Charlotte continues to outsource problems rather than address them.
CATS doesn’t need a $3.4M ad campaign — it needs trust, safety, & common sense.
My latest for @CLTMercury ⬇️
cltmercury.com/cats-hires-...

If we don’t believe in our own city’s talent, who will? #WeAreCharlotte

Starting to think the real national crisis isn’t left vs right, it’s read vs don’t read. Half the country didn’t finish a single book last year. Fewer than 1 in 10 touch print paper “often.” But somehow, everyone has a take on everything. democracy doesn’t work if no one reads beyond the headline.

If your “local” business page feels like someone stuffed your fridge with leftovers from another city, you’re not wrong. New piece on old pizza, old media, and what we’re building at The Charlotte Mercury:
cltmercury.com/old-pizza-o...

Observer “Charlotte business” pick: Crust Pizza bankruptcy in Texas www.charlotteobserver.com/news/busines... No CLT locations, no local jobs—just syndicated filler to fill ad slots. At CLT Mercury, we only run stories that affect Charlotte; no trackers, no ragebait.

We don’t chase clicks — we trace power.

Our latest piece on Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom lays out how tech, crypto, and tobacco money shape politics from D.C. to Charlotte.

Read it → cltmercury.com/corporate-a...

Full Candidates List (Mayor, Council, School Board) 🗳️
All the names, none of the noise. We publish clean, complete lists so you can compare people—not slogans. Local, ad-lite, privacy-first.
cltmercury.com/charlotte-e...

Early voting starts Wednesday. Federal shutdown hits Day 12. Charlotte debates the presence of the National Guard on our streets. And you've got a mayor, city council, and a $25B transit tax to decide on.

cltmercury.com/charlotte-v...

The Iron District files show what $1.7B in Uptown reinvention looks like: housing, retail, parking, and one tiny nod to transit.

#Charlotte #CLTCouncil

Full breakdown → cltmercury.com/iron-distri...

Charlotte's FOP requested National Guard troops while CMS eliminated 40 teacher positions to "solve" the vacancy problem. Jack Beckett breaks down what the city actually values.

cltmercury.com/charlotte-p... #CLTNews #CLTBudget

Watched five Charlotte officials spend an hour explaining why a woman's murder on the Blue Line was "unpreventable" while pivoting to fare evasion policy.

This is how you lose public trust in real time. Here's what they should have said instead:
cltmercury.com/how-charlot...
#Charlotte #CLTNews

District 3 flipped. Joi Mayo ousts Tiawana Brown—powered by ground game and BPC backing. She’ll face Republican James Bowers in November. No spin. Receipts inside: cltmercury.com/district-3-f...
#CLTcc #CLTpol #LastToFirst

At‑Large Council primer: Charlotte elects four council members citywide; you can mark up to four names, and the top four finishers win. Early voting is Aug 21–Sept 6, the primary is Sept 9, a runoff (if needed) is Oct 7, and the general is Nov 4

cltmercury.com/guide-to-ch...

Mecklenburg’s penny tax: \$19B over 30 years, 40% for town roads, 60% for a new transit authority, and the Red Line comes first. Full breakdown here 👉 [cltmercury.com](cltmercury.com/mecklenburgs...)

Mecklenburg turnout: 18.7%. A civic crisis you can’t automate. Good Daily rehashes headlines; Mercury Local covers elections with humans on the ground. Read why showing up matters ↓
mercurylocal.com/blog/

We’re not another “local news” outfit — we’re building Charlotte’s news future from the sidewalk up. While others chase clicks, we’re chasing context, detail, and the stuff that actually shapes your neighborhood. Local isn’t a beat for us — it’s the whole mission
mercurylocal.com/blog/charlot...

The attention economy is collapsing. Mispriced data, extractive models, and AI arbitrage are forcing a reckoning.

The next phase? Trust, context, and durable reader economics.

mercurylocal.com/blog/the-att...