Atrium, Novant and a new Duke Health–CaroMont partnership have filed for 686 new hospital beds in Mecklenburg County. The state says the county needs 389. We look at why Charlotte has become a land grab for health systems, and at the catch: the beds the state approved here last year are still held up by an appeal. Plus: the attorney general takes more than 470 complaints about gas prices since the state gas tax was suspended, the Hornets open the season with a win in Brooklyn, and Michelin's 2026 guide to the American South names 17 Charlotte restaurants, including a Bib Gourmand pick on Shamrock Drive.

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: Becker's Hospital Review, The Charlotte Ledger, WFAE, North Carolina Health News, Carolina Public Press, NC Department of Health and Human Services, the MICHELIN Guide, WSOC, Axios Charlotte

CLT Daily is written, hosted and produced by Steve Bouboulis, an independent journalist covering the Queen City. Got a tip, a document, or a story the city isn't telling? Reach him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebouboulis/

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have released personnel records for seven officers tied to a racist group chat. Four of the seven share the same hire date, and the department is now reviewing how it hires. We look at what the records show and what they don't: it still isn't public who wrote what, and nobody has been charged over the texts. The district attorney is reviewing past and pending cases, but says he won't make public how many there are. Plus: the Hornets lock up Brandon Miller with a reported $209 million extension ahead of tomorrow's opener, and North Carolina's unemployment rate falls to 3.4 percent. And a world-premiere murder-mystery dinner in the Iron District, with tips on which seats are still easy to get.

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: WFAE, WBTV, WSOC-TV, Axios Charlotte, ESPN, N.C. Department of Commerce, Blumenthal Arts, CLT Daily

CLT Daily is written, hosted and produced by Steve Bouboulis, an independent journalist covering the Queen City. Got a tip, a document, or a story the city isn't telling? Reach him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebouboulis/

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

A month after Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools fired Superintendent Crystal Hill, the key questions about payments to consultant Raki McGregor are still unanswered, while the SBI, the state auditor and the FBI all investigate. And the board's new legal and compliance office, meant to keep watch, has almost nobody in it. Plus: the Republican share of North Carolina's early vote is down sharply from the last two midterms, alcohol-related ER visits keep climbing in Mecklenburg, the Panthers win in Philadelphia, and how to get in and out of the new Ballantyne Wegmans.

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: The Charlotte Ledger, WFAE, WBTV, The Shelby Report

CLT Daily is written, hosted and produced by Steve Bouboulis, an independent journalist covering the Queen City. Got a tip, a document, or a story the city isn't telling? Reach him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebouboulis/

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.