5 Things to Know: New Economic Mobility Report Shows Progress

New Economic Mobility Report Shows Progress

Charlotte is making progress on economic mobility, but there’s still more work to be done, according to a new study published by the Harvard University-based research group Opportunity Insights.

Ten years after the same group ranked Charlotte 50 out of 50 of the country’s biggest cities in economic mobility — the ability of children from low-income families to climb the income ladder and thrive — a new report ranks Charlotte at No. 38. Charlotte was also ranked No. 3 out of 50 on economic mobility progress in the report, moving upward faster than all but two of its peer cities.

“Charlotte is a city that in many ways has and continues to be ahead in our approach to community progress,” said Sherri Chisholm, executive director of Leading on Opportunity, an organization formed in 2017 in response to the initial study. “We refused to accept our low ranking and made a commitment to improve lives in Charlotte.”

As WFAE’s Ely Portillo explained on Friday morning’s episode of Charlotte Talks, appearing alongside Queen City Nerve’s Ryan Pitkin and other local reporters, the new study accounts for people who were born in Charlotte in the early 1990s and how they have or haven’t transcended past the financial conditions they were born in. The first report centered people born in the 1980s and late ’70s.

Since 2023, Leading on Opportunity has hosted more than 50 hours of workshops with more than 100 nonprofits while developing funder impact reports for Bank of America, Atrium Health, Ally Financial and Mecklenburg County. Nonprofits can use data interpreted by Leading on Opportunity to inform their efficacy and strategy.

CMPD Releases Mid-Year Crime Statistics

CMPD Deputy Chief of Patrol Services David Robinson shared the quarter’s overall crime statistics at a press briefing on Monday, stating that overall crime had risen 1% in Charlotte compared to last year’s numbers at the same time, going from 21,504 cases in 2023 to 21,785 this year.

Representatives with the department pointed out that violent crime was up 8% compared to the first six months of last year, including a 36% rise in homicides from 46 to 61 and a 9% increase in aggravated assaults.

It should be noted that these stats do not indicate trends, per se, just a comparison between six-month periods in two consecutive years. Violent crime, for example, fell for two consecutive years in 2021 and ’22 then stayed flat in 2023. Department officials are now raising concerns that it could be trending up with the way 2024 has begun.

The total numbers also don’t take into account the growing population of the city, as the department does not release per-capita statistics to help compare how actual crime rates are trending year by year.

Major Bret Balamucki led a presentation on juvenile crime, stating that the total number of juvenile homicide suspects increased 300% from three to 12 while juvenile homicide victims rose from four to seven, a 75% increase.

“CMPD will continue to do the important work every day of patrolling, making arrests and seizing firearms to address this violent crime,” said Robinson. “But these numbers extend far beyond anything to do with policing, they point to larger societal problems. It will require a multi-faceted, joint effort approach of not only our officers, but our community and community partners to provide alternatives to violence, particularly with young people, to achieve the outcomes we desire for our city.”

Local Restaurant Impacted by Tragic Storm-Related Death

Plaza Midwood pub and restaurant The Workman’s Friend announced on its Instagram page Wednesday that a tragic death that occurred not far from the restaurant on Monday has impacted the Workman’s family. Paul Saunders, husband to Workman’s Friend team member Shaleen Saunders, was killed when a tree fell on the couple’s apartment building on Commonwealth Avenue early Monday morning.

The Charlotte Fire Department reported Monday that firefighters had responded to a call about a tree that fell on a three-story apartment building in the Vista Commons complex on Commonwealth at 1:51 a.m. that morning. While they were able to rescue one person from a third-floor apartment despite the risk of a collapse, they also recovered Saunders’ body from the same apartment.

“Shaleen has been left to rebuild her life without her home and without her husband,” read the post from Workman’s Friend, which also announced a GoFundMe campaign to help support the widow. “Please join us in raising enough money to cover funeral and living costs for our dear Shaleen during this devastating time. The road ahead for her will not be an easy one, but with the love and support from our strong community, together we can help lift her up and take what little stress we can off of her.”

Cyclist Killed in East Charlotte

A teenager was killed while riding his bike in far-east Charlotte on Sunday, becoming the fifth bicyclist to be struck and killed by a car on Charlotte streets this year. That’s compared to two cyclists who were killed while riding in Charlotte in all of last year — one by a car and the other by a train.

In the above map of vehicle-related deaths in Charlotte thus far in 2024, red markers signify a person killed in their car, black markers signify pedestrian deaths, purple markers signify motorcyclist deaths, and green markers signify deaths involving micro-mobility vehicles such as bicycles, scooters, skateboards and wheelchairs.

At approximately 6:17 p.m. on Sunday, first responders were called to a motor vehicle crash involving a bicyclist at Robinson Church Road and Jerimoth Drive, where they located the cyclist, 15-year-old Christian Green, unresponsive on the shoulder of the roadway and a 2020 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV with damage to the front right corner. Medic transported Green to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

A preliminary investigation claimed that Green failed to stop at a stop sign at the intersection of Jerimoth Drive and Robinson Church Road and was struck by the driver of the Mitsubishi, who was not injured in the crash and was not impaired. On Wednesday, Green was pronounced dead at the hospital, surrounded by family. No charges have been filed in relation to Green’s death at the time of this writing.

Mark Robinson’s Wife Implicated in DHHS Audit

A new DHHS audit suggested that Balanced Nutrition Inc., a nonprofit led by Yolanda Hill, wife of Lt. Gov. and Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, may have improperly claimed reimbursement for meals that were not served as part of the organization’s meals program for students, as reported by NC Newsline.

The audit states that Balanced Nutrition filed claims for federal funding for eight months between February and October 2023, and again in February 2024, that would ostensibly go to a child care center called the Gingerbread Learning Center, but the center never submitted any claims confirming these meals were served during those periods.

DHHS said this was one of several “serious deficiencies” the agency has identified in Balanced Nutrition’s performance, including repeat violations like those from the 2023 audit previously reported by NC Newsline that included failure to make valid meal claims, submitting claims for meals that didn’t meet CACFP nutritional standards, and failure to maintain accurate income eligibility applications for its sponsored facilities.