Author Charles Frazier discusses his book 'The Trackers'

On this week's local news roundup: homicides are up in Charlotte this year by 31%. A new development is coming to Ballantyne with housing and a new school. Plus – the popular grocery store Wegmans is coming. Those stories and more.

Set amid the Great Depression, the novel tells the story of a painter who travels to a rural town in Wyoming. Guest host Erik Spanberg sits down with Frazier to discuss the book, Frazier's past work and the role North Carolina plays in his writing.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have been spending a lot of time in North Carolina touting their accomplishments as part of their reelection campaign. That said, a Democratic presidential candidate has only won the state twice in about 50 years. What would need to happen to flip the script?

On the next Charlotte Talks, an alarming 15% of Mecklenburg County households are food insecure, meaning they have a reduced quality and variety of diet and/or may eat less because of a lack of money. But in our area, the Carolina Farm Trust is about to open phase one of a new market this spring to bring jobs and food to what is now a food desert. A look at that and other food insecurity solutions.

Mo Green discusses his time as superintendent of Guilford County schools and the state of public education in North Carolina.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools wants an additional $83 million for certain operating expenses. Plus, after some discussion, it appears unlikely the hospitality tax will be used for anything other than tourist projects. Those stories and more on the local news roundup.

StoryCorps — it’s a public radio mainstay and it's bringing its Mobile Tour to Charlotte later this month. Find out how you can tell and preserve your personal stories for posterity.

A discussion with the chairs of Charlotte City Council's committees that help govern the Queen City, including transportation, jobs and economic development, and housing and safety. We hear about the priorities each committee has set, why they’ve set those goals and where they are in achieving them.

On the next Charlotte Talks, with the filing deadline for taxes less than a week away, we explore a topic that is probably top of mind: Why is our tax system so complicated? Why does it take so long to gather the information for your tax preparer? And why do average people with mostly W-2 income need tax preparers — or do we? Can you really do it yourself?

Charlotte has traditionally used tourism tax revenue for large projects like upgrading sports facilities. City leaders have said state law mandates that, but some believe the money could be spent differently.