Friday, Sept. 15, 2017
Charlotte voters want changes at city hall, beginning in the mayor's office. A judge orders videos from last year's riots be released. Charlotte goes a-courtin' Amazon.
Jennifer Roberts becomes the first Charlotte mayor in 30 years to be voted out of office after Vi Lyles notched a ten-point upset in this week’s Democratic primary, guaranteeing Charlotte will have a new mayor for the sixth time since 2013. She’ll face Republican Kenny Smith, who’s sitting on a six-figure war chest.
Other changes are coming to the City Council. Long-time council member Patsy Kinsey was turned out after 12 years. Democrat Claire Fallon fell short in her bid for a fourth at-large term, while two millennial at-large candidates advanced to November.
One week before Charlotte marks the first anniversary of the Keith Scott shooting, a judge ordered the release of videos from the violent proteststhat erupted in uptown.
The Carolinas avoided a direct hit from Hurricane Irma, but the record-setting storm still left its mark. Four people were killed in South Carolina, left hundreds of thousands of Carolinians without electricity, stranded travelers at Charlotte-Douglas, flooded Charleston with the worst tidal surge since Hurricane Hugo, and disrupted school schedules across the Charlotte region.
Charlotte promises to "aggressively pursue" Amazon as it looks for a new headquarters, but The New York Times almost immediately ruled us out of contention.
Mike Collins reviews the week's news with a panel of local reporters.
GUESTS
Tom Bullock, WFAE (@TomWFAE)
Ann Doss Helms, The Charlotte Observer (@anndosshelms)
Nick Ochsner, WBTV (@NickOchsnerWBTV)
Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal (@CBJSpanberg)