Amy Aussieker, executive director of Envision Charlotte, is one of Charlotte's leaders in making the city more sustainable. In this episode, she talks about her work at Envision Charlotte, why it’s so important for our city and why she is breeding soldier flies at the city-owned Innovation Barn.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com. This episode is part of a series in which we interview winners of The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which honor people aged 40+ who are making our community a better place. Find out information about those awards at Ledger40Over40.com.

This episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is hosted by Steve Dunn of Miles Mediation and Arbitration. It is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Have you ever thought people aged 40+ should be identified and recognized for their good work? Yeah, we did, too — so much that we started The Charlotte Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, which celebrate people who are making our community better and who are aged 40 and up.

In this special episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Charlotte Ledger editors Tony Mecia and Cristina Bolling explain the whys and hows of the 40 Over 40 Awards, which are now in their 4th year and culminate with a fun 1980s-themed party in April. They are interviewed by Tim Whitmire of CXN Advisory and Steve Dunn of Miles Mediation and Arbitration.

For more information on the Ledger 40 Over 40 Awards, Presented by U.S. Bank, go to Ledger40Over40.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

As we enter 2023, there are big question marks about the future of the U.S. economy. What will happen with inflation, jobs, stocks and the housing market? A panel of experts broke down those topics and more in a Jan. 4, 2023, online forum called “Taking the Air Out of Inflation: 2023 Economic Outlook.” The panel is presented by Davidson College and U.S. Bank, and the moderator is Charlotte Ledger editor Tony Mecia.

Panelists are Eric Freedman, chief investment officer at U.S. Bank Asset Management Group; Siobhan O’Keefe, assistant professor of economics at Davidson College; Matt Phillips, financial markets correspondent for Axios; and Jennifer Streaks, senior personal finance reporter for Insider.

You can watch a video of the discussion, with captions, here.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Since the death of her son Joe in 2010, Diane Restaino of Charlotte has been working toward his dying wish that she raise money to advance research and treatment of pediatric cancer. Over the course of 13 years, Diane grew the Joedance Film Festival into a well-known nonprofit that raised more than $400,000 for Atrium Levine Children's Hospital's cancer program. As Diane announced the festival's end, she reflected on the experience of starting a nonprofit in honor of a child, her grief journey and what Joedance has accomplished in the world of pediatric cancer treatment.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Charlotte's real estate industry is changing — and David Ravin, CEO of development company Northwood Ravin, has had a front-row seat to its evolution over more than two decades. He reflects on his early interest in architecture and urban planning, his time as a student at UNC Charlotte, what he learned at real estate giant Crosland, Northwood Ravin's philosophy on building and where real estate in Charlotte goes from here.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

How does Charlotte's tech sector stack up nationally, and where does it go from here? Veteran local tech entrepreneur John Espey, CEO of Defiance Ventures, assesses Charlotte's strengths and weaknesses in tech, tells what he looks for in making tech investments, discusses the sector's recent challenges and offers an outlook for crypto, artificial intelligence and more.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

When Claire Schuch reported for duty at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in spring 2022, she inherited a department with plenty on its plate. Schuch leads the district’s planning services department, which is responsible for tasks ranging from drawing boundaries for new schools to devising plans to accommodate for growth and shifting populations.

She sat down with Ledger managing editor Cristina Bolling in this episode of the Charlotte Ledger Podcast to talk about her background and the mission behind her department, the importance of understanding the communities beyond the maps and what’s ahead for school growth in south Charlotte.

For more information about The Charlotte Ledger, or to sign up for our newsletters, visit TheCharlotteLedger.com.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

If a big transit plan for Charlotte is going to happen, it’s going to take a regional approach. And Geraldine Gardner, executive director of the Centralina Regional Council, has been working on a regional approach to Charlotte-area transit since 2019.

Last year, the Centralina Regional Council and the Metropolitan Transit Commission released Connect Beyond, a regional mobility plan that offers a vision of for improving transit and transportation in the 12-county Charlotte region. It produced more than 150 recommendations that will serve as a blueprint for improving connectivity over the next couple decades.

The Charlotte Ledger’s Tony Mecia talked with Gardner about the vision for a regional transit system — and how to get there.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

Find out more about The Charlotte Ledger, or sign up for our award-winning newsletters, at TheCharlotteLedger.com.

Marjorie Molina wasn’t expecting to run for political office. But when a vacancy opened on the Charlotte City Council and friends suggested she give it a try, she went for it.

Some parts of running a political campaign didn’t come naturally, like fundraising. But it worked: She beat four opponents in a May 2022 primary and was sworn in representing Charlotte’s eastside in September 2022.

Molina, 42, spoke with The Ledger’s Tony Mecia about her journey from citizen to politician, what it’s like being a council member, what she hopes to accomplish in her time on council, and what the future looks like for east Charlotte.

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.

For more information or to sign up for The Charlotte Ledger's newsletters, go to TheCharlotteLedger.com

The Catawba River is Charlotte's source of water. It's vital to our region. So how do we protect it? Brandon Jones of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation discusses that important topic with The Charlotte Ledger's Lindsey Banks. They explore what being a riverkeeper means, why protecting the river basin is important in Mecklenburg County, the foundation's work and the coolest spot in the basin to visit. Podcast produced by Lindsey Banks.

For original and smart local insights on Charlotte, sign up for The Charlotte Ledger's newsletter at www.TheCharlotteLedger.com.