Good morning! Today is Monday, September 28, 2026. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Carnegie Private Wealth. At Carnegie Private Wealth, we bring clarity to complexity. Through thoughtful planning and personal attention, we help you pursue opportunities and reclaim time for what matters most.
Hi Ledger readers, Ashley here. Tony Mecia and Michelle Crouch, a frequent contributor to The Ledger, spent the weekend digging into a consulting contract pitched to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office this spring that involved some of the key players in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools investigation. Read on to learn what they uncovered.
This is one of many stories The Ledger has published in recent days and weeks on CMS’ financial dealings, many of which have been broken by or exclusively reported on by our small newsroom. We’ll be digging into much more in the coming days and weeks.
Do you have a question about the CMS investigation or a tip you want to share with The Ledger’s newsroom? Please email us at [email protected].
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CMS’ former school board chair teamed up with consultant Raki McGregor and others to pitch the sheriff’s office on a $400K consulting contract this spring, as McGregor’s company was being paid by a law firm CMS hired
Former CMS school board chair Stephanie Sneed and consultant Raki McGregor teamed up this spring to pitch the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office on a $400,000 consulting contract, according to documents and emails from the sheriff’s office obtained by The Charlotte Ledger. (Images from the presentation provided by the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office)
by Michelle Crouch and Tony Mecia
Raki McGregor, the consultant at the center of multiple investigations into Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ contracting practices, has been widely described as a friend and ally of former school board chair Stephanie Sneed.
But documents obtained by The Charlotte Ledger show that he was also something else: Sneed’s business partner on at least one consulting pitch.
Today's Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by Carnegie Private Wealth. At Carnegie Private Wealth, we bring clarity to complexity. Through thoughtful planning and personal attention, we help you pursue opportunities and reclaim time for what matters most.
Editor’s note: Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, recovery is still unfolding across the region. In “Helene: Road to Recovery,” a five-part series, The Charlotte Ledger examines where that recovery stands today — from rebuilding communities, roads and forests to the storm’s lasting effects on healthcare and wildlife — and the work that remains.
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Studies found spikes in anxiety, alcohol and pregnancy-related ER visits, raising questions about readiness for the next storm
Damage inflicted by Helene to the Biltmore Village area of Asheville, pictured on Sept. 28, 2024. (Photo: N.C. Department of Transportation via N.C. Health News)
by Will Atwater
N.C. Health News
Tropical Storm Helene’s impact on western North Carolina was felt acutely in the days, weeks and months after the storm, including in the region’s hospitals and clinics.
New research shows how pregnant patients and people with anxiety and other health issues turned to emergency departments for treatment when primary care practices were closed.
That influx created new pressures on hospitals and clinics that were already dealing with power, water and staffing disruptions.
As a primary care doctor and founder of Asheville’s Trillium Family Medicine, Mark McNeill saw firsthand what North Carolina-based researchers quantified in their data.
“Once the roads opened up, I left and went to Winston‑Salem just to get back online,” McNeill said. “My inbox was full of patients who still needed their medicines … needed primary care.”
The situation McNeill described is reflected in forthcoming results from studies led separately by researchers Jen Runkle from N.C. State University and Maggie Sugg from Appalachian State University, who, along with their colleagues, analyzed emergency department use in western North Carolina after Helene.
👻 Finances got you spooked? Sign up today for The Ledger’s FREE financial planning series!
This October, The Charlotte Ledger is bringing together local experts for four candid conversations about money, life and the financial decisions most of us are trying to figure out as we go.
These won’t be stuffy, jargon-laden discussions that make your eyes swim. At each of the events — themed around financial conversations applicable to four generations, from Generation Z to baby boomers — the conversation will be relevant, lively and applicable to real challenges facing different life stages.
Who: People of any age may attend any panel (and can register for multiple!), but Oct. 7’s panel will focus on Gen Z, Oct. 14 will be geared toward millennials, Oct. 21 will be tailored to Gen X and Oct. 28 will be oriented toward boomers.
When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28
Where: The Mint Museum in uptown (Oct. 7 and 14) and The Mint Museum in Eastover (Oct. 21 and 28)
We’ll be serving beer, wine and light snacks, and — bonus — you’ll get to enjoy The Mint free of charge on the evening(s) that you attend. While the event is free, please register today to claim your spot!
Thanks to our presenting sponsor Dyer & Company, banking partner Huntington Bank and supporting partners The Mint and Caregiving Corner.
No cold feet: Professor embraces Queens-Elon merger with ‘Queelon’ socks
When Mike Wirth saw the email last year announcing the merger of Queens University of Charlotte and Elon University, he started thinking about what the combined school’s new name might be.
As an artist and a Queens graphic design professor, his eyes went straight to the schools’ logos, and his brain started imagining the possibilities.
“When we got the first email that had the logos next to each other, I was like — Queelon?” he said. “It just clicked. Then I said it jokingly with a colleague, and they were like, ‘Oh my God!’ and I was like, ‘There’s something there.’”
So Wirth did what any good graphic designer and self-proclaimed “sock guy” would do: He printed a couple pairs of “Queelon” crew socks.
