In addition to originating the role of Tracy in that production, Williams is also nominated for the “Theatre Person of the Year” award at the Metrolina Theater Awards.

Get Tickets

You can watch the interview as a video, listen to it on the Y’all Weekly Podcast, or read the transcript below.

Elaine Alexander and Elyse Williams on “Sex, Lies, and A Sycamore Tree”

Below is a transcript of our conversation with Elaine and Elyse, lightly edited for style and readability.

Y’all Weekly: Hey everybody, this is Sam Spencer with Y’all Weekly, and I am happy to be joined by Elyse Williams and Elaine Alexander to talk about the play Sex, Lies, and a Sycamore Tree. How are y’all doing today?

Elaine Alexander: Doing great.

Elyse Williams: Wonderfully.

Y’all: First off, Elyse, I wanted to ask you: the Metrolina Theatre Awards nominations came out this week, and you were nominated for Theatre Person of the Year. Congratulations, number one. And number two, what does that honor mean for you and the work you’ve been doing?

Elyse: Well, I’m glad I’m wearing waterproof makeup because I would start crying talking about this, because as soon as the nominations came out, I was overwhelmed. This was such an honor. I have been active in the theater community here in Charlotte since I moved here in 1986. I’ve been on stage with most of the original theatre companies and am so grateful to be cast in so many different plays over the years.

I was also instrumental in starting Actors Theatre of Charlotte. There were just four of us that decided to change Golden Circle Theatre into Actors Theatre of Charlotte, so I served on the board there for 16 years. I got to see how things were produced and was just so amazed at the quality of not only the board, but also the behind-the-scenes folks who made Actors Theatre so successful for so many years.

As a new playwright, I am overwhelmed with the wonderful response that my original plays have gotten over the past year. We started with Love, Compassion and Comedy at Charlotte’s Off-Broadway earlier this year in February, and then I opened The Worst Motel in the State at the Arts Factory in June, getting an overwhelming response. So I’m really encouraged about continuing to work, not only on stage, but behind the scenes, because it really takes both onstage performers and so much work done by artistic directors and backstage volunteers. We have such a rich talent pool in Charlotte.

I just so appreciate the Metrolina Theatre Association nominating me for Theatre Person of the Year. I just feel overwhelmed and so appreciative. As a producer, I produced the Metrolina Theatre Association Gala for three years in a row. This year I had to step back because I was so involved with producing my plays, but I will absolutely be attending. I don’t know if you saw the other names of people who have been nominated, but I am just so honored because of all the work that everyone does.

Y’all: Awesome. Elaine, you wrote this play, you’re directing it, and Elyse is starring in it. Tell us more about how Sex, Lies, and a Sycamore Tree came together.

Elaine: Well, it was my MFA creative thesis. I got an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University, and the creative thesis is the capstone. I wanted to write a play that had to do with the environment. I always believe in writing what I see, and what I see is a lot of residential overdevelopment and trees being taken down. Here in the Carolinas, it’s kind of hard to ignore—it’s everywhere. So yeah, I like to write about the world around me, and this is definitely around me as a Charlottean and in the Metrolina area in general. It’s certainly happening down in Fort Mill, for sure.

Y’all: Obviously the title is reminiscent of a [late ‘80s] film with James Spader and Andie MacDowell. Is there any connection there other than the title?

Elaine: Zero! There is no actual sex, okay? But there is marital shenanigans, marital misbehavior, fooling around going on. And there’s definitely a lot of deception, a lot of lies, and there’s a sycamore tree. So it worked! But there is absolutely no connection to that film. It just works with what the play is about, because there’s a lot of lying—and Elyse knows about that, because her character is not exactly the most straight-up person. There’s a lot of hanky-panky, but it’s not an explicit play. And we don’t know the fate of the sycamore tree until the end of the play.

Y’all: Going into that, Elyse, tell us about your character, who you’re playing, and how that works out.

Elyse: Okay, so Elaine cast me in the role of Tracy last year. She had seen my work before, so she felt like I brought the right level of everyday woman, the girl next door—in this case, the neighbor next door—but also some sensuality, and would be believable.

I like this role because it’s very complex, and I like complex characters. She has been married for a long time, has two grown daughters, and loves where she lives, especially because of the tree that’s still standing in her yard. So when we’re invited over to our next-door neighbor’s house for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, I don’t want to go. There’s a reason that I’m not going to spoil for our audience’s sake, but the couple who comes over meets the couple that have been next-door neighbors for a year, but never met. The conversation turns very dark early on in the play because the woman who lives in the McMansion is obsessed with the tree in my yard. So there’s a lot of animosity and tension, and then as the play continues, reasons are revealed as to why there’s so much tension. I really love this character, I love the way Elaine has written it, and I enjoy playing it so much.

Elaine: And she’s absolutely incredible to watch. I could not have found a better person—she gets all those layers. She’s so perfect because Tracy is a very complex character. She’s an environmentalist and a tree hugger, but she’s not perfect. None of the characters are. I just love watching her on stage and feel very honored to have her in the cast.

Y’all: Last year, you put this on at Charlotte’s Off-Broadway. Clearly, there’s a demand to see it again because Sunday is already sold out this weekend. How did it make its way to Fort Mill, and why is it important that this is billed as a fundraiser for Fort Mill?

Elaine: They had a call for directors, and after winning an MTA Award for Best Director in 2024, I applied to be a director. They said, “No, Elaine, we don’t want you as a director, but we do want your play Sex, Lies, and a Sycamore Tree—would you direct that?” So I was honored and thrilled. I love that little theater company; it puts on great work in a small space, has great talent, and a very dedicated crew behind the scenes. I’m so happy that ticket sales will help Fort Mill Community Playhouse reach its goal of finding a larger space, because the small stage limits the kind of productions they can do.

Y’all: Elyse, I know you worked with Actors Theatre of Charlotte for a long time. Y’all Weekly started as a project after one of our co-founders lost his job when ATC closed down. This past month, Queen City Nerve, one of the big cultural institutions of Charlotte, named this play one of their “Best in the Nest” plays. To you, who have been doing this in Charlotte since the ‘80s, how important is it to get out and support productions like this?

Elyse: Well, Sam, here’s our challenge in Charlotte: we claim to be a world-class city and say we believe in the arts, but so few of our residents are aware of the rich offerings by the many theater companies in and around Charlotte. Many people attend the Blumenthal and see the Broadway shows, but aren’t aware of the fabulous local productions going on.

The Metrolina Theatre Association promotes and encourages over 50 different theater companies in the region. It’s also invaluable that publications like Y’all Weekly, Queen City Nerve, The Ledger, and even The Charlotte Observer cover and review these plays. Local theater companies cannot survive without the support of local residents buying tickets, donating, and becoming sponsors. Live theater is essential for our city to grow and thrive.

Y’all: Elaine, in writing and directing this play, is there anything you learned about your personal views or yourself?

Elaine: That is a great question. It’s an environmental play, but it’s really about relationships—hence the first word in the title, Sex. It’s about the complexity of relationships and how much you’re willing to risk or give up your pride for someone you love.

As a director, I get better every time I direct. My note to myself is to lean into letting the actors explore the role and make discoveries. If you cast really talented people, 95% of your work as a director is done. As a writer, it’s been very fulfilling to write a play close to my heart about the conflict that comes when people of different cultures, backgrounds, and income levels meld together amid rapid growth. You can find comedy in chaos!

Y’all: Elyse, for you, what is it like inhabiting Tracy?

Elyse: With every character I’ve played on stage, I always find a little bit of myself. There is a part of me that is very similar to Tracy: I am passionate, outspoken, and sensual. It’s a really lovely part to play, and I’m just so grateful to be cast in it.

Y’all: We know Sex, Lies, and a Sycamore Tree is running in Fort Mill from September 10th to 20th, Thursday through Sunday. Is there anything else you want people to know about the play?

Elaine: You can relate to this play. It is happening right here, right now—this is not the mythical South of the past, this is right here in 2026. And there are a lot of twists and turns, so hang on to your seatbelts!

Elyse: Come out and support local theater in Fort Mill to help them raise funds to get a bigger space all their own! I’ve had the honor of being on their stages over the years, and I love working with the Fort Mill Community Playhouse.

Y’all: Elaine, Elyse, thank you for everything you’re doing to put on this play, support local theater, and support the Fort Mill Community Playhouse. Break a leg tonight as the play opens, and thank you for making the time today!

Elaine: Thank you so much, Sam!

Lúmina is only one week away!

On Saturday, September 19, 2026, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art presents Lúmina, a party celebrating Latin American Modernism. The evening takes inspiration from the Bechtler’s fall exhibition, Making an Impression: Pioneering Latin American Printmakers. As the museum’s fall fundraiser, Lúmina supports the Bechtler’s world-class exhibitions, educational programs, and community partnerships.​

Guests will move through immersive installations, live performances, and DJ-driven sets, alongside Latin American-inspired street food, wines, and spirits, and a relaxed terrace lounge featuring curated tastings and conversation.

The evening sets the tone for a vibrant celebration of art, music, and contemporary Latin American creative expression.

Buy Tickets

Editor’s Note: Y’all Weekly publisher Sam Spencer serves on the board of directors for the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

Y'all Weekly caught up with “Sex, Lies, and A Sycamore Tree” writer and director Elaine Alexander — as well as actress Elyse Williams — to talk about the play’s new life as a summer fundraiser for the Fort Mill Community Playhouse, running September 10th through 20th.

Get Tickets

“Sex, Lies, and a Sycamore Tree” won Queen City Nerve’s Audience Favorite “Best In The Nest” Award for the 2025 production at the VAPA Center. In addition to originating the role of Tracy in that production, Williams is also nominated for the “Theatre Person of the Year” award at the Metrolina Theater Awards.

You can watch the full interview above, or listen to it below:

The play is a satirical comedy marital scandal set in the the rapidly developing Carolina suburbs that asks the question, “Can two malfunctioning marriages and one contentious tree survive a tempestuous party on the patio?”

In the play, a wealthy Californian couple invite their working-class Carolina neighbors over for socializing that soon descends into a hotbed of deceit, marital duplicity, and a possible death sentence for the only Sycamore tree still standing in the once woodsy Sycamore Grove.

