HackathonCLT challenges coders to improve access to health care
Call it beginner’s luck. The three developers at Welch Labs had never participated in a coding competition before this weekend. But that didn’t keep them […]
Arrest made in fatal shooting outside apartment near UNCC
Police on Saturday arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old man outside an apartment near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. […]
Bloods street gang leader in Charlotte accused of plotting murders is sentenced to prison
A Bloods street gang leader in Charlotte accused of plotting murders, among other crimes, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison on Friday. Shamon […]
Police seek woman in purple robe who ran from fatal Charlotte wreck
Police are searching for a woman who they say was wearing a head scarf and a purple robe when she ran from a fatal Charlotte […]
American Airlines passenger pees on woman’s luggage on flight to Charlotte, police say
A drunk passenger peed on another’s luggage during a flight from Chicago to Charlotte, Charlotte Observer news partner WBTV reported, citing a police report. In […]
Missing Charlotte woman’s Mercedes-Benz found abandoned at Lake Wylie marina
A missing Charlotte woman’s Mercedes-Benz was found abandoned on Friday at a Lake Wylie marina, police said. Family and friends of 39-year-old Vatsla Watkins have […]
I-77 toll lane signs will flash messages in the Lake Norman area, but don’t be fooled
Digital signs for the Interstate 77 toll lanes project are scheduled to flash messages beginning Monday in the Lake Norman area, but don’t let that […]
Suspicious fire at Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Outer Banks under investigation
Officials at Cape Hatteras National Seashore say a suspicious fire that burned more than an acre of the national park in Frisco, NC, on Friday […]
Did you buy one of these bags of fried pork skins? Don’t eat them, USDA warns.
A North Carolina company specializing in vacuum-packed pork skins is recalling three of its most popular spicy products because of what the USDA termed a […]
911 dispatchers misdirected call for woman being ‘eaten’ by two dogs, SC sheriff says
The gruesome case of a South Carolina woman “eaten” by her own dogs took an unexpected turn Friday, when the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office said […]
UNC schools should consider cosigning student loans, Board of Governors told
The UNC Board of Governors should consider having universities cosign student loans so the schools have a vested interest in helping their students succeed, a […]
Hip hop group leader from Charlotte sentenced in $1.2 million ID theft scheme
The leader of a Charlotte hip-hop group was sentenced to nine years in prison this week for his role in a $1.2 million bank and […]
Are NC students tested too much in school? Some legislators think so — and want to change that.
State lawmakers could overhaul the way North Carolina’s public school students are tested, resulting in fewer exams being given by the state and local school […]
Tides rose and beaches flooded as Outer Banks endured combined equinox and supermoon
The spring equinox and a supermoon combined this week to play havoc with North Carolina’s fragile Outer Banks barrier islands. Cape Lookout National Seashore posted […]
‘Serial rapist’ arrested after police match DNA in Charlotte cold cases from 1981
A 64-year-old Georgia man described by police as a “serial rapist” was arrested after a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police cold case unit matched his DNA in two […]
A DNA test might help exonerate this man. A judge won’t allow it.
This article was originally published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Over the past decade, laboratories and […]
Thyroid cancers near Lake Norman baffle researchers. But they might have clues.
Investigations into a baffling number of thyroid cancers in southern Iredell County are picking up momentum, even as answers so far elude researchers. Some of […]
Charlotte man claimed bomb would kill, demanded money at Rock Hill bank, police say
A York County bomb squad was dispatched to a Rock Hill bank after a man said he a bomb that would kill everyone in the […]
There could be nearly 200 more cops on the street, but officers keep leaving CMPD
After months of negotiation, the Charlotte City Council agreed to give Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney nearly $6 million for new officers in summer 2016. […]
CMPD struggling to fill vacancies
CMPD Capt. Dave Johnson, a leader of the department’s recruitment and hiring efforts, talks about the challenges the department faces to fill its openings. … […]
‘I thought it was a cat in a tree.’ It was actually one of NC’s large fox squirrels
An image of what seemed to be an extremely fat squirrel was posted on social media this week by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, […]
Charlotte Observer staffers take home 35 NC Press Association awards
The Charlotte Observer won 35 awards in the annual N.C. Press Association competition Thursday, including 17 first-place awards, 10 second-place awards and eight seven third-place […]
Hearing on candidate’s residency is next step for unresolved NC sheriff’s race
The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted Thursday to allow a hearing on whether a candidate for Columbus County sheriff lives in the county […]
Search continues for vandals who defaced an NC monument to Confederate soldiers
Salisbury police are searching for two persons of interest in the vandalism of a monument to Confederate soldiers. The statue “Fame” was vandalized early Wednesday […]
CMS launches social media campaign in fight against guns in schools
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools launched a social media campaign Thursday as part of its strategy to keep weapons out of schools. The Guns Can’t campaign aims to […]
