704 Unfiltered

A white wreath hangs on a house on ACL avenue in Cheraw, South Carolina, just up the road from the Lanely Landing on the Great Pee Dee River.

There are other new floral arrangements in the front yard and a sign from a local funeral home.

“We are dealing with this the best we can,” Thomas Gary said about the sudden death of his 12-year-old granddaughter Stori Gary. 

“She was everywhere I went.” He said about his youngest grandchild who drowned last week in the river," he said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/wake-up-charlotte/drowning-cheraw-sc-mourns-loss-wake-up-charlotte-wcnc/275-699ca5d8-e844-47ee-bb67-59ef85931869

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools has hired Crystal Hill as the new chief of staff.

Hill comes from Cabarrus County Schools. She became the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in Cabarrus County after the resignation of her predecessor.

Hill's hire was announced at Tuesday night's board meeting. 

CMS Interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh says Hill's focus is on the district's Title IX office, which ensures CMS is following federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation.

In November 2021, the district added additional staff to its office after multiple students claimed complaints of sexual harassment were mishandled by the district. 

"She'll be dealing with Title IX, which is a big issue, critical issue, strategic management, and other issues," said Hattabaugh.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-board-meeting-may-10-2022-local-education/275-a3334c80-afb8-485d-97ae-23e4fa0330ac

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! 

Passionate community members of Charlotte took the mic and weighed in on how the city should spend the proposed $3.24 billion budget. 

Around 100 community members showed up to the Charlotte City Council meeting on Monday, May 9. Many from the crowd were members of the Charlotte city workforce. 

People cheered during public comment and advocated for the adoption of the budget. 

In the proposal, there is an increase of pay for city employees including water, sewer and transit hourly workers. The budget would raise the minimum hourly pay for a 40-hour work week to $20 an hour. 

Employees on a salary would see a 4% hike in pay.  

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/city-of-charlotte-budget-public-feedback/275-a32a6817-d6f5-45f1-9819-95db8c9b2cb6

A former Alabama jail official on the run with a murder suspect she was accused of helping escape shot and killed herself Monday as authorities caught up with the pair after more than a week of searching, officials said. The man she fled with surrendered.

The death of Vicky White, 56, only deepened the mystery of why a respected jail official would leave everything to help free Casey White, 38, a hulking inmate with a violent and frightening history.

The two fugitives were caught — following a manhunt through three states — in Evansville, Indiana, when U.S. Marshals chasing them crashed into their vehicle, authorities said. Casey White gave himself up and Vicky White shot herself and was taken to a hospital, authorities said. Vanderburgh County Coroner Steve Lockyear said she died from her injuries.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/ex-jail-official-alabama-inmate-caught-in-indiana/507-058346a2-d557-4a15-9a23-a3cfc33e1d33

The leak of the Supreme Court's majority draft opinion in favor striking down Roe vs. Wade still has Congress scrambling.

The issue is inflaming passions on both sides. There have been rallies in support of and in protest against the Supreme Court's potential decision. 

On Mother's Day, hundreds gathered in support of abortion rights at Freedom Park in Charlotte. 

“Our community is desperate for our freedoms," Reproductive Rights Coalition Charlotte leader Hope Robertson said.

Freedom of choice was at the forefront Sunday. 

Local leaders from the Reproductive Rights Coalition, Charlotte for Choice and the Black Abortion Defense League organized the protest calling for safe and legal abortion access. Several women spoke about how they or someone they knew decided to have an abortion.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/charlotte-abortion-rights-rally-roe-v-wade-supreme-court-leaked-draft-opinion/275-711de895-d2f3-4864-b509-14576c33412c

Details remain limited following a shooting that happened on May 8 in west Charlotte. 

Medic confirmed one person was transported with "life-threatening" injuries after a shooting in the 2500 block of Little Rock Road Sunday night. 

A crew from WCNC Charlotte was at the scene and located a heavy police presence, crime tape and damaged car near a shopping center in the area. The shooting allegedly happened around 8 p.m. Traffic from Tuckaseegee Road into Little Rock Road was also impacted due to the scene.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/west-charlotte-shooting-investigation-shopping-center/275-201c005a-713f-4158-8de6-6555a896425e

Friday is a Weather Aware Day for the Charlotte region as a line of storms will bring the threat of damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes to the Carolinas. 

