704 Unfiltered

A prosecutor in suburban Chicago said Tuesday that the gunman accused of attacking an Independence Day parade has been charged with seven counts of first-degree murder.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart promised that dozens more charges would be sought. He added that the suspect, if convicted of murder, would receive a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The gunman who attacked an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago, killing at least seven people, legally bought two high-powered rifles and three other weapons despite authorities being called to his home twice since 2019 after he threatened suicide and violence, police said Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Lake County Major Crime Task Force told a news conference that the suspected shooter, who was arrested late Monday, used a high-powered rifle “similar to an AR-15" to spray more than 70 rounds from atop a commercial building into a crowd that had gathered for the parade in Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on the Lake Michigan shore.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/police-highland-park-parade-gunman-fired-more-than-70-rounds-wore-disguise/507-92739728-ca10-4435-8b89-ca8887105b47

 There could be an escape from traffic in a popular Rock Hill area. A brand-new road extension behind the Galleria Mall is now open, connecting Galleria Boulevard to Red River Road. County leaders said the newly paved 2,000-foot addition will help ease congestion on Dave Lyle Blvd.

Less than a week since its debut, residents are already seeing a difference.

“I can actually take that backroad to get to work a lot quicker," Rock Hill resident Phillip Ingram said. "It cuts out a lot of traffic lights for those mornings that I wake up and I’m running a little bit late."

The $7 million project is paid for by the Pennies for Progress tax. Patrick Hamilton, who oversees the program, said the road has been planned since the first section of Galleria Boulevard was built years ago, and it is designed with future development in mind.

“We don’t want somebody to come in and tear up the road in a few years to add in driveways or turn lanes," Hamilton said. "Those features are already there so whenever it does get built out, the road will not be torn back up to make those improvements." 

https://www.wcnc.com/article/traffic/new-road-helps-rock-hill-traffic/275-d2b2c263-28fd-469f-a622-87c385a74c37

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 gunman on a rooftop opened fire on an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago on Monday, killing at least six people, wounding at least 30 and sending hundreds of marchers, parents with strollers and children on bicycles fleeing in terror, police said.

Authorities said a man named as a person of interest in the shooting was taken into police custody Monday evening after an hourslong manhunt in and around Highland Park, an affluent community of about 30,000 on Chicago’s north shore. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/highland-park-july-4-parade-shooting/507-db5f2f84-d1c6-4442-b329-906696ab533b

Right now, 38.5 cents from every gallon of gas you put in your tank goes toward road construction projects in North Carolina. However, as more drivers make the switch to electric or more fuel-efficient vehicles, the state says funding from the gas tax won't be enough to pay for future transportation projects.

As state officials work to find a replacement for the gas tax, North Carolina drivers can take part in a pilot study: Making a switch from paying by the gallon to paying by the mile.

It's called a mileage-based user fee.

Drivers keep track of the mileage on their odometer or attach a small device to their car's on-board computer to log miles. Then, drivers get a bill to pay at the end of the month.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/traffic/gas-prices/driver-volunteers-wanted-study-new-way-pay-road-maintenance/275-ba67bc3d-cd6c-46f7-9d32-6aba1da68e5b

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! 

Thousands of American Airlines flights were left without pilots through the end of July after a system glitch this weekend.

In a statement, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline confirmed there was a technical issue with the company's "pilot trip trading system" that allowed pilots to drop their scheduled flights.

"As a result of this technical glitch, certain trip trading transactions were able to be processed when it shouldn't have been permitted," the statement read.

According to a report from ABC News, the American Airlines pilots' union said the issue affected at least 12,000 flights from July 3 through the end of the month.

In their statement, the airline said: "We already have restored the vast majority of the affected trips and do not anticipate any operational impact because of this issue."

American did not specify how many flights were affected by the glitch.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/travel/thousands-american-airlines-flights-without-pilots-system-glitch/287-0a6ffd59-d89d-4ea8-9d8c-73049ddf31ad

One man is dead after officials say he drowned on Sunday during what has been a busy day for rescue crews.

