WFAE

Celebrate 45 years of independent local journalism with WFAE 🎉 Join us Thursday, June 4, at 5:30 p.m. at The Casey by Beau Monde as we honor four and a half decades of public service and look ahead to the future of fact-based, independent reporting in the Carolinas. ✨ Featuring keynote speaker Soledad O’Brien, this cocktail-attire evening is a chance to connect with fellow listeners, supporters and storytellers — and to help sustain the essential journalism our region depends on. With the loss of federal funding, your support matters more than ever. 💙 📅 Thursday, June 4 - 5:30 p.m. 🎟️ Tickets can be purchased via the link in bio or at WFAE.org 📍 The Casey by Beau Monde — 1837 N. Tryon St., Charlotte #WFAE #wfae45years #publicmedia #charlottethreads

Have you ever wondered what WFAE used to be like? From a tiny campus station in 1981 to a multiplatform newsroom for the Carolinas, we’ve grown up with you — and we want to be here for 45 more years. 🗓️📍Join us Thursday, June 4, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at The Casey by Beau Monde (1837 N. Tryon St.) We’re celebrating 45 years of independent local journalism with keynote speaker Soledad O’Brien. 🎤 With the loss of federal funding, WFAE is depending on our community more than ever — your ticket helps close the gap and keep this vital public service strong. ❤️ 👉 🎟️ Tickets can be purchased via the link in bio. #WFAE #charlottethreads #WFAE45 #IndependentJournalism

Teams in the NFL released their schedules for the upcoming season Thursday night. The Carolina Panthers collaborated with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department bomb squad in their release video. Carolina’s first primetime game of the season will also be at home and they’ll take on the Detroit Lions for a Sunday Night Football matchup on Oct. 4. The Sunday night game will be the first time since 2016. The Panthers are coming off their first NFC South title in nearly a decade and that win also granted them a playoff berth. Last year the Panthers swept the division rival Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta will be the first divisional game on the road for a Week 2 matchup. Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio 📝: Kenneth Lee 📸: WFAE #wfae #704 #charlottethreads #carolinapanthers #nfl

Following a tense budget process, several closed-door personnel hearings about unspecified issues and speculation about her job, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill says she’s not going anywhere. In response to an inquiry from WFAE about the status of the superintendent, CMS spokesman Tom Miner said Hill “has no intentions of resigning.” This year’s budget process exposed friction between Hill and the CMS Board after the board voted down her budget recommendation in an 8-1 vote that appeared to surprise Hill. It led to a tense two weeks of special hearings — including two closed sessions to discuss “personnel matters” — where the board at times appeared frustrated with CMS staff. After Hill made tweaks to the budget that addressed some key board concerns, the board unanimously approved the $2.1 billion spending package earlier this week with few fireworks. Board members appeared grateful for the changes and stood by their desire for a deeper dive into the proposal. Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio. 📄: James Farrell 📷: WFAE #wfae #704 #charlottethread #CMS #CrystalHill

A documentary screening in Charlotte this weekend will explore immigration through a faith-based lens, asking what it means to welcome newcomers at a time of heightened immigration enforcement. “Jesus Was a Migrant” examines migration by drawing connections between biblical stories and the experiences of immigrants today. The screening is being presented by community groups, including Siembra NC, Espinosa Law and House of Light Church. Andrew Willis Garcés with Siembra NC says the film invites Christians to reflect on how their faith aligns with the treatment of migrants fleeing violence. “What does loving your neighbor mean in this time?” Garcés said. “What does welcoming the stranger mean in this time? And is what we're doing right now representative of that and of the story of Jesus?” The screening begins Sunday at 3 p.m. at Amity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. 📄: Julian Berger 📷: WFAE #wfae #704 #immigrationnc #charlottethreads

Spark Centro officially broke ground Thursday in east Charlotte on a major investment aimed at expanding jobs, entrepreneurship and workforce training in the area. A 38,000-square-foot building on East W.T. Harris Boulevard will be transformed into a new economic hub. The project is backed by Mecklenburg County, the city of Charlotte, Bank of America and the Leon Levine Foundation. Spark Centro’s Karla Cruz says the facility will bring workforce training, small-business support and community partnerships under one roof. “This is such an important milestone not only for our organization, but for just the community as a whole,” Cruz said. “This event has been long coming, and I think with so much momentum going on in Charlotte, it’s just so nice.” Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio. 📄: Julian Berger 📷: Julian Berger #wfae #704 #sparkcentro #eastcharlotte #mecklenburgcounty

