704 Unfiltered

Fittingly, Davidson College honored its most famous alumnus with a "Curry for 3" ceremony.

Steph Curry, who has the most made three-point shots in NBA history, was given a three-part event to celebrate three big accomplishments on Wednesday.

Curry, who famously led the Wildcats to the Elite 8 in 2008 and is the school's second all-time leading scorer, had his No. 30 jersey retired and entered Davidson's athletics hall of fame.

But all of that was predicated on the other portion of the ceremony: his graduation.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/steph-curry-graduates-from-davidson-as-part-of-three-point-ceremony/275-17d0f034-2747-47e9-b867-375c89a82fba

 A suspect is hospitalized in critical condition after being shot by Concord police officers at Concord Mills Mall Wednesday. Two other suspects, who were not injured, have also been arrested.

Police officers responded to the mall after a shopper called 911 to say her credit cards had been stolen. The caller provided police with a description of the suspects, according to officials. Responding officers attempted to question three individuals outside the mall when the three ran from officers, Concord Police Department Chief Major Todd McGhee said in a briefing later Wednesday. Officers chased after the suspects, who reentered the mall.

The chase exited the mall and entered a construction area on the mall property, officials said. During the chase, one of the three suspects fired a shot at the pursuing officers, according to McGhee. The bullet struck the ground in front of the officers, police said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/concord-mills-mall-closed-due-to-police-activity/275-27c3c1e9-3d4c-4606-b0ab-5fc1ac7bbf78

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 14-year-old student is now in juvenile custody after the Rock Hill Police Department said the teen aimed a gun at other students during a fight Tuesday morning. This is now the second time within a week a gun was found on a Rock Hill campus.

The department said a School Resource Officer was watching students during class transitions just before 9 a.m. when students in the electives hallway yelled someone had a gun while running away. The officer reported going to the area and found a school staff member with the student. The department said the staff member reported the teen was involved in the fight and took the student to the office.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/gun-dutchman-creek-middle-school-rock-hill-sc-crime-education/275-9cae44e9-3ca3-4869-87ea-9774b73ab8ac

NASCAR announced it is moving its NASCAR Productions operations to a new state-of-the-art facility in Concord. 

The new 58,000-square foot studio will be built on the land adjacent to the NASCAR R&D Center, which is across Derita Road from the airport in Concord. The move comes months after Cabarrus County officials approved an incentives package designed to bring NASCAR Productions to Concord. 

NASCAR confirmed the new facility will house 125 NASCAR Productions and Motor Racing Network employees with room to expand further in the future. NASCAR said it will also keep a large presence in Uptown Charlotte with a contingent of employees remaining at Fifty Five South (formerly NASCAR Plaza) for the foreseeable future. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/motor/nascar/nascar-productions-concord-north-carolina-facility-cabarrus-county-relocation/275-ca5bcb4d-fade-46a8-9401-00d7e3e3a2dd

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! 

 House Lawmakers are preparing to debate legislation Tuesday that would outlaw nearly all abortions in South Carolina except for those needed to save a mother's life.

This comes two months after the U.S. Supreme Court Overturned Roe v. Wade, which left the legality of abortions to state lawmakers to decide. 

House Democrats and Republicans are gearing up for a possible two day debate they say will be like any other. 

"A lot of women, a lot of men who will be affected by this bill are standing up and saying no we do not want this," said Rep. Beth Bernstein (D-Richland). 

"With the Dobbs decision we know that what we do here this week is likely to be the law in South Carolina," said Rep. Micah Caskey (R-Lexington).

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/south-carolina-house-abortion-bill/101-7cb269b1-31df-4bf6-a0ed-a18ef825fc8b

A parent attempted to bring a gun onto the campus of Butler High School in Matthews last week, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools confirmed Monday. 

A CMS spokesperson said the incident happened during an open house at Butler last week and the district has launched an investigation. 

No further information was made available by CMS. The district gave the following statement to WCNC Charlotte:

"We are aware that a parent attempted to bring a firearm into Butler. We are conducting an investigation into the incident. We want to remind people that firearms are not permitted on CMS campuses with the exception of law enforcement."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/butler-high-school-matthews-north-carolina-parent-firearm-gun-investigation/275-2a61986c-1aa7-4538-9ea9-62247051a942

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 Raleigh mother told WCNC Charlotte her three-year-old was enrolled at Tutor Time's Steele Creek branch last week. 

"My daughter is living with her grandmother right now in Charlotte. My son, her brother, is having some health issues," Alyssa Stillwell explained. "They don't know what's going on, but he has severe neutropenia. He cannot get sick. Because he's also in kidney failure, he's at risk of another kidney injury. So we decided that my daughter should stay with her grandma for a couple of weeks to a month until we figure out what's going on."

Stillwell was able to log onto the daycare's live stream last Tuesday and said she was disturbed by what she was watching.

"The first thing that happened was the ruler thing," Stillwell said of the teacher. "I can't really tell if she hit that kid. It looked like it."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/life/parenting/i-thought-she-was-gonna-slam-him-hard-mothers-tiktok-video-of-charlotte-day-care-alarms-area-parents-children-cps-police/275-7a2c6069-6cb9-4780-8052-6157735cd22c

 A suspect is in custody following a shooting at Lancaster Motor Speedway that left one person dead Saturday night, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.

