Vi Lyles and the Long Ride Home
A few thoughts on the Charlotte mayor’s abrupt resignation, and why it happened
One year of listening to Charlotte
A note of thanks, on the anniversary of The Charlotte Optimist.
They Stand Between Charlotte and its Worst Days
Inside Santé, the small mobile crisis team that most of Charlotte doesn’t know exists
Be The Light: The story of ackee and saltfish and Ohavia Phillips-Reed
To know Ohavia Phillips-Reed, one of Charlotte’s most recognizable media personalities, you have to understand her history. Specifically, you have to understand the history of ackee and saltfish. The national dish of Jamaica, ackee and saltfish is an identity dish similar to the bacon, egg and cheese for New Yorkers, or pork barbecue for North […]
“I’m not dead yet”: A breakfast with Thom Tillis
The retiring North Carolina senator has 259 days left in office. Over breakfast in Charlotte, he talks Trump, the Fed, and why he says he’s been this way all along.
The Mosh Pit and the Ballroom
On the same April night, a hardcore punk band in a 100-year-old club and a bank CEO in a ballroom reached, from opposite ends of the city, for the same word.
The 704 Kid: From Dillehay Courts to the Hornets Arena
How Chris Moxley helped build 704 Shop into a beloved Charlotte brand
I Read the Book That Says Charlotte Lacks Soul. So I Called the Author.
Robert FitzPatrick’s search for Charlotte’s soul comes up mostly empty. A two-hour conversation left me thinking about my own answer.
The Gray Space
A generation of Charlotte small business builders is entering its final chapter. What happens next will shape the city for decades.
What’s Going On With Charlotte
After a national spotlight turned toward Charlotte, I spent a week listening across the city. The result is a mosaic of the people and moments shaping it.