The play also touches on the conflict between tree conservation and residential overdevelopment in the Carolinas, inspired by Alexander’s observations on local growth — though there’s still some sex and a lot of lies.

“This show is an excellent way to support our cause,” said Fort Mill Community Playhouse president Martha Ferguson in a press release. “We at Fort Mill Community Playhouse are working toward a new, permanent home and we need your support. We are presently in the smallest venue of our 46 years and we need more space … Please join us and support the Playhouse!”

Williams (Tracy), Keith Hopkins (Rick), and Tom Schrachta (Hugh) reprise their roles from the 2025 production at the Charlotte’s Off-Broadway Black Box Theater at the VAPA Center, while Pam Coble Newcomer takes on the role of Ali.

You can purchase tickets for “Sex, Lies, and a Sycamore Tree” here.

Lúmina is Almost Here!

On Saturday, September 19, 2026, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art presents Lúmina, a party celebrating Latin American Modernism. The evening takes inspiration from the Bechtler’s fall exhibition, Making an Impression: Pioneering Latin American Printmakers. As the museum’s fall fundraiser, Lúmina supports the Bechtler’s world-class exhibitions, educational programs, and community partnerships.​

Guests will move through immersive installations, live performances, and DJ-driven sets, alongside Latin American-inspired street food, wines, and spirits, and a relaxed terrace lounge featuring curated tastings and conversation.

The evening sets the tone for a vibrant celebration of art, music, and contemporary Latin American creative expression.

Buy Tickets

Editor’s Note: Y’all Weekly publisher Sam Spencer serves on the board of directors for the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

Auditions

Want to add your audition? Email sam@yallweekly.com!

New This Week:

Auditions for the Regional Premiere of LIBERATION
at Three Bone Theatre
By Bess Wohl
Directed by Donna Bradby

Audition Dates:
September 20, 2026 - 4PM-7PM
September 21, 2026 - 6PM-9PM

Audition Location:
Watershed Church
2101 Shenandoah Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205

Learn More

Upcoming Auditions:

Rory D. Sheriff’s “SPEAKEASY”
Presented by Brand New Sheriff Productions
September 15 - 16
Learn More

Quote of the Week

Charlotte Theater Calendar

Want to add your show? Email sam@yallweekly.com!

“Sex, Lies, and a Sycamore Tree,” as well as many other opportunities to support local theater, are below …

This Weekend …

“Sex, Lies, and a Sycamore Tree”
at Fort Mill Community Playhouse
September 10 - 20
Directed by Elaine Alexander
Learn More

“Clue”
at Theatre Statesville (Olin, N.C.)
September 5 - 13
Directed by Jennifer D. Grant
Learn More

“Hadestown: Teen Edition”
at Showtime Theatre Company (Rock Hill, S.C.)
September 5 - 13
Learn More

“The Cottage”
Presented by Davidson Community Players
at Armour Street Theatre (Davidson, N.C.)
September 10 - 27
Directed by Hanley Smith
Learn More

“Night at the Wax Museum”
at Old Courthouse Theatre (Concord, N.C.)
September 10-13
Directed by Lauren Newell
Learn More

“Come From Away”
at Theatre Charlotte
September 11 – October 4, 2026
Directed by Billy Ensley
Learn More

“Sovereignty”
Presented by Three Bone Theatre
at Cherokee Central School (Cherokee, N.C.)
September 11 - 12
Directed by Carolyn Dunn
Learn More

“The Jungle Book: Youth Play”
Presented by Rock Hill Theatre
at Castle Heights Middle School (Rock Hill, S.C.)
September 11 - 26
Directed by Harper Elaine Rego
Learn More

Later in September …

“The Insanity of Mary Girard”
at the Lee St. Theatre Lab (Salisbury, N.C.)
September 17 - 19
Directed by Rod Oden
Learn More

“The Odd Couple”
at Matthews Playhouse
September 18 - 27
Directed by Lisa Ulanow
Learn More

“I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire”
Presented by Zingher Productions
at Warehouse Studio Theatre (Cornelius, N.C.)
September 25th - October 11th
Directed by Jessica Zingher
Learn More

Coming Soon …

ARMOUR AFTER DARK: “Gaslighting the Musical”
Presented by Davidson Community Players
at Armour Street Theatre (Davidson, N.C.)
October 3 - 10
Created and Performed by Brooke McCarthy
Learn More

“The Great Gatsby”
at Belk Theater at Blumenthal Arts Center
Broadway Lights Series
October 13-18
Directed by Marc Bruni
Learn More

“The House on Haunted Hill”
at Lee St. Theatre (Salisbury, N.C.)
October 16 - 31
Directed by Jessie Dietzel
Learn More

“La Maison de Horreurs: An Evening at the Grand Guignol”
Presented by Post Mortem Players
at the Wilson Family Black Box at Old Courthouse Theatre
October 22 - November 1
Directed by Jackie Obando Carter
Learn More

“Frankenstein”
at Theatre Charlotte
October 30 - November 15
Directed by Dee Abdullah

“Liberation”
at Three Bone Theatre
November 6 - 22
Directed by Donna Bradby
Learn More

Recent Stories

More local arts and culture coverage from Y’all Weekly:

Keep in Touch!

Please forward this newsletter to any friends who might be interested. If you’d like to submit dates for an event, or have suggestions to improve Y’all Weekly’s arts coverage, please email sam@yallweekly.com.

I’ve been thinking a lot about percentages recently. I’ve had two spine surgeries this year, and all things being equal there was a 5-10% chance something could have gone seriously wrong each time I went under the knife.

That chance was enough that my wife and I had serious discussions about the future and our plans in our household. 10% doesn’t seem like a lot, but events with a 10% chance of happening happen all the time.

For example, if you flip a coin three times, all-heads or all-tails occurs 12.5% of the time - just above 10%.

If you meet someone from the United States, all things being equal, there’s roughly a 10% chance they’re from California. If you meet someone from North Carolina, there’s roughly a 10% chance they’re from Mecklenburg County.

So imagine my surprise yesterday evening when I read a tweet from Evan Hubinger, the alignment science lead at Anthropic AI (aka Claude). Hubinger, ostensibly an expert on artificial intelligence, shared on his personal Twitter account that he thinks there’s a greater than 10% chance that “AI could kill all humans.”

Hubinger later clarified his statement, saying that, “I think the risk from present models is low. What I am worried about is superintelligence arising from recursive self-improvement, as we have said is happening faster than we thought.”

For the uninitiated, “alignment science” is the study and practice of making artificial intelligence do what it’s supposed to do. I’m simplifying here, but if the AI behaves according to human ethics it’s aligned; if it starts hacking systems without permission to complete tasks, it’s misaligned.

So when a person in charge of alignment at one of the biggest AI companies says there’s a 10% or greater chance AI could end the human race as we know it, it’s probably worth paying attention.

The good news is that current AI systems are LLMs or “Large Language Models,” and Hubinger is more specifically talking about AGI or artificial general intelligence systems killing all humans.

The bad news is that when he says we haven’t “solved alignment for superintelligence,” what he’s saying is we can’t make the next generation of AI behave, and we’re way behind where we should be in solving that problem.

Y’all Weekly is an arts and culture rag, so while we could talk about how we’ve seen this film before — the Terminator did say he would be back! — it’s also worth looking at why this existential threat isn’t taking up 10% or greater of our social, political, and cultural bandwidth.

On the social and political side, the opposition to AI — or at the bare minimum, critical evaluation of the industry — isn’t aimed at existential threats (which are hard to envision), but instead is taking the form of opposition to data centers: something tangible that people can see. Data centers are a coup for NIMBYs and other folks who like to protest at city hall because it seems like nobody wants them, and they fit neatly into existing discussions about resource management and climate change. That resistance may be an entry point for more existential conversations about AI.

Politically, most federal and state elected officials and candidates are unaware of what any of this means, which means the loudest voices in their heads are AI companies who come armed with lobbyists and campaign contributions, constituent complaints about data centers, and pollsters telling them opposing data centers is a winning issue. Municipal elected officials are in a different situation, where campaign contributions and lobbying aren’t nearly as effective when data center opponents can organize and pack a city council meeting.

There’s also the idea in geopolitical circles that the U.S. and the West need to win the AI race against China, which is not dissimilar to the logic that led to two superpowers stocking up on nuclear weapons in a mutually assured destruction scheme last century. Just as our ICBMs were the “good” missiles, I’m sure our AGI will be the “good” AI.

In terms of culture, Pluribus is one of the more significant works of the post-pandemic era to touch on AI. It starts by turning all humans into a hive mind (like the Borg) but isn’t about killing all humans so much as it is about how widespread adoption of AI deprives us of the very aspects that make us human. It’s a more complex take on the AI-as-villain concept than HBO’s Westworld or the most recent Mission: Impossible films, and it also makes you wonder why prestige shows about AI are so few and far between:

If there’s a one-in-ten chance our AI robot overlords are going to be the death of us — or even if there’s just a chance that it’s a 10% chance — we should be having more serious discussions about AI.

It should be the subject of dramas and comedies. Our elected officials should be able to give more intelligent answers than “data centers are bad.” Parents should be able to understand the risks, both existential and personal, to their children.

AI and LLMs are already here and they’re smoothing cerebral cortices across the planet. We should take a critical approach to AI while we still can.

This weekend is your last chance to see “Sovereignty” at Three Bone Theatre in Charlotte, and all but one show (Saturday) are sold out. Don’t miss out: purchase tickets here.

Buy Tickets

The production moves west to Cherokee, N.C. next weekend, with shows on September 11th and 12th at Cherokee Central School. Tickets are only $10, with an enrolled member rate of $5.

In case you missed it, you can read Y’all Weekly’s review below:

Lúmina Comes to the Bechtler

On Saturday, September 19, 2026, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art presents Lúmina, a party celebrating Latin American Modernism. The evening takes inspiration from the Bechtler’s fall exhibition, Making an Impression: Pioneering Latin American Printmakers. As the museum’s fall fundraiser, Lúmina supports the Bechtler’s world-class exhibitions, educational programs, and community partnerships.​

Guests will move through immersive installations, live performances, and DJ-driven sets, alongside Latin American-inspired street food, wines, and spirits, and a relaxed terrace lounge featuring curated tastings and conversation.

