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MPTA unanimously ordered a separate planning study for a possible future West Craighead infill station. The action leaves the current 11-station Red Line plan unchanged while requiring CATS to begin…
Jack Beckett·Aug 13, 2026
Charlotte's new transit authority gave its interim CEO expanded authority to sign technology contracts without case-by-case board approval, racing a Jan.
Jack Beckett·Jul 11, 2026
A committee of Charlotte's new transit authority voted 5-4 against recommending a West Craighead station for the Red Line, siding with staff who warned an extra stop could weaken the project's bid…
Jack Beckett·Jul 10, 2026
On June 24 the Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority closed out the last of the twelve requirements North Carolina set before it can run Charlotte's buses and trains, and voted to send the…
Jack Beckett·Jun 28, 2026
On July 1, the Charlotte Area Transit System stops being a city department and passes to the MPTA, a 27-member appointed board, along with a new one-cent tax meant to raise $19.4 billion over thirty…
Jack Beckett·Jun 11, 2026
At the MTC's final meeting, members praised interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle for steadying an agency in crisis since he arrived in December 2022.
Jack Beckett·Jun 3, 2026
The Metropolitan Transit Commission's final vote adopted the CATS Fare Modernization Program, tap-and-go payments, electronic validation, a new streetcar fare, and expanded reduced fares, phased in…
Jack Beckett·Jun 2, 2026
The Metropolitan Transit Commission held its final meeting May 27 after 27 years, adopting an amended CATS fare policy and formally handing operational control to the new Metropolitan Public…
Jack Beckett·Jun 1, 2026
Charlotte went from a bus-only city to a rail-connected region to an independent transit authority in 27 years. A companion to the Mercury's coverage of the MTC's dissolution, laid out as a single…
Jack Beckett·May 30, 2026
One regional board ended a multibillion-dollar state project. Here is what CRTPO is, how its weighted vote works, and why Charlotte's bloc is large enough to decide the outcome.
Jack Beckett·May 23, 2026
CRTPO voted May 20 to withdraw support for the I-77 South toll lanes, all but ending a $3.2 billion expansion, removing it from the state's ten-year construction plan, and putting an estimated $700…
Jack Beckett·May 23, 2026
Council convened in special session at 4 p.m. Monday to take up three of Charlotte's biggest active fights, a $4.5 billion budget hearing, a resolution on the I-77 South toll lanes, and the council's…
Jack Beckett·May 11, 2026
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announced Thursday that she will resign on June 30, ending a tenure that began in 2017. Under North Carolina law, the City Council will appoint a Democrat to serve the…
Jack Beckett·May 8, 2026
At the final public hearing on the Charlotte Area Transit System's Fare Modernization Program, public commenter Carson Cohn told the MTC that CATS had promised him an answer over a month ago on…
Jack Beckett·May 7, 2026
The original plan was 29 miles of light rail from Belmont to Indian Trail, through the airport, through Uptown, and into Union County. Charlotte got federal money.
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
Charlotte owns the railroad tracks, has a design contract, and a state law mandating the Red Line gets built before anything else.
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
By July 1, 2026, CATS as a City of Charlotte department will cease to exist, absorbed into the new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority.
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
Mecklenburg County voters approved a one-cent sales tax increase in November 2025. The PAVE Act splits the revenue 40/40/20 between roads, rail, and bus service, generating roughly $490 million…
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
Charlotte Gateway Station has $80 million in completed rail infrastructure and no station building. Phase 1 is done. Phase 2 has no start date.
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
The Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority (MPTA) is Charlotte's new regional transit authority, created after voters approved a half-cent sales tax in November 2025.
Jack Beckett·Mar 28, 2026
At Monday's FY2027 budget workshop, Council Members Anderson and Graham pushed for a Gateway Station progress update and connected it to the stalled CTC redevelopment and the former EpiCentre.
Jack Beckett·Mar 23, 2026
Charlotte City Council spent Q1 2026 juggling a razor-thin budget, a toll lane revolt, affordable housing policy, and a transit authority handoff with a July deadline.
Jack Beckett·Mar 15, 2026
Council approved $4.3M for a new transit authority start-up and major infrastructure contracts, while deferring a Gateway Station parking lease and a Norland Road path item.
Jack Beckett·Jan 17, 2026
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have crossed a governance threshold that will shape transportation, land use, and public spending for a generation.
