Good morning, this is Charlotte Local Pulse for Tuesday, May 20. We start today with breaking news from our city’s west side, where Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are actively investigating a homicide that happened late Saturday night in the 2400 block of Freedom Drive. Officers responded to a call just after two thirty in the morning about an assault with a deadly weapon. One person was found with gunshot wounds in a parking lot and was pronounced dead at the scene. The investigation is ongoing, and police are urging anyone with information to reach out to their homicide detectives or contact Crime Stoppers. Public safety remains top of mind for all of us.
Turning to weather now, today brings mostly clear skies and a warm start, with temperatures climbing through the upper seventies by noon. There’s a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms this afternoon, so keep an umbrella handy if you’re headed out, especially near Uptown and the parks along Little Sugar Creek. Looking ahead, we expect mostly mild weather for the rest of the week, making it a good stretch for outdoor plans.
In community news, Charlotte is buzzing this week as we welcome back Joey Logano’s annual Concert for Charity. It’s the third year for the event, and tonight’s headliner is country star Jordan Davis, taking the stage at Coyote Joe’s out on Wilkinson Boulevard. Proceeds go to local youth programs, so if you are a music fan, it’s a great way to support a good cause and have some fun.
On the business front, construction cranes continue to dot our skyline, with several new restaurants opening up around South End and Plaza Midwood this week. Meanwhile, a few longtime establishments in NoDa have announced they’ll be closing their doors later this month as leases expire. That’s also reflected in the local job market, where about three hundred new service positions are being posted citywide, from Uptown hotels to the airport’s expanded hospitality wing.
Speaking of travel, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is preparing for new international service, with Etihad Airways set to begin flights to Asia starting next year. That’s a major development for our city’s global connections and should create hundreds of new jobs in and around the airport precinct.
Turning to real estate, the market stays hot with median home prices now hovering just below four hundred thousand dollars. New listings are up in Ballantyne and Huntersville, although inventory remains tight and competition is fierce for family-sized homes.
In schools, we give a shoutout to the Myers Park High robotics team, who returned from regionals this weekend with a top-three finish. And in sports, NASCAR fans are gathering this week to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Charlotte Motor Speedway pedestrian bridge collapse, a somber reminder of how far safety measures have come in our city’s premier racing venue.
Before we go, a feel-good story from the heart of Dilworth—a neighbor-led food drive has collected more than two thousand pounds of goods for local families in need, showing once again the strength and generosity of our community.
This has been Charlotte Local Pulse. We’ll see you tomorrow with more local updates.