The evening sets the tone for a vibrant celebration of art, music, and contemporary Latin American creative expression.

Buy Tickets

Editor’s Note: Y’all Weekly publisher Sam Spencer serves on the board of directors for the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.

Metrolina Theatre Association Gala & Awards Nominees Announced

The 16th Annual Metrolina Theatre Association Awards Gala will be held on Sunday, October 18 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Booth Playhouse in Charlotte. Tickets will go on sale on September 7th.

Per the MTA’s announcement, “The evening will feature the MTA Awards, which recognize outstanding work from performers, technical crew, and others who have made this such a powerful time for performing arts in the Metrolina area. Attendees will also get to enjoy live performances of several musical numbers from shows produced by member companies this past season.”

You can read a complete list of the nominees here.

Charlotte Theater Calendar

Want to add your show? Email sam@yallweekly.com!

Theatre Charlotte is entering their 99th Season, and they’re kicking it off with “Come From Away” in remembrance of the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

That show, and many other opportunities to support local theater, are below …

This Week …

“Sovereignty”
at Three Bone Theatre
September 5 - 6
Directed by Carolyn Dunn
Learn More

“Clue”
at Theatre Statesville (Olin, N.C.)
September 5 - 13
Directed by Jennifer D. Grant
Learn More

“Hadestown: Teen Edition”
at Showtime Theatre Company (Rock Hill, S.C.)
September 5 - 13
Learn More

Next Week …

“The Cottage”
Presented by Davidson Community Players
at Armour Street Theatre (Davidson, N.C.)
September 10 - 27
Directed by Hanley Smith
Learn More

“Night at the Wax Museum”
at Old Courthouse Theatre (Concord, N.C.)
September 10-13
Directed by Lauren Newell
Learn More

“Come From Away”
at Theatre Charlotte
September 11 – October 4, 2026
Directed by Billy Ensley
Learn More

“Sovereignty”
Presented by Three Bone Theatre
at Cherokee Central School (Cherokee, N.C.)
September 11 - 12
Directed by Carolyn Dunn
Learn More

“The Jungle Book: Youth Play”
Presented by Rock Hill Theatre
at Castle Heights Middle School (Rock Hill, S.C.)
September 11 - 26
Directed by Harper Elaine Rego
Learn More

Later in September …

AUDITIONS: Rory D. Sheriff’s “SPEAKEASY”
Presented by Brand New Sheriff Productions
September 15 - 16
Learn More

“The Insanity of Mary Girard”
at the Lee St. Theatre Lab (Salisbury, N.C.)
September 17 - 19
Directed by Rod Oden
Learn More

“The Odd Couple”
at Matthews Playhouse
September 18 - 27
Directed by Lisa Ulanow
Learn More

“I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire”
Presented by Zingher Productions
at Warehouse Studio Theatre (Cornelius, N.C.)
September 25th - October 11th
Directed by Jessica Zingher
Learn More

Coming Soon …

ARMOUR AFTER DARK: “Gaslighting the Musical”
Presented by Davidson Community Players
at Armour Street Theatre (Davidson, N.C.)
October 3 - 10
Created and Performed by Brooke McCarthy
Learn More

“The Great Gatsby”
at Belk Theater at Blumenthal Arts Center
Broadway Lights Series
October 13-18
Directed by Marc Bruni
Learn More

“The House on Haunted Hill”
at Lee St. Theatre (Salisbury, N.C.)
October 16 - 31
Directed by Jessie Dietzel
Learn More

“La Maison de Horreurs: An Evening at the Grand Guignol”
Presented by Post Mortem Players
at the Wilson Family Black Box at Old Courthouse Theatre
October 22 - November 1
Directed by Jackie Obando Carter
Learn More

“Frankenstein”
at Theatre Charlotte
October 30 - November 15
Directed by Dee Abdullah

“Liberation”
at Three Bone Theatre
November 6 - 22
Directed by Donna Bradby
Learn More

Keep in Touch!

Please forward this newsletter to any friends who might be interested. If you’d like to submit dates for an event, or have suggestions to improve Y’all Weekly’s arts coverage, please email sam@yallweekly.com.

An Exploration of “Sovereignty,” from the Political to the Personal

Early on in Mary Kathryn Nagle’s “Sovereignty,” the playwright uses a fight scene to establish many of the themes the audience will confront over the course of the two hour play: indigenous rights, tribal sovereignty, reservation life, the impact of violence, and family ties.

She uses an arrest and release after the fight — a drunk, white man in a red baseball cap punches a Cherokee cop, and gets away with it — to clue in the audience to the type of play they’re watching: a didactic, legal drama grounded in history and injustice.

These themes should come as no surprise given Nagle’s background. As both an attorney and as an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, there are few people who have the expertise and lived experience to tell the story of “Sovereignty,” running at Three Bone Theatre through September 6 with special performances in Cherokee, N.C. on September 11th and 12th.

In Three Bone Theatre’s production, directed by Carolyn Dunn, the center stage is surrounded by graves, which are one of many elements connecting the two time periods woven throughout the play: the Cherokee Nation in 1835, and Oklahoma in the present day. The signatures of the historical characters hang above the stage as the same names rest on the gravestones below. They’re subtle touches from designers Jackie Hohenstein and Robin Vest.

The play starts in 1835 with John Ridge, portrayed by Lance Claymore. His performance anchors the past, while his descendent — the young lawyer Sarah Ridge Polson, played by Billie D. Merritt — anchors the present day.

Soon after, we’re introduced to most of the other characters of the era, including Keely Kidwell’s Sarah Bird Northrup, Josh Orsi’s Elias Boudinot, Marco Fuller’s Major Ridge, and Mvnte July’s John Ross. Like most of the 1835 characters they’re dramatizations of real members of the Cherokee Nation, and in the hands of Claymore, Kidwell, Orsi, Fuller, and July, they’re treated with reverence.

When we get to the present day, a fight — choreographed by Allison Collins — quickly breaks out at a tribal casino. Nathan Ahlgrim (Mitch), Kyle Riggs (Ben) and Ryan Dunn (Chorus) take the stage for the first time, and Orsi returns as Watie. In contrast with the 1835 time period, all of the present day characters are fictional.

Aside from Merritt and Claymore, the actors play dual roles with clear connections. Both of Ahlgrim’s characters are educated outsiders; Kidwell plays caretakers in both eras; July plays two members of the Ross family; Orsi portrays supporting characters who play witness to history. Dunn, as the chorus, plays everyone else.

Though the time shifts can be momentarily confusing given the dual roles, Fuller and Riggs excel at differentiating their characters, and Lorna Bowen’s costume design allows actors to change characters quickly.

In the present day scenes, many of the actors — especially Merritt, July, and Ahlgrim — are tasked with explaining the intricacies of tribal sovereignty and federal law to the audience. Nagle’s script makes the topic matter accessible, but the explanations occasionally bring the drama to a halt.

It’s hard not to read Sarah Ridge Polson as an author avatar for Nagle, but Merritt’s performance makes the character her own. She delivers her lines confidently and gives a performance that keeps the dialogue from feeling pedantic. Merritt navigates Sarah’s journey in a grounded, believable way, and capably handles discussions and portrayals of violence against women.

At the preview performance Y’all Weekly attended, her climatic monologue in front of the Supreme Court had the audience erupting in cheers.

Fuller’s performance also merits praise. He exudes gravitas as the Cherokee leader Major Ridge, making all of the character’s actions feel deliberate. He has more lines in Cherokee than in English as the play goes on, but speaks with clarity in both languages.

In the present day, he filters that gravitas and authenticity through the dusty lens of Roger Ridge, allowing him to show off his comedic chops. Much of that comedy comes from adroit exchanges with Riggs’ naïve, problematic Ben.

In addition to Ben, Riggs plays Andrew Jackson, who was born approximately 25 miles from the Three Bone stage. He portrays the President responsible for the Trail of Tears as a cartoonish supervillain, not unlike modern portrayals of southern segregationists on screen.

I understand the choice: does a historical figure who perpetuated a genocide really deserve to be portrayed with layers of nuance?

Either way, it is a stark contrast with his portrayal of the play’s other primary antagonist. Ben is insidious, and Riggs plays him with just the right amount of likability such that you don’t know if he will stay mostly harmless or break bad, even if all the signs are there.

What unites both of Riggs’ characters is that they weaponize violence to violate the sovereignty of the protagonists. Jackson violates the sovereignty of John Ridge and the Cherokee Nation on a macro, political level; Ben’s problematic behavior escalates to the point where he violates Sarah’s sovereignty over her own body.

This production is notable in that all of the actors are making their first appearance on the Three Bone stage, with many cast members bringing film and television credits with them. This run of “Sovereignty” features many indigenous actors and crew members, including David Jumper as the Cherokee language coach, and Dr. Yona Wade, a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, as cultural consultant. A Louisiana Acadian Creole, Dr. Dunn is a non-enrolled Freedman tribal descendant (Cherokee, Mvskoke, Seminole) and is a Tunica/Choctaw-Biloxi and Atakapas-Ishak descendant and community member.

It’s clear a lot of care and intentionality went into this production, but we’d expect nothing less from Three Bone Theatre. As Dr. Dunn writes in the program, “Three Bone’s commitment to theatre and performance as a method of social justice, knowledge and change is needed more now than ever as we move into a world that seems less connected to its past, its present and its future as ideology rather than dialogue seems more and more prevalent.”

See It or Skip It?

Our Verdict: See It

Part history lesson, part legal drama, Three Bone Theatre’s production of “Sovereignty” is worth your time, with memorable performances and Three Bone’s trademark cultural competency.

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It’s already been a big year for Three Bone Theatre.

In January, the theater announced Lisa Miller as their first full-time Managing Director, a big step forward towards professionalizing the organization. Miller replaced volunteer executive director Becky Schultz, who served for 13 years.

The theater also assumed management of their home, The Arts Factory in Historic West End, through a partnership with the Arts & Science Council and Mecklenburg County.

