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Staff Writer
Jack Beckett covers government, elections, public safety, development and sports. Beckett has filed more than 600 stories on local policy, crime, zoning, and civic accountability in Connecticut and the Carolinas.
12,940 Mecklenburg mail ballots were still outstanding as of Monday. Ballots not yet returned must reach the county by 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3; a postmark no longer counts.
Jack Beckett·Oct 28, 2026
Two years after 209 votes separated them, Democratic Sen. Woodson Bradley and Republican Stacie McGinn meet again for the state Senate seat in southeast Mecklenburg.
Jack Beckett·Oct 28, 2026
Kyle Larson leads by 73 with two races left. A 77-point lead after Martinsville on Sunday wins him the title with a race to spare.
Jack Beckett·Oct 27, 2026
A week after CMPD named seven officers in a racially charged text-message case, Charlotte City Council approved new undercover cars for the department, 7-3, setting aside a motion to delay.
Jack Beckett·Oct 27, 2026
A 1922 South End warehouse planned as a boutique hotel is now a Charlotte historic landmark. One council member objected to deferring its taxes while amendments that could limit property taxes are on…
Jack Beckett·Oct 27, 2026
Charlotte City Council voted unanimously to keep its pause on new data centers for almost another year. Two campuses already under construction, approved for up to 5.5 million square feet, are not…
Jack Beckett·Oct 27, 2026
E-bike crashes in Charlotte have nearly doubled from a year ago. City staff want helmets for young riders, lights at night and rules for sidewalk riding. Council has not voted.
Jack Beckett·Oct 27, 2026
A win over last-place CF Montréal on Wednesday would clinch a playoff spot for Charlotte FC. Abdoulaye Doucoure says 15 to 20 minutes would be a good start.
Jack Beckett·Oct 27, 2026
Prince Forfor's cross set up Columbus Crew 2's 72nd-minute winner in a 2-1 semifinal Sunday in Matthews, ending top-seeded Crown Legacy FC's season.
Jack Beckett·Oct 27, 2026
Carolina Ascent outshot last-place Fort Lauderdale United 13-2 and won 11 corners to none in the first half, then drew 0-0. It is still first in the Gainbridge Super League, with Lexington SC next.
Jack Beckett·Oct 26, 2026
Charlotte's down payment account was at zero in September, and the next money is a $125 million housing bond, a council member said.
Jack Beckett·Oct 26, 2026
Tampa Bay scored 20 points off four Carolina turnovers in the 43-13 win, and the Panthers fell to 3-3.
Jack Beckett·Oct 25, 2026
Miami erased a 23-point lead and tied it at 100. Brandon Miller, held to six points a night earlier, broke that tie and the next one as Charlotte won.
Jack Beckett·Oct 25, 2026
Charlotte stays fifth in the Eastern Conference, now four points behind Chicago with three matches to play.
Jack Beckett·Oct 25, 2026
Sammy Smith ran second to teammate Carson Kvapil through the closing laps at Talladega, then won on the final one by 0.084 seconds, a day after his Truck win.
Jack Beckett·Oct 25, 2026
Springfield forward Dylan Peterson scored in the third period and goalie Will Cranley made 27 saves as the Thunderbirds beat the Checkers 2-1, Charlotte's first home loss of the season.
Jack Beckett·Oct 25, 2026
Twice in the closing laps, Sammy Smith thought his race was over. He won by 0.091 seconds, hours after TRICON announced his ride for 2027. Kaden Honeycutt still leads the Chase.
Jack Beckett·Oct 24, 2026
The margin tied for the fourth-largest loss in Hornets history, the team said, and Charlotte's 81 points were its fewest since February 2020.
Jack Beckett·Oct 23, 2026
Gracyn Sawchyn scored midway through the third period and rookie Matvei Shuravin got his first American Hockey League goal as the Checkers beat Springfield 3-2.
Jack Beckett·Oct 23, 2026
The 3-2 Panthers host 1-5 Tampa Bay Sunday at 1 p.m. Bryce Young is set for his 50th start, and Luke Kuechly gets his Hall of Fame ring at halftime.
Jack Beckett·Oct 23, 2026
The I-85 interchange at Brookshire Boulevard and W.T. Harris Boulevard at Grier Road are among eight area projects picked in the state's ranking for its 2028–2037 plan.
Jack Beckett·Oct 23, 2026
More than 5,000 surveys have been completed in the regional study of where roads feel unsafe. It closes Sunday, Oct. 25.
Jack Beckett·Oct 23, 2026
Riggs has seven wins to Honeycutt's four, but Honeycutt's 3.3 average finish in the Chase is the best of the 10 drivers, NASCAR says.
