WFAE Local Content

With a little more than two months until the midterm elections, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Michael Whatley campaigned Friday in Charlotte.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education will vote Tuesday on whether to release parts of its investigation into Superintendent Crystal Hill to the public.

Thursday night, the city hosted a town hall that brought together city staff, environmental advocates and industry representatives to address local concerns.

Since June, Charlotte Center City Partners has required vendors to stop serving customers after midnight. CMPD requested the restriction to improve late-night public safety. Vendors say the rule is hurting business.

People returning from incarceration often struggle to find work or stable housing. State and local governments have launched programs to help former inmates rebuild their lives, but those efforts can be limited and face challenges of their own. In Mecklenburg County, two programs aim to help formerly incarcerated individuals overcome those challenges by providing opportunities and hard lessons.

Seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty will receive North Carolina’s highest civilian honor later this year.Gov. Josh Stein announced Thursday that Petty will receive the North Carolina Award for public service.Petty, a longtime North Carolina resident and one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history, will be honored at a ceremony in Raleigh in November.

The racing community will gather Friday afternoon at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem for the inaugural Kyle Busch Invitational.

Early voting ends Friday in South Carolina's Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman.

Sustainability think tank Frontier Group and advocacy group Environment North Carolina released a report that found that the state’s schools could host 900 megawatts of solar energy.

An immersive play debuts in Charlotte Thursday as part of an effort to spotlight Black joy in a rapidly changing neighborhood.

CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill makes her first public appearance since being suspended. A state audit finds CATS has not spent the nearly $2 million set aside for safety improvements. North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein vetoes a bill to change the election process by shortening voting periods. And Queen City Nerve ceases publication.

North Carolina state law enforcement agencies are still working to implement a new state law requiring agreements with federal immigration authorities ahead of an Oct. 1 deadline.