The theater’s growth is matching the groundwork. At a VIP event at the Arts Factory to announce the theater’s 15th Anniversary Season — more on that below — Miller shared that over the past year, 51% of visitors were new to the theater. Three Bone put together its first-ever strategic plan, and Miller also noted that the production calendar “was fully booked” at the Arts Factory as other local theaters, including the Lotus Project, have produced plays on their stage.

Growth is important for an organization that bills itself as catalyst for conversation and change in the community. At a time when the political pendulum seems to be swinging away from hard conversations and back towards demonizing minority groups for partisan gain, Three Bone isn’t afraid to platform challenging conversations, make land acknowledgments, and produce plays that center the lived experience of indigenous and minority communities — including “Sovereignty,” the final production of Three Bone’s 14th Season.

“Sovereignty,” billed as “an expansive exploration of the circular continuity of history, human memory, and the power of human relationships,” shifts back and forth between scenes in the 1800s and in the present day Mary Kathryn Nagle, the playwright is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a playwright whose work has been produced at theaters across the country. Sovereignty premiered at Arena Stage in 2018 and has since been produced at theaters nationwide.

In addition to its run in Charlotte, Three Bone will be taking “Sovereignty” on the road to the Qualla Boundary with the support of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. The play will be performed in Cherokee, N.C. on September 11-12.

“Sovereignty” is sold out for its opening night performance, but tickets remain for the rest of the engagement at the Arts Factory through September 6.

Get Tickets

Our review of “Sovereignty,” which held its final dress rehearsal after the reception and announcement, is forthcoming. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a thing.

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Three Bone Theatre: The 15th Anniversary Season

Three Bone wants you to know that its 15th Anniversary Season “brings four searing mainstage productions and one limited special engagement that take risks, ask difficult questions and refuse easy answers.”

“This is a big anniversary season for us,” said artistic director and Three Bone Theatre co-founder Robin Tynes-Miller. “It is bolder, it is bigger, and we reflect on 15 years of our work … we begin and end the season with major award winners.”

Shows include “Liberation,” “The Reservoir,” “Purpose,” a staged reading of “Here There are Blueberries,” and the first-ever musical for the theater, “Coal Country,” with music and lyrics by Steve Earle.

Tickets are on sale now; you can find descriptions of the shows from the theater below.

LIBERATION - NOVEMBER 2026

WINNER
2026 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2026 Tony Award for Best Play

LIBERATION
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Donna Bradby

It’s 1970. Somewhere in Ohio, six women meet on a basketball court to form a consciousness-raising women’s liberation group, determined to shake up their lives and change the world. Fifty years later, one of their daughters tries to understand where things fell apart.

A provocative, wildly theatrical play that poses vital questions about friendship, legacy and the true meaning of liberation, investigating what we inherit, what we forget, and what we’re still fighting to understand.​​​​​​

COAL COUNTRY - MARCH 2027

A MODERN MUSICAL EVENT
Experience Three Bone Theatre’s first-ever musical production

COAL COUNTRY
Written by Jessica Blank & Erik Jensen
Original Music & Lyrics by Steve Earle
Directed by Johnny Hohenstein

Coal Country tells the true story of the 2010 Upper Big Branch mine disaster, drawn from real interviews with survivors and families, with original songs by Steve Earle woven throughout. Marking Three Bone Theatre’s first musical, it’s a raw tribute to the miners’ lives and a reminder of why worker safety and solidarity matter now more than ever.

THE RESERVOIR - MAY 2027

WINNER
2024 National Jewish Playwriting Contest

NOMINEE
2026 Outer Critics Circle Awards
Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play

THE RESERVOIR
Written by Jake Brasch
Directed by Glynnis O’Donoghue

The Reservoir is a sharply funny, deeply moving new play by Jake Brasch about family, memory, and the messy work of healing. Fresh out of rehab and back home in Denver, Josh finds himself leaning on the last people he expected—his four aging grandparents, each navigating their own relationship with memory and dementia. What follows is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, as Jazzercise classes, unsolicited advice, and long-buried family history collide. Semi-autobiographical and full of heart, The Reservoir asks what we inherit from the people who raised us, and how we find our way back to ourselves through them.

PURPOSE - AUGUST 2027

WINNER
2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
2025 Tony Award for Best Play​​​​​​​

PURPOSE
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Sidney Horton

For decades, the Jasper family has stood as a pillar of Black American politics—civil rights leaders, pastors, congressmen. But when the youngest son returns home to Chicago with an uninvited guest in tow, old loyalties crack under the weight of long-buried secrets and unresolved resentments. As the family gathers under one roof, they’re forced into a reckoning with faith, legacy, and the price of believing in something larger than yourself. Purpose is a sharp, funny, and devastating portrait of a family determined to protect its public image even as the truth pushes to the surface. It’s an epic story about what we inherit from our parents, what we owe to history, and what happens when the mask finally slips.

HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES - JANUARY 2027

WINNER
2025 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play

​​​​​​​FINALIST
2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

A Staged Reading of
HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES
Written by Moisés Kaufman & Amanda Gronich
Directed by Robin Tynes-Miller

In partnership with the Stan Greenspon Holocaust Education Center

An album of never-before-seen World War II-era photographs arrives at the desk of United States Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist Rebecca Erbelding. As Rebecca and her team of historians begin to unravel the shocking mystery behind the images, the album soon makes headlines around the world. In Germany, a businessman sees the album online and recognizes his own grandfather in the photos. He begins a journey of discovery that will take him into the lives of other Nazi descendants – in a reckoning with his family’s past and his country’s history. Here There are Blueberries confronts us with difficult questions: how do everyday people become monsters, and how do we face that capacity within ourselves?

Over the past year, I’ve been watching classic Doctor Who episodes in my spare time - usually while recovering from surgery or when I’m dealing with my chronic illnesses.

I started with the black & white pilot, “An Unearthly Child,” that first aired in 1963 (when my Mum was two years old), and just this week finished with the final classic episode “Survival” from Season 26, featuring the seventh incarnation of the titular Doctor.

I was four years old when “Survival” first aired, so it’s safe to say it was new to me.

For the uninitiated, Doctor Who follows The Doctor, a Time Lord alien with a spaceship/time machine called the TARDIS. It’s shaped like an old British police box, but it’s bigger on the inside, defying all known laws of physics and science as it travels throughout time and space. The Doctor almost always travels with a companion or companions to both alien worlds and historic periods on Earth and across the universe. Due to the longevity of the show, when faced with mortal peril the Doctor can “regenerate” with a new face (and in the real world, a new actor).

Unlike most of today’s television and streaming offerings, Doctor Who seasons are comprised of multiple serials or stand-alone stories, each with anywhere from two to ten episodes (most serials are neatly wrapped up in four). Understandably, some of the episodes are dated, some contain content that would no longer be politically correct, and many episodes are poorly written or just plain bad. There are multiple guides on how to binge watch all 695 episodes and avoid the filler, racism, and the lost episodes.

What struck me most about the show was how real it was. Almost all of the special effects — from explosions to aliens — are practical, not computer-generated. Even when the costumes are ridiculously bad, they’re human-made. There’s a community theater feel to many of the productions, and I mean that as a compliment. Despite the show’s flaws — and there are many — Doctor Who invites viewers to swim in an ocean of boundless, human creativity in a way that seems alien in today’s AI-generated world.

The critical and fan consensus is that the best seasons feature Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor, though I also enjoyed the Second, Third, Fifth, and Seventh incarnations of the iconic character.

Many of the stories are worth your time. “Kinda” (pronounced “KEN-da,” not as a corruption of “kind of”) is a Fifth Doctor story about colonialism, psychodrama, and indigenous peoples that you could imagine as a stage play. It’s well-written and acted, despite some silly practical effects.

“The War Games,” the final episode in monochrome, is ten episodes long and recreates conflicts ranging from World War I to the 17th century Thirty Years’ War. It is ambitious in scope and production, especially for a “kids show” in the 1960s. It marks the end of the “cosmic hobo” known as the Second Doctor, introduces much of the Time Lord mythology. The very next episode, “Spearhead from Space,” introduces the Third Doctor (in color!) and looks beautiful to this day because it’s the only original serial shot on film.

In “City of Death,” the Fourth Doctor, companion Romana, and the Doctor Who production crew visit Paris, and while the story is fun and features some great one-off characters, it’s also a window into France in the 1970s. Another Fourth Doctor story, “Genesis of the Daleks,” features the Doctor’s most iconic enemy and deals with questions of war and genocide.

While watching these episodes, I was inspired by the creativity and work required to create all of these alien worlds and time periods on a meager budget and with the limited equipment of the time. Even when the show looks positively ridiculous — for example, whenever dinosaurs appear — it’s clear how many people took their work seriously and created these worlds as a labor of love. In an era of AI slop and pink slime, the commitment and creativity was refreshing, even during the “skippable” episodes that were often background noise while I was resting.

Classic Doctor Who won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. I wouldn’t recommend watching all 695 episodes — I didn’t — but there are some real gems of human ingenuity in the series. On BritBox, you can start with “Spearhead from Space” or “City of Death” without investing too much of your time. Or consider the Seventh Doctor’s “The Curse of Fenric,” an “Imitation Game meets Doctor Who” period piece and one of the last stories in the classic series.

If you can suspend disbelief and let your imagination run wild, classic Doctor Who may be a worthy antidote to our increasingly AI-generated world.

Editor’s Note: Below is a family-provided obituary for Bill Jackson of Davidson, N.C. In the coming days, Y’all Weekly will also publish a 2023 interview about Jackson’s work on nuclear disarmament during the Carter Administration. Jackson asked us to publish the interview posthumously.

William (Bill) Elias Jackson, Jr., passed away at home in Davidson on June 8th at the age of 90. He was born at home on the family farm in the North Carolina Sandhills, to William Elias Jackson and Laura Helen Sullivan Jackson of West End, on September 21, 1935. As a boy, he plowed tobacco with a mule, picked peaches and played baseball, beginning his lifelong love of the New York Yankees.

