Six Charlotte stories you need to catch up on this week. Here’s what to know

Charlotte made headlines this week with major votes on transportation, record-breaking growth numbers and a closely watched North Carolina business collapse. Catch up on this week’s top stories down below.

• Charlotte City Council voted 6-5 late Monday to rescind its support for the $3.2 billion I-77 South toll lane funding agreement, an unprecedented move that throws the project’s future into question. The 11-mile toll project would remove Wilmore Park and displace homes in historically Black neighborhoods.

• Charlotte added 20,731 people from July 2024 to July 2025, more cities than any other U.S. city, pushing its population to 964,784. Fort Mill and York in South Carolina are growing even faster by percentage, with Fort Mill ranking sixth nationally for five-year growth rate.

• A Charlotte Observer investigation found that American Log Homes and Cabins permanently closed in January, leaving at least 50 customers across 22 states without their log cabin kits or refunds. The company had less than $40,000 in assets against more than $1.8 million in customer claims, with some buyers wiring tens of thousands of dollars just weeks before dissolution.

• The Carolina Panthers will open the 2026 regular season against the Chicago Bears at Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 13, marking their first Week 1 home game since 2021. The team will play four of its first seven games on the road and has three prime-time matchups scheduled.

• The I-77 Exit 5 to Tyvola Road off-ramp was named the second most stressful off-ramp in North Carolina in a Regan Zambri Law survey of more than 3,000 drivers. The report cited tight traffic, closely positioned signals and steady turning traffic as drivers transition from freeway to local streets.

• Italo, Charlotte’s newest Italian restaurant, officially opens Tuesday, May 19, with handmade pasta, focaccia and other Italian staples in an intimate space. A media preview dinner for two with wine ran roughly $250, with standout dishes including grilled branzino, tagliatelle bolognese and a gelato sundae.

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here.