The Charlotte Ledger Podcast

If a big transit plan for Charlotte is going to happen, it’s going to take a regional approach. And Geraldine Gardner, executive director of the Centralina Regional Council, has been working on a regional approach to Charlotte-area transit since 2019.Last year, the Centralina Regional Council and the Metropolitan Transit Commission released Connect Beyond, a regional mobility plan that offers a vision of for improving transit and transportation in the 12-county Charlotte region. It produced more than 150 recommendations that will serve as a blueprint for improving connectivity over the next couple decades.The Charlotte Ledger’s Tony Mecia talked with Gardner about the vision for a regional transit system — and how to get there.The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.Find out more about The Charlotte Ledger, or sign up for our award-winning newsletters, at TheCharlotteLedger.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecharlotteledger.com/subscribe

Marjorie Molina wasn’t expecting to run for political office. But when a vacancy opened on the Charlotte City Council and friends suggested she give it a try, she went for it.Some parts of running a political campaign didn’t come naturally, like fundraising. But it worked: She beat four opponents in a May 2022 primary and was sworn in representing Charlotte’s eastside in September 2022.Molina, 42, spoke with The Ledger’s Tony Mecia about her journey from citizen to politician, what it’s like being a council member, what she hopes to accomplish in her time on council, and what the future looks like for east Charlotte.The Charlotte Ledger Podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.For more information or to sign up for The Charlotte Ledger's newsletters, go to TheCharlotteLedger.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecharlotteledger.com/subscribe

The Catawba River is Charlotte's source of water. It's vital to our region. So how do we protect it? Brandon Jones of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation discusses that important topic with The Charlotte Ledger's Lindsey Banks. They explore what being a riverkeeper means, why protecting the river basin is important in Mecklenburg County, the foundation's work and the coolest spot in the basin to visit. Podcast produced by Lindsey Banks.For original and smart local insights on Charlotte, sign up for The Charlotte Ledger's newsletter at www.TheCharlotteLedger.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecharlotteledger.com/subscribe

From a new medical school to changes at doctors’ offices, there’s plenty happening in health care in the Charlotte region. Ledger editor Tony Mecia talks with Rose Hoban of North Carolina Health News and longtime Charlotte reporter and editor Michelle Crouch about an innovative new partnership between The Ledger and North Carolina Health News that will enhance the public’s understanding of health care and the local institutions that deliver it.The joint effort is a creative solution by two digital media companies to keep the public informed, as many legacy news outlets have cut back on independent local reporting — and as large health care companies continue to grow in size and influence.We examine the initiative and discuss Charlotte’s health care scene, the outlook for local news and how experienced health writers find and report stories.The Charlotte Ledger podcast is produced by Lindsey Banks.—➡️ To donate tax-free to support the Charlotte health care reporting initiative: https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/donate_clt/Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 4 of our local newsletters:➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte LedgerThe Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.Sponsorship information/customer service: email [email protected] editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecharlotteledger.com/subscribe

Charlotte FC radio color broadcaster Jessica Charman discusses playing soccer as a girl in a male-dominated sport in England, the peculiarities of using British English to explain soccer to an American audience and her favorite moments of the team's first season. Charman, the first female full-time radio broadcaster in MLS, is interviewed by Charlotte Ledger/Fútbol Friday soccer writer Carroll Walton. Podcast produced by Lindsey Banks.Sign up for the free Fútbol Friday newsletter, with smart and independent news about Charlotte FC, at www.TheCharlotteLedger.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecharlotteledger.com/subscribe

University City in Charlotte suffered a big setback with the news in August 2022 that insurance giant Centene was abandoning plans for an East Coast headquarters. Guests Tobe Holmes of University City Partners and Darlene Heater of Panorama Holdings discuss the outlook for University City — and why it seems primed for more growth. They unpack the market's development hotspots, its housing market, infrastructure improvements and best-kept secrets.Stay in the know about Charlotte by signing up for our newsletter at TheCharlotteLedger.com.Producer: Lindsey Banks This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecharlotteledger.com/subscribe

