“I have seen CATS make improvements, sometimes that gets lost in these incidents, but I am encouraged that CATS is moving forward in small and big ways every day,” CATS Interim-CEO Brent Cagle said.
The accusations in the lawsuit raise more questions about how the light rail system is being run and by who, after a previous WBTV Investigation into the General Manager of the Rail Operations Control Center identified safety problems at his previous job.
A CATS light rail vehicle derailed in a Charlotte railyard Wednesday, an NCDOT spokesperson confirmed to WBTV. There were no injuries and NCDOT has not yet determined the cause of the derailment.
Charlotte city leaders are starting to grapple with how much it could cost taxpayers to strike a new stadium deal with the owner of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC, David Tepper.
The SBI’s statement confirming the investigation did not contain any details or specifics about the probe into Morris other than describing them as "investigate allegations of potential collusion and fraud."
Doctors across the country are sounding the alarm on emergency medical kits, commonly known as EMKs, on commercial flights saying sometimes they fall short and could be outdated. The Federal Aviation Administration hasn't updated the requirement for items on these kits for almost two decades, leaving it up to airlines to decide what to add.
Questions about safety, oversight and the failures of CATS former CEO highlighted the evening and relegated other important topics like the Gold Line and the budget to mere side topics.
Three separate audits of CATS completed in the last year identify more than 30 shortcomings the organization is now scrambling to fix, impacting taxpayers and the people who rely on bus and light rail service.
In Bethel Glen and other neighborhoods across North Carolina there are orphan roads that didn’t meet government standards after they were left by the developer. Often it falls to the neighborhood HOA raising assessments on homeowners to pay for road repairs and replacements but it can end up as a taxpayer expense too.
According to the letter, the City of Charlotte is already making contingency plans to make additional service cuts which could result in bus operator layoffs unless the contractor, TMOC/RATP DEV, “can stabilize service levels going forward.”
A WBTV Investigation found that while on average LYNX trains are departing stations on-time, some rush hour trains are between five to eight minutes late.
CATS Interim-CEO Brent Cagle told the Transportation, Planning and Development Committee that CATS light rail division is dealing with a high level of vacancies.
In an interview with WBTV on Tuesday, Republican Councilman Ed Driggs said the city needs to regain the trust of voters after a series of debacles at CATS that raise questions about transparency. Driggs also told WBTV that the Blue Line is safe after one of the cars derailed in May of 2022 but was kept secret from the public for nearly a year.
Records from NCDOT show the failure of the previous CATS regime to complete the ‘overhaul’ maintenance was the root cause of one of the light rail vehicles derailing last year.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles addressed the recent revelations of problems facing the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) --- and said the ‘shortcomings’ were unknown to City Council and the Metropolitan Transit Commission --- until a report was made public detailing concerns with the system.
Newly released police video shows the tense moments officers chased a man carrying a pistol with extended magazine after stopping the vehicle because it was stolen. Officers ended up shooting at the suspect, who was not hit. CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings said the case raises questions about the local court system's practice of issuing low bonds to suspects charged in violent cases.
Officials from NCDOT who reviewed the report offered blistering critiques of some of CATS’ initial findings and found that failure to immediately perform midlife and truck overhauls of the trains was “not acceptable.”
The chairwoman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education refused to answer questions about how the district handled two recent reports from five-year-old students who said they were sexually assaulted by male classmates.
The WBTV Investigates Team has been telling your stories about crippling medical debt for years. Now, those stories are getting the attention of local and state leaders who want to protect patients.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board Vice Chair Stephanie Sneed made the first comments in response to recent reports by two five-year-old girls that they were sexually assaulted by male classmates. "I just want you to know that I hear you," she said.
Although Charlotte city councilmembers only recently learned about the derailment, public records show the “midlife overhaul” plan to prevent this type of derailment from happening, was delayed again and again.
The father of a fifth-grade student at Union Elementary School called WBTV for help after spending weeks frustrated at how the school was handling his daughter’s reported sexual assault. Administrators waited more than a month after the report to place the teacher on administrative leave.
The city of Charlotte has become less transparent with the public and media, giving fewer opportunities for reporters to interview high-level officials, and leaving records requests unfulfilled for years.
A city spokesperson confirms Allen Smith is no longer the Chief Operating Officer of CATS, making him the third top CATS official to be removed from a post in the last five months.
