704 Unfiltered

City of Charlotte leaders are looking to ease the affordable housing crisis and are eyeing several new projects that could bring hundreds of affordable homes to the region.

“The ability for people to afford housing and be able to live in the city is of the utmost importance because cities are made up of people,” Charlotte City Councilman Braxton Winston said.

Funding for a handful of projects was approved during Monday's Charlotte City Council meeting. It means funding is now available for the development of more than 600 affordable homes. According to information provided to WCNC Charlotte, about 140 units would be geared toward households that make less than 30% of the average median income.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/markets/real-estate/affordable-housing-crisis/affordable-housing-projects-eyed-by-city-of-charlotte-leaders/275-50f17024-cf45-4edf-85d5-371d36025a69

U.S. Representative Ralph Norman is the latest leader to speak regarding the Carolina Panthers training facility project in Rock Hill.

The project has now been on hold for more than a month, and despite receiving a new funding offer from both the City of Rock Hill and York County, Panthers owner David Tepper has not responded.

In a public letter released Sunday night, Norman called on Tepper to “break the silence and be transparent about what’s happening from his perspective.”

The major construction site on 240 acres has sat idle for weeks, and hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake.

“The longer it goes, people will assume that it’s just dead,” Norman said. “The taxpayers deserve a lot better than what they’re getting. To go this far for something this big… something’s not right.”

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/rock-hill/panthers-david-tepper-new-offer-training-facility-rock-hill/275-552fe774-2fc1-4344-9398-9a51488d9fe6

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! 

Weddington officials are giving residents more time to voice their concerns after an overwhelming response to a proposed development project Monday night. 

The 80-acre mixed-use project would allow new homes, retail, restaurants and green space in a town center-style development between Providence Road and Weddington Road. Many people say the development would make an already crowded area too busy. 

Diana Iannacone has lived in the same house for 30 years. She raised her family in Weddington because of the quiet rural feel.

“When we first moved here, people would ride their horses,” Iannacone said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/weddington-nc-rezoning-proposal-concerns-raised/275-eaa9cb54-d060-488f-b18a-f8af890b68b9

City of Charlotte leaders are looking to ease the affordable housing crisis and will consider several new projects this week that could bring hundreds of affordable homes to the region.

“The ability for people to afford housing and be able to live in the city is of the utmost importance because cities are made up of people,” Charlotte City Councilman Braxton Winston said.

If the projects are approved, it could mean the development of more than 600 affordable homes. According to information provided to WCNC Charlotte, about 140 units would be geared toward households that make less than 30% of the average median income.

City Council Member Dimple Ajmera said it's a step in the right direction, but added that the need far outweighs what is being proposed.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/markets/real-estate/affordable-housing-crisis/affordable-housing-projects-eyed-by-city-of-charlotte-leaders/275-50f17024-cf45-4edf-85d5-371d36025a69

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 well-known brewing company based in Charlotte is suing another company because it "ripped off" a trademark. 

According to court documents obtained by WCNC Charlotte, Sycamore Brewing is suing Stone Brewing, based out of California, for using the "Keep It Juicy" phrase on merchandise and in advertising. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/sycamore-brewing-charlotte-keep-it-juicy-copyright-lawsuit/275-8914e085-7398-4c4c-b7e9-9abb7e793bac

 The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court on Thursday, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden a bipartisan endorsement for his effort to diversify the court.

Jackson, a 51 year-old appeals court judge with nine years experience on the federal bench, was confirmed 53-47, mostly along party lines but with three Republican votes. Presiding was Vice President Kamala Harris, also the first Black woman to reach that high office.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/ketanji-brown-jackson-supreme-court-senate-confirmation-vote/507-114300dc-82a4-4af5-b88b-f7220848ed80

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools still plans to eventually distribute clear backpacks to high school students, according to superintendent Earnest Winston.

Last week, when schools were giving out the bags, they stopped due to due to a warning tag issue related to possibly harmful materials.

The district spent close to half a million dollars on the backpacks as part of a larger effort to reduce weapons in schools.

"We are talking to the vendor and the manufacturer to make sure that we erase all doubts with regard to the safety of the backpacks," said Winston. "The issue that has come up recently is specifically related to California.”

