The Charlotte Observer
Charlotte is now home to massive LGBTQ+ archive about the South
Boxes of everyday items are carefully stacked inside a closet in a west Charlotte office building. Cups and T-shirts. Photo albums and planners. A 30-year-old paper KFC bucket. But it’s not just any old fried chicken container. This one was fashioned...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte’s Lance ToastChee crackers shift to natural dyes
Charlotte’s iconic Lance sandwich crackers, known for their vibrant orange color, have quietly undergone a major recipe makeover. Parent company The Campbell’s Co. insists snackers won’t taste or see a difference. Campbell’s recently completed a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump criticizes North Carolina crime at Gastonia rally
President Donald Trump criticized North Carolina in Gastonia Wednesday evening as he called its cities “bloodsoaked killing fields.” Trump spent Wednesday evening at Gastonia Municipal Airport in Gaston County stumping for U.S. Senate candidate...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CMS board to vote this month on removing chair Stephanie Sneed
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board Chair Stephanie Sneed alleges her time as chair has involved “bullying” and “discrimination” as members prepare to vote on removing her as their leader next week. The board will vote at its next regular meeting on...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Wake Forest helped legalize human composting nationwide
For Wake Forest University Law School professor Tanya Marsh, it feels a little ironic that a company that turns human remains into compost is working to open a facility in North Carolina. After all, the state played a major role in getting human...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Campbell Co. layoffs affect Charlotte amid $500 million cuts
The Campbell Co.’s sweeping companywide layoffs of salaried employees amid declining sales that was announced this week includes workers in the Charlotte area, who make Lance crackers. Based in Camden, N.J., the soup, snack and sauce company has...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools performance grades released
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has surpassed its pre-pandemic performance on state tests for the first time, according to state data released Wednesday. The state’s Department of Public Instruction on Wednesday released school performance grades, which...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Newly released invoices reveal how much CMS spent on Crystal Hill investigation
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will pay over $379,000 for services related to its investigation into Superintendent Crystal Hill. The district contracted with outside law firm Brooks Pierce for $275 an hour, plus fees, to conduct the probe, beginning...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Why installing a traffic light takes years in Charlotte
It’s been more than four years since the city determined a busy southwest Charlotte intersection needed a traffic signal. Residents are still waiting. Rapid development in the Steele Creek area has outpaced infrastructure upgrades and caused...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Are early school start times really necessary?
When five Myers Park High School students decided to spend the 2025-26 school year studying teen sleep deprivation, they started out thinking small. They had plenty of ideas about what contributed to the problem, and imagined tackling something they...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NC parents say schools leave special needs kids behind
Editor’s note: This story contains reporting about suicide, a topic that will be disturbing to some readers. If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide or other mental health struggles, call or text 988 for a 24/7 hotline. Jack Davis in...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ADU program aims to expand affordable housing options
When Asha Ellison went to tour her sixth Charlotte home in less than eight years, she couldn’t find the location. From the street, she saw a single-story brick home. But that was much larger than the building she was looking for that day in 2024....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announces Crystal Hill’s return
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill will return to work nearly two months after being placed on leave with pay while the school board hired a law firm to investigate her administration. The board has remained tight-lipped about...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Study: Charlotte’s growth is devouring the region’s farmland
Drive anywhere around Charlotte or on the outskirts and the landscape quickly changes. A farm with pastures that was turning out crops last summer is suddenly a grid of stakes in the ground, marked for a new subdivision or other development. From 2017...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Neighbors once avoided SouthPark, Villa Heights parks
Villa Heights faced a daunting choice in 2024. Crime reached a breaking point that summer after a drive-by shooting killed a man at Progress Park, topping off a string of violent incidents in the neighborhood just northeast of uptown Charlotte....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte neighborhoods challenge I-77 design presented by NCDOT
For four decades, Rickey Hall has pushed to see change brought to Charlotte’s West Boulevard corridor. The corridor, Hall said, has been overlooked and underinvested in. So that change looks like intentional investment that directly benefits...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NCDOT pushes $300 million in community benefits if I-77 restored
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says up to $300 million in community investments could be unlocked if the Interstate 77 South toll lane project moves forward. The benefits could assist communities that would be negatively impacted by...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Why lawmakers can’t finalize homeowner association reform
For years, North Carolina lawmakers have introduced bill after bill promising to rein in homeowners associations. Many drew bipartisan support. Some passed unanimously through one chamber. They usually die before becoming law. The repeated failures...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte metro region sees rare drop in daily newcomers
The Charlotte region is used to seeing high rates of population growth. But in a twist, the number of people moving to region daily has decreased — by about 14%. About 135 people moved to the region every day between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mecklenburg County commissioners average 90% attendance
Mecklenburg County commissioners’ meeting attendance is outpacing their Charlotte City Council counterparts at the same point in their last election cycle. Most incumbents on the Board of County Commissioners are running for reelection this year....
