WCNC Charlotte To Go

Crews with the  Charlotte Fire Department  worked to douse the flames on the top level of a condo block Tuesday afternoon. When firefighters searched the building, they reportedly found a dead person inside. More than 60 firefighters responded to the condominium units along West 8th Street near North Graham Street around 1:20 p.m. Crews shared a video to Twitter, showing flames and smoke rising fr...

A new bride was killed and her husband was critically injured in a crash just hours after their wedding in Folly Beach, police said. Samantha "Sam" Hutchinson and her husband, Aric, were riding on a golf cart when the driver hit them going approximately 65 mph, family members said. Samanta died from her injuries. Aric was critically injured and two other people on the cart were hurt. Tradesha Wood...

The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles is making changes to its schedule to provide better service. Starting Monday, May 1, you will only be able to schedule DMV appointments during morning hours. There will be no appointments in the afternoon with the DMV expecting to serve walk-in clients during that time. FULL STORY: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/nc-dmv-changes-walk-in-appoin...

The City of Gastonia will open a social district east to west along Main Avenue from CaroMont Heath Park (west) to Broad Street (east) on April 28. Officials said the purpose of the social district is to increase downtown walkability and exposure to downtown businesses. The social district will open on April 28 and operate Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Plus on...

A fun day turned chaotic after shots rang out at the  Chester County Baseball Complex  last week. Megan Melton said she was there watching her loved ones play ball when the shots were fired. Her husband had just left the park moments before with their 1-year-old son. “We heard like a gunshot… kind of just looked around and stopped for a minute and it started going off again and again and again and...

North Carolina Senate Republicans called Wednesday for the largest expansion of the state's private school voucher program since it was created, saying all families should qualify for at least some money regardless of income. Senate Bill 406 would remove the program’s  current income caps , replacing them with a sliding scale that would let any family get a voucher, called an Opportunity Scholarsh...

All of the suspects accused of participating in a Union County mother's murder and kidnapping had court appearances Monday. Alison Thomas, 37, was reported missing from Flint Ridge Road in February. Weeks later, authorities found her body hours away in the woods of Jackson County. Michael Kasminoff, Brandon Kisiah, Amanda Griffin, Shawn Adkins, and William Mulenex are all charged with first degree...

Police are investigating an armed robbery at a store at the Carolina Place Mall. The  Pineville Police Department  says the robbery happened at a jewelry store at the Carolina Place mall. Despite initial reports of shots being fired, police say shots were not fired during the robbery. Police also say no injuries were reported during the incident. There are no suspects in custody at this time. Anyo...

Carowinds announced it will now require park visitors who are 15 or younger to be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21 after 4 p.m. to remain in the park. Any underage guests found in the park without a chaperone will be escorted out for the remainder of the day. Tradesha Woodard has the latest on the new policy, including details on previous incidents Carowinds says led to this change. Char...

The North Carolina House passed the  "Fairness in Women's Sports Act"  on Wednesday. House Bill 574 states transgender girls are prohibited from participating in sports that correspond with their gender identity.  Wednesday, lawmakers were joined by  NCAA Champion Riley Gaines, a D1 swimmer from the University of Kentucky.  She spoke out against the idea of transgender women competing in sports. S...

Netflix is poised to end its once revolutionary DVD-by-mail service that set the stage for the streaming platform to become the name brand for entertainment in the 21st century. The DVD service, which still delivers movies and TV shows to customers in red-and-white envelopes, plans to mail its final discs on Sept. 29. Netflix ended March with 232.5 million worldwide subscribers to its video stream...

A former  West Rowan High School  defensive football standout has died, according to his alma mater. Chris Smith, 31, a Salisbury native, died, according to West Rowan Football on Twitter. His cause of death has not been released at this time. Smith graduated from West Rowan High School in 2010 and was a star defensive end on the team. He helped the West Rowan Falcons capture the 2009 3A State Cha...

