Charlotte Talks

The latest and greatest in technology from gadgets to big screen, 4K OLED TVs. What’s ready to buy, what you should wait to buy and what’s affordable – all well before Black Friday sales.

Over the summer we put a call out to hear your version of the Charlotte Talks theme song. The response was impressive and overwhelming. Thank you for taking the time to create and craft your tunes, we really enjoyed this project. 

WFAE reporters Nick de la Canal and Gwendolyn Glenn, and Charlotte magazine associate editor Adam Rhew were all at the protests that erupted last night in the University area after a black man was shot and killed by a black CMPD officer. We recap last night's protests and what we know about the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott. 

On the local news roundup – the NCAA pulls 7 championship events from North Carolina because of HB2.  The ACC follows suit. Wells Fargo is fined by regulators over employees creating unauthorized accounts.  County Commissioners look at plans to revitalize the North Tryon Corridor – what they said about this new vision.  And we get the latest on election campaigning throughout the state with our roundtable of reporters.

Heather Havrilesky has been giving advice to the heartsick and emotionally lost and confused. She’s the author of a weekly advice column called ‘Ask Polly’ featured in New York Magazine and now the author of a new book called How to be a Person in the World. Her advice is funny, smart, and geared towards those who may or may not be experiencing some sort of existential crisis. We talk about her advice style, her new book, and more.

The American electorate is becoming a house divided. Polarization has reached a level we haven’t seen in at least a generation, and a growing number of people - Republicans and Democrats - say they view the other side as a threat. But political affiliation isn’t the only dividing line. Where we live - rural versus urban - creates another level of disconnect. How did voters end up so firmly in their political corners? A look at the state of disunion.

There's a technology gap in Mecklenburg County for some local students - not at school, but at home. A North Mecklenburg group is trying to close that digital divide. And now it has been recognized as the most innovative in the nation.

A Davidson group called E2D - for Eliminate the Digital Divide - has made big strides over the past three years in closing the gap between technology haves and have-nots in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Founded three years ago, E2D provides free computers to families that lack them, along with training and low-cost internet access.

Next Tuesday, a runoff election will decide if Dan Clodfelter or Jennifer Roberts will be the Democrat’s nominee for mayor of Charlotte. On Wednesday morning, the candidates faced off at the McGlohon Theater, in a live debate on Charlotte Talks.

We learned something about new CMPD chief Kerr Putney on Thursday. In an appearance on Charlotte Talks, host Mike Collins asked Putney what attracted him to becoming a police officer.

"Well Mike, nothing. That’s the truth of it. I did not want to be a cop," Putney said.

In fact, Putney says he didn't care for police officers growing up in Roanoke Rapids, NC.

Obviously, that changed. After 23 years on the job, Putney took over as police chief July 1st.

In an hour-long interview with WFAE’s Charlotte Talks Monday, Governor Pat McCrory lashed out at Republican lawmakers in Raleigh for what he sees as bad and misguided legislation. This includes a proposal to redistribute sales tax and what’s become known as ‘The Magistrate Bill.’