WCNC Charlotte's Flashpoint

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson talks with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board members-elect Lisa Cline and Stephanie Sneed about the upcoming term. Five new  Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools  board members will be sworn in this week. They'll face a long list of issues to tackle. Chief among their priorities, selecting a new superintendent.  A former teacher, Kline said she wor...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson talks with Tom Wolf, deputy director in the democracy program at the Brenner Center about the upcoming Moore v. Harper case being heard in US Supreme Court.  At issue, "independent state legislature theory", an controversial legal theory that suggests state legislatures have the final say on federal election laws. Critics of the theory argue i...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks with Concord Mayor Bill Dusch about the explosive growth expected in the coming year. Concord is now the tenth-largest city in North Carolina. It's attracted big-name companies recently including  Red Bull  and  Eli Lilly  that will bring more than 2,000 high-paying jobs. It's a far cry from where city leaders found themselves when Phillip Morris...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson is joined by NC House Speaker Tim Moore is discusses the House's legislative priorities following Tuesday's election. Medicaid expansion, long the source of disagreement among republicans and democrats, will be addressed early in the session, according to Moore. Currently, North Carolina is one of only twelve states that doesn't provide Medica...

Ted Budd win NC’s open seat in the US Senate, Jeff Jackson wins US House District 14. Here's a closer look at key races in the Carolinas

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompsons talks with Scott Huffmon, a Winthrop University professor, and Susan Roberts, a Davidson College professor. They're warning that the country's current political polarization will only get worse after Tuesday's midterm election. "I think we are in a pendulum swing right now. I think it may get worse before it gets better. But there's always th...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Jane Monreal talks all things  14th Congressional District  with candidates Democratic state Senator  Jeff Jackson  and Republican businessman  Pat Harrigan . Both candidates are veterans who served in Afghanistan, and they discuss their reasons to run for office. Harrigan says his reasons for going into politics stem from having a family. The former Green Beret sai...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson is joined by Republican Congressman Ted Budd and former North Carolina Chief Justice Cheri Beasley. Both candidates are running to replace Richard Burr (R) in the U.S. Senate. In the interview with Budd, Thompson asked the senate candidate what his ideal abortion law would look like in light of Budd's co-sponsorship of a bill that would ban ab...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte Ben Thompson talks to Catawba College politics professor Michael Bitzer about trends emerge from absentee-by-mail voting. As of October 9, 55% of requested absentee ballots were from women and 38% were from men.  "Women are making up substantial majorities of these early ballots," Bitzer said. Overall, absentee voting is outpacing the 2018 midterms, but behi...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompsons talks to Lariza Garzon, director of North Carolina operations for the Hispanic Federation. For several months, the  Hispanic Federation  has been working to register Hispanic voters in North Carolina, ahead of November's midterm election. Garzon estimates there are 400,000 Latinos in North Carolina who are eligible to vote, but only 60% are registered....

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson speaks to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's Lt. Joan Gallant on how the department is addressing mental health-related calls in Charlotte. In 2019, CMPD launched a  Community Policing Crisis Response Team . The team was created to respond to 911 calls that involve mental health issues, that aren't necessarily criminal matters. "Pol...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks to CRVA CEO Tom Murray about the lasting impact of the Presidents Cup on Charlotte. More than most other recent events, the  Presidents Cup  is bringing more attention to Charlotte as a world-class travel destination, Murray tells WCNC. It comes as Charlotte is emerging as a post-pandemic destination for leisure travel, after years of being a city...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson talks to CATS CEO John Lewis on the transit system's challenges and its long-term plan. Amid union negotiations this summer, CATS struggled with staffing shortages that lead to service delays and subsequent schedule changes for riders.  According to CATS, the private contractor that manages the agency's operations has reached a tentative deal...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson talks to former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts and former N.C. Supreme Court Judge Bob Orr about the North Carolina Trusted Elections Tour, which is working to restore faith in our election system. It's a pilot program created by the Carter Center in North Carolina and several other states. The group is holding town halls in the state's four...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks to outgoing Charlotte city council member Larken Egleston and current city council member Tariq Bokhari about the passage of the UDO and Affordable Housing. Later, Ben continues his conversation with outgoing Charlotte city councilmember Larken Egleston and current city council member Tariq Bokhari about transit.  Charlotte City Council is also sl...

This week, students and educators across the Charlotte area return to school. WCNC's Ben Thompson spoke to a CMS teacher and a district board member about the start of a new school year. They worry this year's pay raise may not be enough to keep and retain teachers. "A lot of our veteran teachers are still struggling because their pay raise is smaller. The pay raise is heavily weighted at the earl...

On this week's episode of Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks with Clark Simon, the President of Charlotte Pride about why holding pride in Charlotte remains more relevant than ever. Charlotte Pride  returned this weekend after a two-year hiatus, and organizers say its message of diversity and acceptance for the LGBTQ community has never resonated more. Recent rulings from the US Supreme Court,...

This week on Flashpoint is all about growth. WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson talks to Kelly O'Brien, the Chief Advocacy and Strategy Officer for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance about the alliance’s Q2 Growth Report. Later, Ben talks to North Carolina Secretary of State, Elaine Marshall about the growth of new businesses in NC over the second quarter. All of this and more on Flashpoint, only...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks to Mecklenburg County Health Director, Dr. Raynard Washington about the county’s response to monkeypox. Mecklenburg County  still has a long waitlist for those who want the Monkeypox vaccine, despite a shipment of 2,000 doses earlier this week. But there's good news. Washington said he expects his department will be receiving routine shipments of...

On this week's episode of Flashpoint, less than one after Charlotte's general election, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks to Charlotte city councilwoman, Dimple Ajmera about her win on Tuesday and about being the night’s top vote-getter. Later, Ben talks to Charlotte city councilman, Tariq Bokhari about his win on Tuesday and what’s next. Before a new city council is sworn in in September, Charlotte's cur...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks to Catawba College Professor Michael Bitzer about Charlotte as well as the upcoming Senate race. Voting data from the second week of early voting showed democrats were over-performing when it came to voting, republicans were right on track, and unaffiliated voters were lacking when it came to getting to the polls. Charlotte is increasingly dominat...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson talks to Charlotte city councilmen, Tariq Bokhari and Larken Egleston, about their last five years on council as well as the latest with not getting a social district in Charlotte. Egleston lost a primary election race in May for an at-large seat on council and finishes his term in September. He said council made progress on transit, affordabl...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks to NC Congresswoman Alma Adams about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Adams argues the impacts will be the most severe in marginalized communities. "Black and brown women, those will be impacted the hardest I believe. Those who live in rural areas, those who have lower incomes and can't afford to cross state lines for care. Yo...

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC Charlotte's Ben Thompson is joined by Charlotte Pride Communications Director Matt Comer and transgender liaison for Charlotte Black Pride Rell Lowery as they discuss the importance of commemorating Pride Month in Charlotte. See the full episode Sunday at 11 a.m. on Flashpoint, only on WCNC Charlotte.

This week on Flashpoint, WCNC's Ben Thompson talks to Charlotte professors about the significance of Juneteenth. Sunday marks Juneteenth, a federal holiday that marks the true end of slavery in the United States. On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves of the Confederate states. But it took two-and-a-half years for Lincoln's proclamation to reach Tex...