 The Supreme Court said Friday it was temporarily keeping in place federal rules for use of an abortion drug, while it takes time to more fully consider the issues raised in a court challenge. In an order signed by Justice Samuel Alito, the court put a five-day pause on the fast-moving case so the justices can decide whether lower court rulings restricting the Food and Drug Administration’s approv...

Attorneys worried it would be a mess, and they were right.  The new computer system, which is called  Odyssey or eCourts , was meant to modernize and connect all North Carolinas courts.  Since launching in February in Wake, Harnett, Johnston and Lee counties,  there have been  so many issues  that the planned May launch in Mecklenburg County has been delayed indefinitely. In February,  WCNC Charlo...

The U.S. has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it's mixed with  the powerful opioid fentanyl,  clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine. The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation Wednesday, the first time the office has used it since the category for fast-growing drug dangers was created in 2019. Dr. Rahul Gupta, directo...

Warning: Story contains graphic details New information about an alleged Easter Sunday killing at an east Charlotte apartment complex was shared during the suspect's first court appearance just days later. Around 10 a.m. Sunday,  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department  officers responded to Southwood Oaks Lane, not far from Reddman Road, according to officials. When they arrived, they found 35-ye...

Governor Henry McMaster  and other local officials will meet Tuesday to continue their efforts of combating gun violence. "I have been working on gun violence for a number of years since I was a state lawmaker," Nancy Mace, a U.S. congresswoman, said. "I have tried to bridge the divide between the left and the right to find real hardened solutions." The push comes days after a shooting on  Isle of...

Family and friends will gather Monday to celebrate the life of a prominent Charlottean. The memorial service for Leon Levine is Monday at Temple Israel on Providence Road. Levine founded Family Dollar Stores in 1959 with the first store opening on Charlotte's Central Avenue. And although Family Dollar has grown to over 8,000 stores across the country, Levine is most remembered as a philanthropist...

Republican lawmakers say their proposed North Carolina budget addresses inflation with big worker raises while spending cautiously, after the state House approved the two-year plan Thursday. The chamber voted 78-38 for the plan, which now goes to the Senate for consideration. The proposed budget would spend $29.8 billion during the fiscal year starting July 1 and $30.9 billion starting in July 202...

North Carolina lawmakers are looking at two bills to restrict high school sports for transgender athletes. Senate Bill 631, known as the "Fairness in Women's Sports Act," says sports teams must be designated as either "male, men or boys," "females, women or girls," or "co-ed or mixed." The bill says male students can not partake in athletics designated for women and girls. The sex would be based s...

Police are investigating a string of robberies in the first days of April that appear to be targeting the Hispanic community. According to the  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department , there have been 11 robberies in east and north Charlotte targeting Hispanic people since April 1. Investigators say the robberies took place late at night and early in the morning in apartment complex parking lots....

All eyes are on Charlotte transit leaders as they sort out several issues within  CATS.  This comes after learning of derailments not properly disclosed to local leaders, past due inspections and several concerns about safety. City leaders laid out an action plan to get operations back in order during the  Transportation, Planning and Development  committee meeting Monday. "This thing is a cancer...

In an effort to have more people in the Charlotte community about lifesaving measures, the  Carolina Panthers  will be joined by Damar Hamlin to train players and staff on CPR and other skills. The session will take place on April 3 at 10:45 a.m. at the Atrium Health Dome in Charlotte and is hosted by the American Heart Association.  According to a release, the CPR automated external defibrillator...

Charlotte's city manager admitted Thursday afternoon that he inadvertently didn't see a text message from former  CATS  CEO John Lewis about  a minor light rail train derailment incident  that happened in May 2022. The incident, which was  only first revealed to the public this month , has called into question the reliability and transparency of the transit agency that has been under public scruti...

Former North Carolina state Sen. David Hoyle, a powerful force on taxes, economic development and education within state government when Democrats last controlled the  General Assembly , died on Wednesday at age 84, his son said. Hoyle died at his home in the Gaston County seat of Dallas, where he had once elected been mayor in his 20s. His health had been declining since he suffered a stroke seve...