Friday, May 12, 2017
Carolina senators react to the firing of the FBI director. Charlotte-Mecklenburg parents give the school board feedback on the student assignment plan. Violent crime figures are on the rise. Mike Collins and our reporter roundtable discuss the week's news.
This week's sudden firing of FBI director James Comey has thrust North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr into the spotlight. Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said he was "troubled" by the ouster and said it could "further confuse" the panel's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. However, South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, a Republican, said "a fresh start" was needed at the FBI.
Parent response to the proposed Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools student assignment plan continued this week with a school board public hearing. The proposal received mixed reviews from parents, while Supt. Ann Clark revealed the assignment changes would affect 7,100 students, or about five percent of students.
It's budget time in Raleigh, where the North Carolina Senate released a nearly $23 billion spending plan, which would public school teachers an average pay raise of 3.7 percent, as well as a state income tax cut.
The high number of homicides in recent months was reflected in first-quarter crime figures released this week by Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. The report said violent crime rose more than 16 percent over the past five years.
Mike Collins discusses those stories and more of the week's local news with our panel of reporters.
GUESTS
David Boraks, WFAE (@davidboraks)
Mary C. Curtis, Roll Call columnist; WCCB News Rising and NBCBLK contributor (@mcurtisnc3)
Ann Doss Helms, The Charlotte Observer (@anndosshelms)
Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal (@CBJspanberg)