Jack Beckett·Oct 22, 2026
Charlotte is fifth in the Eastern Conference, one point behind fourth-place Chicago, with four regular-season games left.
Jack Beckett·Oct 22, 2026
Charlotte FC forward Idan Toklomati made the league's weekly best 11 for the second time in three rounds after a goal and an assist at Philadelphia.
Jack Beckett·Oct 22, 2026
It was the fourth annual Joy Drop from Charlotte FC and Atrium Health, and the club came back that evening with treats for hospital staff.
Jack Beckett·Oct 22, 2026
With Cooper Black called up to Florida, Tyler Muszelik is back from Savannah to share the net as the Checkers host Springfield Friday and Saturday.
Jack Beckett·Oct 22, 2026
Charlotte led for nearly 39 of the 48 minutes and outrebounded Brooklyn 58-47.
Jack Beckett·Oct 22, 2026
Violent crime fell 15% through September, but homicides have run ahead of last year's pace in every CMPD report this year.
Jack Beckett·Oct 22, 2026
CMPD has not released the messages, which Chief Estella Patterson said showed racial, sexual and religious biases going back several years.
Jack Beckett·Oct 20, 2026
The lease would run through June 30, 2037, and an airline that signs it approves $1.72 billion in airport construction projects.
Jack Beckett·Oct 20, 2026
Charlotte's transit authority voted Sept. 10 to make CATS general counsel Brad Thomas its own lawyer for six months starting Jan. 1, the day CATS employees are to move from the city to the authority.
Jack Beckett·Oct 19, 2026
During the caution after Larson's crash, crew chief Billy Scott brought Reddick in for two right-side tires, and on the restart he drove through a gap in the middle.
Jack Beckett·Oct 19, 2026
Four outdoor college hockey games come to Truist Field, starting Nov. 20 with South Carolina and Virginia Tech. Charlotte plays Appalachian State the next day.
Jack Beckett·Oct 19, 2026
Adrian Mendoza became the first academy player in club history to score in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs, the club says.
Jack Beckett·Oct 19, 2026
The Panthers beat the Eagles 25-14 in Philadelphia despite 13 penalties. Chuba Hubbard ran for 120 yards, and Tommy Tremble caught two touchdown passes.
Jack Beckett·Oct 19, 2026
Jesse Love won the O'Reilly Series race at Phoenix by 0.128 seconds over Sam Mayer and went from two points behind in the Chase to 36 ahead.
Jack Beckett·Oct 18, 2026
The Checkers answered a Hartford comeback and beat the Wolf Pack 4-2 Saturday for a weekend sweep and their third straight win.
Jack Beckett·Oct 18, 2026
Moton returned as rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling was listed doubtful with a knee injury, and Freeling was inactive Sunday.
Jack Beckett·Oct 18, 2026
Spire Motorsports has signed Coca-Cola 600 winner Daniel Suarez to an extension for 2027. Suarez says contract talks began about four months ago.
Jack Beckett·Oct 18, 2026
Toklomati passed the club mark of 12 set by Karol Swiderski in 2023 and matched this season by Pep Biel, the club says.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Carolina Ascent and Sporting JAX, now second in the league, drew 3-3 on Sept. 26. All three Carolina goals came off corners and free kicks.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Carolina Ascent won 3-0 at Tampa Bay Sun FC on Oct. 10, avenging its only loss of the season. Jill Aguilera, Rylee Baisden and Riley Parker scored.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Down 2-0 with 26 minutes left on Oct. 10, Charlotte FC beat FC Dallas 3-2. Idan Toklomati scored twice, the winner in stoppage time.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Hunter St. Martin scored shorthanded with 3:46 left and the Checkers beat Hartford 2-1 in their home opener at Bojangles Coliseum.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Rylee Baisden headed in an eighth-minute corner and Carolina Ascent beat DC Power 1-0 on Friday to stay eight points clear atop the Gainbridge Super League.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Mayor Rob Harrington has called a special council session Monday for one vote: the six-week airport lease review he vetoed Oct. 12.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Board member Lenora Shipp's motion cited Session Law 2026-41, and no one at the dais mentioned the race data before the vote.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
CMS students made their biggest Math 1 gain in four years. Middle school reading rose one point, and a board member asked how the district closes a nine-point gap in a year.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
While council decides whether to extend its pause, the two biggest data center projects in the city's pipeline are under construction. Only one must use closed-loop cooling.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Kaden Honeycutt led the last 53 laps to win the Zero Carbon Bioethanol 150 at Phoenix Raceway and pushed his Truck Series Chase lead over Layne Riggs from 17 points to 39 with three races left.
