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PODCAST

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast

The Charlotte Ledger

We talk with Charlotte leaders about important and interesting issues, with an eye toward making you smarter, telling you things you don’t know and introducing you to people with insights about trends in Charlotte. www.thecharlotteledger.com

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All Episodes

35:29

Charlotte’s history explains its biggest challenges,...

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/04/24

Charlotte didn’t become the city it is today by accident — and many of the forces that shaped its neighborhoods, growth patterns and economic divides are still at play. From the rise of streetcar suburbs to the legacy of segregation written into deeds, the city’s past continues to influence everything from where people live to why housing has become so difficult to afford.In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Tony Mecia sits down with local historian Tom Hanchett for a live

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22:20

Why the music stopped for Lovin' Life

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/04/17

Charlotte’s brief run as a music festival city hit pause this year, raising bigger questions about what it takes to sustain live music at scale. After two years of big crowds, major headliners and a sense that Charlotte had finally “arrived” as a festival destination, Lovin' Life Music Fest abruptly went quiet — leaving fans, artists and industry watchers wondering what went wrong and whether it can come back.In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, managing editor Ashley Fahey

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35:23

Charlotte’s identity crisis — or its strength

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/04/10

Charlotte is growing fast — adding jobs, people and new development at a dizzying pace — but for all its momentum, the city still struggles to answer a basic question: what, exactly, is Charlotte?In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Steve Dunn talks with Michael Graff, founder of The Charlotte Optimist, about the city’s evolving identity and whether it even needs one. Their conversation is sparked by Graff’s reflections on "Charlotte: Searching for Soul in a Booming Southern

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15:17

Behind the deal to bring 2,000 bank jobs to Charlotte

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/04/07

Charlotte landed one of its biggest job announcements in years this week, with Japanese banking giant Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) planning a major hub that could bring up to 2,000 jobs. It’s a significant win not just for the sheer number of jobs, but for what it signals: Charlotte continues to draw global financial firms looking for talent, lower costs and room to grow. The deal also reflects a broader trend — even as the city diversifies, finance remains at the core of its

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29:40

Keeping ballet alive in Charlotte

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/04/03

Charlotte Ballet is entering a new chapter under artistic director Alejandro Cerrudo, a dancer and choreographer whose career has taken him from Madrid to Germany, the Netherlands, Chicago and now Charlotte. As the city continues to define itself culturally, Cerrudo sees ballet not as a relic of the past, but as a living, evolving art form — one that can surprise people, move them and help shape Charlotte’s creative identity.In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, the Charlotte

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29:33

How Phil Berger lost — and what it means

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/03/27

Longtime state Senate leader Phil Berger — one of the most powerful figures in Raleigh for more than a decade — lost his primary by just 23 votes. In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, editor Tony Mecia sits down with former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory to unpack one of the most surprising political upsets in recent memory.McCrory walks through how it happened, from local backlash over a proposed casino to shifting voter sentiment and the limits of political influence. They

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30:00

Inside Charlotte's housing crunch

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/03/20

As thousands of people move to the region each year, the gap between housing supply and affordability continues to widen, leaving many working families priced out of homeownership. In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Ledger managing editor Ashley Fahey talks with Laura Belcher, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte region, about how the organization is evolving to meet that challenge. Including a shift away from exclusively doing scattered-site construction

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30:00

Why financial planning is about more than picking stocks

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/03/13

For many people, personal finance feels overwhelming until life forces the issue — a first 401(k), a divorce, a diagnosis, retirement or the sudden realization that no one ever really taught them how money works. In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, that uncertainty is at the center of the conversation: how people build financial confidence, why so many avoid planning and what changes when someone finally takes ownership of the numbers.Ledger editor Tony Mecia talks with Mary

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30:35

Forecasting the storm, and weathering the internet

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/03/06

The weather forecast has never been more precise — or more distrusted. In an era of viral storm posts, default phone apps and nonstop social media chatter, even a mostly accurate forecast can feel like a failure if the worst-case scenario doesn’t come true. For meteorologists, the job is no longer just predicting what the atmosphere might do. It’s also pushing back against hype, calming nerves and explaining why being “less bad than expected” is still not the same as being wrong.In this

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26:57

Understanding the I-77 toll debate

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/02/28

Interstate 77 has been one of Charlotte’s most frustrating stretches of pavement for years. Now, as state leaders move closer to widening that corridor with new toll lanes, a fresh political battle has erupted — not just over tolls, but over what the expansion would mean for neighborhoods already divided by the highway decades ago.In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Ledger editor Tony Mecia sits down with Steve Harrison, political reporter at WFAE, for a live conversation recorded Feb

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30:36

Reporters’ Roundtable — Discussing the local news of...