Winston said CMS wants to do its own investigation into proposition 65 tags on some of the bags. He didn't expand on what exactly an investigation consists of.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/clear-backpacks-cms-charlotte-nc-crime-education-local/275-2b974449-80f1-4ced-9577-1dac43075a82

South Carolina State Senator Wes Climer (R-York County) is not holding back on his thoughts on David Tepper and the Carolina Panthers. 

It has been a month since the organization pressed pause on an $800 million construction project that included a practice facility and team headquarters in Rock Hill.

York County Council voted on March 21 to bring a new financing offer for infrastructure at the site. On March 29, Rock Hill City Council adopted a resolution supporting the financing plan. 

But for the project to get the OK, Tepper Sports and Entertainment also has to sign off on the deal. WCNC Charlotte has reportedly reached out to the organization for a statement with the last attempt on April 5 with no response. 

Climer told WCNC Charlotte on Wednesday everyone from the city, county and state arenas has worked over the years in good faith to bring the project to fruition. He added it is time for a resolution.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/sc-state-senator-york-county-carolina-panthersconstruction-project/275-8694e91f-2237-4ee2-8a68-5c305af750fa

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 more Charlotte-Mecklenburg high school students will start going through body scanners in the coming weeks. 

CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston said at a Tuesday night school board meeting the district will put body scanners in 14 more high schools to try and curb weapons entering campuses.

It’s been a little under a week since seven initial CMS high schools started using body scanners.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cms-body-scanners-high-schools-next-phase/275-4ebe3914-672d-4726-9cf7-af22140f4d40

Criminal charges have been filed against a now-former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus driver accused of swabbing students' cheeks, the District Attorney's Office confirmed to WCNC Charlotte.

CMS parents previously said they were concerned their child's bus driver pressed kids into giving up a swab from inside their mouth. According to the parents, the students said the driver offered money for the supposed COVID-19 test.

“It was a red flag, and it happened on the bus, on the school grounds," CMS parent Dawn Thompson previously told WCNC Charlotte.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/cms-former-bus-driver-facing-charges-swab-cheek/275-a557de85-d05f-4560-b2fa-7c682fea8c2d

Charlotte city leaders are seeking solutions to the city's affordable housing crisis. Monday night, Charlotte City Council discussed several new projects that would bring hundreds of affordable apartments and some homes to the Queen City. 

The city of Charlotte is looking to add 602 new and affordable units throughout the city. 

"There is a real crisis," District 4 councilwoman Renee Perkins Johnson said. "People cannot afford to live here."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/money/markets/real-estate/affordable-housing-crisis/charlotte-city-council-affordable-housing-plans/275-338486e9-9b03-4709-be6a-df681f4cfc3d

Teachers in Cabarrus County could get some extra cash heading into summertime.

The school board heard a presentation Monday about a $475 bonus for all certified staff including teachers and certified instructional support staff. That's an estimated 2,500 employees.

The payment would be made on May 31 and be funded with state allotment.

This initiative is separate from the $1,000 bonus that Cabarrus County teachers received earlier this year.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/cabarrus-county-teachers-bonus-pay/275-96006771-75dd-4924-b7f2-45e078bc2876

The number of COVID-19 hospitalizations nationwide are at an all-time low falling 32% over the last two weeks.

We are also seeing similar trends here in the Carolinas with South Carolina and most of North Carolina having low community levels.

Health officials say hospitalizations are continuing to decrease week after week, and even though the BA.2 subvariant of omicron is becoming more prominent they’re not expecting a surge in cases.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/covid-19-hospitalizations-all-time-low-nc-charlotte/275-2b5e61a8-a321-435e-8e3d-cdffc52b22f2

A Fort Mill restaurant was forced to close on April 3 after a car drove into the building causing major damage. 

In a Facebook post, Flipside Cafe stated the driver passed out and drove into the restaurant. Employees and guests were injured.

"I don't think people realize how crazy this could've been," Jonathan Fortes, owner told WCNC Charlotte.

Fortes also said one guest was transported to a local hospital and three employees suffered minor injuries.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/fort-mill-restaurant-closed-flipside-cafe-car-into-building/275-56bd9fd8-8ecc-4010-822a-2d96f4256962

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 tornado likely touched down near the border of Anson and Stanly counties in North Carolina Thursday.

