Record number of guns at CLT airport, TSA says
Last year, the U.S. Transportation and Security Administration found 106 guns at Charlotte Douglas International Airport security checkpoints — nearly double the previous year’s total of 55, federal authorities said.
The year marked the first time TSA agents have found more than 100 guns in passengers’ carry-on luggage at CLT, and an almost 40% increase from the previous record of 76 in 2018.
That new record came even as traveler numbers remained lower than normal due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Guns were found at a higher rate in North Carolina: One firearm was found for every 61,275 passengers in the state, compared with one for every 97,999 passengers screened nationally.
‘I knew I couldn’t run’
Jordan Douglas will spend at least 25 years in prison because two Charlotte women fought back — first near uptown and later in a courtroom.
In July 2019, when Douglas dragged one of the women at gunpoint to a construction site and began to rape her, the other refused to flee. Instead, she overcame her own fear, rushed straight at the armed attacker and struck him across the head with a rebar she’d found lying on the ground.
“I could see in her face that she thought she was going to die. I knew I couldn’t run,” the woman told the Observer in an emotional interview.
On July 14, a jury convicted the 23-year-old Charlotte man of multiple violent crimes.
Superior Court Judge Lisa Bell sentenced Douglas to 304 to 437 months in prison. Bell singled out the women for their bravery, telling the Observer there was one comment she wishes she’d made to the woman who wielded the rebar:
“I wanted to tell her in court, ‘You go, girl!’“
COVID hits CMS staff, students hard
For many exhausted teachers and staff, Tuesday’s day off of school due to lingering ice on Charlotte-area roads was a reprieve as the district faces unprecedented absences and staff shortages.
In the week before the snow day, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools again had hundreds of employees in weeklong quarantines and even more students were ordered to stay home due to likely exposure to COVID-19. Student daily attendance has been down around 5% this month compared to before winter break.
According to CMS data released Monday, the number of new confirmed COVID cases among students — 2,212 — last week nearly doubled compared to early January, just after winter break. And more than 3,000 students were in quarantine, up from 2,000 the week before.
In addition, 688 staff last week were not in school due to quarantine measures and 606 staff reported positive coronavirus test results. The data covers the week of Jan. 10 to 16. Compared to the week prior, the number of staff in quarantine or reporting positive test results is slightly lower.
Truist faces criticism
After SunTrust and BB&T combined to form Truist in late 2019, the new bank opened fewer branches in low-income and diverse neighborhoods than before the merger, according to a report from the Committee for Better Banks.
The decrease in openings is one example of how a big bank’s shifting branch strategy can negatively impact communities already struggling with access to capital and other financial services, the worker advocacy group said in its report.
Truist has made significant changes to its branch network as it prepares for a complete conversion to its new name and branding next month.
In response to questions about the committee’s report, Truist told the Observer that it has taken multiple steps to lend and invest in low- to moderate-income and minority communities since the merger was finalized. The bank also said it has ensured that no merger-related branch closures occurred in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.
New South End tower coming
Construction of a 23-story office tower in South End will begin this month, adding another high-rise to the fast-growing neighborhood.
Developers out of Florida and California are teaming up to build 110 East — just off the East/West LYNX Blue Line station — that will include 370,000 square feet of office, retail and restaurant space.
The $186-million project at 110 East Blvd. will feature ground-floor retail and restaurants, a 900-space parking garage, a 4,000-square-foot fitness center, conference spaces and an 11th floor “sky lobby” and deck.
The developers, Shorenstein Properties and Stiles, said a groundbreaking is set for Jan. 26. The East Boulevard tower is now expected to open March 2024.
Compiled by Rogelio Aranda