Just before 11 p.m., deputies responded to a shooting during the last event of the Steven Johnson Memorial Race, just inside the front gate near the ticket office. 

A 53-year-old man was found with multiple gunshot wounds and began receiving aid from deputies working extra duty at the track, deputies said.

The man was later taken to MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center where was pronounced dead, according to deputies. The Lancaster County Coroner's Office later identified the victim as 53-year-old Rodney Cunningham of Heath Springs, SC.

An autopsy will be scheduled by the Lancaster County Coroner who will identify the victim at a later time.

Lancaster County deputies named 37-year-old Bryan Terrell Mitchell as a suspect shortly after arriving at the speedway.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/1-person-killed-during-race-lancaster-motor-speedway-saturday-night-deputies-say/275-ef3a125d-c296-4b80-b627-ccc7540e236b

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! 

Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo, one of two brothers charged in the Aug. 11 murder of a Wake County deputy, was transferred Thursday to a Wake County jail and appeared in court the same afternoon.

On Thursday, Marin-Sotelo was appointed a court-appointed attorney.

Marin-Sotelo will remain in a Wake County jail without parole. An arraignment or trial date have yet to be scheduled.

Before Thursday's court appearance, WRAL News was filming while Marin-Sotelo was walked into the jail.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/no-bond-second-murder-suspect-wake-county-deputy-ned-byrd/275-07170fa9-8463-48c2-afaa-b104fe3a49a2

 South Carolina state employees are now eligible for up to 6 weeks of paid family leave thanks to a bipartisan effort by members of the General Assembly.

Governor Henry McMaster signed bill S.11 Thursday morning at the State House. The bill will give employees of the state of South Carolina paid family leave for the birth of a child, adoption of a child and for fostering a child.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/life/family/southcarolina-governor-mcmaster-signs-paid-family-leave-act-for-state-employees/101-335d9dcf-a604-4bb4-a9db-a6e35fbf4773

Plus, it's going to be warm in the Carolinas this weekend with the threat of storms on Saturday and Sunday. Larry Sprinkle has your complete forecast on #wakeupCLT To Go.

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! 

Another stop will be added on the CATS light rail in South End.

On Wednesday, the Charlotte Metropolitan Transit Commission voted to approve a stop on the rail to be constructed near the Publix on South Blvd. 

A pedestrian crossway will also be built at the stop. The stop will not only give riders more options for transit but will serve as an easy and safe way to cross the light rail tracks. 

The light rail station project stems from the partnership between CATS, Center City Partners, and various residential and retail stakeholders in South End.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/south-end-light-rail-station-approved-by-cats-charlotte-train-transportation-north-carolina-city-travel/275-0c735bda-d2fc-480d-a48b-3a1ea0642542

A former Belk CEO is facing a federal lawsuit from the department chain's corporate office after they say he violated the terms of his contract by taking company documents and employees to GameStop, where he now works as COO.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Nir Patel, a former Belk CEO, GameStop, and Tim May, a former senior member of Belk who now works for GameStop, are named as defendants in the lawsuit.

Patel began working with Belk as an executive vice president in 2016 and was promoted to CEO in July 2021. In less than a year, he left this position to become the COO of GameStop.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/belk-sues-former-ceo-gamestop-for-stealing-employees-documents-lawsuit-company-nir-patel-ceo-coo-north-carolina/275-b3519252-6b5a-4fe2-b463-cabcc3c27078

And finally, on our extended live chat, Larry Sprinkle, Sarah French and Ben Thompson break down President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. Do you support debt forgiveness?

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! 

Mecklenburg County health officials expressed confidence that they can work through the monkeypox vaccine waiting list in the coming days after administering hundreds of doses during Charlotte Pride weekend. 

Dr. Raynard Washington said Mecklenburg County is down to about 660 people on the list. The health department anticipates getting those folks set with appointments by the end of the week. Washington called vaccine distribution during Pride weekend a "success," praising staff workers for meeting at-risk individuals in public settings. 

Washington said the county vaccinated roughly 540 people who meet North Carolina's criteria for high risk. As of Tuesday afternoon, 3,300 people have been vaccinated in Mecklenburg County.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/monkeypox/monkeypox-vaccine-mecklenburg-county-update-charlotte-pride-raynard-washington/275-0ae1f8f5-a8d2-4435-b4c1-5033724d394e

 Pfizer asked U.S. regulators Monday to authorize its combination COVID-19 vaccine that adds protection against the newest omicron relatives — a key step toward opening a fall booster campaign.

The Food and Drug Administration ordered vaccine makers to tweak their shots to target BA.4 and BA.5 that are better than ever at dodging immunity from earlier vaccination or infection.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech aim to offer updated boosters to people 12 and older, and shots could begin within weeks if the FDA quickly clears the modified vaccine — a step not expected to require waiting on new studies.

