Local

JCSU Graduation Honors Andrew Young, Mayor Foxx

David Boraks — Sun, 19 May 2013 13:34:15 +0000

College graduation season continued in the Charlotte area Sunday morning, with commencement ceremonies at Johnson C. Smith University and Davidson College. Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young was the guest speaker at J.C. Smith’s 141st graduation, which began at 8am at the university’s Irwin Belk Complex. The university presented honorary degrees to Young and Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx.

Report Says Bobcats Begin Process To Become Hornets

David Boraks — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:50:44 +0000

It looks like the Charlotte Bobcats are getting closer to that big name change that’s been rumored for months. CBSSports.com is reporting that the city’s pro basketball team has begun the process of changing its name to the Hornets. That was the name of Charlotte’s former NBA team, which moved to New Orleans.

N.C., S.C. Unemployment Drops To Lowest Rate In Years

Michael Tomsic — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:58:05 +0000

North Carolina's unemployment rate has dropped to its lowest level in four years, and South Carolina's unemployment rate has declined to the lowest point in five years. That's according to figures released Friday for the month of April.

In This Garden: MusicalMinds Cultivates Character

Cynthia Williams/CharlotteViewpoint — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:07:48 +0000

On March 11, in the music room of Blythe Elementary in Huntersville, 25 first- and third-grade children stepped on stage to receive the gift of a new violin. The children are the first class of MusicalMinds NC, a free, classical music program for “at-risk” children modeled upon the famed El Sistema schools of Venezuela. On stage with the children was Eduardo Cedeño, conductor of the Lake Norman Symphony Orchestra and one of El Sistema’s first students.

Cotham Answers Nay-sayers Over Firing With Poll

Lisa Miller — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:27:57 +0000

Mecklenburg County Chairman Pat Cotham has taken a lot of heat for the firing of County Manager Harry Jones last week. So she’s decided to fire back at her nay-sayers by releasing results of a poll she commissioned.

Cotham’s campaign committee paid Public Policy Polling to ask Mecklenburg residents about the decision to fire Jones. The results came back in her favor.

Anti-Tax Advocate Grover Norquist Visits Huntersville

Tasnim Shamma — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:07:40 +0000

Influential anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist made several stops in North Carolina yesterday. He visited the capitol to show support for Republican proposals to overhaul the state’s tax system, and ended the day in Huntersville.

Davidson Teen Competes In International Science Competition

Marshall Terry — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:01:37 +0000

A high school student from Davidson is among the students from around the world in Arizona this week competing for scholarships and cash prizes in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Eighteen-year-old Christopher Panuski's entry in the fair looks at cheaper and more efficient ways to shield electronics from cosmic radiation. He joined us to talk about the project and the competition.

Internal Documents Show CMPD's Tisdale Report Sparked Airport Rift

Julie Rose — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:19:56 +0000

At first blush, there’s a lot about the power struggle over Charlotte’s airport that makes no sense. After all, both sides in the debate agree the airport has done extraordinarily well under the city’s control. So what’s happened?

A mysterious death, for one.

And WFAE has reviewed internal airport documents that cast doubt over much of what we thought we knew about that incident.

Mecklenburg Not Part Of Bill To Allow Counties To Own Schools

Lisa Miller — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:23:15 +0000

Most of the state’s counties, including Mecklenburg, are no longer included in a bill that would give counties the authority to build, own, and maintain schools. The bill passed out of a senate committee Wednesday, only giving nine counties the option to take over ownership of schools from local school districts. Those counties include Rowan, Wake and Harnett.

Senator Ron Rabin of Harnett County said county commissions are more equipped to handle business deals.

Commissioners Battle In First Meeting Since Firing Jones

Michael Tomsic — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:44:49 +0000

A meeting of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners Tuesday turned into a series of heated exchanges between commissioners with accusations of ethics violations, sexism and racism. It was the board’s first public meeting since it fired county manager Harry Jones.