Local News Roundup: complaints about UDO-approved triplexes; CATS ridership up; Tax rebate ahead for new owners of old Duke building

On the next Charlotte Talks Local News Roundup…

Residents near SouthPark are “concerned” and even angry about triplexes popping up in the neighborhood, bringing to fruition the City’s Unified Development Ordinance, put into place last summer. We’ll hear more.

The N.C. Local Government Commission has given the go-ahead to issue $2.5 billion in bonds for CMS renovation, replacement and expansion projects at schools across the district. We’ll discuss.

A property tax rebate may be in the future for the new owners of Uptown’s old Duke Energy building. We’ll talk about what was discussed by City Council on Monday.

And the Hornets’ losing streak continues.

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
· Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter
· Hunter Saenz, WSOC-TV reporter

Local News Roundup: Bomb threats and lockdowns at schools throughout the region; Actors Theatre to close; Gaston County Schools payroll problem continues; CATS drivers vote on agreement

CATS drivers vote on a new contract this week that would get them “significant pay raises”. The tentative agreement could make a positive change for the drivers and the problems CATS has been experiencing with a bus driver shortage for the last several months. We’ll dig into the details of the first vote.

Actors Theatre of Charlotte plans to close its doors next month after 30 years of bringing professional local theater to Charlotteans. We’ll talk about why they’re closing and what led to the decision.

Payroll problems continue for some Gaston County school employees. Officials from the system acknowledged that the problems have been going on for months. School Board Chair Jeff Ramsey says they’re committed to fixing the problem.

Around the region, from Mooresville to Cabarrus county schools and several Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools, bomb threats and lockdowns at multiple schools have students, employees and families on edge.

And “unruly behavior” by minors at Carowinds causes the amusement park to close early last week and now, a new policy for all minors to be accompanied by a chaperone.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and all the week’s top local and regional news on the Charlotte Talks local news roundup.

GUESTS:

Nick Ochsner, WBTV’s executive producer for investigations & chief investigative reporter

Mary C. Curtis, columnist for Rollcall.com, host of the Rollcall podcast “Equal Time”

Ann Doss Helms, WFAE education reporter

Danielle Chemtob, investigative reporter with Axios Charlotte

Local News Roundup: Charlotte weighs housing initiatives; COVID cases could rise again

A local expert says that cases of COVID-19 in North Carolina will increase in the next few weeks. We talk about the prediction and what doctors are saying.

The Charlotte City Council is working on plans to provide more affordable housing in the city. We take a look at several projects on the table, and what kind of dent they’d make in Charlotte’s affordable housing deficit.

The stalled construction of the Rock Hill, South Carolina, headquarters for the Carolina Panthers drew heated criticism from South Carolina state Sen. Wes Climer this week. We discuss what was said and have an update on the plans in Rock Hill.

And the Hornets’ positioning for the NBA playoffs has been on a rollercoaster the last couple of weeks. We look at how the next couple of games could define their season.

Mike Collins and our roundtable of reporters delve into those stories and all the week’s top local and regional news 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”

Claire Donnelly, WFAE health reporter

Joe Bruno, WSOC-TV reporter

EQUALibrium: A public conversation on race and equity in Charlotte

Eight years ago in 2014, Charlotte ranked 50 out of 50 of the nation’s largest metro areas in an upward mobility study from Harvard and the University of California-Berkeley.
.
The “Land of Opportunity” study painted a bleak outlook for Charlotte’s poorest residents, but served as a wake up call for city officials and community members.

Leaders took action to address and correct the trends in mobility. Money was raised, programs were launched and attention was paid to areas like pre-K education, affordable housing and transportation.

So, where is Charlotte now?

In this special conversation, host Mary C. Curtis is joined by local leaders and experts at Project 658 in Charlotte to look at how far the city has come, and what still needs to happen to improve upward mobility in Charlotte.

GUESTS

  • Ely Portillo, assistant director of outreach & strategic partnerships at UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute
  • Sherri Chisholm, executive director of Leading on Opportunity
  • Vi Lyles, mayor of Charlotte
  • Charis Blackmon, executive director of West Side Community Land Trust
  • Daniel Valdez, senior director of external affairs at Welcoming America

Fudge on housing funds in reconciliation: ‘We can’t live in the past’

President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better package includes almost $150 billion devoted to remedying inequities left by the country’s history of discriminatory housing practices. If a bill passes the Senate includes that amount, it would be historic.

Marcia L. Fudge, the secretary of Housing and Urban Development, has been sharing the message about infrastructure investments that include public housing rehabilitation and rental vouchers, and what it would all mean for American families. Fudge joined a recent episode of CQ Roll Call’s podcast Equal Time to discuss the issue further.

A transcript, edited for clarity and brevity, appears below.

Mary C. Curtis: Charlotte City Council Approves $2.7 Billion Budget

At its Monday meeting, Charlotte leaders approved next year’s $2.7 billion budget. Included are efforts to cut down on crime and funding for the arts as the city tries to come back after a year of COVID lockdown. Also, pay raises bring up salaries that had ranked low among comparable cities in the country.

WCCB Political Contributor, Mary C. Curtis is breaking down the budget for 2022 fiscal year and why you should care.

Tackling Charlotte’s Affordable Housing Crisis

CHARLOTTE, NC — A new report is shedding light on Charlotte’s affordable housing crisis.

The report from the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute found that more than half of minority resident’s in Mecklenburg county can’t afford to buy groceries, gas and medicine because they’re spending one-third of their paycheck on housing.

Political contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in.

Will Changing Charlotte Neighborhoods Change Charlotte?

CHARLOTTE, NC — This week it was iconic Pike’s Soda Shop closing in South End, a neighborhood that has already seen favorites such as Phat Burrito close or move to make way for high-end shops and new developments. It’s not a new phenomenon for a growing city like Charlotte. But with growth comes new challenges, for example, how to meet the need for affordable housing when prices and rents rise and residents are displaced.

The city searches for solutions to mesh the old and the new in Charlotte.