Latest news with #UNCCharlotte
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
High-profile game ahead for 49ers
Next week, UNC Charlotte's 49ers football team starts fall camp, beginning the one-month countdown to the season opener. The 49ers' 2025 debut marks a first for the school: playing at Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers. On Aug. 29, Charlotte will play Appalachian State University at the NFL stadium, kicking off at 7 p.m. on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. It's part of the annual Duke's Mayo Classic series of early-season college football games. ESPNU will air the game, which brings more of a spotlight because the schedule is much busier on Aug. 28 (the day before) and Aug. 30 (the day after). 'We're seeing a lot of excitement,' Miller Yoho, spokesperson at the Charlotte Sports Foundation, the nonprofit that runs the Duke's Mayo Classic, told CBJ. 'A Friday night prime-time game will be special.' The sports foundation embraces regional rivalries like Charlotte-Appalachian State, Yoho added, pointing to the easy proximity for both schools' fans. Continue reading about plans for the game and the 49ers' latest business moves here. WATCH: Rock Hill High School football team gives back with free youth camp
Axios
11-07-2025
- Health
- Axios
Meet one of Charlotte's first 4-year medical students
Meet future Dr. Rei Rama, one of 49 students in the inaugural class at Charlotte's new four-year medical school. Why it matters: Rama will make history as part of Wake Forest University School of Medicine's Class of 2029. The campus — an anchor of The Pearl, $1.5-billion innovation district in midtown — welcomed students this week for orientation. Classes start Monday. What he's saying:"I think Charlotte is looking to become a powerhouse when it comes to delivering medical education, but also integrating research and innovation," Rama says. Zoom in: The school received more than 12,800 applicants this year. "It is not easy to select the cream of the crop from those 12,000 applications," says Roy Strowd, vice dean for undergraduate medical education at the university. "We have reviewers who are reading applications, looking at: Who are those students that really care about patient-centered medicine?" Flashback: Rama grew up in Albania. His father was a physician, but couldn't practice once their family moved to the U.S. about 10 years ago. Rama says he supported his parents through the transition, translating medical appointments, among other day-to-day tasks. "When you interact with a patient, you need to interact with them as if you're interacting with your own parents," he says. Rama graduated from Butler High School in Matthews and earned his undergraduate degree from UNC Charlotte. He has been working as a medical assistant. "I'm going to make sure to serve the community that I consider my second home," he says. Roughly a third of Wake Forest medical students stay in North Carolina after graduation, per the university.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Will Charlotte City Council's chaotic spring affect outcomes of 2025 election?
Drama on the Charlotte City Council and a long-awaited referendum have the potential to shake up local government in this year's elections. The 2025 local election cycle launches Monday with the start of candidate filing for September primaries and the November general election. Recent municipal elections have been marked by low voter turnout and incumbents easily keeping their seats. But a flurry of controversies — including a closed-door settlement with the city's chief of police and a City Council member's indictment — hit Charlotte leaders leading up to election season. A referendum to increase the county's sales tax rate to pay for transportation projects may also influence local races, political leaders, strategists and experts say. While the status quo could hold, they say, there's also potential for more competitive races. 'It's not good news for incumbents on City Council,' UNC Charlotte political scientist Eric Heberlig said. 'Whether people's questions and uncertainty and unhappiness will translate in a way that impacts the election results is less clear.' The Charlotte City Council's controversies dominated the conversation about local politics in recent months. News broke in early May of council members approving a six-figure settlement with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings. Weeks of unanswered questions followed, and Council member Victoria Watlington alleged 'unethical, immoral, and frankly, illegal activities occurring within City government.' Later in May, Council member Tiawana Brown was indicted on federal fraud charges over alleged misuse of pandemic relief loan money. The controversies have Charlotte voters feeling 'fatigued,' said Kyle Kirby, chair of the Mecklenburg County Republican Party. He believes the Jennings settlement will be a major issue with voters in upcoming elections. 'That's a bipartisan issue that a number of people are upset about, and it just has to do with transparency,' he said. People are starting to pay more attention to what's going on in city government, CharlotteEAST executive director Greg Asciutto said. But Asciutto, whose organization works to increase civic engagement, also wonders if recent events will fade from people's memories and be replaced by other news cycles before its time to cast ballots. 'Does that turn into somebody changing their vote or getting them to vote at all? I think that's the issue right at the crux,' he said. Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Wesley Harris said controversy can either turn people off from local politics or energize them to get more involved. 'If you don't like what's going on, there is a solution to that. It's getting involved and making sure your voice is heard,' he said. Others, such as Action NC political director Robert Dawkins, are less convinced recent controversies will make a difference come Election Day. He said residents in Brown's west Charlotte District 3 told him they plan to stick with her despite her indictment, noting her reputation for being engaged and responsive with constituents. 'She shows up with them,' he said. Another anticipated key issue for the 2025 election is the countywide sales tax referendum for road, rail and bus projects. Mecklenburg finally received the General Assembly's blessing for the plan in early summer, and county commissioners are expected to formally put it on the November ballot in August. Local political strategist Bryan Holladay predicts the referendum will 'bring attention that we are in an election cycle.' While it's not guaranteed to drive voter turnout, it could if candidates make their position on the plan a key part of their platform, he said. 