Stories
Here’s why big-money Wall Street players have bought thousands of Charlotte homes
One reason Charlotte's housing market is so tight: Wall Street-backed firms have bought more than 10,000 houses since the recession and turned them into rentals. I used property records and teamed up with our data reporter to explain why, and what impact it's having on buyers and renters.
Dwarfed by apartments, The Thirsty Beaver is vowing to stay put
In a city growing as fast as Charlotte, the few neighborhood businesses hanging on can help preserve a sense of identity — especially when one of them ends up cocooned in a new apartment building like the house from "Up." This story gained nationwide play and was featured in the British press as well.
Police shooting protests turn violent, 1 shot And killed
Protests erupted in Charlotte after police fatally shot a black man in September 2016, shaking the cities for days. I covered the protests and ensuing violence for two days and nights straight, through tear gas, fights and chaotic lines of riot police.
Charlotte police detail arsenal of ‘pain compliance,’ tear gas used during riots
After the initial protests and riots, I used court filings for an explanatory piece about weapons police used and how they justified their tactics.
PayPal withdraws plans for Charlotte expansion over HB2
Winner of the 2016 SABEW award for breaking news, this story showed how North Carolina's anti-LGBT protections law was starting to have real-world effects beyond the political rancor.
A visa, for a price: Charlotte developer raises funds with little-known immigration program
This story showed readers how the controversial EB-5 visa program is being used in Charlotte by Chinese developers and citizens seeking U.S. citizenship.
Mega-deal: Ballantyne Corporate Park sold to New York investors
Through deep sourcing and the use of public records, I broke news of the biggest real estate deal in Charlotte's history - the $1.2 billion sale of one of the city's best-known developments to an out-of-state company.
View from a crane: Charlotte’s building boom is reshaping the skyline
Who could pass up the chance to climb a 264-foot tower crane (without a tether)? Not me.
Why you should care that Charlotte’s rewriting its zoning code
An esoteric subject like zoning can be tough for readers to slog through. This story broke down why it matters to their neighborhoods.
Run-down South End housing at center of high-stakes lawsuit from billionaire’s firm
One of the most run-down housing projects in Charlotte has an unusual owner: A local billionaire, who's now in a legal fight over the development's future.
He saw shadows. He was angry. He wanted help.
In 2010, a Charlotte man killed most of his family and then himself, leaving two young children alive who had witnessed the horror. We obtained confidential medical records to detail how the mental health system failed Kenny Chapman, and his victims.
Affordable apartments a challenge in building boom as older units replaced by luxury buildings
“It was like someone taking you in a plane without a parachute and throwing you out." That's how one resident described his experience when his previously affordable apartment complex was torn down to make way for new, upscale units.