Queens graphic design professor and self-proclaimed “sock guy” Mike Wirth printed two pairs of “Queelon” socks in honor of the merger with Elon University. But they’re not for sale. (Photo courtesy of Mike Wirth)
He wore them at a back-to-school coffee this summer, and they were a hit: “Everybody is like, ‘Oh my god, where can I get them?’” His reply: Nowhere. Selling “Queelon” socks is “clearly a copyright violation,” he said. He sells socks featuring his designs on his website but won’t sell “Queelon” socks.
Wirth even presented a pair to Jeff Stein, Elon’s chief integration officer and executive vice president who is leading the merger in Charlotte. He said Stein laughed, put the “Queelon” socks on and even posted a photo of himself on LinkedIn wearing the custom-made hosiery.
Stein wrote in his Sept. 4 post that mergers bring “innovation, opportunity, & great new colleagues” and thanked Wirth “for bringing me a pair of these brilliant merger socks.” (He added: “Disclaimer: this post is intended for the sole purpose of recognition & enjoyment & has no official or approved imagery!”)
There’s some anxiety around Queens about the merger, but Wirth said the socks are a way to keep things positive.
“It’s my way of saying, ‘This is going to be great, y’all. Let’s be hopeful. And here’s a little swag to get you into it,’” he said.
Alas, one thing the socks did not do was manifest “Queelon” as the new combined name. Elon announced last week that Queens will be called “Elon University / Queens College.”
Good luck fitting that on a sock. —Tony Mecia
FUTBOL FRIDAY
Futbol Friday is The Charlotte Ledger’s weekly newsletter that gets you up to speed on Charlotte FC, written by longtime sportswriter Carroll Walton.
Allan Saint-Maximin has been hard charging since his arrival this summer with Charlotte FC. (Photo by Kevin Young of The 5 and 2 Project)
Charlotte FC signed Allan Saint-Maximin to a three-year designated player contract over the World Cup break, replacing the outgoing DP left winger Wilfried Zaha. His first Charlotte FC goal was the game-winner in a 2-1 win and came on a swinging left-foot finish across the goal mouth to the far post.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30: “A Discussion with Merrill Eisenhower,” 7-8:30 p.m., at Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. Join the Stan Greenspon Holocaust Education Center at the Knight Theater for an evening with Merrill Eisenhower, great-grandson of President Eisenhower, as he reflects on Eisenhower’s role documenting the Holocaust and preserving its history. Learn how the Greenspon Center is carrying forward his legacy of service, remembrance and education. $36-$90.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2: “Black Box Series,” 7:30-9 p.m., at the Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance, 701 N. Tryon St. Charlotte Ballet's season-opening program features the return of Mthuthuzeli November’s “From Africa With Love,” Alejandro Cerrudo’s “Dos y Dos y Dos,” the first work he created for Charlotte Ballet and a new creation by German American duo FLOCK, inspired by the phoenix. $30/ticket.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2: “Tosco Music Beatles Tribute,” 7:30-10:30 p.m., at Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. Kickoff FabFest-Charlotte's Beatles Festival with this tradition! Come together to see 15 local and regional acts perform Beatles hits in different genres, plus singalongs throughout the night! Bring a group and save 20% on six or more tickets using the code GROUP20. Individual tickets range from $19.50 to $56.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3: “FabFest Daytime,” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Parr Center, Central Piedmont Community College, 1201 Elizabeth Ave. Experience Beatles magic! Live music on 2 stages, plus art, vendors, contests and family fun for all ages—an unforgettable day that’s completely FREE!
In brief
CMS board vice chair offered to step down amid threats: Liz Monterrey Duvall, who last week became vice chair of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ board of education after a dramatic leadership shakeup, offered to step down from her leadership position after she said she received multiple threats, including death threats, following the board’s controversial firing of Superintendent Crystal Hill. Monterrey Duvall agreed to remain vice chair through December after the board's newly elected chair, Gregory “Dee” Rankin, asked her to reconsider, according to emails. In a statement released by CMS on Friday, Monterrey Duvall confirmed the reversal, adding that she and her family will be taking “additional safety measures.” (WFAE)
CMS communications officer charged with DWI: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' chief communications officer Stephen Esposito was arrested and charged with driving while impaired Thursday night. According to court records, Esposito blew 0.11 on a breathalyzer. CMS in a statement said it was “aware of an arrest involving a district employee. The incident is unrelated to district operations or school activities. No further information can be shared at this time, in accordance with state statutes regarding the confidentiality of personnel information.” (WSOC)
Union calls for improved conditions after airport worker death: Service Employees International Union 32BJ held a vigil outside Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Thursday after the death of Colleen Coates, a cabin cleaner at CLT, who collapsed “on a jet bridge in intense heat” on Sept. 17 while waiting to clean an American Airlines aircraft, according to the union. Coates, 55, could not be resuscitated. She was employed by ABM, a facility management company. In a statement, ABM said the company was sad about Coates’ passing but declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding her death out of respect for her family and to protect employees’ privacy. (Charlotte Observer, subscriber-only)
New Blue Line stop to be called Atherton Mill Station: The Charlotte Area Transit System on Friday said the newest Blue Line station will be called Atherton Mill Station. The announcement was made at the new pedestrian rail crossing behind Publix on South Boulevard, where the new station will be. It is expected to open in 2028. (Press Release)