He graduated from Davidson College ‘57 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, received a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master of Philosophy in Political Science from Columbia University. He served in the Executive Office of the President under President John F. Kennedy in 1963, during which time he attended Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. After President Kennedy was assassinated, he returned to North Carolina to teach at Charlotte College (now UNC Charlotte). In 1964, he met and married Judith Ann Fletcher and the following year, the couple moved to New York where he continued his graduate studies at Columbia University’s Russian Institute. In 1968, they relocated to Davidson, NC, where he taught courses in government and politics at Davidson College.

He continued his career in national government as the chief legislative assistant for national security to Senate Democratic Majority Whip Alan Cranston. Subsequently he was the Executive Director of President Carter’s General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament, then the Special Assistant to the Chief SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks II) Negotiator, Paul Warnke, and finally served in the office of Congressional Relations under Secretary of State Ed Muskie. He was a foreign policy scholar at the Brookings Institution and Senior Fellow at the Fulbright Institute of International Relations at the University of Arkansas.

He was passionate about the United States of America and cared deeply about government and domestic and foreign policy. For over 60 years, he published academic articles, journalistic pieces, and letters to the editor at the national and local level on topics including nuclear proliferation and disarmament, US-Soviet relations, US foreign policy, human rights and voter rights, holding politicians accountable for their actions. In 2007, he was awarded the Davidson College Distinguished Alumni Award for distinguished service to his profession and community. He attended Davidson College Presbyterian Church as a student and again in his final decades.

In addition to his passion for government and foreign policy, he loved poetry. He wrote for family and friends and occasionally published his poems locally. His byline in the News of Davidson was “Through three careers--college professor, government official in Washington, and journalism - Bill Jackson has enjoyed poetry more than prose.” He drew inspiration from the ocean and his favorite place Sunset Beach, where he treasured time with family and friends. He loved writing poetry about, and with his granddaughter and kindred spirit Beatrice. He frequently brought her to the Soda Shop in Davidson, where he was a regular, visiting with old friends and making new ones.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Judith Jackson, son James Andrew Jackson, daughter Elizabeth Jackson (husband Seth Chadbourne), and granddaughter Beatrice Chadbourne of Davidson, NC; sister Jane Ellen Jackson and honorary sister Juliana Dyson of Stallings, NC; sister-in-law Patricia Jackson of Carthage, NC; sister-in-law Diane Fletcher Mahoney of Waynesboro, VA ; and 5 nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents and brother J. Elvin Jackson.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 18, 2026, 3 pm at Davidson College Presbyterian Church (streamed on youtube) and on Saturday, August 1, 2026, 2 pm, at West End Presbyterian Church, with receptions following. The family expresses their gratitude to Atrium Health Hospice & Palliative Care Cabarrus and longtime caregiver Andrea.

When Rob Harrington is sworn in as Mayor of Charlotte at 11:00 AM today, it will mark the end of an era in Charlotte city government. Mayor Vi Lyles, the city’s first Black female mayor and its second-longest serving, will leave office after more than eight years as mayor and over four decades serving the City of Charlotte.

Her leadership, spanning from December 2017 through June 30, 2026, navigated the city through a global pandemic, national reckonings on race and policing, economic booms, and intense local debates over growth, housing, and transit. Lyles leaves behind a record of pragmatic leadership focused on affordable housing, infrastructure, and steady governance in turbulent times.

“I Trust Vi”

Born Viola Alexander Lyles on September 28, 1952, she brought decades of public service experience to the mayor’s office. Her time in Charlotte started at Queens University, and continued as a member of city staff. Before her election, she served as a city administrator and spent two terms on the Charlotte City Council (2013–2017), including time as Mayor Pro Tempore.

Her deep institutional knowledge proved invaluable.

In 2017, she challenged incumbent Mayor Jennifer Roberts in the Democratic primary, winning by a comfortable margin. Her campaign emphasized trust and competence—“I Trust Vi”—positioning her as a steady alternative amid the turbulence of Roberts’ term, which included the HB2 “bathroom bill” fallout, the Keith Lamont Scott protests, and the 2016 presidential election.

Early Challenges and Soft Power

The mayor’s role in Charlotte is largely one of soft power. The city manager handles day-to-day operations, the council sets policy, and the mayor votes primarily to break ties or exercise a veto. Lyles leveraged relationships across business, faith communities, and government to advance priorities.

One early test came in 2020 with the decision to host the Republican National Convention. Support on council was razor-thin, and Lyles backed the event despite controversy. The eventual COVID-scaled version proceeded with limited fanfare.

Her administration prioritized affordable housing. Voters approved a significant increase in the housing bond—from an initial $15 million proposal to $50 million—in 2018, reflecting broad support for addressing upward mobility and opportunity gaps. Charlotte’s rapid growth had strained housing affordability, and Lyles worked collaboratively with the business community to push investments.

Navigating Crisis: Pandemic, Protests, and Recovery

Lyles’ leadership faced its sternest tests during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 George Floyd protests. Like many mayors, she balanced public health measures with economic concerns. The city confronted fallout from a high-profile Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) kettling incident during protests, resulting in lawsuits against the department. Three police chiefs would serve under Lyles — Kerr Putney, Johnny Jennings, and Estella D. Patterson — with Patterson becoming the first woman to lead the department.

Post-pandemic, Lyles’ focus shifted to infrastructure and long-term planning.

Under her watch, the city adopted the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan and a new unified development ordinance aimed at increasing housing supply, passing by a narrow 6-5 vote despite opposition from some development-skeptical Democrats and Republicans.

A major milestone came in November 2025 when Mecklenburg County voters narrowly approved a one-cent sales tax increase (from 7.25% to 8.25%), projected to generate roughly $19.4 billion over 30 years for transportation and mobility improvements. The “Charlotte Moves” plan funded by the levy includes road and pedestrian upgrades (40%), bus modernization (20%), and other transit investments. Lyles strongly supported the referendum, campaigning on its potential to manage growth and enhance quality of life. The measure passed with about 52% support despite opposition in some suburban areas.

Implementation begins today, July 1, 2026—a fitting bookend to her tenure.

Charlotte also saw sports and economic successes during her years. The city welcomed Charlotte FC as an MLS expansion team. It hosted an NBA All-Star Game and was awarded the MLS All-Star game that will be played later this month, soccer events including Club World Cup matches, and benefited from corporate relocations and expansions (Honeywell, Lowe’s, Microsoft).

Lyles, a former city budget director, emphasized fiscal prudence and business-friendly policies while mending ties with state Republicans in Raleigh—helping navigate the partial repeal of House Bill 2 and restoring events like the NBA All-Star Game after its relocation due to HB2.

Style, Strengths, and Criticisms

Lyles was known for bipartisanship and reticence on local electoral endorsements, though she actively campaigned for national Democrats like Biden and Harris. She maintained strong ties to the Black Political Caucus but broke with it in one notable 2023 endorsement, endorsing Wil Russell over the BPC’s pick, incumbent Reneé Perkins Johnson, who had voted against the Comprehensive Plan.

Supporters praised her consistency on social justice, LGBT issues and community representation. Critics sometimes wished for stronger public voices on social justice, yet her pragmatic approach won broad confidence—she was reelected multiple times, including a fifth term in 2025 with around 70% of the vote.

Her final year brought challenges that highlighted the increasing polarization of local politics. The tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska and subsequent public discourse exposed Lyles to intense scrutiny, disinformation, and partisan attacks. Though the mayor lacks direct control over courts, prosecutors, mental health services, or police policy, Lyles bore much of the political heat. Her measured response to the tragedy was politically costly in a more vitriolic environment, and came too late.

In May 2026, Lyles announced her early resignation effective June 30 to spend more time with family, citing personal reasons. Journalists covering Government Center took note of her increasing absences from zoning meetings — now run by another council veteran, Ed Driggs — and some maladroit moments in public. Her departure was not entirely unexpected to insiders but still marks a significant transition for a city that has grown dramatically under her watch.

Last month, City Council appointed Harrington as mayor to serve the remainder of the term through 2027. Harrington is expected to continue Lyles’ legacy of steadiness, consensus-building, and pro-business leadership.

A Lasting Impact

Vi Lyles’ legacy centers on tangible progress in housing and transit amid extraordinary circumstances. She steered Charlotte through crises with competence and worked across divides in a city often pulled between rapid growth and concerns over equity and infrastructure strain. As a former budget director with deep roots in Charlotte—spanning four decades—she understood the “nuts and bolts” of local government better than most.

In an era of national division, her emphasis on steady, non-partisan leadership stands out. Cities need leaders who can deliver results on housing supply, mobility, and economic opportunity without constant controversy. Lyles largely delivered that. Challenges remain—mobility, housing costs, public safety perceptions, and equitable growth—but the transit tax passage and housing initiatives provide tools for the next chapter.

As Charlotte enters a new phase with an interim mayor and eyes the 2027 election, Lyles’ record offers a blueprint of pragmatic progress. She proved that local government, at its best, is about trust, competence, and incremental wins that compound over time. “I Trust Vi” wasn’t just a slogan; for many residents, it reflected a mayor who showed up consistently through the best and worst of times.

Charlotte is a bigger, more connected, and in some measurable ways better-housed city because of her service. The “steady ship” has docked, and for the first time in Charlotte, a Black mayor will succeed a Black mayor.

Her departure coincides symbolically with the launch of the new transit funding era she championed. For a leader who prioritized long-term infrastructure over short-term headlines, it feels like an appropriate final note.

Rob Harrington has been appointed Mayor of Charlotte, and will fill the remaining 18 months of current Mayor Vi Lyles’ term.

He was elected Mayor on the second ballot over Carrie Cook by a 6-5 vote.

On the first ballot, Harrington was the lead vote getter, supported by Councilmembers Graham, Driggs, Mayfield, and Owens.

Cook was supported on the first ballot by Watlington, Mayo, and Anderson.

Mayor Pro Tem James “Smuggie” Mitchell cast a vote for himself, and also received a vote from Councilmember Mazuera Arias.

Harold Cogdell, who was endorsed by the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte Mecklenburg, received votes from Councilmembers Ajmera and Johnson.

On the second ballot, Ajmera and Johnson voted for Cook, but Mitchell and Mazuera Arias gave Harrington the edge.

This is a developing story.

In response to our public records request, and requests made of individual candidates, Y’all Weekly has obtained the applications for all of the candidates for interim Mayor of Charlotte, to replace Mayor Vi Lyles who is stepping down at the end of the month.