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Excelsior Club demolished for redevelopment
The historic Excelsior Club is no more. Demolition of the iconic Excelsior Club in west Charlotte began Wednesday, signaling the final chapter for a structure that has sat vacant and decaying for a decade. By Thursday morning, only the awning was...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Former YMCA board member slams Ballantyne branch sale
A former YMCA of Greater Charlotte board member joined the throngs of protesters Sunday outside the Ballantyne branch site and offered a blunt assessment of the decision to sell it for $42.5 million — “Heartless.” Tom Giblin, a YMCA board member from...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
SouthPark Swim Club faces repairs after unlicensed work
Years after unlicensed plumbing and electrical work wrapped up at SouthPark Swim & Tennis Club, the private south Charlotte club is still working to fix it. Mecklenburg County inspectors continue overseeing repairs at the property after state...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Potential Red Line commuter rail stop in Charlotte proposed
Ira Alexander vividly remembers working on the Norfolk Southern Oline in the early aughts. The retired locomotive engineer joined the company in the 70s and the tracks along North Graham Street would decades later become his regular route. Alexander...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Uptown Charlotte data center moving ahead with demolition
Redevelopment of an existing data center in uptown Charlotte may start soon. But with that change, the city will be losing a building that’s more than a century old — and its historic facade There had been a chance that the facade would be saved. But...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New mayor Harrington may provide ‘breath of fresh air’
Charlotte will swear in Robert Harrington as its 60th mayor next week after the City Council appointed him to finish outgoing Mayor Vi Lyles’ term as she heads to an early retirement. He’ll enter the city’s highest elected office as — until this month...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Harrington to serve as Charlotte mayor for next 18 months
Robert Harrington will be the next mayor of the nation’s 14th largest city. The Charlotte City Council voted to select Harrington to finish out the term of Mayor Vi Lyles, which ends in December 2027. The five-term Democrat announced in May she would...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New United Way report on Mecklenburg cost-of-living concerns
More than 1 in 3 households in Mecklenburg County are facing financial hardship and struggling to meet basic needs, according to a new report from a national research group under United Way. And the majority of those homes are above the poverty...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Pressure and tragedy mark Myers Park High journey
Suicide is a major theme in the following story. If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis, help is available. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or visit 988lifeline.org for confidential...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Mooresville eyes state funds for crucial I-77 interchange
If Charlotte doesn’t want it, we do, Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney said of some of the $600 million in road money the Queen City gave up when it voted down Interstate 77 South toll lanes. His town needs $35 million or $40 million from the state for a...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Developer returns land in Brooklyn Village setback
The fate of the $700 million mixeduse Brooklyn Village redevelopment in uptown Charlotte continues its descent into uncertainty. Developers of the long-awaited project returned part of the 17-acre site back to its lender on May 20 for almost $24.4...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte council rescinds I-77 toll lane support
The Charlotte City Council’s vote to rescind support for the Interstate 77 south toll lane project was a surprise even to its own members. They’d just passed a resolution at the May 11 meeting asking the North Carolina Department of Transportation to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hundreds gather for Catawba casino’s initial phase debut
Hundreds of drivers lined Kings Mountain Boulevard for Wednesday morning’s opening of the first phase of the Catawba Indians’ $1.25 billion Catawba Two Kings Casino. “We knew it was going to be busy,” Jasmine Cheek of Charlotte said about why she and...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte residents split on I-77 toll lane project
Charlotte residents expressed mixed feelings after the state hosted several community meetings on the controversial Interstate 77 South toll lane project last week. Some felt informed while others were skeptical and left with far more questions than...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte leads US cities in population growth
Census data continues to show that Charlotte and the region are among the top growth areas in the U.S. In fact, no other U.S. city added more people in the past year than Charlotte. From July 2024 to July 2025, Charlotte added 20,731 people, and also...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte council rescinds I-77 toll project support
In a surprise turn, the Charlotte City Council late Monday voted to cancel its support of the funding agreement for the Interstate 77 South toll lane project. With a 6-5 vote, the council will inform the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Vi Lyles steps down as Charlotte mayor mid-term
Longtime Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles plans to step down less than halfway through her latest term leading the nation’s 14th-largest city. The five-term Democrat will resign June 30, spokesperson LaToya Evans said in a statement. Lyles will not run for...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Family mourns man lost to homelessness, addiction
On a random day last September, Matthew Williams-Streat asked his family in Charlotte to collect cardboard boxes for him. An odd ask but for over a decade, the family had gotten used to his sporadic visits and his unusual requests. But he was asking...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte office towers shift to mixed-use developments
The recent purchase of uptown’s former Two Wells Fargo tower and its upcoming renovations is a continued sign that office spaces in Charlotte, and nationally, are shifting toward mixed uses. The tower at 301 S. Tryon St. was purchased by Singerman...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Piedmont Natural Gas rates are highest in North Carolina
Piedmont Natural Gas, which serves much of North Carolina and faced waves of customer frustration over high winter bills, has the highest residential rates among North Carolina’s stateregulated natural gas providers, according to state documents. A...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Duke Energy CEO pay draws scrutiny amid rate hikes
