Charlotte Talks

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.’

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

There is wine and then, there’s fine wine.  Think you can tell the difference? If you can, you might be interested to know that North Carolina is the home of the largest fine wine auction in the Southeast and Mid Atlantic.  If you can’t tell the difference but would like to learn, we’ve gathered three fine wine experts to join us to talk about how to experience fine wines, whether price and quality go together, the rise in counterfeit fine wines and more.

Friday, September 5, 2014

We’ve long heard about the difficulties faced by the parents of teenagers, but the ‘tween years can be just as bewildering. Those are the middle school years, when kids and adults must navigate an ever-changing world with children struggling to fit in even as they endure neurological and physical shifts.  We meet one woman who is trying to take the pain and mystery out of those years.

Monday, August 11, 2014

The stock market has been outperforming the economy and investors were just starting to get comfortable again when the market began to decline. Should we be concerned? We’ll talk to two of the city’s leading financial planners about that and about how to talk to kids about money: what do they need to know and when they need to know it.

From Iraq to Syria, from Iran to Libya, Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan, and with issues from torture to domestic surveillance programs and foreign crises, there’s certainly a lot to discuss when it comes to America’s foreign policy strategy. America’s interests and actions around the world over the past decade and beyond are the focus of a forthcoming book by Foreign Policy CEO and editor-at-large David Rothkopf. He’ll join us to talk about the conclusions he’s come up with regarding the major international decisions made during the Bush and Obama years.

Carolinas HealthCare System has always been an innovator, launching a nationally known stroke center and a massive children’s hospital. Now they’ve turned their attention to making behavioral and mental health far more accessible across their system. They’ve recently launched a pilot program to bring behavioral health care to primary care offices around the region. To do so they are implementing a rising new type of medicine called telemedicine, in this case, telepsychiatry. 

The temperature is creeping up, swimsuits are being donned and grills are being fired up! Its summertime in the Queen City and that means there are lots of seasonal foods to be eaten and refreshing beverages to be drunk. But that’s not all: There are also a ton of farmer’s markets to check out for juicy berries, food events nearly every weekend and restaurants changes that may be worth checking out. Next time on Charlotte Talks, we’ll be joined by three area professionals to devour the yummy details.

After a century in the minority, the North Carolina Republican party seized power in 2010.  Since then, the party has been busy establishing a brand and advancing their agenda. With a Republican governor and resources from national groups, we'll talk with a leader of the state party about the midterm elections and their hopes for the state.

Midterm election season is in full swing. In North Carolina education reform and a pay raise for teachers is being hotly debated. Renewal of a large film incentive package is on the table, calls for infrastructure spending is rising and there are extremely tight races in districts all over the state. Several scandals have emerged, challenging both parties' images. Money is pouring in from outside of North Carolina with plenty of national interest on some local races. Against that backdrop we will talk to officials in the state Democratic and Republican parties in successive weeks. First up, the Democrats. 

The popularity of yoga seems to be exploding.  An exercise for the body, the mind and, some say, the soul –there were only a few places to practice yoga in Charlotte a few years ago and now there are dozens. We’re going to talk to some local yogis about this phenomenon. They say yoga is for everyone, not just affluent, flexible folks. But just how affordable is it and who are all these people stretching into strange positions?