There are a lot of questions in Charlotte these days about the future of work: remote work, hybrid work, office layouts, companies’ office needs — especially in light of the decision by health insurer Centene to back out of a huge planned East Coast headquarters in Charlotte's University City area. Brett Gray, managing principal of Cushman & Wakefield's Charlotte office, discusses the market for office space in the city with The Ledger's Tony Mecia. Will developers build more office towers in Charlotte? Will companies slash their square footage? What amenities do companies look for nowadays? We examine all that and more in an insightful 15-minute interview. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thecharlotteledger.com/subscribe

(^ You can listen to Ledger editor Tony Mecia read this letter to readers by clicking above) Dear Ledger reader:It’s the end of 2021, the time of the year when organizations look back and look ahead.At The Ledger, we’ll try to spare you the overly sappy reflections, but we do think it’s healthy to share with our readers what we’ve done and where we’re heading. We can exist only because of our readers’ support, so we think you deserve periodic updates on how our business is doing.The short version: In 2021, we continued growing, with more paying members climbing aboard, more people hearing about us and more efforts on our part to experiment with new things that readers might like. We plan to keep that up in 2022.The longer version: Man, we did a lot. We sent 292 email newsletters, broke a ton of news, highlighted trends and introduced you to fascinating people in our city. We are pretty sure we made you smarter and better-informed.Some of the work we are most proud of includes:Investigations: We shared some ambitious investigative pieces, including in-depth looks at the sexual assault allegations at Myers Park High, an unexpected $10,000 colonoscopy bill from Atrium Health, the decline of the Arts & Science Council and the trend toward replacing pediatricians with nurses in hospital nurseries.New newsletters: We started 2 new newsletters this year — Ways of Life (obituaries); and Transit Time, in conjunction with WFAE and UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute. Not to brag (too much), but Transit Time was named “Best Local Newsletter” by Queen City Nerve and won a national award from our trade group, Local Independent Online News (LION), for “Collaboration of the Year.”Trends: Because we are connected to Charlotte, we clued you in to interesting and important trends before they became widely apparent. Supply chain disruptions? We looked into the causes months before politicians made it a talking point. Book shortages? We told you about them two weeks before the New York Times. Wild bidding wars for houses? We shared Realtors’ eye-opening stories a week before The Wall Street Journal had the same idea. And when teens started stocking up on feta cheese in February because of a TikTok video, guess which local newsletter was ON IT — two weeks before The New York Times took note.The Ledger displayed plenty of range in 2021. Clockwise, from upper left: Midnight hockey in Pineville; J.T. Williams, one of N.C.’s first Black surgeons, who became a politician and diplomat; feta cheese supplies running low in February; the prototype of a drive-thru-only Bojangles in Cotswold; analysis of enrollment declines at south Charlotte public schools; a financial salesman who pursued his dream of opening an east Charlotte reptile shop; the bread-only “Sandwiche” from the fictional Breadland restaurant in our April Fools’ edition; pickleball action heats up among newly vaccinated Sun City residents.Interesting people: We introduced you to Charlotte people with stories to tell and lessons to share, including an Atrium Covid ICU nurse who experienced the pandemic through different eyes when her grandmother became ill with the virus; newly vaccinated seniors in Sun City who were happy to resume playing pickleball and attending Saturday night ’60s dance parties again; a Broadway fan who received a get-well video message from Lin-Manuel Miranda; investors who put money into tech company AvidXchange and waited 20 years to reap big windfalls; and relocated Northerners who play hockey at midnight in Pineville.Interviews: We gave you Q&As with well-known and fascinating Charlotte people, including former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl Jr.; former mayors Sue Myrick and Harvey Gantt; the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art’s new executive director, Todd Smith; Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s new CEO, Marcellus “MT” Turner; and basketball broadcast analyst Jay Bilas.Growth and development: The story of Charlotte is the story of growth, and we have continued to offer unparalleled and authoritative local coverage of this important topic — from insights on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan; to development trends in Sugar Creek, NoDa, west Charlotte, Ballantyne,