According to a release, the Oak Island Water Rescue, Fire Department, and Police Department were called to a beach access location around Sunday at 2:04 p.m. in reference to a swimmer in distress.

Bystanders pulled the swimmer to shore and attempted CPR before the rescue crew arrived. Life-saving measures were attempted but were unsuccessful. 

Kevin Whitley, a 52-year-old man from Hickory, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.

Oak Island officials say more than half a dozen similar calls have been made in the area just on Sunday. Tropical Storm Colin's impact is causing rough conditions on the Carolina coast.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/hickory-man-drowns-at-nc-beach-north-carolina-beach-rescue-oak-island-tropical-storm-colin-kevin-whitley/275-f2af320b-ce6b-4eef-8dfa-4ebe87612e45

On Thursday, a judge sentenced a woman in connection the killing of a 20-year-old woman in Charlotte's NoDa neighborhood. Kelly Lavery, one of four people arrested in connection to the murder, was sentenced to 25-32 years in prison for the death of Mary Collins. 

Prosecutors say Collins was lured to an apartment and then brutally killed during the first COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. Collins' friends and family described her as sweet, kind and innocent. 

On March 28, 2020, authorities said Kelly Lavery and Lavi Pham sent Collins an Uber because she didn't drive and lured her to their apartment

Detectives said Lavery and Pham were in a relationship, and Collins knew the pair because she had previously briefly dated Pham. She thought she was heading to hang out with friends. Police believe Lavery, Pham and their friend Jimmy Salerno attacked Collins when she arrived.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/mary-collins-homicide-suspects-court-appearance/275-0dc80821-12c5-4d99-bfa1-c8315ed52dbf

It's a budding business. A law that makes the sale of hemp products legal in North Carolina was about to expire, but North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed legislation on Thursday that keeps the state's burgeoning hemp industry operating lawfully.

The General Assembly had given final approval Wednesday to language that would make hemp products for industrial use and others with personal care uses like CBD permanently exempt from the state's list of illegal drugs.

Such language was required by the end of June so that North Carolina growers could keep participating in a production program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The state had run its own pilot production program for several years until recently.

There are more than 1,500 licensed hemp producers in the state.

“Agriculture is North Carolina’s largest industry and giving North Carolina farmers certainty that they can continue to participate in this growing market is the right thing to do for rural communities and our economy,” Cooper said in a news release announcing he had signed three bills.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/north-carolina-politics/hemp-could-become-illegal-north-carolina/275-fe1d8211-dc0c-42b8-9176-74f849a408cd

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! 

Bruton Smith, the founder of Speedway Motorsports, the parent company of Charlotte Motor Speedway, will be laid to rest Thursday during a public funeral in Charlotte. 

Smith's life will be celebrated at Central Church on Sardis Road. The service, which is open to the public, will begin at 1 p.m. Charlotte Motor Speedway will provide a livestream for those who are unable to attend Smith's funeral. 

Smith died of natural causes on June 22. 

The 95-year-old visionary got his start as a promoter in the 1950s after serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He bought his first race car for $700 when he was 17 years old. During his 2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame induction speech, Smith said he gave up aspirations of being a race driver when his mother prayed for him to quit.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/motor/nascar/bruton-smith-charlotte-motor-speedway-founder-funeral-plan-stream/275-72d70226-d8ed-4a2d-8918-1b6a3781530f

Fallen R&B superstar R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for using his fame to subject young fans — some just children — to systematic sexual abuse.

Through tears and anger, several of Kelly's accusers told a court, and him, that he had preyed on them and misled his fans.

“You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel,” said one unnamed survivor, directly addressing a Kelly who kept his hands folded and his eyes downcast.

“Do you remember that?” she added.

Kelly, 55, didn't speak at his sentencing, where he also was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine. The Grammy-winning, multiplatinum-selling singer and songwriter was convicted last year of racketeering and sex trafficking at a trial that gave voice to accusers who had previously wondered if their stories were being ignored because they were Black women.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/r-kelly-sentenced-sex-trafficking-case/67-4b3dd2ab-da01-4b28-a7f1-d6f4379807e5

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 new bill introduced in the South Carolina Senate seeks to ban abortions with few exceptions, going even further than the new Fetal Heartbeat Act that took effect Monday. 

