north-carolina-charlotte-december-2021/275-12f0a2e8-604f-441a-a53d-9119a00bb2d0'

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!