'If any candidate decides they want to differentiate themselves and say they're not supporting transit, that will be an interesting indicator to see what will happen in the primary itself,' he said. Heberlig agrees the plan could be a driver for turnout if there's division and debate about it. 'Something like transportation and a referendum on taxes to pay for it is going to generate interest from a lot more voters than, you know, the typical city council agenda,' he said. Asciutto wonders whether the referendum will 'get buried' until after the September primaries because it won't be on the ballot till the general election. 'I genuinely don't know if that's going to drive people out,' he said. Longtime Democratic campaign manager Dan McCorkle said the fate of the referendum, and its impact on other races, will be decided by how it's marketed to voters. 'It depends on who is running the 'yes' campaign and who is running the 'no' campaign,' he said. Harris expects the referendum will draw more attention to the general election than an average municipal election year. 'It'll be a very strong debate,' he said. Despite attention on recent controversies and transportation, there are other issues on voters' minds heading into election season. Many in east Charlotte, Asciutto said, are primarily concerned with the cost of living and crime, as well as issues stemming from homelessness and a lack of public amenities. Eastside voters who are more engaged with local government are also interested in small business development and the level of influence major business leaders and developers have on local officials, he added. Dawkins said the 'main concern is affordable housing' in many of the low- and moderate-income communities across Charlotte he works in. People are concerned about the impacts of rapid growth and gentrification as new developments change the character of their neighborhoods and make them less affordable, he said. Republicans want to put a focus on the 'single-party control' by Democrats in local government, Kirby said. Democrats hold nine of 11 seats on the Charlotte City Council, the mayor's office and every seat on the Mecklenburg County commission. The GOP has struggled in recent local elections to make headway with Charlotte voters. 'They've got to look at whether or not their lives are better off under continuous Democrat control,' he said. Maria Elena Conaway, vice chair of the Mecklenburg Republicans, said Charlotte's Latino community is particularly concerned about accountability, crime and education. 'We want stability,' she said. Regardless of what emerges as the key issues in the 2025 election cycle, past elections show candidates face an uphill battle just to get voters to the polls. Only 15.54% of eligible Mecklenburg voters participated in the 2023 general election, and 4.92% of voters in the September primary that year. In the 2022 July city council election, 12.06% of eligible voters cast ballots, with 14.07% voter turnout in the May primary that year. And 2019 saw 17.11% general election turnout and 21.65% turnout in the September primary. Turnout in municipal elections is driven down by transplants to Charlotte who aren't invested in local issues in addition to a frequent lack of competitive races due to Democratic dominance, Holladay said. He questions whether the recent controversies will break through with the average resident enough to impact turnout. 'The people who vote already know who their candidates are and who they tend to like,' he said. Dawkins doesn't believe transportation or other issues will drive lower propensity voters out, leading to low turnout again. 'They're not really talking about the election,' he said. Harris said Democrats want to hold more town halls this election cycle to engage with voters in 'noncompetitive' areas and 'show people the importance of why it really does matter who your elected officials are.' Democrats also may get a turnout boost from voters looking to express displeasure with President Donald Trump's administration, Heberlig said. 'Most turnout is driven by national and higher-profile politics,' he said. Heberlig predicted the transportation referendum could also drive up turnout in east Charlotte and Matthews, communities frustrated the plan doesn't include funding for light rail to their areas. Because of the Democrats' dominance over local government, 'the primaries are probably the best opportunity for people to register their displeasure' with recent events in city government, Heberlig said. But a strong challenger needs to connect with people in order to have a chance at upsetting an incumbent, he said. 'You need candidates with sufficient stature that they're able to communicate enough of a message and knock on enough doors that they can channel people's dissatisfaction into their campaigns,' he said. Challengers also need evidence to back up claims about incumbents in order to convince voters to jump to them, Heberlig added. After taking a 'hands-off approach' in the September primaries, Harris said Mecklenburg Democrats will focus on City Council District 6. Longtime Republican representative Tariq Bokhari, who won his last two races by fewer than 500 votes, vacated the south Charlotte seat this year for a job in the Trump administration. In addition to defending key areas such as District 6, Kirby said the Mecklenburg GOP also wants to target the county's growing population of unaffiliated voters and more diverse voters. They also want to grow their base in traditionally blue areas, including the indicted Brown's District 3. 'We want to make sure that we use our efforts to get out the vote in the areas that aren't traditionally considered Republican,' he said. The county party has a new headquarters and is increasing candidate recruitment and providing more resources to candidates. Republicans have 'a key opportunity to get local voters to at least make a short term exception to their traditional voting trends,' Heberlig said, with a focus on 'less ideologically charged' issues such city taxes, public safety and government accountability. McCorkle said how interesting election season gets will largely depend on the quality of candidates who run, and whether they can get voters engaged. 'The election is either going to be fairly boring, or there can be some real excitement,' he said.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How much does climate change play into hurricane seasons?
(QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Our planet is warming, and as a result, so are our oceans. That gives hurricanes more fuel, and the tank for hurricanes remains full heading into the new season. New research from the non-profit group Climate Central shows that every Atlantic Basin hurricane last year was made stronger due to human-induced climate warming. 'It is really like the speed limit of the hurricane being bumped up because the sea-surface temperatures are bumped up. A faster spinning engine means the car can go faster and that also means the hurricane can go faster,' said Climate Central Climate Scientist Dr. Daniel Gilford. The new data shows that Helene's maximum intensity was increased by 16 mph, enough difference to move the historic storm from Category 3 to Category 4 strength. 'We are seeing this really clear effect where sea-surface temperature warmth did play a role in hurricane Helene's intensification,' said Dr. Gilford. The study shows that hurricanes in 2024 strengthened over water that was made as much as 2.5 degrees warmer due to climate change. But it is not just the speed of these systems that is changing. UNC Charlotte's Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, Dr. Brian Magi, notes an increase in heavy rainfall from recent tropical systems. 'The chance of higher precipitation for each hurricane is now higher in a warmer world,' said Dr. Magi. There is something called the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship. It is a thermodynamic equation that states a one-degree increase in temperature allows the atmosphere to hold four percent more moisture or water vapor. That means a twenty-degree increase in temperature can allow the water vapor in the atmosphere to double, but it is not just the water in the sky that is causing issues. 'Sea-level rise is affecting the entire eastern seaboard, and of course, the entire eastern seaboard of the United States is vulnerable to the Atlantic Basin's hurricanes,' said Dr. Magi. NC Senate approves another $700 million in Hurricane Helene relief funds Even though flooding is a serious and deadly impact of hurricanes. Storm surge is the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths in the U.S., which makes sea-level rise more threatening. 'Every hurricane that approaches the coastline has a greater potential to bring more water into the inland communities that are on the coast,' said Dr. Magi. There is also something about the fast-growing nature of these storms. According to Climate Central, roughly 80 percent of major hurricanes undergo rapid intensification, which occurs when a tropical cyclone gains 35 mph or more within 24 hours. UNC Charlotte's Associate Professor of Meteorology, Dr. Matthew Eastin, explains that a contributing factor to rapid intensification is a warm ocean current in the Gulf called the Loop Current. '(The storms) happen to pass over those warm water features and then rapidly intensify right before landfall. Milton was an example, (and) Helene was an example,' said Dr. Eastin. Although above-normal hurricane seasons appear to be the new normal. Dr. Eastin explains that there are seasonal variations that could still lead to calmer seasons. 'Simply because the waters might be cooler that year, there might be things like El Nino in place or stronger vertical shear. So, it is going to oscillate a lot from year to year. But if you look at the long-term trends, we are going to expect more hurricanes,' said Dr. Eastin. Scientists warn that the new normal for hurricane seasons could change years down the line, as the planet continues to warm. The long-term climate projections on hurricane seasons can be alarming, but there is optimism among scientists. Mainly due to the new sources of electricity that have been introduced globally. The trading of coal for technology like solar, wind, hydrothermal, and natural gas. Scientists also stress that climate change can be solved through conversations in your community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
National Post
17-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Bobcat Partners with University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Scholarships, STEM Initiatives
Article content CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a new partnership with The University of North Carolina at Charlotte's William States Lee College of Engineering, Bobcat Company is supporting the next generation of engineers, supply chain experts and STEM professionals with a $200,000 donation for scholarships for students in the engineering college as well as the Belk College of Business and the College of Computing and Informatics. The partnership will also expand the company's Student Development Program on the UNC Charlotte campus by creating an unmatched workplace for participants and a talent pipeline for students embarking on their careers in North Carolina and beyond. Article content 'We are honored to support the next generation of groundbreaking innovators and engineers,' said Mike Ballweber, president of Doosan Bobcat North America, Inc. 