The "Equal Protection at Conception - No Exceptions" act would outlaw abortions at any stage of pregnancy unless the mother's life is at risk. It was introduced by Sen. Richard Cash of Anderson County, as some state lawmakers consider even stricter limits on abortion in South Carolina. 

Protesters flooded the State House Tuesday to voice their opposition to the Fetal Heartbeat Act, which outlaws most abortions to six weeks, before most women even realize they're pregnant. 

South Carolina previously allowed abortions from 20 weeks of pregnancy before the law, previously blocked by a federal court, took effect Monday. The law does allow exceptions due to rape and incest if the fetus is less than 20 weeks along, and in cases to save the mother's life.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/south-carolina-fetal-heartbeat-abortion-ban-protest-columbia-roe-v-wade-overturned/275-0dbf4d51-9020-4db2-9308-273379ba9f38

Legal advocates in Mecklenburg County are pushing for the state to expand Medicaid sooner, rather than later.

Douglas Sea, senior attorney and senior program manager at the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, said there’s currently a coverage gap in North Carolina that leaves thousands without access to health insurance. He says it's because their income is too high to qualify for Medicaid, but too low for coverage through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.

Sea said expanding Medicaid in the state would add about 600,000 people to the health care program who don’t have access to coverage.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/medicaid-expansion-north-carolina-health-law-politics-news-regional-state/275-8e9cbdff-efea-4d55-a4c8-2b738c5212af

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! 

Health officials confirmed the first case of monkeypox in Mecklenburg County Monday, just days after the first case of the illness was reported in North Carolina. 

Mecklenburg County Public Health said most monkeypox infections last 2-4 weeks. Monkeypox is a rare, but potentially serious, viral illness that typically involves flu-like symptoms, swelling of the lymph nodes and a rash that includes bumps that are initially filled with fluid before scabbing over. 

Mecklenburg County health leaders are working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the patient's health care provider to notify any individuals who were in contact with the patient while they were infectious. Monkeypox is typically spread through skin-to-skin contact.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/monkeypox-mecklenburg-county-north-carolina-first-case-confirmed/275-589baedd-25bd-4420-9ac1-6cb1e7364d17

 Forty-six people were found dead of heat-related injuries inside a semitruck in far southwest San Antonio on Monday evening, and federal authorities have opened an investigation. 

San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood said 16 others were taken to local hospitals. Of those, 12 are adults and four are "pediatric" patients. 

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said three people were taken into custody, but at this time it's unknown whether they're "absolutely connected to this or not."

“The plight of migrants seeking refuge is always a humanitarian crisis. Tonight we’re dealing with a horrific human tragedy," San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. 

The nationalities and ages of the victims haven't been confirmed. If the incident is confirmed as having started as a smuggling attempt, it would be the deadliest such event in U.S. history. 

Hood said those transported to hospitals appeared to be suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion, adding there were "no signs of water" or working air conditioning in the truck. 

“We’re not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there," the fire chief added. "None of these people were able to extricate themselves out of the truck, so they were still in there awaiting help when we arrived. Too weak in state to actually get out and help themselves."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/san-antonio-monday-evening-south-side-law-enforcement-police/273-991af328-d8a2-4f82-a1ee-7d6e65123a17

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! 

President Joe Biden signed the widest ranging gun violence bill Congress has passed in decades Saturday.

The bill is a measured compromise that at once illustrates progress on the long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists.

"I was there 30 years ago the last time this nation passed meaningful gun safety laws, and I'm here today to sign the most significant law passed since then," Biden said before signing the bill.

The Democratic-led chamber approved the election-year legislation on a mostly party-line 234-193 vote, capping a spurt of action prompted by voters' revulsion over last month’s mass shootings in New York and Texas. The Senate approved the measure late Thursday by a bipartisan 65-33 margin.

Every House Democrat and 14 Republicans — six of whom won't be in Congress next year — voted for the measure. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., underscored its significance to her party by taking the unusual step of presiding over the vote and announcing the result from the podium, to huzzahs from rank-and-file Democrats on the chamber's floor.