Advocacy groups are raising questions about Duke Energy’s executive pay as the utility seeks higher rates. But Duke says most of that compensation is tied to long-term performance and customer-focused outcomes. Duke disclosed in its latest 2026...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Teachers across NC are expected to march in Raleigh on May 1
Teachers across North Carolina are submitting requests to take May 1 off to participate in a protest in Raleigh organized by the North Carolina Association of Educators. May 1 is a Friday so principals and district administrators are scrambling to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte mom qualifies for Boston Marathon pro field
On Thursdays, Erin Del Giudice starts her long run at exactly 9:03 a.m. Not 9. Not 9:15. Not whenever she feels like it. 9:03. That’s when the window opens — eight minutes after she drops off her 4-year-old daughter Emma and her 2½-year-old son Noah...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CATS wants $10M to curb fare evasion on Charlotte light rail
The Charlotte Area Transit System is asking for a $10 million bump in its safety and security budget. The extra money would create a fare inspection team whose sole job is to make sure passengers are buying tickets, and it would continue a program...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Old Wachovia Center tower gets new life as residences, hotel
A 52-year-old uptown Charlotte office tower is getting a new life. Instead of catering to office workers, it’ll house residents and tourists. The tower at 400 S. Tryon St., the former Wachovia Center, is being converted into apartments and a hotel,...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
New UNC construction school to address workforce need
UNC Charlotte will launch a new school of construction, school leaders announced Tuesday, as the city eyes more than $2 billion in new construction planned for its center city by 2027. The Albert School of Construction will be named for UNC Charlotte...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Corning, Meta invest $6 billion in expansion
Inside the Trivium Corporate Center manufacturing site in Catawba County, the air buzzed with the hum and loud drill sounds of production. And brightly colored spools of bare fiber in green, blue and orange offered a glimpse into the digital threads...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bank of America CEO ‘Brian the Lion’ gets UNC Charlotte honor
Hugh McColl announced Monday during a luncheon honoring Bank of America’s CEO and president Brian Moynihan that he can now be called “Brian the Lion,” a nickname from his college years playing rugby. Moynihan received UNC Charlotte’s 2026...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte area outpaced most US metros for 5-year growth
The Charlotte metro area continues to attract thousands of people to the region each year. And the total number puts the area in the top 10 nationally, new Census Bureau estimates released Thursday found. The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metropolitan...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
For now, ICE agents have not replaced TSA at CLT airport
While the Trump administration dispatched ICE agents to 13 major airports on Monday, Charlotte has been skipped over — for now. ICE agents are at the terminals to help the Transportation Security Administration during a partial government shutdown...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Thousands call for audit of Duke Energy after high bills
Thousands of residents across the Carolinas are calling for an independent audit of Duke Energy, saying unexplained spikes in electric bills are putting financial strain on households across the state. An online petition demanding an investigation...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NC girl diagnosed with rare disorder after doctor saw bruise
Six-year-old Annie Smith hadn’t even been the patient that afternoon. Her father, Jason Smith, had brought Annie’s older brother Wilson, 10, to their longtime pediatrician for a simple case of swimmer’s ear. Annie was just tagging along — and at...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
County says I-77 South toll plans will hurt parks, greenways
Under proposed designs for the controversial I-77 South toll project, 11 parks and several Charlotte greenways would be harmed, with some losing space and amenities, according to Mecklenburg County staff. That includes the complete removal of Wilmore...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Hegseth: Military giving Trump ‘maximum options’ in Iran war
As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed that Tuesday would be the “most intense day” of U.S. strikes against Iran since the start of the war, the Trump administration has started to loosen restrictions on Russian oil exports in a bid to temper rising...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NCDOT pauses I-77 toll lane project
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is delaying its Interstate 77 toll lanes project by several months to make time for additional community engagement, the agency announced in a news release Monday. The announcement follows mounting...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Woman answers HBCU president’s plea for new kidney
Five feet inside the hospital entrance in Winston-Salem, Heather Patrek saw the man she had been thinking about for more than five months — a man who had no idea she even existed — and she panicked. “Oh, s---,” whispered Patrek, a 35year-old Belmont...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘Stop the expansion.’ Charlotte commits to vote on 60-day pause for I-77 tolls
Charlotte City Council committed to vote on a 60-day pause on the Interstate 77 toll lane project as a raucous crowd demanded action during Monday night’s meeting. Council members are in near unanimous agreement to stop the project, at least...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
‘One day’: Boy paralyzed by spinal cord injury radiates hope
Four-and-a-half-year-old Logan Reese has a slogan — one he delivers in a squeaky voice his parents say sounds like a cartoon character. The slogan is only two words, but it rarely stands alone. “One day … I’ll play soccer again.” “One day … I’ll jump...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson dies at 84
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights leader, Baptist minister and twotime presidential candidate, died Tuesday morning, his family said in a statement. He was 84 years old. “Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Bride-to-be faces uncertainty as US freezes immigrant visas
Gabby was among a throng riding the London tube toward Stamford Bridge stadium on Jan. 14 when she glanced down at her phone. Does this affect you?, a friend back home in Charlotte had texted her. Then there was a link to a news story. At first, she...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte area faces ‘severe drought.’ Will towns, cities have enough water?