Dale Earnhardt championship car being sold at auction denounced as fake
A Dale Earnhardt Sr. race car billed at auction as “one of the most famous cars in the history of NASCAR” is not the original, […]
The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament: How, where and when to watch
It’s true that the men’s NCAA basketball tournament gets more attention, but the women’s games are just as exciting and fun to watch. Plus, we […]
Why I tried to have as little fun as I possibly could on Carowinds’ new roller coaster
Going to Carowinds and climbing into the chair of a roller coaster pretty much makes me feel like a kid again every time, and when […]
NC gets an ‘F’ grade for keeping lead out of school drinking water, new report finds
North Carolina is failing to protect children from drinking lead-contaminated water in schools, advocacy groups warn, prompting state lawmakers to push for testing at public […]
Lifeway Christian Bookstore closures include two in the Triangle, three in Charlotte area
Lifeway Christian Resources announced on Wednesday that it will close all 170 brick-and-mortar Lifeway Christian Bookstores in the United States. Lifeway has 12 stores in […]
Uptown Charlotte is getting its first permanent, protected bicycle lane soon
Charlotte is about to trade a car lane for a bicycle lane uptown. It will be the city’s first permanent, protected bicycle lane, with cars […]
Questions of consent can make NC sexual assault cases tough to prosecute
Even if a rape case makes it to trial, it can still be tough to convince juries — especially if the perpetrator says it wasn’t […]
Decorated soldier dies in ‘routine free-fall training’ after surviving 8 deployments
An Army ranger stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, was killed Friday “during routine military free-fall training” at a site in Arizona, the U.S. Army said […]
Worker shot while operating tower crane at Lake Norman Quarry near Charlotte
A bullet came out of nowhere and struck a worker operating a crane at Lake Norman Quarry late Wednesday, according to a release from the […]
Thrift store worker wins $4 million lottery prize. Here’s how he’ll spend it.
A thrift store worker in the North Carolina mountains figured buying a scratch-off lottery ticket each day would eventually score him a win. But $4 […]
Charlotte man scammed hundreds of computer users through ‘tech-support’ scam, feds say
A 24-year-old Charlotte man admitted he helped dupe hundreds of U.S. residents into paying money to clean non-existent malware from their suddenly frozen computers, prosecutors […]
Drugging drinks would be illegal under a proposed law in North Carolina
Leah McGuirk said when she reported to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police that someone had drugged her drink at a Charlotte bar, the closest criminal offense police could […]
Watch this 800-pound bison do a ‘happy dance’ on first day of spring
An uncharacteristically giddy bison in North Carolina won a social media following Wednesday, after the N.C. Zoo posted video of it doing a “happy dance” […]
Expect ‘more visible’ presence for Meck Sheriff’s Office after Cornelius speed stops
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said Wednesday that he plans to keep enforcing traffic laws in the county, after a speeding enforcement operation raised questions […]
Charlotte store owner bought ‘big-ticket’ stolen goods, sold them on eBay, feds say
A 63-year-old Charlotte store owner on Wednesday admitted to buying stolen merchandise and selling it on eBay to pay his daily living expenses, federal prosecutors […]
Raleigh is one of the most active cities in a state where many are fat, a report says
A just-released list of the 100 “Fattest Cities in America” is not kind to the Carolinas, unless you live in Raleigh. The state capital came […]
With candidates set, what happens next in the NC 9th District special election?
After almost two years, the 9th District congressional race feels like a marathon, but it’s going to finish in a sprint, with just weeks before […]
In Charlotte, troubled teens go to jail for ‘kinder, gentler’ wake-up call
The scowling 13-year-old had threatened to shoot another student. Now he was standing in a cramped cell at the Mecklenburg County jail, listening to a […]
Great white sharks love to linger off Carolina coast. There’s a scientific reason why
Great white sharks love to linger off the Carolinas, and data posted this week by OCEARCH reveals the large predators are deliberate in their prowling […]
Sexual assault cases hinge on evidence gathered by police, nurses
Sometimes the right evidence can make or break a sexual assault case. Even when that evidence exists forensically or through witness testimony, the right circumstances […]
Another giant corpse washes up on Outer Banks, as humpback whale deaths continue
Yet another humpback whale has been discovered washed up along the Carolinas coast, with a video posted on Facebook showing it tumbling in the surf […]
Mecklenburg County’s plan for a huge redevelopment in uptown will erase this park
Mecklenburg County commissioners heard Tuesday that plans are moving forward for Brooklyn Village, the $683 million development that’s supposed to drastically change a chunk of […]
Woman finds spy camera in gym but vows to keep going after losing 100+ pounds
A woman said she was “terrified” after finding a spy camera in the tanning bed room of her North Carolina gym. In spite of that, […]
Man shot during argument outside apartment near UNCC has died, police say
A 22-year-old man shot during an argument outside an apartment near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Monday night died at a hospital […]
NC Zoo celebrates birth of new baby chimp and waits to see: Is it a boy or a girl?
The North Carolina Zoo welcomed a new baby chimp on Monday, and while it’s not clear yet whether it’s a boy or a girl, the […]