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/02/27

In this live video chat recorded Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, Charlotte Ledger reporters discuss some of their coverage from the week:* American Airlines and Charlotte’s airport work toward a new lease that could shape the future of the airport and the airline* Development moratoriums are popping up in the Charlotte region, as communities outside Charlotte contend with rapid growth* High school and college newspapers are struggling to find printers, as the move toward digital publications accelerates*

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44:26

How Counter- became Charlotte’s only Michelin-starred...

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/02/20

Sam Hart didn’t grow up in the kitchen. Fast food and corporate dining were more familiar than family recipes. But a broke stretch in Utah turned cooking into a daily necessity — then into an obsession.In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, host Steve Dunn sits down with Hart, creator of Counter- and founder of Irreverently Refined Hospitality Group, to talk about how a sketchbook idea became Charlotte’s first and only Michelin-starred restaurant. Hart explains why Counter is not a

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8:57

The 2026 Republican primary election in Mecklenburg

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/02/18

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger podcast, Ledger editor Tony Mecia talks with Sucharita Kodali, executive director of The Election Hub, about the Republican ballot in Mecklenburg County.The primary election is March 3, 2026. Early voting runs through Feb. 28, 2026.Registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters can cast ballots in the Republican primary, which features races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the General Assembly and an N.C. Court of Appeals seat.➡️ You can find information about

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19:22

The 2026 Democratic primary election in Mecklenburg

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/02/18

In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger podcast, Ledger editor Tony Mecia talks with Sucharita Kodali, executive director of The Election Hub, about the Democratic ballot in Mecklenburg County.The primary election is March 3, 2026. Early voting runs through Feb. 28, 2026.Registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters can cast ballots in the Democratic primary, which features races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, the General Assembly, judgeships, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and

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19:20

Why economics matters in Charlotte

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/02/13

Economics can sound like a subject you suffered through once and never wanted to revisit — but Michael Blanco, president of the Charlotte Economics Club, argues it’s actually the stuff people talk about every day: jobs, housing, inflation, interest rates, tariffs, AI, and where the economy is headed.In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Tony Mecia sits down with Blanco to talk about what the club does, who shows up to its events and why Charlotte — a longtime banking town that’s becoming

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24:05

Reporters’ Roundtable - Discussing the local news of...

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/02/13

In this live video chat recorded Friday, Feb. 15, 2026, Charlotte Ledger reporters discuss some of their coverage from the week:* Opposition increases over plans to expand I-77 near uptown* Early voting starts for the March 3 primary* New job numbers show Charlotte was No. 2 in the country for creating jobs in 2025, behind only New York City* A closer look at a mixed-use project in Charlotte’s West End — and what it might mean for similar projects elsewhere in the city* The start of soccer season

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27:52

Why Charlotte is still searching for its soul

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/02/06

Charlotte is booming. New towers rise, new residents arrive and the city’s economic engine hums. But beneath the growth, some longtime residents ask a deeper question: What has been lost along the way?In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, host Steve Dunn talks with Robert FitzPatrick — a Charlotte native, longtime community organizer and nationally known expert on pyramid schemes and consumer fraud, and author of “Charlotte: Searching for Soul in a Booming Southern City.”FitzPatrick

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33:23

The future of Charlotte’s Center City

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/01/30

Billions of dollars in public investment. New office towers breaking ground. Nearly 5,000 apartments in the pipeline. After years of pandemic disruption and slow return-to-office trends, Charlotte’s center city may be entering a pivotal new chapter.In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Ledger editor Tony Mecia talks with Michael Smith and James LeBar of Charlotte Center City Partners about the newly released 2026 State of the Center City Report — an annual snapshot of uptown, South End

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28:20

PBS Charlotte at a crossroads

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/01/23

Recorded live Jan. 5, 2026, at The Sharon at SouthPark.PBS and public media have been in the spotlight lately — and not in a way anyone asked for. When federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was eliminated, NPR and PBS stations across the country faced sudden cuts and hard choices.In this special live episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, Ledger editor Tony Mecia sits down at The Sharon at SouthPark with Amy Burkett, general manager of PBS Charlotte, to talk about what that

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61:30

Understanding change in aging adults

The Charlotte Ledger Podcast ·

2026/01/20

Aging rarely arrives all at once. For many families, the realization comes quietly: a holiday visit that feels a little different, a parent who seems less steady, less engaged, or less organized than before.In this episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, we share a recording of a Jan. 14, 2026, webinar produced in partnership with Caregiving Corner, focused on how families can recognize meaningful changes in aging adults and respond thoughtfully without panic, judgment or damaging trust. Ledger

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