Below are selected applications from prominent Charlotte community members and public servants, as well as candidates who provided Y’all Weekly with their applications.

Most applicants for the interim mayor position emphasize a desire to serve as a steadying hand during a transition period, with the vast majority explicitly stating they do not intend to run for reelection. Candidates with backgrounds in public service and local governance—including James Mitchell, Caleb Theodros, Jennifer Roberts, and Harold Cogdell—highlight the importance of maintaining continuity, upholding current city procedures, and fostering a collaborative, transparent environment among City Council members and staff. These applicants generally frame the interim role as a facilitator rather than an agenda-setter, aiming to bridge gaps between different stakeholders and ensure that essential city functions continue smoothly while keeping the focus on serving all residents.

Other candidates, such as Carrie Cook, Robert Hillman, and Clayton Sealey, emphasize the need for proactive engagement with Charlotte’s rapid growth, citing specific policy priorities like economic development, public transit, infrastructure, and workforce advancement.

Whether bringing extensive community leadership experience or technical professional expertise, these applicants underscore a commitment to equitable investment and inclusivity, ensuring that city growth benefits all communities. While some candidates, such as Zach Claywell and Yara Al Bayyari, offer non-traditional or grassroots perspectives focused on individual advocacy and community connection, the collective body of applicants consistently prioritizes stable governance, improved civic dialogue, and the strategic management of the city's future challenges.

A copy of our FOIA request, and a list of all of the applications, is available here.

More applications will be added here as they are analyzed, so check back regularly!

Mayor Pro Tem James Mitchell

Read Mitchell's Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

I am interested in serving as Interim Mayor because I believe this is an important moment for Charlotte, and I would welcome the opportunity to help provide stability, continuity, and collaborative leadership during this transition.

Serving as Mayor Pro Tern has given me a greater appreciation for the responsibility of helping bring people together, facilitating productive discussions, and ensuring that City Council remains focused on the issues that matter most to our residents. I am grateful for the trust my colleagues have placed in me over the past six months, and that experience has reinforced my belief that our best work occurs when we communicate openly, respect differing perspectives, and work toward common goals.

If selected, my focus would be on maintaining a collaborative Council environment, supporting effective policy development through our committee structure, strengthening accountability and transparency, and continuing to build productive relationships with our local, state, and federal partners. I would also work to ensure that every Council member has meaningful opportunities to contribute their talents, expertise, and leadership to the work before us.

Most importantly, I am interested in serving because I care deeply about the future of Charlotte and believe my experience, temperament, and commitment to collaboration would allow me to help guide our city through this transition while keeping Council focused on serving the people of Charlotte.

State Senator Caleb Theodros

Read Theodros' Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

I am interested in serving as Interim Mayor because I believe Charlotte needs steady, practical leadership during this transition.

I would not approach the role as an opportunity to introduce a broad new agenda. My focus would be to support the work already underway, respect the procedures City Council has put in place, and help maintain stability and momentum over the next 18 months.

I also believe I can be helpful in strengthening Charlotte’s relationship with Raleigh. As a State Senator representing Charlotte, I have working relationships at the state level and understand many of the issues ahead, including transportation, infrastructure, airport negotiations, implementation of state legislation, economic development, Al, energy, workforce, and data centers.

My interest is grounded in being useful to the city, to Council, and to residents during an important period for Charlotte.

Community Leader Rob Harrington

Read Harrington's Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

I have lived and worked in Charlotte since 1999. I am deeply attached to the city and its residents. Because of that attachment, I have served faithfully a range of civic and charitable roles. Some of those roles are highlighted elsewhere in this application.

I believe the interim mayor’s position provides an opportunity to serve as a facilitator among the current city council members and assist them in reaching their collective goals. The interim mayor also will serve as a bridge to the City Manager and his office and to the host of dedicated city employees.

Strengths that I would bring to the position include the ability to facilitate communication between members, the ability to communicate effectively with the public, and experience in facilitating meetings involving persons with disparate positions. I view the interim mayor’s role as a bridge between now and the period that will begin with the election of the next mayor and council.

Community Leader Carrie Cook

Read Cook's Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

Serving as Interim Mayor would be a privilege and opportunity to bring decades of leadership experience during a time where my skills and relationships could help facilitate stability and engagement. I was raised in Charlotte and have spent my entire life working with and across different groups to build trust, engage thoughtfully, steward resources, and take action. I’ve had the opportunity to lead and work with a number of community, nonprofit, civic, and business groups to advance issues ranging from neighborhoods and safety to transportation and economic development.

Throughout my childhood as a student at Derita Elementary, Ranson Middle School, and Vance High School (Chambers), I was mentored and supported by incredible Charlotteans. My goal has always been to pay it forward and through the years I’ve been fortunate enough to do exactly that. But what I’m most proud of isn’t what I’ve done, it’s how I’ve done it.

I’ve led with duty, integrity, joy, and a curious mindset. I help facilitate thoughtful dialogue while remaining principled and firm. When I led Greenlight Fund Charlotte, the folks who sat around the decision-making table were a group I intentionally curated to represent different voices in our city. From community organizers and residents with lived experience on the proximate issues, to small business owners and CEOs; I believed deeply that everyone at the table brought valuable perspective and expertise. I also led us to decision making through a process and I believe that skill - leading people with different perspectives to make decisions through a process - is important. I’ve done it in several roles and my intentionality, transparency, and professionalism as a leader is what I’d offer to this body.

It would be a great honor to continue my public service as Interim Mayor and I am not seeking public office through a campaign following this period. I believe it is important to declare that publicly. My goal would be to serve well and then continue on enjoying my other roles as a Charlottean.

Those roles include being a mom, wife, sister, friend, and organizer with deep leadership and relationship building experience. Continuing to create economic opportunity, build trust with a broad range of people, govern well, and lead with integrity are part of the reasons I am energized to work with this city council.

Community Leader Robert Hillman

Read Hillman's Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

Prefer Not to Respond

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

I respectfully request your support for my appointment as Interim Mayor.

Charlotte faces four interconnected challenges: economic growth, job creation, and inclusion; land use; public transportation; and public safety.

These issues cannot be addressed in isolation. When local businesses are unable to access qualified local talent because transportation systems and land use policies do not effectively connect residents to employment opportunities, economic mobility is constrained, businesses face workforce shortages, and opportunities for inclusive growth are diminished. When economic mobility is limited, disparities persist, and public safety challenges arise.

My interest in serving as Interim Mayor is rooted in a desire to help develop solutions that address these challenges holistically. I am committed to supporting policies and initiatives that strengthen economic development, expand access to employment, improve transportation connectivity, allocate scarce land effectively, and enhance the quality of life for all Charlotte residents. By creating pathways to opportunity - both literally and figuratively - we can build a stronger, safer, and more prosperous Charlotte for everyone.

My qualifications for service reflect experience in public policy, business, and workforce development. Through service on the Centralina Economic Development Commission, the Public Transit Advisory Committee, and the Business Advisory Committee, as well as my role as CEO of Queen City Robotics Alliance, I have gained valuable insight into economic development, transportation, and workforce needs. My professional background as an engineer and investment banker further provides the technical, financial, and strategic perspective needed to contribute effectively to the work of the City Council of Charlotte.

Former Mayor Jennifer Roberts

Read Roberts' Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

I have had the honor of serving this city as mayor before. I did not plan to jump back into policits [sic], but so many people in the community have asked me to offer my service as interim mayor that I feel called to do so. If you so choose, I would offer my time and my support for the challenges that the city is currently facing, and put every effort into guiding the city on the path where the council and the city staff are steering it. I know that an interim should not seek any bold changes in direction, and I have confidence in our professional staff who work tirelessly to meet the many needs of our rapidly growing city and region. It would be a seamless and fairly quick transition, as I know how the city operates, and there would be no need for yet another process to replace someone else already serving in office.

I would not require a salary or benefits for this interim position, so I could save a small bit for the city budget. My family and I do not currently have any business or financial interests before the city, as my husband is fully retired and my part time work has been with a nonprofit that has no city contracts and seeks none. I would bring my experience as a former mayor and county commissioner to the job, with a promise not to serve beyond the interim period or to seek to run for a full term in 2027.

Labor Leader Sebastian Feculak

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

My interest in serving as interim mayor is based on my experience over a decade of working with elected officials, local and state agencies, and community groups on a variety of issues, but especially workforce development and economic empowerment.

However, I believe I have the nuance understanding of what the council has to accomplish in the remainder of the time in the mayoral vacancy, and I would like to work in an efficient manner for the council to be able to accomplish it’s policy goals over the next year.

• I already understand many of the different goals of the council and the legal limits under state law that local policy is enacted under

• I would like to continue to work on improving safety, workforce development and supporting workers in the city

• Continue to support our local government in driving economic investments across all our city districts

Planning Commissioner Clayton Sealey

Read Sealey's Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

Quite simply, because we need to harness the best of Charlotte’s past while preparing for the opportunities and challenges of its future. The Charlotte I grew up in was entrepreneurial, business-minded, and ambitious. It was a place where people came to build careers, start businesses, raise families, and create better lives for themselves and their children. We need to preserve that spirit while ensuring the benefits of growth reach every corner of our community. As our region continues to grow, we must invest in mobility, public safety, and the small businesses that give Charlotte its character, while making the smart infrastructure investments necessary to support our future. If we get this right, Charlotte can remain a city where opportunity is within reach, where people feel safe and supported, and where the next generation has an even brighter future than the one we inherited.

Congressional Staffer Yara Al Bayyari

Read Al Bayyari's Application

Note: Al Bayyari is a contributor to Soccer Sheet by Y’all Weekly

Do you intend to run for reelection?

Prefer Not to Respond

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

I am interested in serving as Interim Mayor because I care deeply about Charlotte and believe this moment presents an opportunity to help guide our city through a period of extraordinary growth and change. I moved to Charlotte to attend UNC Charlotte and, like so many others, chose to make this city my home. Over the years, I have watched Charlotte grow into one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation, attracting new residents, businesses, and opportunities every day. That growth brings tremendous promise, but it also requires thoughtful leadership to ensure that affordability, mobility, public safety, economic opportunity, and quality of life remain priorities for all Charlotteans. Through my work as a Senior District Liaison for Congresswoman Alma Adams, I have spent the last three years helping residents navigate complicated federal agencies and the problems that come with them and have done my best to connect with critical resources whenever I can. That experience has reinforced my belief that effective leadership begins with emphatic listening, collaboration, transparency, and a commitment to public service.