'Our collaboration with UNC Charlotte is a gamechanger for both the University and Bobcat, fostering opportunities for the STEM leaders of tomorrow and reinforcing our mission of empowering people to accomplish more.' Article content For more than a decade, Bobcat's Student Development Program has nurtured high-potential engineering students at premier institutions across the nation by offering part-time work opportunities that support their college education while connecting the Bobcat team with skilled future engineers. Article content Bobcat's Student Development Program at UNC Charlotte will likewise provide a dedicated workspace for participants, complete with campus workstations. Participating students will also have access to Bobcat professionals and experiential learning through hands-on projects that provide valuable, real-world experiences. Article content 'Bobcat is showcasing how industry and academia can together lead by providing opportunities for the next generation of talent in technology-related fields,' said Rob Keynton, Dean of the W. S. Lee College of Engineering. 'The state of North Carolina has become an engineering hub for a variety of industries that rely on skilled engineers to move innovation forward. This partnership with Bobcat will provide a tremendous opportunity for our students and create a place where a company and college meet and collaborate.' Article content Bobcat's $200,000 donation to UNC Charlotte will also support scholarships over the next three years for students studying in STEM, supply chain and logistics programs. Article content The scholarship program and Student Development Program are key aspects of Bobcat's partnership with UNC Charlotte. Beyond these initiatives, Bobcat employees will engage with the university across a range of academic areas through collaborative efforts such as research projects, senior design experiences, classroom and faculty engagement, and emerging partnerships in fields like supply chain management. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to student development, innovation and long-term collaboration in the Charlotte area. Article content Bobcat has a long history of supporting STEM education and serving the communities where it operates. UNC Charlotte is in close proximity to the Bobcat manufacturing facility in Statesville, North Carolina. In 2022, Bobcat completed a 600,000-square-foot expansion of the Statesville manufacturing, warehouse and distribution complex. The $70 million investment doubled the facility's footprint to nearly 1.2 million square feet and added 62 acres to the current 92-acre campus, making it the company's largest manufacturing campus worldwide. The partnership with UNC Charlotte will also support workforce development for the Statesville facility. Article content Bobcat started its Student Development Program in North Dakota with North Dakota State University in Fargo and the University of Mary in Bismarck. Since it was launched over a decade ago, more than 135 students have participated in the program, creating a pipeline of skilled engineers, many of whom have joined Bobcat post-graduation. Article content To learn more about how Bobcat is supporting the growth and development of students, please visit For more information on UNC Charlotte's engineering college, please visit Article content About Bobcat Company Article content Bobcat Company Article content empowers people to accomplish more, a mission it has honored since creating the compact equipment industry in 1958. As a leading global manufacturer, Bobcat has a proud legacy of innovation, delivering smart solutions to customers' toughest challenges. Backed by the support of a global dealership network, Bobcat offers an extensive line of worksite solutions, including loaders, excavators, tractors, utility vehicles, telehandlers, mowers, turf renovation equipment, light compaction, portable power, industrial air, forklifts, attachments, implements, parts and services. Article content With its North American headquarters in West Fargo, North Dakota, Bobcat leads the industry with its innovative offerings designed to transform how the world works, builds cities and supports communities for a more sustainable future. The Bobcat brand is owned by Doosan Bobcat Inc., a company within Doosan Group. Article content As North Carolina's urban research university, UNC Charlotte is ranked as a Top 100 Public University by U.S. News. The institution is home to the nationally ranked W.S. Lee College of Engineering, with over 150 faculty and 3,600 students, making it North Carolina's 2nd largest engineering college. The many research awards, including NSF CAREER, Fulbright and NIST Flemming, demonstrate the college's commitment to research and contribute to the university's R1 Carnegie classification in 2025. Learn how College of Engineering is forging the future. Article content To download photos, please visit this Article content Dropbox link Article content . Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content For media inquiries, please contact: Article content Article content Bobcat Company Article content Article content Nadine Erckenbrack, Public Relations Manager Article content Article content Email: Article content Article content | Phone: 701-205-9207 Article content University of North Carolina at Charlotte Article content Article content Jason Vaughan, Associate Director of Media Relations Article content Article content Article content
