Good morning, this is Charlotte Local Pulse for Friday, October seventeenth.

We wake up today with the sun peeking through light clouds, setting us up for a crisp fall day in the Queen City. Highs will touch the mid-sixties, and we may see a few clouds later in the afternoon, but the chance of rain stays low. That means outdoor plans are a go, and we’ll have cool, dry air all weekend.

Let’s start with breaking news from city hall. The Charlotte City Council has approved a measure aimed at fast-tracking affordable housing projects on West Boulevard and Beatties Ford Road. This comes after months of community advocacy, and city leaders say shovels could be in the ground before the new year.

Over at the police department, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police’s Major Crash Investigation Unit is working on a tragic fatal crash overnight on South Tryon Street near Woodlawn. And detectives from the Domestic Violence Unit announced the arrest of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employee following a serious incident on Wednesday. CMPD asks anyone with related information to come forward. On a positive note, the department reports a drop in car break-ins this week along Park Road and in South End, following extra patrols.

We keep hearing about the hot job market across town, with more than seventy thousand job postings live right now, covering everything from receptionists and customer service to senior finance, risk, and technology roles. Wells Fargo and Citi are both recruiting in banking, and positions at UNC Charlotte and tech companies are seeing quick fills. For job seekers, the options are diverse, especially in professional services and tech.

Turning to real estate, Sasa Mujanovic at Compass says Charlotte’s housing market is still holding steady. The median sales price is just under four hundred thousand dollars, about one percent higher than last fall, but down nearly eighteen thousand from our all-time high. Homes are sitting on the market longer, fifty-three days on average, which gives buyers more choices and room to negotiate. Inventory is still relatively low, but buyers are gaining a bit of an edge as we move deeper into fall.

On the cultural front, it’s shaping up to be a banner weekend. The Carolina BalloonFest in Statesville celebrates fifty years with mass ascensions, evening glows, and food trucks starting at three today. The Pineville Fall Fest offers carnival rides, live music, and a chili cook-off at Jack D. Hughes Park, continuing through Saturday. Charlotte Craft Beer Week gets underway tonight with a NoDa Neighborhood Bar Crawl, while art lovers can check out the Charlotte Chalk Art Festival at NoDa Brewing. Big names in music are coming to town too with The Cult at Ovens Auditorium and Billie Eilish taking the Spectrum Center stage on Sunday night.

Sports fans, our Charlotte Checkers hockey club opens their season this weekend at Bojangles Coliseum, with puck drops tonight and tomorrow. Charlotte FC faces Philadelphia Union at Bank of America Stadium Saturday evening. On campus, UNC Charlotte’s Homecoming Carnival promises live music and rides this afternoon.

It’s a great stretch for our schools. Mallard Creek High’s marching band just scored top honors at the regional competition, and Providence High’s volleyball team advanced to the state playoffs after their win last night. Our students make us proud in so many ways.

A quick feel-good story before we go. Neighbors on Commonwealth Avenue organized a spontaneous coat drive this week, gathering more than two hundred jackets for local families before colder weather arrives. Sometimes, it’s the little things that bring us together.

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