WFAE

09/10/2026

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have charged 28-year-old Dionte Antonio McCracking with attempted murder in the shooting of an officer early Wednesday in west Charlotte.

09/09/2026

Utility bills are the school system’s second-largest expense after salaries and benefits. https://buff.ly/wWfvpLD

A group of students, parents and energy experts is making the financial case for going green in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

09/09/2026

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is preparing to redraw attendance boundaries to accommodate two schools that will open in the 2028-29 school year.

The district plans to create new attendance zones for a middle school under construction on Stumptown Road and for Elbert Edwin Waddell High School, which will be converted into a comprehensive high school serving a traditional attendance area.

The new middle school is being funded through the district's 2023 bond package. Elbert Edwin Waddell High School already exists but for now serves students enrolled in CMS' Virtual School and PACE program for recently arrived immigrants. Under the district's plan, the school will transition into a full comprehensive high school with its own attendance boundary.

CMS has not yet proposed specific attendance boundaries. District officials plan to gather community feedback before they present a draft plan to the school board in October. The board is expected to vote on the proposal in December.

The district plans to make calls and send emails and letters to affected families. It will also host community engagement sessions at school sites across the district.

Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio
📝: James Farrell
📸: WFAE

09/09/2026

Mecklenburg County staff presented a sustainability report Tuesday afternoon for the previous fiscal year that highlighted several successes, including expanded county recycling programs and improved compliance with air-quality standards.

“2025 marked the first year on record that air pollution stayed within healthy limits every day,” the report said, adding that the county averaged around five unhealthy air quality days each year.

But the report also pointed to some areas for improvement as the county slips farther away from other goals. Mecklenburg County is paying more for less land, reaching a six-year low in new park acquisitions. Two years ago, Mecklenburg County paid nearly $48 million for about 552 acres. The price per acre has nearly doubled since then as land prices have risen across the county.

County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell said the figures also reflected the $20 million reduction in land acquisition funds.

Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio
📝: Zachary Turner
📸: Zachary Turner

09/09/2026

Commissioners will take a formal vote Sept. 22. That will direct their representative on the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization how to vote a day later. https://buff.ly/E3h26kF

Davidson Commissioners are scheduled to vote Sept. 22 whether to support the Interstate 77 toll lanes.

09/09/2026

A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer is in stable condition after being shot overnight in west Charlotte, according to CMPD.

09/09/2026

Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney announced Tuesday that he is retiring and will step down at the end of the month.

09/09/2026

The first public sign of tension between Hill and the board came when board members voted down her budget recommendation in April. Hill said she knew the vote was coming but was surprised the board told her to return with a different recommendation.

“That is what I was a little caught off guard about, was the motion that I was to go back and come back with a different recommendation,” Hill said.

After several tense meetings, Hill and the board ultimately approved a budget. But Hill said the relationship remained strained.

Hill said she believed she was meeting with the board in June to discuss a path forward. Instead, she said board members informed her they had received several serious allegations and were placing her on leave.

Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio
📝: James Farrell
📸: WFAE

09/09/2026

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education on Tuesday celebrated academic growth reflected in the district’s latest state test results while also acknowledging persistent achievement gaps among student groups.

Board member Shamaiye Haynes said the district should continue focusing on those disparities even as it recognizes progress.

“In District 2, there are 60% Black people, 14% Hispanic. And so what does that mean when the achievement gap is not closing, even though we’re seeing growth?” Haynes said.

Board member Liz Monterrey-Duvall echoed those concerns.

Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio
📝: James Farrell
📸: WFAE

09/09/2026

Davidson commissioners discussed Tuesday whether to change their vote and back the controversial Interstate 77 toll lanes again. The town could be penalized $1.5 million if it doesn’t.

Commissioners don’t like the I-77 toll lanes that already run through their town. In a show of support to Charlotte, they voted in May against building 11 more miles of toll lanes from uptown to the South Carolina line.

But Republican lawmakers want the controversial $4 billion project to move forward. They've passed legislation that would require local governments that vote against the toll lanes to pay a portion of the $69 million in design costs already spent.

Commissioner Ryan Fay said Davidson is being bullied.

“To me, that is government coercion,” he said. “It is political coercion, and it is financial coercion.”

Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio
📝: Steve Harrison
📸: WFAE
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