Forecaster Larry Sprinkle says there will be some spotty showers Friday morning ahead of the main line but most of that morning rain will be gone by lunchtime Friday. This period of sunshine will create storm fuel that leads to favorable conditions for severe weather in the Carolinas. FULL FORECAST: https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/severe-weather/severe-weather-possible-charlotte-region-friday-weather-aware-brad-panovich-tornado-hail-thunderstorms/275-54ac4078-c549-459e-98ce-5975ad68aff8

Plus, COVID-19 activity is on the rise in North Carolina and Mecklenburg County. The good news, is hospitalizations are still extremely low, meaning people are getting sick but not sick enough to get hospitalized. Richard DeVayne has the latest from Dr. Raynard Washington, plus an update on what health officials are saying about another booster shot as we head into the summer. FULL STORY: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/covid-19-booster-doctors-vaccinations-varies/275-f6bacdbc-f8ad-44e3-b4dd-db5e7a0026f8

And finally, new data from NerdWallet shows a graduate degree might not be worth it. Seriously! Researchers found the average person with a master's degree earns only about $400,000 more over the course of their lifetime compared to people with bachelor's degrees. Now, there are some variables, like your major and career field, but it's something to think about if you're worried about taking on more student loans.

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!

CMS board leaders met with state officials to discuss their legislative goals for the district on Tuesday.

The board of education will meet with members of the North Carolina General Assembly. The meeting comes before the State House and Senate are set to convene in Raleigh on Wednesday.

CMS leaders laid out multiple requests from the state, including allowing the school board to switch to remote learning during severe weather or other emergency situations. 

The district also wants its board to be able to determine the school start and stop dates for all schools within the CMS system. Currently, the dates are limited to a certain window from the state.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-board-meeting-state-leaders-north-carolina/275-9a075395-1416-4a4c-b328-203388eff4c3

Employers posted a record 11.5 million job openings in March and the United States now has an unprecedented two job openings for every person who is unemployed.

The latest data released Tuesday further reveals an extraordinarily tight labor market that has emboldened millions of Americans to seek better paying jobs, while also contributing to the biggest inflation surge in four decades.

A record 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in March — a sign that they are confident they can find better pay or improved working conditions elsewhere.

Layoffs, which has been running around 1.8 million a month before the pandemic hit the economy in early 2020, ticked up to 1.4 million in March from 1.35 million in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

The U.S. job market is on a hot streak. Employers have added an average of more than 540,000 jobs a month for the past year. The Labor Department is expected to report Friday that the economy generated another 400,000 new jobs in April, according to a survey by the data firm FactSet. That would mark an unprecedented 12th straight month that hiring has come in at 400,000 or more.

The U.S. economy and job market roared back with unexpected strength from 2020's brief but devastating coronavirus recession, fueled by massive government spending and super-low interested rates engineered by the Federal Reserve.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/record-millions-job-openings-in-march/507-9120e0e5-4171-4c24-b8cf-cfb2b41331c7

A loaded gun was found on the campus of Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology Monday morning, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools confirmed. 

A CMS spokesperson said the weapon was found while the student was going through one of the school's new body scanners.

The 18-year-old student was arrested and charged with gun possession charges, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

CMS said the school was not put on lockdown.

"Please speak with your students about the serious consequences of bringing a weapon to school," school principal Tanya Branham said in a message to parents.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/loaded-gun-berry-academy-charlotte-north-carolina/275-9bbee12f-5d8d-4795-bb65-0d765c9c0162

The first civilians evacuated from the bombed-out steel plant that has become the last stronghold of Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol slowly made their way toward safety Monday, as others who managed to escape the city described terrifying weeks of bombardment and deprivation.

More than 100 civilians — including elderly women and mothers with small children — left the sprawling, rubble-strewn Azovstal steel mill on Sunday and set out in buses and ambulances for the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, about 140 miles (230 kilometers) to the northwest, according to authorities and video released by the two sides.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/first-evacuees-from-mariupol/507-8652663e-c7b5-405f-8caa-c14055db01df

Partners at a Starbucks location in Boone have reportedly voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionizing, becoming the first store in the Carolinas and in the Tar Heel State to have a certified union.

In a statement shared on Saturday, Starbucks United Boone announced members at the Blowing Rock Road location voted 33-2 in favor of unionizing. The union said partners formally declared intent to join the nationwide Starbucks Workers United movement on April 4, with votes in an election finalized on April 30.

"We first want to extend our deepest gratitude to our friends and neighbors for providing us with invaluable support throughout this process," part of the statement read. "To our Boone community- your displays of solidarity, your supportive words, your belief in us, and your willingness to stand with us has done more for our team and for this movement than we can convey. Additionally, thank you to all our partners for working to stand up for what they believe in, for exercising their right to vote, and for committing an unbelievable amount of time and dedication to this process."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/starbucks-union-store-boone-north-carolina-local-money-news/275-0eff5ba6-19af-41f4-b121-bf88384129c3

A pillar of leadership in Huntersville is continuing to be remembered by the community. 

Jill Swain, the former mayor of Huntersville, passed away on Thursday, April 28. 

Swain was a civil servant in the community, starting in 1999 as a commissioner. She served in that role for eight years before being elected mayor. Swain was mayor of Huntersville from 2007 to 2015. She was most recently the executive director for the Huntersville Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Her passing was felt across the state with U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R - North Carolina) also paying tribute to her on social media.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/celebration-of-life-jill-swain-huntersville-scheduled/275-0b5d76d4-9a08-4d76-ae15-8490be5d4b1a

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! 