While I recognize that I would bring a nontraditional background to the role, I believe my experience working directly with our constituents, community organizations, elected officials, and federal agencies has prepared me to approach challenges thoughtfully and build consensus around solutions. I am particularly passionate about ensuring that Charlotte continues to be a city where longtime residents and newcomers alike are seen and heard. My interest in serving as Interim Mayor is rooted in a desire to give back to the city that has given me so much and to help ensure that Charlotte’s next chapter is one defined by opportunity, inclusion, and responsible growth.

Zach Claywell
(@LOLCLT on Social Media)

Read Claywell's Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

I am interested in serving as Interim Mayor because I love the Queen City and I want to help make it a better place. I have proudly lived in Charlotte, North Carolina since I graduated college in 2010. I am an intelligent, passionate, civic-minded citizen who cares deeply about the people of this city.

I would like to serve as Interim Mayor for the same reason anyone joins Local Government: I want to help people.

I want to help people like my friend Chelsea who is a CMS teacher who tells me about severe school underfunding and understaffing making her job more difficult by the day.

I want to help the children in CMS schools get the education they deserve and were promised - no matter which neighborhood they live in.

I want to help the people I see everyday on the busses and trains who deserve a dignified, clean, safe, and timely way to get to work.

I want to help people like my friend Andrew who was the victim of a hit-and-run as a pedestrian and almost lost the use of his legs.

I want to help the unhoused people on North Tryon living in tents, in the shadows of banking skyscrapers, despite living in the wealthiest country on earth.

I want to help immigrants who were harassed and wrongfully detained by ICE and local Black populations who face daily harassment from local law enforcement.

I want to help the trees, the birds, and the creeks, so that their natural beauty and various health benefits can continue to bless our citizens for years to come.

I want to help myself gain a few social media followers for my amateur comedy career. Hey, at least I’m honest! It’s way low on the list, though, to be fair.

Look, I know you’re not going to select me. I’m not even sure that you *should* select me.

However, I know that if you DID select me, I would do everything in my power to learn every law, provision, zoning guideline, et cetera that the job required. I would research every issue, lean on subject matter experts, and ask people smarter than me for advice when applicable. I would then compassionately and logically make the best decision that I could.

And honestly? That’s all I ask of my public servants.

Former County Commissioner Harold Cogdell

Read Cogdell's Application

Do you intend to run for reelection?

No

State your interest in serving as interim mayor

Charlotte has given me so much during the past 35 plus years of residing here. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, many have not experienced the benefits of Charlotte’s prosperity. Government can and should play a role in leveling the economic opportunities playing field. I have genuinely enjoyed dialogue, debate and discussion about the role local government plays in strengthening our city, county, and region. I find it deeply gratifying to participate in the process of developing thoughtful policy and establishing organizational priorities that reflect community values and address community needs. I am a firm believer in the old adage, blessed is he who plants trees under whose shade he will never sit. It would be a welcome challenge to help facilitate transparent, thoughtful, and respectful dialogue focusing on the city’s role in ensuring Charlotte’s desirability continues for generations to come.

It is unrealistic to believe that consensus can result on every issue. Hearty issue focused debate is healthy and necessary for development of sound policy. Pragmatic equitable investment decisions, which are ever mindful of areas of historical underinvestment, are critical to ensuring that Charlotte will provide opportunities to thrive for all. Regrettably, the current manner and culture that America governs itself is shameful. Charlotte can and should be the national example of how a visionary and inclusive community can listen closely, consider carefully, and respond thoughtfully to a variety of stakeholder interests. Nothing would be more rewarding than playing a temporary role in guiding Councilmembers and city staff to a more trusting, respectful, transparent, and service-oriented culture of governance.

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The second annual Arts & Science Council Midnight Marathon, a one-night-only performance fundraiser celebrating the region’s vibrant creative community, is taking place right now, Friday, April 17, in the newly renovated Carolina Theatre at Belk Place. Tickets are still available at the door and online:

Get Tickets!

The immersive seven-hour showcase features 30 local performing acts, offering audiences a near nonstop lineup of dynamic and wide-ranging art forms. Midnight Marathon 2026 features performers such as Rumbao Latin Dance, Planet Improv, Charlotte-based rapper Myrts Son, musicians including Tom Billotto and Walter Boston, readings from local poets, such as Hannah Hasan and Shane Manier, and more.

Y’all Weekly is here covering the films and performances, and you can find our updates on Instagram and our social media.

“More than just a fundraiser, Midnight Marathon is a celebration of Charlotte’s thriving cultural ecosystem, showcasing the talent that makes our city a regional arts powerhouse,” said ASC president Adam Santalla-Pierce in a statement.

Proceeds from ASC’s Midnight Marathon fundraiser will support the organization’s mission to empower creatives and strengthen communities, with a particular emphasis on expanding opportunities for both artists and residents.

Editor’s Note: Y’all Weekly editor and co-founder Sam Spencer is a member of the board of directors for ASC.

Breaking: Adebayo Foul Update

For those of you who watched last night’s game — perhaps the most exciting Hornets game to take place at the new Hive — you know Miami suffered a serious blow when an injured Bam Adebayo left the game early in the 2nd Quarter after Charlotte star LaMelo Ball appeared to grab his ankle while lying on the ground, causing Adebayo to fall hard to the court.

The obvious question after the smoke cleared from the overtime bout: will LaMelo be suspended by the league?

Luckily for the Bugs and the playoff hopes of a long-suffering fanbase, Sports Illustrated thinks not:

The most likely result, if the NBA opts to discipline Ball, is to assess him a flagrant foul ahead of Friday’s game.

That likely won’t result in a suspension. In the postseason, the NBA has a point system for flagrant fouls that can add up to a one-game suspension. A flagrant 1 is worth one point, while a flagrant 2 is worth two points and an ejection. If a player accumulates four points, he will be suspended for one game.

Hornets Advance After Overtime Nailbiter

LaMelo Ball made a driving layup with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift the Charlotte Hornets past the visiting Miami Heat for a dramatic 126-127 victory at Spectrum Arena Tuesday evening, completing an improbable comeback from a six-point deficit with under a minute and a half left in regulation. Ball delivered a spectacular overall performance for the Buzz, notching a double-double with 30 points and 10 assists despite shooting only 12/31 from the field and a dismal 2/16 from 3-point territory. Miles Bridges poured in an efficient 28 points on 10/18 shooting, Brandon Miller scored 23 points despite early foul trouble, and Coby White provided his usual spark off the bench with 19 points for Charlotte, including 14 points in the final four minutes of the 3rd quarter.

The first half was a back and forth affair, with the Hornets going up 26-18 late in the 1st quarter before Miami closed the period on a 6-0 run to draw within two points heading into the 2nd quarter. Barely a minute of game time later, Miami suffered a serious blow when an injured Bam Adebayo left the game for good at the 10:58 mark after Ball appeared to grab his ankle while lying on the ground, causing Adebayo to fall hard to the court. Brandon Miller then picked up his third foul on an illegal screen with 9:09 and sat the rest of the half, which ended with the Heat holding a slim 54-52 lead.

After falling behind by 5 points in the 3rd quarter, Charlotte finished the period on an 18-7 run, thanks to White’s scoring spurt, which turned a 76-71 deficit into an 89-83 lead going into the 4th quarter. The Buzz pushed their lead to 93-85 two minutes into the final frame, but Miami responded with a 12-0 run over the next two and a half minutes to reclaim the lead, which they extended to 102-95 at the midway point of the quarter. After a Hornets’ 7-0 run tied the game at 102, Andrew Wiggins knocked down two 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Miami a six-point cushion, but Charlotte sank three clutch 3-pointers in the final minute 1:17 of regulation, none bigger than Coby White’s turnaround fade away with 10.8 seconds left. The game went to overtime after Tyler Herro’s fade away 3-point attempt bounced off the back iron.

The drama reached a crescendo in the overtime period. Charlotte appeared to have the game in hand with a 125-120 lead with only 26 seconds remaining, but Herro made an awe-inspiring turnaround fade away of his own from deep in the right corner to draw Miami within two points. On the ensuing Hornets possession, Ball turned the ball over in the back court on an attempted pass to Sion James and then fouled Herro on a 3-point attempt from the left corner with 8.7 seconds left. Herro calmly sank all three attempts, leading to Ball’s heroic, season-saving layup. The game ended on a Miles Bridges block of a layup attempt by Davion Mitchell, who led Miami with 28 points.

Andrew Wiggins scored 27 for the Heat, and Tyler Herro added 23 points.

Keys to the Game

Despite his poor shooting from three, Ball was the ultimate difference-maker for Charlotte, scoring timely baskets and masterfully distributing the ball to his teammates to the tune of 10 assists and only three turnovers.

Coby White’s 14-point 3rd quarter scoring spurt and game-tying long-range bomb at the end of the 4th quarter were huge for the Buzz. The crowd roared its appreciation at the end of the third, loudly chanting his name over and over again.

Buzz Bright Spots

The Hornets were clutch when it mattered most, starting with Bridges’ 3-pointer with 1:17 left in regulation to cut the Heat lead in half at 111-108. Miller then made another three from the top of the key to make it 112-111 before White’s epic game-tying shot sent the game to overtime, which ended with LaMelo’s basket and Bridges’ game-securing block.

When asked if the win embodies the team’s identity, head coach Charles Lee’s response left no doubt.

“Definitely, it just shows the character of the team,” said Lee. “I think at the end of the day, execution is not always going to be perfect, but I think that these guys find a way to stick with it and not give in sometimes when things aren’t going well or not going your way, I think that’s where I see the most growth and maturity from our group is just finding a way to respond.”

Buzzworthy Facts

Charlotte’s win was their first postseason home win in a decade. Their last such victory also came against Miami, a 90-88 triumph in Game 5 of the first round of the 2016 playoffs.

