Charlotte Talks on WFAE

The U.S. is in the middle of the worst drug plague ever. More people now die from drug overdoses than in traffic accidents and Charlotte has been cited as city being capitalized on by Mexican drug cartels. Heroin is the drug they’re pushing and Charlotte has a problem with local OD’s skyrocketing, touching young and old, rich and poor. We look into the heroin invasion, its impact and why it’s happening.

Perhaps you heard about Luis Lang. He’s the self-employed man from Ft. Mill who opposed the Affordable Care Act and opted not to buy coverage, only to later discover he was losing his eyesight. His story first appeared locally, but soon went viral. His situation also attracted help in the form of donations and a significant amount of derision. Luis Lang and his ophthalmologist join us to share his story and where it’s headed.

Drones have moved from combat zones into the civilian arena and in North Carolina, our skies are so filled with them that Governor McCrory signed new legislation to regulate the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Drones have many peaceful applications, but their use requires that some questions be answered-- such as who owns the skies and what forms of regulation will be necessary to govern how they can be used and by whom?

Although Harry Golden was not a native Charlottean, it didn’t take him long to become an integral part of the life of the city when he arrived to write for the Charlotte Observer in the 1940s. He would go on to publish The Carolina Israelite, writing on topics important to him, speaking his mind and changing others. Now there is a book about his life and we find out from his biographer why his words still have importance.

On the surface, the United States has a two party system of government. But there’s no law about that. Democrats and Republicans don’t have to be the only parties. And there are others – the largest of which is the Libertarian party. David Boaz, of the Cato Institute wrote his book, The Libertarian Mind, as an effort to explore not only the growing interest in the party but also their core beliefs. He joins us to talk about all of this.

People have been getting tattoos almost from the beginning of time. But until recently, they were the province of a small subset of the population. Today, tattoos have become high art and increasing numbers of people from all walks of life are becoming the canvas. When and why did that start? We meet a National Geographic Society Fellow who has looked into the history of this and talk to three local tattoo artists about the market for what they do. 

View slideshow here.

Audio Extras: 
This Is Art

Last year, South Carolina had the highest rate of deaths due to domestic violence in the country. The state has consistently placed in the top 10 nationally in the rate of women killed by men. The Charleston Post and Courier investigated the cultural and legal factors behind this and won a Pulitzer Price for their efforts. We’re joined by one of the reporters on that series, a South Carolina State Senator and others to explore this disturbing trend.

How is it possible that someone who flunked elementary, middle and high school math and science has become one of the most popular teachers in the world and a professor of engineering? We’re going to find out how Barbara Oakley did it. She now has nearly a million students in her online classes and her teaching methods have been described as revolutionary by The Wall Street Journal. She joins us to tell her story and talk about her approach.

A new arts collaboration is presenting a multi-platform, bilingual event featuring various Latin American art forms in one concert at the Mint Museum. It’s an attempt to build a multi-cultural community in the Queen City and we hear about it in the first part of the program. Then, three of the performers from Pippin. This is a very athletic re-imagining of this 1970s Stephen Schwartz show in town for a week at the Belk Theater. Get a preview of what to expect.

  There’s a $22 million hole in Charlotte’s city budget. The hole was created by the disappearance of the Business License Tax which was taken away by the state legislature and by some miscalculations on property tax revenues after the recent re-evaluation. City Manager Ron Carlee has made some suggestions on how to make up the difference but not everyone agrees with those options. So we’ve invited Ron Carlee and others to take us through the proposals.