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is slowing down a planned overhaul of its magnet school offerings, saying it wants more input from families and the community before moving forward. The district had planned to hold a public hearing on the proposal this past Tuesday, ahead of a May 26 vote by the school board. That hearing did not take place. In a message to families, CMS said it is taking additional time to collect public feedback, and opportunities to share feedback would be available “over the coming weeks.” “We believe meaningful dialogue is essential to this process, and we want to ensure that every voice has the opportunity to be heard before decisions are made,” the message said. Some residents raised concerns about the proposal during public comment at the May 12 school board meeting. Some had been concerned about changes to feeder patterns and transportation access. Others questioned a plan to combine the International Baccalaureate magnet program with the Learning Immersion/Talent Development programs. Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio. 📄: James Farrell 📷: WFAE #wfae #704 #charlottethread #cms #magnetschool

Mecklenburg County Manager Michael Bryant made his official budget recommendation to the county board of commissioners Thursday, and the $2.6 billion spending plan keeps the property tax rate steady at 49.27 cents per $100 of assessed value. County officials have been warning about a storm of headwinds this year: slowing revenue growth, federal cuts and the lack of a state budget. But Bryant says the county offset those by moving some tax revenue from the county’s debt service fund, finding savings and using fund balances. “I am so proud to share that I have utilized all the tools at my disposal and made the necessary adjustments in our investment practices without compromising our services, having to propose raising property taxes or even implementing employee layoffs,” Bryant said Thursday. The budget increases the minimum wage for county employees from $20 per hour to about $25 and also offers a 3% increase in employee pay across the board. Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio. 📄: James Farrell 📷: WFAE #wfae #704 #charlottethread #cms #mecklenburgcountybudget

Despite the recent rainfall in the Charlotte-area, much of North Carolina remains in extreme drought and mandatory water restrictions will begin tomorrow. Starting on Friday, water utilities will enforce mandatory water restrictions due to the ongoing drought. Charlotte Water is telling customers not to water their lawns and landscape more than two days a week. Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio. 📄: Kenneth Lee 📷: Canva #wfae #704 #charlottethread #mecklenburgcounty #ncdrought

If you came of age in the 2010s, there is a decent chance “Broad City” made you feel a little more seen — or at least a little less weird. Now, co-creator and comedian Ilana Glazer is touring a new stand-up show about getting older, becoming a parent and trying to stay sane in a world that she says has “gone crackers.” She’ll perform at the Knight Theater in Charlotte on May 28. Glazer spoke with WFAE’s Nick de la Canal. Full conversation: WFAE.org or link in bio. 📄: Nick de la Canal 📷: WFAE #wfae #704 #charlottethreads #IlanaGlazer #broadcity

The Museum of Life and Science in Durham says five critically endangered red wolf pups were born at the museum earlier this month. The litter includes three males and two females, and the museum says they are all healthy. Fewer than 300 red wolves remain in the wild or under human care. The Albemarle Peninsula in eastern North Carolina is home to the only confirmed wild red wolves in existence, according to the state wildlife federation. WFAE.org #WFAE #charlottethreads #redwolfpups #919 #704

Shortly after the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board passed Superintendent Crystal Hill’s revised $2.1 billion budget at a late-night meeting Tuesday, the board announced an emergency closed meeting for Wednesday morning to discuss personnel matters. It’s prompted speculation about the status of Hill’s job, following a tense two weeks of budget negotiations. The board met openly at 7 a.m. Wednesday for about two minutes before going into closed session. They did not speak publicly afterwards. It was the latest of several closed personnel meetings that the board has held since voting down Hill’s first budget request last month. That vote appeared to catch Hill off guard and led to a series of tense meetings where board members questioned the budget and expressed frustration with the budget process and CMS staff. Full story: WFAE.org or link in bio. 📄: James Farrell 📷: WFAE #wfae #704 #charlottethreads #cms #educationnc