Jack Beckett·Oct 17, 2026
Corey Day has gained 85 points on Creed over the last two races, going from 92 behind to seven.
Jack Beckett·Oct 16, 2026
Kyle Larson leads the Cup Series Chase by 49 points with four races left. He has the best average finish at Phoenix of anyone in the top six, but one win there. Joey Logano has four.
Jack Beckett·Oct 16, 2026
Historic Fourth Ward's holiday Sip & Stroll and Home Tour runs Dec. 3 to 5 in Uptown. Tickets are $40 to $100 and went on sale Oct. 16.
Jack Beckett·Oct 16, 2026
Schools Beyond Screens brought the CMS board a list Tuesday: a bell-to-bell phone ban, a public audit of what the district spends on technology, tighter device controls and evidence that i-Ready works.
Jack Beckett·Oct 15, 2026
A parent read the CMS board a petition she said carries 1,179 signatures calling for five members to resign over the vote that fired Superintendent Crystal Hill.
Jack Beckett·Oct 15, 2026
Fifteen of the 33 people who spoke at Tuesday's CMS board meeting came about one thing: a later start time for South Academy of International Languages and Sedgefield Middle in 2027-28.
Jack Beckett·Oct 15, 2026
Columbus took 33 shots and Kristijan Kahlina saved 11 of them, a career high by the club's count, but the Crew won 3-1. "We were woeful," Dean Smith said.
Jack Beckett·Oct 14, 2026
Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election runs Oct. 15 through Oct. 31 at 25 sites across Mecklenburg County. Any site works, and eligible residents can register on the spot.
Jack Beckett·Oct 14, 2026
City staff asked Charlotte City Council on Monday to extend the pause on new data centers by almost a year. Two approved hyperscale campuses, allowed up to 5.5 million square feet together, are…
Jack Beckett·Oct 13, 2026
Charlotte City Council voted Monday to take six weeks to review the airport's new airline lease and decide Nov. 23. Mayor Rob Harrington vetoed it on the spot.
Jack Beckett·Oct 13, 2026
Layne Riggs passed Kaden Honeycutt with seven laps left to win the Ecosave 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, his seventh Truck Series win of the season.
Jack Beckett·Oct 12, 2026
Corey Day led early, took a pit-road penalty, drove back and won the Blue Cross NC 300 with a three-wide pass 10 laps from the end. He is third in the Chase, seven points behind Sheldon Creed.
Jack Beckett·Oct 12, 2026
Chase Briscoe's right front tire was coming apart, and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell closed in, but Briscoe won the Bank of America 400 by 0.029 seconds.
Jack Beckett·Oct 12, 2026
Angus Crookshank's first-round shootout goal was all Charlotte needed, and the win evened the Checkers' record at 2-2.
Jack Beckett·Oct 12, 2026
Charlotte City Council gets its first public presentation Monday on the airport's proposed new lease with five airlines. Its cost, its length and what the airlines would pay have not been made public.
Jack Beckett·Oct 10, 2026
CATS Micro, the transit system's on-demand shared van service, started a new zone around Wilkinson Boulevard and West Boulevard on Oct. 5. Rides cost $2.20 and are booked by app or phone.
Jack Beckett·Oct 9, 2026
More than 2,900 people have been killed or seriously injured on Charlotte-area roads since 2021, the city says. A regional survey asking where roads feel unsafe closes Oct. 25.
Jack Beckett·Oct 9, 2026
Layne Riggs has the most Truck Series wins this season and the worst average finish in the playoff so far. He returns to Charlotte, where he won in May, 37 points behind Kaden Honeycutt.
Jack Beckett·Oct 9, 2026
It is the second Food and Film night of the year, and the menu is Shrek-themed, down to a Swamp Dog Basket.
Jack Beckett·Oct 9, 2026
The Panthers have scored more points through four games than any team in franchise history and reached the bye at 2-2, tied for first in the NFC South.
Jack Beckett·Oct 8, 2026
Eight days before the agreement was signed, the city's lawyer told council no agreement existed yet.
Jack Beckett·Oct 8, 2026
The Checkers fell behind 2-0 in the first period at Hershey on Sunday and lost 3-2, splitting the season-opening series. They killed all six Hershey power plays, and Tyler Muszelik made 20 saves in…
Jack Beckett·Oct 6, 2026
Tetairoa McMillan caught 14 passes for 192 yards, Chuba Hubbard ran for 122 and two touchdowns, and Detroit settled for four field goals in Carolina's 32-26 win.
Jack Beckett·Oct 5, 2026
Nate Smith scored three goals, the first hat trick of his pro career, and Cooper Black made 30 saves as the Checkers opened the season with a 5-2 win at Hershey.
