If it’s Friday, it must be time for some good news. This week, some positive signs from a local anti-violence program in Charlotte, NC’s largest city.
Charlotte has found itself in the national spotlight a couple times this year — and for all the wrong reasons. After the tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in August, it became hard to shake the perception that the Queen City was dealing with an uncontrollable public safety crisis, even as the data showed otherwise.
A new report published by Charlotte Urban Institute on Thursday pushed back on the idea that the city isn’t acting to address crime. We’re leading off this Good News Friday with an organization that refuses to accept the bad news.
For past editions of Cardinal & Pine’s “Good News Friday,” click here.
Violence prevention group shows promise in Charlotte
Alternatives to Violence (ATV) was launched along the Beatties Ford Road corridor in northwest Charlotte in 2022 in response to a spike in homicides. The program deploys violence interrupters who already have a stake in a given community to work on the ground in neighborhoods and address situations as they unfold.
In 2024, the Charlotte Urban Institute evaluated the effectiveness of the ATV program in Beatties Ford in its third year by analyzing crime data, staff interviews, case notes and community surveys to measure the program’s impact between 2022 and 2024.
The new report, released on Thursday, found that the Beatties Ford ATV program has not only helped to establish trust in the corridor but improved community safety in measurable ways.
The most important finding involved the reduction or stabilization of violence in neighborhoods where the ATV program was active. These neighborhoods saw a significant drop in robberies and decreases in nonfatal shootings and homicides compared to similar areas. Fewer community members also reported witnessing or experiencing violence.
The program has already launched in two more corridors in Charlotte.
Video: Here’s why Charlotte citizens are getting double-taxed
Three exceptional veterans inducted in NC Military Hall of Firsts
The NC Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and Department of Natural and Cultural Resources on Tuesday inducted three military veterans into the NC Military Hall of Firsts.
Sgt. Patricia A. Harris, Maj. Gen. Elizabeth D. Austin, and Maj. Gen. Harvey D. Williams Sr. were recognized in the annual ceremony, which “acknowledges remarkable individuals whose military service has brought meaningful recognition and distinction to themselves, their families, and the state of North Carolina,” according to a release from Gov. Josh Stein’s office.
Sgt. Harris, who retired from the US Army after serving more than 22 years, became the first woman veteran, and African American to serve as the Department Commander of North Carolina in 2013.
Maj. Gen. Austin, retired NC National Guard (NCNG), was the first woman to serve as general officer in the NCNG — just one of the multiple military roles she was the first woman to fill during her military career.
Maj. Gen. Williams Sr., who retired from the US Army before passing away in 2020, “was a man of many firsts,” according to the release. “The first African American selected to attend the senior course program at the Naval War College, one of the first selected to participate in the pioneer program that hired Black Army officers as professors at Ivy League universities, and the first Black post commander of Fort Myer.”
MerleFest announces 2026 lineup
Wilkesboro escaped the deep(ish) snowfall that other parts of western North Carolina saw this Monday, but they got something better: the full MerleFest 2026 lineup.
Taking place April 23-26, 2026, on the campus of Wilkes Community College, the annual celebration of NC music legends Doc and Merle Watson is set to showcase the previously announced headliners Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Old Crow Medicine Show, Charles Wesley Godwin, and Blackberry Smoke, plus newcomers The Jack Wharff Band, Blue Highway, Fireside Collective, and more than 20 additions.
A highlight of this year’s lineup is Old Crow Medicine Show, which will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its quintessential album, Big Iron World, while taking on hosting duties of the MerleFest staple Late Night Jam on Saturday night.
“The Late Night Jam is a long standing, must-see event at MerleFest, and we couldn’t think of a better host than Ketch and Old Crow Medicine Show to act as our ring leaders this year,” stated MerleFest artist relations manager Lindsay Craven. “Old Crow’s and MerleFest’s history are so intertwined over the last 26 years, since Doc found them busking in downtown Boone in 2000, to now when they’re headlining the Watson Stage.”
https://new.cardinalpine.com/news/politics/stein-reverses-medicaid-cuts-but-warns-of-devastating-consequences-if-republicans-fail-to-fund-the-program//