Biden said the bill doesn't include all of the measures he wanted, but would help prevent gun violence and aid survivors. 

"Today, we say more than enough," he said Saturday. "This time, when it seems impossible to get anything done in Washington, we are doing something consequential."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/biden-sign-gun-violence-bill-congress/507-1a6de230-5030-494b-a384-a15ea8c6da33

As Charlotte continues to grow, there is a need to reduce the dependence on cars and trucks and other vehicles and the pollution they create. 

On Monday, the city council will look at mobility issues now as part of its 2040 plan. Leaders know that if not addressed directly, traffic and sprawl would only worsen. 

Ed McKinney, the Deputy Transportation Director of Charlotte, said we only need to look at other cities for guidance on what can be done.

"Cities around our country that are doing the same thing, that is achieving the same goals that we are putting in place, so we have peers that show us the way, it's possible," McKinney said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/life/automotive/charlotte-nc-money-mobility-plan/275-c506af5f-4edc-41e2-bb0d-5a0f40089555

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! 

North Carolina now has its first case of monkeypox.

The state's Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced it confirmed the infection through the State Laboratory of Public Health. While the agency did not disclose where in the state the infected person lives, Atrium Health said Thursday that the case is not from Charlotte. 

The patient's health care providers are now reaching out to possible close contacts.

"Though this is the first confirmed case in North Carolina, we know there are likely other cases in the state," Dr. Zack Moore, State Epidemiologist and Epidemiology Section Chief, said. "We are encouraging doctors to consider this in people who have a rash or skin lesion that looks like monkeypox."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/nc-monkeypox-case-health-regional/275-78ac7d47-26cf-4bda-b412-e04bf77d42fb

Federal health officials on Thursday ordered Juul to pull its electronic cigarettes from the U.S. market, the latest blow to the embattled company widely blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.

The action is part of a sweeping effort by the Food and Drug Administration to bring scientific scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar vaping industry after years of regulatory delays.

The FDA said Juul must stop selling its vaping device and its tobacco and menthol flavored cartridges. Those already on the market must be removed. Consumers aren't restricted from having or using Juul’s products, the agency said.

To stay on the market, companies must show that their e-cigarettes benefit public health. In practice, that means proving that adult smokers who use them are likely to quit or reduce their smoking, while teens are unlikely to get hooked on them.

The FDA noted that some of the biggest sellers like Juul may have played a “disproportionate″ role in the rise in teen vaping. The agency said Thursday that Juul's application didn’t have enough evidence to show that marketing its products “would be appropriate for the protection of the public health.”

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/fda-bans-juul-e-cigarettes/507-3cdfe242-14b4-473d-9ebf-94d481c762a1

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! 

Gaston County 911 Communications is looking for more people to answer the call for service.

The unit is currently short 20 telecommunicators, which is about a third of its total workforce.

“It’s very important for us to get these positions filled with qualified applicants so that we can serve the community in the way that they should be served,” Suzanna Mauney-Smith, assistant chief of police with the Gaston County Police Department, said.

Kaela Kiser has served as a 911 telecommunicator in Gaston County for nearly six years. She said it’s a high-stress job, but it’s also highly rewarding.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/gaston-county-911-telecommunicator-openings/275-b4deb7be-7b7b-474b-9a84-3a2a192d7279

The Jan. 6 committee will hear from former Justice Department officials who faced down a relentless pressure campaign from Donald Trump over the 2020 presidential election results while suppressing a bizarre challenge from within their own ranks.

The hearing Thursday will bring attention to a memorably turbulent stretch at the department as Trump in his final days in office sought to bend to his will a law enforcement agency that has long cherished its independence from the White House. The testimony is aimed at showing how Trump not only relied on outside advisers to press his election fraud claims but also tried to leverage the powers of federal executive branch agencies.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/jan-6-panel-thursday-hearing-trumps-pressure-on-justice-department/507-fafdaaef-dfbe-430c-9027-9bd8f5287167

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!