Jack Beckett·Oct 3, 2026
Coach Geordie Kinnear said the summer made clear "what went wrong, what I didn't do well, what the group didn't do well."
Jack Beckett·Oct 2, 2026
Dates, start times, arenas and results for all 72 games on the Charlotte Checkers' 2026-27 schedule, including 36 home dates at Bojangles Coliseum.
Jack Beckett·Oct 2, 2026
The Panthers placed cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson on injured reserve four days before Sunday night's game against Detroit, leaving three cornerbacks on the active roster.
Jack Beckett·Oct 1, 2026
Panthers long snapper J.J. Jansen has played 280 straight games, all for Carolina. Three more would pass Jim Marshall for the third-longest streak in NFL history, on Oct. 25 at home against Tampa Bay.
Jack Beckett·Oct 1, 2026
A week after firing Crystal Hill, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board voted 6-2 to create a four-member search committee. The two no votes said the board should examine its own governance first.
Jack Beckett·Sep 30, 2026
Carolina led 18-13 when Akayleb Evans intercepted Deshaun Watson in the end zone with 2:36 left. A roughing-the-passer penalty wiped it out, and Cleveland scored the winning touchdown with 1:48 to…
Jack Beckett·Sep 29, 2026
Charlotte made the two Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church cemeteries historic landmarks Monday. Researchers told council that more than 500 enslaved people are believed buried just outside them in…
Jack Beckett·Sep 29, 2026
Before voters decide on a $125 million housing bond in November, city staff laid out how the money would be split, with new goals for homes near transit and in higher-opportunity neighborhoods.
Jack Beckett·Sep 29, 2026
Staff said the planning department intends to assess the 2003 policy and bring changes forward if the assessment warrants them.
Jack Beckett·Sep 29, 2026
Charlotte made the vacant office tower at 301 S. Tryon a historic landmark, which lets its owners defer half the property tax on the designated portion while they convert it to homes and a hotel.
Jack Beckett·Sep 29, 2026
Starting Nov. 1, Charlotte residents under 18 must be off the streets by 10 p.m., with exceptions, under a pilot that runs through August 2027.
Jack Beckett·Sep 29, 2026
Charlotte BookPalooza fills Truist Field on Saturday, Oct. 10, with 86 indie authors, local booksellers and a day of activities for readers.
Jack Beckett·Sep 28, 2026
First place in the Beatles Cover Song Contest pays $100 per performer, or $400 for a band of four or more.
Jack Beckett·Sep 28, 2026
Kaden Honeycutt led 111 of 134 laps at Kansas Speedway and turned a three-point deficit into a 37-point lead in the Truck Series Chase.
Jack Beckett·Sep 27, 2026
The regional transportation board reinstated the $4.3 billion I-77 South toll lane project Wednesday, with a $69.5 million state bill hanging over any town that kept voting no.
Jack Beckett·Sep 24, 2026
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education fired Superintendent Crystal Hill 5-4 on Tuesday without stating a cause, then released its own report finding no improper conduct by her.
Jack Beckett·Sep 23, 2026
Shea Groom's 63rd-minute header was the only goal on 25 Carolina shots, and the 1-0 win over Brooklyn FC kept Carolina Ascent first in the Gainbridge Super League, four points clear with a match in…
Jack Beckett·Sep 23, 2026
Joey Logano came from fourth on the final restart for his 40th Cup Series win. Ryan Blaney, who led 202 laps, crashed out while racing Carson Hocevar for second and traded punches with him on pit road.
Jack Beckett·Sep 21, 2026
Jake Garcia, who finished 11 points short of the Truck Series playoff field, won the UNOH 250 at Bristol for his first career victory.
Jack Beckett·Sep 21, 2026
Sheldon Creed passed William Sawalich on an overtime restart and won the Food City 300 at Bristol by 0.253 seconds, leading only the final three laps.
Jack Beckett·Sep 21, 2026
A week after giving up 59 points to Chicago, the Panthers forced five turnovers and held Atlanta to a field goal in a 34-3 win.
Jack Beckett·Sep 21, 2026
The date comes from "9 to 5," and commissioners passed it unanimously by saying "nine to five" when the vote came.
Jack Beckett·Sep 16, 2026
The state's claim against Charlotte for walking away from the I-77 South toll lanes is $69,577,547.67, and the money would come out of the fund the city has already programmed for its next affordable…
Jack Beckett·Sep 15, 2026
The Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 59-37 at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday, the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history.
Jack Beckett·Sep 13, 2026
Jesse Love took the lead with fifteen laps to go and won the Nu Way 225 at World Wide Technology Raceway, his first victory of 2026. Sheldon Creed finished second and left St.
Jack Beckett·Sep 13, 2026
