Local News Roundup: Rep. Jeff Jackson votes for TikTok ban; Sports betting live in NC; Aftermath of State Superintendent primary upset; CMS Superintendent on district’s future

Featured at WFAE

Representative Jeff Jackson votes in favor of a proposed TikTok ban in Congress, but Dan Bishop is against it. We hear why.

Two North Carolinians are now the co-chairs of the Republican National Committee, hand-picked by former President Donald Trump.

Last week we discussed the upset in the GOP race for state Superintendent in North Carolina. So what happens next? We hear about the general election candidates and their electability.

North Carolina principals asked state lawmakers Monday to revise the state’s pay plan. We hear what representatives of the state Principals and Assistant Principals’ Association said.

And, in case you haven’t heard, sports betting has gone live in North Carolina. We’ll fill you in.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and more, on the Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.

GUESTS:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Ann Doss Helms, WFAE education reporter
Ben Thompson, morning and midday anchor at WCNC Charlotte and host of WCNC’s “Flashpoint”

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Mar152024 TAGS: , , , ,

Local News Roundup: Pat Cotham out after Super Tuesday upset; Matthews Commission discontinues Zoom comments; Sheriff McFadden at the SOTU address

Featured at WFAE

Super Tuesday in North Carolina ended with upsets (including Pat Cotham losing out on the seat she’s held since 2012), low voter turnout and the end of the line for Nikki Haley. We’ll recap what the primary will mean for the local, state and national vote going forward.

The Town of Matthews decided no more Zoom comments will be included in future meetings after offensive remarks were made last week. We’ll hear what Mayor John Higdon said about the Zoom-bombers.

CATS said this week at the Charlotte City Council meeting that it still plans to move the main bus station uptown underground. We’ll hear what CATS Interim CEO Brent Cagle said about the plans, which aren’t changing despite the Hornets’ no longer participating in the plan to build a practice facility as part of the project.

This week, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden is in the audience for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address. He’s Charlotte-area representative Alma Adam’s guest for the address, and she said she wants to highlight his efforts to reduce gun violence.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal
Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter and host of “The Political Beat”
Ely Portillo, senior editor at WFAE News

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Mar082024 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

Local News Roundup: COVID-19 numbers rise; City Council recommends esports venue for Eastland Yards; CATS Gold Line changes; Beyoncé in Charlotte

Featured at WFAE

COVID-19 numbers are on the rise in the area as cases and hospitalization numbers in the county are on a slight uptick.

Charlotte City Council’s Economic Development Committee votes to back a proposal for a new proposal at the Eastland Mall site that would bring esports, a concert venue and soccer fields.

We’ll bring you a Charlotte Area Transit System update as the city will soon have a new management system to run the bus system (currently the city contracts with RATP Dev.). CATS is also cutting back on its Gold Line service as the agency struggles to fill vacancies on its staff.

A 900-pound longhorn bull captivated our attention this week by evading authorities in West Charlotte. Will it be caught by show time?

Aaron Rodgers and the Jets are in town this week, first for joint practices with the Panthers, and this weekend, for a pre-season game. How do we look?

And Beyoncé, otherwise known as “Queen Bey,” takes on the Queen City. We’ll give highlights of her Wednesday night concert.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and more, on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”
Steve Harrison, WFAE’s political reporter
Shamarria Morrison, WCNC reporter
David Boraks, WFAE’s climate reporter

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Aug112023 TAGS: , , , , , ,

What a close Republican win in a North Carolina House race means (maybe) for 2020

Featured at Roll Call

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Though Republicans tried to downplay the importance of an off-year special House election in North Carolina, President Donald Trump certainly thought differently. Why else would he have held an election eve rally alongside Dan Bishop, the GOP nominee in the state’s 9th District? And if that was not enough to belie the seeming lack of official party interest, Vice President Mike Pence also managed a North Carolina campaign trip the same day.

It paid off Tuesday, as Election Day turnout gave Bishop a 2-point win over Democrat Dan McCready. Bishop certainly credited Trump — the president, of course, took all of it — who helped the candidate overcome scandal over the race and his own controversial support of a “bathroom bill” that hurt business in the state. The newly elected congressman portrayed himself as Trump’s “mini-me” on every issue, from guns to abortion rights to immigration.

True, it was only one seat and one election, albeit one that has been going on for what seems like decades, and it was in a district Trump won by 12 points in 2016 and where Democrats have not had success since the early 1960s. So you could characterize Trump’s visit as a rescue mission. But a win is a win. On second thought, though, is it?

Read the rest atRoll Call
Sep122019 TAGS: , , , , , , , ,

What Does the Dan Bishop Win Mean for 2020?

Featured at WCCB Rising

CHARLOTTE, NC — Republican Dan Bishop defeats Democrat Dan McCready in North Carolina’s 9th congressional district race, giving Republicans a narrow victory in the GOP-leaning district where Donald Trump won by 12 points in 2016.

Political contributor Mary C. Curtis discusses the results and what the win means for 2020.

Read the rest atWCCB Rising
Sep112019 TAGS: , , , , ,

Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup: Dorian Hits The Carolinas; NC Maps Unconstitutional; The Dans

Featured at WFAE

On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup…

Hurricane Dorian has been making its way up the East Coast and is now impacting the Carolinas. The storm is bringing heavier winds than normal to the Queen City, and is responsible for power outages throughout the two states. We’ll bring you the latest on Dorian’s damage to the coast with a report from WCNC’s Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich and Spectrum News’ Jonathan Lowe, and we’ll look at the impact of the hurricane on early voting near the coast.

On Tuesday, a 3-judge panel ruled that North Carolina’s House and Senate maps were drawn to give Republicans the advantage and said they were unconstitutional. The legislature now has just two weeks to draw new maps. We’ll talk about the details of the ruling and what’s next.

We are just days away from the Special Election that will decide “which Dan” will be the winner of the 9th District Congressional Election. We’ll have one final check in on this race before Election Day.

North Carolina’s state school performance grades were released this week… how did CMS schools- as well as area Charters do? We’ll take a look.

Host Mike Collins and a panel of journalists will discuss those stories and more on this week’s Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup.

Guests:

Brad Panovich, Chief Meteorologist, WCNC-TV

Jonathan Lowe, reporter for Spectrum News

Erik Spanberg, managing editor for the Charlotte Business Journal

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com and WCCB

David Boraks, reporter for WFAE 

Steve Harrison, WFAE’s Political Reporter

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Sep062019 TAGS: , , , , , ,

North Carolina redo sets stage for copycat campaigns in 2020

Featured at Roll Call

OPINION — After an election fraud scandal, North Carolina Republicans lost a House candidate. After an indictment and questions about possible bribery, the state GOP lost its chair.

But all that didn’t stop a gaggle of Republicans from vying for the chance to run for a House seat that, thanks to gerrymandering, still favors their party — that is, of course, if voters stay interested in a special election that now will be decided on Sept. 10, if everything goes as planned.

Whatever happens, the race has offered a national blueprint for what voters will see in 2020, with the majority of Republicans clinging close to Donald Trump and trying to brand Democrats as far to the left as imagination allows. Meanwhile, Democrats proclaim their independence and ability to stand up to the president and his bending of constitutional norms while doing the other business of Congress and helping constituents.

Read the rest atRoll Call
May162019 TAGS: , , , , , , ,