Jack Beckett·Dec 19, 2025
When the city is facing a real crisis of confidence in its transit system, a $3.4 million marketing contract for an out-of-state agency isn't just tone-deaf.
Jack Beckett·Dec 9, 2025
Charlotte's new Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority will control nearly twenty billion dollars in transit and road spending.
Jack Beckett·Nov 20, 2025
Charlotte City Council confirmed four new members to the long-anticipated Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority board after a multi-day interview marathon.
Jack Beckett·Nov 18, 2025
Mecklenburg County voters approved a landmark transit tax, re‑elected Mayor Vi Lyles, and delivered a clean sweep for Democrats on the council and school board in Charlotte's 2025 municipal election.
Jack Beckett·Nov 6, 2025
Federal shutdown hits day 34 as Charlotte votes on $19B transit tax. How Washington chaos, Raleigh redistricting, and local politics collide three weeks before Election Day.
Jack Beckett·Nov 2, 2025
Early voting is open in Mecklenburg. What is on the ballot, how same-day registration works, what the transit tax funds, and how NC secures your vote, plus links to our 2025 race guides.
Jack Beckett·Oct 20, 2025
Permits for Parcel E and below I-277 nudge Iron District into site work, with 278 apartments, new retail, structured parking, and a set-aside for a future light-rail station.
Jack Beckett·Oct 9, 2025
At the Tuesday Forum, Vi Lyles and Rob Yates split on transit tax, converged on community policing, and faced Charlotte's hardest fact: thousands of CMS students are without stable housing.
Jack Beckett·Oct 5, 2025
Charlotte's transit leaders turned a tragedy into a communications disaster. Here's the crisis management playbook they ignored, and what they should have said instead.
Peter Cellino·Oct 3, 2025
Council aligned the MPTA appointment timeline with partner schedules and swapped a hard category rule for "encouraged," after recusing one member. Here is what changes on Nov. 6, 12‑15, 17, and 24.
Jack Beckett·Oct 2, 2025
Grieving families, a wounded officer, and an audit showing the math on CATS security doesn't add up. At a blistering House Judiciary field hearing in Charlotte, members torched the city's bail…
Jack Beckett·Oct 1, 2025
CATS cut armed security to 39 posts while spending exceeded $49M. We trace the contracts, staffing gaps, and what that means for riders and 2025 voters.
Jack Beckett·Oct 1, 2025
CATS moved fare fights away from drivers, funded transit policing, and promised data. Can validators, roving checks, and a CMPD pact make an open rail system feel safe after Irina Zarutska's killing?
Jack Beckett·Sep 8, 2025
Charlotte built its light rail as an open system. After a fatal stabbing, Council pressed CATS on safety without turnstiles. The plan: transit policing, fare checks, cameras, and visible upgrades.
Jack Beckett·Sep 8, 2025
The 1% transit sales tax would fund roads, rail, and buses through a new regional authority with strict gates on the Red Line. Here's how it works, who controls it and where candidates stand.
Jack Beckett·Aug 24, 2025
Malcolm Graham chairs Jobs & Economic Development, represents Charlotte's Historic West End, and has a long record on transit, corridors, and high-profile votes. Here's what he's done and what's next.
Jack Beckett·Aug 23, 2025
Charlotte mayoral contenders clash over housing, transit, and public safety, offering voters sharply different plans and political philosophies ahead of the 2025 primary.
Jack Beckett·Aug 12, 2025
A hard look at the week: Mecklenburg's transit tax hits the ballot, the governor signs a stopgap budget and vetoes a school-choice tax credit, and local transparency fights simmer in Charlotte.
Jack Beckett·Aug 10, 2025
Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners; City of Charlotte; Mecklenburg Public Transportation Authority (proposed); Southern Coalition for Social Justice; Action NC; Charlotte Area Transit System
Jack Beckett·Aug 7, 2025
Mecklenburg commissioners advanced a 1-cent sales tax question despite word-smithing wars. Critics call it fuzzy math; supporters say state law ties their hands.
Jack Beckett·Aug 2, 2025
Malcolm Graham's West End roots, corridor crusade, and "no Plan B" transit gamble reveal how one council veteran shapes Charlotte's 2025 narrative, and your commute.
Jack Beckett·Aug 1, 2025
Filing closed at noon. Lyles wants a fifth term, council bickers, transit tax looms. District 3 drama, District 6 reset, GOP hunts a comeback. Full roster, stakes, and a wink.
Jack Beckett·Jul 19, 2025