Leaders in Hickory are pursuing legal action following the collapse of wooden arches over the Rudy Wright pedestrian bridge from Feb. 18.

Documents obtained by WCNC Charlotte showed a lawsuit was filed Wednesday, April 27, in Catawba County Superior Court. The defendants in the case have been identified as Neill Grading and Construction Company, Dane Construction and Western Wood Structures. City of Hickory is identified as the plaintiff. 

According to the complaint, the city is suing the companies for breach of contract and negligence for their work with the arches.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/hickory-lawsuit-collapsed-arches-rudy-wright-bridge/275-162f6863-6e0a-4883-9967-55e377d63b70

A Fort Bragg family is in mourning tonight after a US Army soldier was killed in a military vehicle accident.

Three other soldiers who were injured are still receiving treatment at the hospital.

At the moment, it's unclear what’s responsible -- whether equipment failed, or if a mistake was made. WRAL News has been searching for answers from officials on post. Soldiers who spoke with WRAL News said military activities are risky, and the injury or death of a fellow soldier is always difficult to process.

Thomas MacDougald, a medic who proudly serves in the 82nd Airborne Division of the Army, says during his four years of service, he's seen many soldiers get hurt.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/regional/fort-bragg-soldier-dies-3-injuried-military-vehicle-accident-nc/275-ed368619-ade6-4f13-a553-1233f783f1ce

Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper refused to answer questions about the team's training facility in Rock Hill Wednesday, saying he stood by his previous statements and wanted to honor the city's request to avoid a public back and forth. 

"We released a statement already," Tepper said. "We will respect the city's request not to have a back and forth in public about it. They requested it, we're going to respect it."

It was announced on April 20 that Tepper's real estate company was terminating the agreement surrounding the York County training facility. 

Tepper said he still wants to sit down with Rock Hill leaders and talk, but did not say if he’s committed to keeping the Carolina Panthers project in Rock Hill. Instead, the NFL team owner said he’ll support York County in other ways.

“No matter what they say about me, we will be there for the people of Rock Hill, supporting the community in different fashions," Tepper said. "In charity and I think we’ll probably be in York County for Keep Pounding day."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/nfl/panthers/carolina-panthers-david-tepper-news-conference-rock-hill-training-facility-nfl-draft/275-407f9154-e581-4c9f-b77e-ce789f48f81b

A Mooresville man is warning others about how to protect your personal property after he says he found a credit card skimmer at a gas station pump.

On Tuesday night at the Speedway in Mooresville, Erick Baxter says he performed his typical routine checking the card reader before filling up. But this time was different.

“I was like, 'Look I found it!' Kind of like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory type of thing, like the golden ticket," Baxter said.

He said he discovered a credit card skimmer that appeared to be attached to the pump by double sided tape. Oftentimes the skimmers aren't so obvious, but Baxter says a simple step can help you notice a difference.

“If you give it a slight tug, it comes right off which is exactly what happened," Baxter said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/mooresville-man-finds-credit-card-skimmer-gas-pump/275-2e386db1-7b23-4afd-9211-d194f7b537ab

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! 

Tuesday evening, Hugh Hattabaugh assumed a familiar role of leading Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the second-largest school district in North Carolina, on an interim basis, presiding over a meeting in which board members voted to approve a budget that his predecessor Earnest Winston proposed.

If approved by Mecklenburg County Commissioners, the proposal would provide a pay raise for teachers.

The budget proposal includes an average state salary increase of up to 2.7% for teachers, assistant principals, and other certified staff. It also proposes a 10% increase for the local teacher supplement. 

A new teacher with a bachelor's degree currently gets paid more than $41,000 a year at CMS. If the proposal passes, that same teacher would get more than $43,000.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/cms-board-budget-request-voting/275-a9373cf3-c150-417d-85ec-4f80e65d2901

The U.S. defense chief urged Ukraine's allies to “move at the speed of war” to get more and heavier weapons to Kyiv as Russian forces rained fire on eastern and southern Ukraine amid new fears that the fighting could spill over the country’s borders.

For the second day, explosions rocked the separatist region of Trans-Dniester Tuesday in neighboring Moldova, knocking out two powerful radio antennas. And a Russian missile hit a strategic railroad bridge linking Ukraine’s Odesa port region to neighboring Romania, a NATO member, Ukrainian authorities said.

Meanwhile, two other neighboring NATO members, Poland and Bulgaria, said the Kremlin is cutting off natural gas supplies starting Wednesday, the first such actions of the war. Poland has been a major gateway for the delivery of weapons to Ukraine and confirmed this week that it is sending the country tanks.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/russia-ukraine-war-wednesday/507-697cc9ca-2e5a-436c-9dcf-801c96b2b838

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!