It's pretty much a done deal, especially after the RNC site selection committee voted unanimously in favor of Charlotte hosting the 2020 Republican National Convention. But GOP leaders will make it official with their final vote Friday morning and a press conference with more details around noon.
Mayor Lyles and other city leaders have been in Austin, Texas meeting with Republican officials, who have heaped praise upon the Queen City at every opportunity.
"Charlotte's a very nice city. It'll be important for the RNC to come to Charlotte. There are many misconceptions that people have about the Republican party and what we stand for. So it would be nice for people to see us at our best behavior. And we are a party that will pay our bill and not leave anybody like Duke energy in the whole," said Dr. Ada Fisher.
Experts say the RNC could have an even larger economic boom than the 2012 DNC, which brought $163 million to the city.
2. A Charlotte mom says she had a gun pulled on her by another mom while driving her daughter to day care
Road rage cases aren't new, with incidents popping up all over the area in recent months, but this one might be the most shocking of all. A Steele Creek mom said she was driving her 5-year-old to day care on China Grove Church Road Wednesday morning when another vehicle pulled up behind her in a hurry.
When she refused to go over the 25 mph speed limit, the woman said the other vehicle sped up and another mom pulled out a gun and pointed it at her.
“All of a sudden, I see a right hand come out of the window and the tip of a gun,” the victim said. “She could have shot me, and then I could have had a bad car accident and killed my daughter.”
Police have identified the suspect and the victim, who asked to not be identified, said she plans to press charges.
Four people were injured when more than a dozen apartments went up in flames in east Charlotte Friday morning. Charlotte Fire responded to a fire at the Woodbridge Apartments off Albemarle Road around 4:30 a.m.
When crews arrived, they saw heavy fire and smoke coming from a two-story apartment building.
The fire completely burned through the roof of the building and it's still unclear how many people were affected. Gist said the building that caught fire was home to 16 units. The Red Cross was called to the scene and is assisting families that lost their homes in the fire.
Now, we're talking serious money. Like we weren't before.
The Mega Millions jackpot has soared from $375 million to $422 million for Friday night's drawing after no one matched all six numbers Tuesday night.
It will rank as the sixth-largest Mega Millions jackpot of all-time and the 19th largest pot for any lottery game played in the U.S., including Powerball.
The cash option for Friday night's drawing would be $254 million, according to Mega Millions officials.
The low score goes to the Light Rail Family Restaurant on South Blvd. This place had a lot of critical violations.
The health inspector observed an employee working with raw chicken then ready-to-eat French toast with just a glove change and no hand washing. On top of that, there was no soap at the hand-washing sink in the kitchen.
In the walk-in cooler, the mashed potatoes, coleslaw, chicken and deli meats all had expired date markings. They were thrown out. Add it all up, and the Light Rail Family Restaurant ended up with a score of 81.5, a low B. Click here to read the full restaurant report.
