Lisa Worf
WFAE
1, Charlotte, NC, United States
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Past articles by Lisa:
Businesses from closed Asian Corner Mall adapt and rebuild community in new locations
The stores and restaurants at Asian Corner Mall in northeast Charlotte were a gathering place for the region’s Asian community for years. Now, half of the mall is closed after a developer bought it a few months ago. Since that community’s anchor has broken up, some of its businesses are adapting to serve new clientele and rebuild. → Read More
Crime plagues Sugar Creek at I-85. The solution? ‘Don’t remove people, lift them up.’
The three-mile stretch of West Sugar Creek Road takes you from what feels like a village in the west through a busy intersection with I-85 to North Tryon Street. It’s anchored by two neighborhoods — Derita and Hidden Valley — with strong leaders who agree their priority is driving out the trouble I-85 and the motels around the exit attract. → Read More
Man released from Mecklenburg jail leaves in a stolen Escape
An SUV was stolen in uptown Charlotte last week from an unlikely place — in front of the jail and a block away from CMPD headquarters. → Read More
Meck juvenile detention center’s closing separates families, burdens other facilities
Until recently, about 55 teenagers were typically confined at a juvenile detention center in north Charlotte. Around 40 of them were from Mecklenburg County. They were close to family, their lawyers and courts for hearings. Now, there are zero. → Read More
Archaeologists carefully dig for history at Town Creek Indian Mound
A team of professional and amateur archaeologists unearthed Native American history at the state historic site in the Sandhills. The items they found were small, yet important in piecing together the site’s history. → Read More
Report shows it’s harder to find an affordable home in Charlotte
Finding an affordable home to buy or rent in the Charlotte region has gotten even more challenging over the past year. This year’s State of Housing in Charlotte Report released Tuesday looks at exactly how much harder it is. → Read More
There are still 900 openings for free pre-K in Mecklenburg County
Pre-kindergarten is one of the ways Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and county leaders hope to boost learning. This year there are still about 900 pre-K openings, most of them in schools that serve low-income families. → Read More
CATS to suspend rail service next weekend for maintenance
Crews will repair track beds, signal crossings, and signal systems on Charlotte's light rail and streetcar lines. → Read More
Review after latest death at Mecklenburg jail shows more missed safety checks
A state review of the most recent death at the Mecklenburg County jail in uptown Charlotte shows officers continue to miss a substantial amount of safety checks. It also provides a view of how the jail is handling shifts while so short-staffed. → Read More
'Violence interrupters' program plans to expand to two more Charlotte sites
The Alternatives to Violence team helps to mediate disputes in the Beatties Ford Road corridor. Teams are planned for two areas in southwest Charlotte. → Read More
Policy meant to protect Charlotte tenants with vouchers now includes fines
Charlotte's City Council voted last month to require those who own and operate properties receiving city support not to reject potential tenants based on how they would pay. If a violation has not been resolved after 30 days, owners will be fined $100 a day. → Read More
State review shows Mecklenburg jail continues to miss many safety checks
A state inspection in late June shows officers continue to miss a substantial amount of checks. The inspector wrote there were “missed rounds at most locations at various times." That’s after the main jail was cited for this in a December inspection. That inspection found there was “an imminent threat” to safety at the jail due to short staffing and a rise in violence. → Read More
Review after death of Mecklenburg inmate in May shows more missed safety checks
Eight inmates at the Mecklenburg County Jail uptown have died in just over a year’s time. The state has reviewed six of those deaths so far and found officers missed many safety checks in the hours leading up to five of them. → Read More
Charlotte developments with any city support must now take renters using vouchers
Developers that receive support from the City of Charlotte cannot reject renters on those properties based solely on whether they use vouchers or other subsidies. City Council approved the policy Tuesday. → Read More
Provision would allow NC sheriffs to appeal jail inspections
A provision in North Carolina’s budget bill would give sheriffs the ability to appeal the findings of state jail inspections. An advocacy group for people with disabilities argues this would end up making jails less safe, while sheriffs say it’s a needed tool. → Read More
Fannie Mae to offer incentive to Charlotte companies to take rental vouchers
Charlotte is one of three cities where Fannie Mae will offer lower financing to developers and landlords of rental properties who agree to take people using vouchers. → Read More
Charlotte's violent crime was down in 2021, and gun seizures were up
After Charlotte saw two years of increases in violent crime, 2021 was something of a relief. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say violent crime dropped by 7% last year compared to 2020. And overall crime was down 5%. But there's still more violent crime than there was just less than a decade ago. → Read More
Drug overdose deaths are up again in Charlotte, says CMPD
Counterfeit prescription pills with high levels of fentanyl in them are behind a lot of the overdose deaths, CMPD officials said. → Read More
CMPD can't enforce city ordinances until full review of city code, say Charlotte officials
A North Carolina law removes some criminal penalties from municipal ordinances. The city of Charlotte released a statement saying to comply with the law, the city is reviewing its ordinances to determine which ones should continue to have criminal penalties. → Read More
Here's what planners say a new pedestrian bridge over I-277 in Charlotte will look like
The bridge will run parallel to the LYNX Blue Line and be 18 feet across the interstate that surrounds uptown Charlotte. → Read More