Photos shared by the Anson County Emergency Management show severe weather storm damage from the possible tornado in the Burnsville community near Polkton.

Emergency officials said chicken houses were destroyed, and damage occurred to homes and trees.

The National Weather Service in Raleigh, which has jurisdiction issuing warnings for this area, will visit the site Friday to confirm the strength of the storm responsible for the damage.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/suspected-tornado-polkton-stanly-county-severe-weather/275-bd757562-96c9-43af-b239-050be6bbba61

A 12-year-old boy has died after deputies in the upstate of South Carolina say he was shot inside a middle school by another boy Thursday afternoon.

More than 200 law enforcement officers, including deputies with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office in the upstate of South Carolina, responded to the shooting at Tanglewood Middle School, on Greenville's western side. NBC affiliate WYFF-TV said deputies confirmed the school's resource officer requested emergency backup around 12:30 p.m. after the student was wounded.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/school-shooting-south-carolina-middle-school-greenville-county-crime-regional/275-fc2aad43-554e-421b-8b0a-d0237ebc2386

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! 

Students at Hopewell High School in Huntersville spent their first day going through newly installed body scanners Wednesday morning, as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools seeks solutions for violence on its campuses. 

Hopewell is one of seven schools piloting the scanners to test how CMS handles them before they're rolled out at every high school in the district. The decision to install the scanners came after a record number of guns were found on CMS campuses this year.

CMS took a hit earlier this week when it had to half the rollout of clear backpacks after they discovered at the last minute that multiple bags that sat in a warehouse had a Proposition 65 label about possible cancer-causing materials in them. The body scanners now join the anonymous reporting app that was introduced earlier this year as new tools to make schools safer. 

According to a CMS purchase order, $1.6 million was spent on equipment needed for the body scanners in all seven schools. Students said the scanners caused a significant slowdown at the start of the day Wednesday. CMS did not respond to a WCNC Charlotte request to see the scanners installed at Hopewell High School.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/charlotte-mecklenburg-schools-hopewell-high-school-body-scanners-school-security/275-709005f1-b9ba-4f2d-a7cf-8543e06e8890

Beloved actor Bruce Willis is stepping away from his decades-long acting career following a series of recent health issues, his family announced.

Willis has recently been diagnosed with aphasia and it is impacting his cognitive abilities, according to a statement posted Wednesday by the 67-year-old's family. 

"As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him," read the statement signed by Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore, and his five children, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn. "This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support."

"As Bruce always says, 'live it up,' and together we plan to do just that," the family statement continued.

According to the Mayo Clinic: "Aphasia is a condition that robs you of the ability to communicate. It can affect your ability to speak, write and understand language, both verbal and written."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/bruce-willis-ends-career-following-health-issues/507-37d981ce-d027-45d4-bd71-36421296d0ba

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein visited Charlotte on Tuesday to discuss the state's efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.

Stein was joined by the Center for Prevention Services, Queen City Harm Reduction, the Mecklenburg County Health Department, and other local officials. The discussion focused on the area's allocation of opioid settlement funds, the syringe program, and the negative impact opioid addiction has had on individuals, families, and communities.

Stein's visit to Charlotte comes more than six months after four drug companies agreed to pay for their role in fueling the opioid crisis; 48 states, including North Carolina, were set to receive nearly $26 billion total as part of the agreement from pharmaceutical companies Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson. North Carolina's share was $750 million.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/josh-stein-opioid-discussion-charlotte-north-carolina-local-state-politics-drugs-health/275-36a7f481-3b3c-4d1c-ab22-f44bf9e9aeca

Myers Park High School's football program is forfeiting its 2021-22 season after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) found fraudulent documents were used for school enrollment and athlete eligibility for the varsity team.

In a letter sent to parents, principal Robert Folk said the school was made aware of the fake documents in January 2022 and investigated. The school then self-reported its findings to the NCHSAA.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/myers-park-hs-football-student-ineligibility-education-athletics-sports-local/275-f2dccc79-eb73-4577-a736-b68ebb652d1c