Moderna is expected to file a similar application soon for updated boosters for adults. The U.S. has a contract to buy 105 million of the Pfizer doses and 66 million Moderna ones, assuming FDA gives the green light.

“It’s going to be really important that people this fall and winter get the new shots. It’s designed for the virus that’s out there,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said last week.

For now at least. BA.5 currently is causing nearly all COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and much of the world. There’s no way to know if it still will be a threat this winter -- or if another mutant will have replaced it.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/pfizer-updated-covid-vaccine-booster-fall/507-be2be25f-8daf-4c92-b516-78d59ce1eb5f

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! 

Some schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools district are going into the new school year with the same problem facing thousands of other schools in the United States — not having enough teachers. 

A week before classes are set to start CMS still has 360 open teacher positions. 

Despite the teacher vacancies the district — which employs around 9,000 teachers — said 96% of classroom positions are filled.

When there’s not a teacher to cover a class the quality of education suffers, and so do the teachers who must pick up the workload.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-360-teacher-vacancies-week-before-school-starts/275-95229deb-076c-4424-ae32-99a837613775

The debate continues over how to reduce carbon emissions from energy production in the state.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) is weighing comments and proposals for a carbon-reduction plan with the final two public hearings set to take place on Tuesday. The commission must craft its plan by the year’s end, as required by a 2021 energy reform law with climate goals of curbing carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels and reaching net-zero carbon by 2050.

Plus, Baker Mayfield is the Panthers' new starting QB. How do you think they'll do this season? 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/tech/science/environment/carbon-plan-development-public-hearing-nc/275-c580891c-936f-4ee5-8f04-89ad5e6dc7c9

U.S. adults who haven’t gotten any COVID-19 shots yet should consider a new option from Novavax -- a more traditional kind of vaccine, health officials said Tuesday.

Regulators authorized the nation’s first so-called protein vaccine against COVID-19 last week, but the final hurdle was a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“If you have been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine built on a different technology than those previously available, now is the time to join the millions of Americans who have been vaccinated,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC's director, said in a statement, endorsing an earlier decision from an influential advisory panel.

Most Americans have gotten at least their primary COVID-19 vaccinations by now, but CDC officials said between 26 million and 37 million adults haven’t had a single dose -- the population that Novavax, for now, will be targeting.

“We really need to focus on that population,” said CDC adviser Dr. Oliver Brooks, past president of the National Medical Association. Hopefully, the vaccine "will change them over from being unvaccinated to vaccinated.”

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/cdc-advisers-endorse-novavax-covid-vaccine/507-5cf10985-355d-4a0e-97ca-46495cc961ae

It was a jampacked weekend in Charlotte. Charlotte Pride just wrapped up and a whole bunch of sporting events kicked off. Thousands were in the streets of Uptown. 

The quiet and dead Uptown we all came to understand had some life breathed back into it. Whether you were here for an event two years in the making, preparing for the big Charlotte FC game, or headed out to the ballpark -- Energy was felt. 

Jada Nelsen, Manager of Day and Night Cereal Bar in the French Quarter said sales skyrocketed. 

“It’s been packed everyone been in the ally," Nelsen said. "Double the amount of people have come in from out of town for this.”

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/people-flock-to-uptown-businesses-see-the-impact-charlotte-economy-business-north-carolina/275-e2d92c93-4652-4a22-ac01-d74cff3ea394

Plus, shelters in the Charlotte area have reached critical levels. Here's how you can help WCNC Charlotte find forever homes for these sweet animals.

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 Mecklenburg County Health Department made changes to the way the monkeypox vaccine is given on Thursday. Following the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization last week, the shots can now be given intradermally, or under the skin.

Doctors say the shots are just as effective when given this way, but this change allows providers to get five times as many doses out of each vial, which will be a big help given the high demand for the vaccine.

Plus, the federal government is ramping up its response to the outbreak. Starting on Monday, 1.8 million more doses of vaccine will be made available for states to order. There are just under 200 cases of monkeypox in North Carolina and Mecklenburg County is still the epicenter of the outbreak, with more than 90 of those cases.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/monkeypox/extra-monkeypox-doses-charlotte-pride-mecklenburg-county/275-e86cc214-6d0e-49ab-9b3c-e6fcb6e206d9

One of two men arrested by federal agents in Burke County earlier in the week has now been charged with the murder of a Wake County deputy.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals assisted with taking two people into custody along Interstate 40 in Burke County. The Marshals said they could not comment on what the investigation pertains to. 

The Wake County Sheriff's Office initially said these arrests are unrelated to the shooting death of Deputy Ned Byrd, despite reports circulating that said otherwise. However, during a news conference on Thursday, Aug. 18, Sheriff Gerald M. Baker said one of the two men arrested along Interstate 40 was now formally accused of killing Byrd.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/two-arrested-in-burke-county-for-federal-warrants-north-carolina-deputy-arrest-investigation/275-4b67c724-38f5-41d6-afbf-bd281e9eff62

Plus, Happy Friday! Larry Sprinkle & KJ Jacobs have your weekend forecast as Charlotte gears up for Pride weekend.

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!