Ely Portillo

Charlotte

Executive Editor at WFAE-FM (Charlotte, NC)

Executive editor at @WFAE.

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Articles

The Cost Of Living In Charlotte

1 week ago | charlottemagazine.com | Ely Portillo

Charlotte has struggled to develop affordable housing for more than a century. Despite a slew of efforts to ease the problem, it persists, even worsens, in the face of soaring land and home prices. A new book by Charlotte historian Tom Hanchett chronicles the tenure and depth of the issue and what might—might—be done to make it better. Walking through First Ward in uptown on a warm late-winter afternoon, Tom Hanchett sees layers of the city invisible to most people.
What's in the Tiawana Brown indictment: COVID relief loans and a birthday party with a rented throne

2 weeks ago | wfae.org | Ely Portillo

On Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson announced that Charlotte City Council member Tiawana Brown faces federal indictments on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, stemming from allegedly fraudulent loan applications for COVID relief funds.
Some Charlotte retailers are feeling the tariff heat

1 month ago | wfae.org | Ely Portillo

President Trump's new tariffs are partly on, partly on hold and partly up in the air — but some businesses around Charlotte are seeing the impact already. That includes Asian grocery stores, which import most of their goods from some of the countries facing the highest tariffs, such as China and Vietnam. The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling joins WFAE's Ely Portillo about this and more on this week's BizWorthy.
Charlotte, other cities grapple with land use regulation changes in disaster relief bill

Jan 6, 2025 | wfae.org | Ely Portillo

Charlotte and other cities across North Carolina are grappling with a little-noticed provision in the sweeping disaster relief and government reform bill approved by Republicans last month over former Gov. Roy Cooper's veto. There are concerns that the bill limits municipalities’ ability to set local land use regulations. Senate Bill 382 stripped incoming Democratic officials such as Gov. Josh Stein of some of their powers. It also set aside $227 million for Hurricane Helene Relief.
NC won't order full hand recount of ballots in NC Supreme Court race

Dec 10, 2024 | wfae.org | Ely Portillo

North Carolina elections officials won’t order a full hand recount of more than 5.5 million ballots cast in the race for a state Supreme Court seat. After a hand recount of a sample of ballots from all 100 counties, incumbent Democrat Allison Riggs—who leads by 734 votes—picked up more new votes than her opponent who requested the recount, Republican Jefferson Griffin. Elections officials said hand recounts sometimes pick up ballots that a machine tabulator couldn't read.
Major Providence Road development subsidies approved

Dec 10, 2024 | wfae.org | Ely Portillo

Charlotte City Council on Monday voted to approve a deal to provide developers with a $19 million subsidy for a major redevelopment in south Charlotte. Providence Square, to be built on over 100 acres around Providence and Olde Providence roads, will include almost 1,900 housing units, a grocery store, shops, restaurants and a park. Council member Tariq (Tar-IK) Bokhari said that while traffic is a concern, the developers are promising to make improvements along the Providence Road corridor.
Summer camps repair after Helene

Nov 20, 2024 | wfae.org | Ely Portillo

Summer feels like a long way away unless you're a parent thinking about summer camp for your kids. The mountains are a popular destination, but many of the major sleepaway camps there suffered big damage during Hurricane Helene. Now they're working to repair and reopen in time for the summer. Joining Ely Portillo to talk about this and other news stories is Tony Mecia of the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter. Ely Portillo: You talked to a few camps.
AP: Donald Trump wins North Carolina

Nov 5, 2024 | wfae.org | Ely Portillo

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump won North Carolina and the state's 16 Electoral College votes, according to projections late Tuesday from the Associated Press. The AP called the race at 11:18 p.m., significantly narrowing Harris' path to victory and dashing Democrats' hopes once again. With 86% of precincts reporting, Trump led with 50.46% of the vote versus 48.06 for Harris.
Democrat Jeff Jackson wins attorney general over Republican Dan Bishop

Nov 5, 2024 | wfae.org | Ely Portillo

North Carolina's next attorney general will be Democrat Jeff Jackson, after Republican Dan Bishop conceded shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday. With almost 90% of precincts reporting, Jackson was winning with 52% of the vote versus Bishop's 48%. Bishop thanked his supporters and said he regretted not winning in order to strengthen law enforcement. He also said he's unlikely to run for public office again.
Citizens-only voting amendments pass in North Carolina and South Carolina

Nov 5, 2024 | wunc.org | Ely Portillo

Voters in North Carolina and South Carolina approved constitutional amendments that would restrict voting to U.S. citizens in all elections. Under federal law, only U.S. citizens can legally vote in federal elections. Cities in several states, including California and Maryland, have allowed all residents to vote in local elections, including noncitizens.