The Charlotte region’s drought could worsen in the coming months if rainfall doesn’t keep up with growing demand for water, the Catawba Riverkeeper says. Mecklenburg County and surrounding counties, including Union and Cabarrus, are currently...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
CATS bans don’t keep dangerous riders away, records show
When Oscar Solorzano stabbed another passenger aboard the Charlotte Area Transit System’s LYNX Blue Line train in December, he wasn’t supposed to be on the train at all. He’d been banned from using CATS transportation a few months earlier. But violent...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Trump admin cites Charlotte for transit safety issues
Federal transit authorities called out Charlotte’s transit system for failing to meet multiple mandated safety requirements in a new report triggered by a high-profile killing on the city’s light rail. The Federal Transit Administration released its...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Snow, brutal cold predicted for Charlotte region
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for Charlotte in advance of a weekend storm that could dump between two and seven inches of snow on the region. The watch will be in effect from 4 p.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Sunday, when a dangerous combination of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Apartment complex brings affordable housing to uptown
Uptown Charlotte isn’t known to have affordable housing. The average rent price for a one-bedroom apartment in uptown is about $1,800, according to Apartments.com. So, a first-year teacher at CharlotteMecklenburg Schools who makes $48,600 annually...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Charlotte likely to get freezing rain, NWS says
There’s little doubt Charlotte will be hit by a winter storm this weekend, and forecasters say it appears Mecklenburg County is likely to get more freezing rain than snow. That means dangerous roads, slippery sidewalks, falling tree limbs and power...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Kroger nixes plan for 700-job fulfillment center in Concord
Harris Teeter’s parent company Kroger has quietly killed plans for a $92 million, 700-job delivery fulfillment center in Concord, dealing a sharp economic blow to Cabarrus County, the Charlotte region and the state. In 2021, the state announced to...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Steeple without a church becomes symbol of hope for NC valley
A weathered church steeple and bell that rang for more than a century in North Carolina’s Swannanoa Valley has become a peculiar symbol of hope in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Bee Tree Christian Church was deemed “not salvageable” and torn down...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
NC expects a boom in seniors, and caregivers are exhausted
her husband’s stage 3 oral cancer spread to his tonsils in 2021, Leigh Anne Staton stepped in as his main caregiver. Her care for him consists of everything — bathing, mixing up his nutrition shakes to satisfy his poor appetite, helping him get to the...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
ICE agents tell NC men to quit recording traffic stop
Cellphone video circulating online shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents telling two men in Salisbury to stop recording them at a traffic stop on Monday, as well as the fracas that followed. Charlotte ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Panthers’ 17 playoff appearances, ranked from best to worst
For all their flaws in a checkered 31-season history, the Carolina Panthers are pretty darn good when they reach the playoffs. They’ve only had seven winning seasons in those 31 years. They’re 46 games under .500. But in the playoffs? The Panthers...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
$40M campaign aims to save NC game lands from development
Conservationists launched a $40 million campaign Thursday to save 4,000 acres of pristine North Carolina game land from development. The owner of the land along the Yadkin River between Salisbury and Albemarle allowed public access to hunters, anglers...
Read Full Story (Page 1)
Homeowners press state to block 34% water rate hike
For homeowners served by Carolina Water Service, there is no shopping around — and many say their water bills are rising faster than they can afford. Homeowners in more than 40 communities across North Carolina are urging state regulators to reject...
Read Full Story (Page 1)