Charlotte Talks With Mike Collins

The city of Charlotte is recommending that City Council deny the developer funding for the Brooklyn Village project. Republican Councilman Tariq Bokhari is set to leave office on Sunday. Attorney General Jackson has settled a lawsuit with a landlord accused of using AI to illegally set rents. And the Savannah Bananas sell out Bank of America Stadium.

Among the people deported by the Trump administration to a prison in El Salvador was a man living here: Julio Zambrano Perez. His family says ICE misidentified him as a gang member because of tattoos. His story is not unique. We talk about it, and the legal implications of these deportations.

Two years ago, the then-surgeon general published an advisory stating up to 95% of teens reported using social media “almost constantly.” We know that this increases depression and anxiety, and that is why nine states have taken steps to regulate its use. Now, North Carolina may be jumping on the bandwagon.

A new bill — The Women’s Safety and Protection Act — is under consideration in the state Senate, which would require individuals to use restrooms in public schools and some government-funded buildings based on the sex listed on their birth certificates. It would also restrict other rights. We look at the bill and hear from those in favor and those against.

A conversation from WFAE's Climate Summit about how federal environmental policies could affect North Carolina — and what local leaders are doing in response.

On the Local News Roundup, a sigh of relief for some as Trump announces a 90-day tariff pause. The public weighs in on Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools proposed budget. A bill filed Monday seeking to ban most abortions in North Carolina will not move forward. And David Tepper wants to make Charlotte a host city for the 2031 Women’s World Cup.

Increasingly, the medical community has issued warnings about the safety of drinking alcohol — even one drink per day — due to links between that and cancer. On the flip side of consuming something potentially harmful is the concept of food as medicine, one being acted on by a cooperative effort between a behavioral health facility and a Charlotte chef.

When President Trump announced tariffs, he said it would make the nation wealthy. But retailers are planning for price hikes and investors are selling, driving stock markets down around the world. We discuss the impact this has on North Carolina, on Charlotte and on your wallet.

We get an update on recovery efforts in western North Carolina from the devastation of Hurricane Helene — and a look at what the summer tourist season looks like.

Hard work and determination are supposed to lead to success. That’s the story we tell ourselves — but for many, that story is little more than a myth. One look at the alarming number of people who go to work every day but are homeless will tell you we have a problem.

Commissioners hire a new Mecklenburg County manager. Rain helps firefighters battling mountain wildfires. A wrinkle in the race for state supreme court. And South Carolina women's basketball team and Duke men's basketball team each head to the Final Four.

In Silicon Valley, there is a group referred to as the PayPal Mafia — the founders and employees of PayPal who later started their own successful tech companies. In Charlotte, we have the Passport Mafia which springs from a company called Passport, which provided employees with experience in building a business and helped birth more than a dozen startups. Is Charlotte an entrepreneur’s kind of place?

Since 2020, large public safety training centers have been cropping up around the country. Last summer, Central Piedmont Community College announced plans to build a facility in Matthews to provide training for police, fire and Medic personnel. These projects have faced opposition nationally and locally.

On the next Charlotte Talks, the trees are leafing out, the azaleas are blooming, the grass is greening – all sure signs that spring is here and that means gardeners should be working hard to capitalize on the season. A lot of people turned to gardening during the pandemic and stuck with it, and whether you have a typical suburban plot of land or an apartment balcony with flowerpots, we have advice for gardeners, info on native plants, even ways to incorporate chickens into your gardens.

Laws are being proposed and passed nationwide and in North Carolina to loosen gun restrictions. All of this is happening even though nearly 47,000 people died in the U.S. in 2023 from gun-related injuries.

Charlotte City Council member Tariq Bokhari steps down to become deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. Mecklenburg County remains a point of irritation for ICE while immigrants face a massive court backlog due to a lack of resources. And Charlotte continues to woo the CIAA in an effort to bring its tournaments back to town.

Ninety-eight years ago, the Carolina Theatre was born. It closed in 1978 and has sat vacant for nearly half its lifetime — 47 years. Now, it’s set to make a comeback. After years of construction, the theater has been restored to its former glory but also as a state-of-the-art masterpiece.

On the next Charlotte Talks, a conversation about the true story captured in the musical, "Parade," with playwright Alfred Uhry and Rabbi Steven Lebow.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis recently released recordings of death threats he’s received. Both candidates for the N.C. Supreme Court say they have received threats. And the U.S. Marshals Service reports this is happening around the country to many other officials, including judges. Where do political dissension and free speech rights end?

After years of several Democratic sheriffs in North Carolina opting out of a federal immigration program, the General Assembly passed a law requiring them to participate. The purpose is to aid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in removing undocumented immigrants. But in Mecklenburg County, there remains an ongoing dispute over the law. Sheriff McFadden joins us to share his point of view.