Ball and rookie of the year candidate Kon Knueppel shot a combined 2/22 from 3-point territory, with Knueppel shooting 0/6 and 2/12 overall from the field, making the Hornets’ win all the more improbable and impressive.

What’s Next

The 76ers and Magic will take the court tonight in Philadelphia, with the winner entering the playoffs as the #7 seed in the Eastern Conference, and the loser hosting the Hornets in a second win-or-go-home game for the Buzz. The winner of that Play-In game will claim the #8 seed and final playoff spot in the East, facing the #1 seeded Detroit Pistons.

Another question will loom over the Hornets all week: will LaMelo Ball be suspended for grabbing Bam Adebayo’s ankle?

Whether the Hornets travel to Philadelphia or Orlando on Friday night, they’ll be competing for the team’s first playoff appearance since Kemba Walker led the Bugs in a 2016 series against the Heat.

Are the Hornets entering the postseason with a fourth quarter curse?

On Tuesday, April 7 against the Boston Celtics (35-16, 2nd in the East), and then again on Friday, April 10 against the Detroit Pistons (59-22, 1st in the East), the Charlotte Hornets (43-38, 9th in the East) played three tight quarters against the top teams in the Eastern Conference.

Then they fell apart.

In Boston, Charlotte trailed 87-90 after three quarters, with 36 points from LaMelo Ball. In the fourth quarter, however, Ball didn’t make a single shot, and the Hornets travelled home with a 102-113 loss.

While the same 4th Quarter fate befell the Bugs at home against Detroit, the Hornets have faced one of the toughest schedules in the home stretch. They enter the postseason guaranteed a spot in the Play-In Tournament, and with one game to go the Hive has to feel happy about a team that head coach Charles Lee and the Hornets’ front office have turned around faster than expected thanks to healthy starters, smart trades, and a revelatory rookie year from first round draft pick Kon Knueppel.

Unsurprisingly, Lee told reporters this week that he thinks Knueppel should be the NBA Rookie of the Year

“I understand why the race [for Rookie of the Year] is tight. The rookie class this year has been pretty impressive,” said Lee. “But I said it about a month ago: to me, it’s not even close. I still feel that way. I think that this period of time has shown it even more. When you have a guy who’s been as productive as Kon has been, when he’s been as consistent as he is, and as efficient as he’s been on a playoff-caliber team, I think that’s pretty impressive.

The Hornets close out the regular season Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. The stakes will be high for the Buzz as they fight to clinch a home game against Miami in the 9-10 matchup of the NBA Play-In Tournament. If Charlotte loses to New York, and Miami wins their game against the Hawks, the Heat will host Charlotte on account of their 3-1 advantage in the season series.

Even if the Hornets lose to the Heat in the Play-In Tournament, they have a season to be proud of — and sky-high expectations for next year.

Cold-Shooting Hornets Lose Home Finale to Pistons

4th quarter collapse dooms Charlotte as Detroit takes the season series 4-0

By Adrian Singerman

The Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons defeated the Charlotte Hornets 105-120 at Spectrum Arena on Friday night, knocking the Hornets out of contention for direct entry into the playoffs and locking them into a play-in game against divisional rival Miami. A game that featured 11 lead-changes and 13 ties through three quarters turned into a rout as Detroit put away the Buzz with an 18-2 run to start the fourth quarter. All-Star center Jalen Duren led five Pistons in double figures with 20 points, and Duncan Robinson added 19 points of his own. LaMelo Ball led the way for Charlotte with 27 points, 20 of which came in a dazzling first-half display of long-range shooting, and Brandon Miller scored 22 points.

It was evident from the start that there was no love lost between the two squads following their early February fracas that led to four players being suspended for multiple games. Less than two minutes into the contest, double technical fouls were assessed to Miller and Robinson after an alley-oop dunk by Miller, whose momentum as he released the rim carried him into the Pistons’ sharpshooter.

Though things settled down from there, both teams played with playoff like intensity for the the first three quarters. Already having locked up the top seed in the Conference, Detroit nevertheless played their normal starting unit, using their suffocating defense and timely shooting to keep the Hornets at bay. Charlotte did their best to hang with Detroit for as long as they did, trailing by only three points at halftime and after three quarters, but the Pistons’ fourth quarter surge proved decisive.

Keys to the Game

Charlotte managed only 10 points in the 4th quarter, as Detroit outscored them by fifteen in the period. For the game, Charlotte shot just 39% from the field overall and 28% from 3-point territory.

Detroit hounded the Buzz on the defensive end all evening, forcing Charlotte into 15 turnovers, 13 of which were steals and many of which were live-ball turnovers that turned into easy breakaway baskets.

The Pistons dominated the paint all evening, pouring in 62 points in the paint and collecting 16 offensive rebounds. Hornets head coach Charles Lee pointed to Detroit’s physicality as the turning point in their victory: “They’re good at being physical and getting to the paint. And I think offensively, we let some of their physicality bother us. Our screening was not physical enough, way too may guys going under. Not the group that I think we’ve been the last couple of weeks, and what we’ve built throughout the season.”

Buzz Bright Spots

When asked after the game what the message was in the locker room following the Hornets’ loss, Grant Williams offered a philosophical response: “Control what you can control. You can’t look ahead. We have one more game where we can get back to playing Hornets basketball, and also help us execute. This group, we’re a young group. I went through this in Boston. You have some moments- you can consider it maturity, you can consider it mindset, whatever it is- but the group just stays together. A night like this can really put things into perspective, and this season has really helped us get those learning moments. You look at the last game with Boston; we saw coverages that we have’t seen in a while. Playoff basketball brings the best out of teams and starts bringing things that you probably don’t see in the regular season and don’t have time to evaluate.”

Buzzworthy Facts

With his two 3-point baskets, Brandon Miller became the third Hornets player to make 200 3-pointers this season, joining rookie sharpshooting sensation Kon Knueppel and star guard LaMelo Ball. The Hornets are just the fourth team ever to feature three players with 200 made threes in a season, joining the 2016-17 Rockets, the 2022-23 Warriors, and the 2024-25 Celtics.

Also, since Miller had a dunk off of one of these passes against Detroit: if you were ever wondering why it’s called an alley-oop, the basketball term is derived from the French phrase "allez! hop!"

What’s Next

As Charlotte heads to New York, Detroit travels to Indiana to finish their regular season slate against the Pacers Sunday evening.

It’s only March, but the Charlotte Hornets (36-34, 10th in the East) have just about clinched a post-season appearance.

They’re 7.5 games ahead of the 11th place Milwaukee Bucks (28-41), but only 2.5 games behind the 6th place Atlanta Hawks (38-31), and a 6th place finish would mean avoiding the Play-In Tournament. On the other end, the Hornets would need to lose all of the rest of their games and the Bucks would need to finish 8-5 to catch up (the Bucks do, in fact, own the head-to-head tiebreaker).

Neither situation seems likely.

The Hornets are 16-4 in their past 20 games, or .800. With that same level of performance in their final 12 games, that would mean a 9-3 finish; even without that level of production, the Bugs seem bound for their first season above .500 since 2022, and their fifth winning season since the beginning of the Uptown era.

With all of the momentum, and the hope-ium in the Hive turned up to 11, the organization came together Thursday night to honor the OG Hornet himself, the Sixth Man, Dell Curry. Curry is just the second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining Bobby Phills, who was honored posthumously in 2000 following his tragic death in a car accident.

Curry’s children — including Stephen, who has missed almost 20 games this season with a knee injury, and Seth, who played for the Hornets last year — and grandchildren were in attendance as Dell’s banner was raised.

When asked before the game what the city of Charlotte and the Hornets organization have meant to him, Curry — who serves as a Hornets’ team ambassador as well as their color commentator alongside Eric Collins — had this to say:

“It’s the people, first and foremost. It’s always felt like a family in the Charlotte community, and definitely in this organization. We’ve had a lot of owners, but this group has really wrapped their arms around me as a legend, and Muggsy and everybody else, all the other players and employees that are still with this organization. I’ve been in this city since 1988, so I’ve got a ton of friends and family who live here. From the workers, the staff, the people in this building, people at the old ‘hive’, again, it’s just a family feeling from my time back then and all the way up until now that makes me really proud to still be a part of this organization.”

Multiple Double-Doubles Drown Miami

LaMelo Ball scores 30 points as the Hornets prevailed 106-136

By Sam Spencer

The Miami Heat (38-32, 8th in the East) didn’t have hot hands at the Spectrum Center on Tuesday night, and after his sensational 83-point-game the week before, Bam Adebayo was out with an injury to his right calf.

While the Heat took the season series over the Charlotte Hornets 3-1, the Hornets were the (much) better team for their final regular season meeting.

LaMelo Ball had 30 points and 12 assists, while Miles Bridges had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the dominant, 30-point win.

Ball started early in the 1st quarter, and Hornets went into Miami’s first timeout up 8-12, with half of those from Ball. The Heat’s shots weren’t falling, but Charlotte was getting the second chance points; Bridges and Moussa Diabaté both had 5 boards in the first six minutes, with Diabate earning 13 total rebounds over the course of the game.

Miami adjusted quickly, tying the score at 14 within two minutes and forcing a Charlotte time out.

When Charlotte took the court next, Brandon Miller responded as he has many times this season by making a trey from downtown. Miami couldn’t get a three-pointer to fall in the first 10 minutes, missing their first 7. However, much of the rest of the half from the Bugs was sloppy, and the 1st quarter ended 24-26 in favor of the home team, with both teams sharing a 38.5% field goal percentage.

The 2nd quarter started off with a “Knueppel triple” – it’s clear Hornets’ PA announcer Shawn Parker has been working on that one – but the rookie wasn’t afraid to diversify his selection, shooting from both inside and outside the paint, and earning three point plays the old-fashioned way. Kon Knueppel had 22 points despite getting in foul trouble (5 personal fouls).

The lead went back and forth for the rest of the half, with both teams improving their shooting as the starters came back on the court. Ball shot confidently from three – regardless of the outcome – and led the Hornets in the first half with 16 points.

A 2nd quarter standout for the team was recent addition Coby White, who ended the half with 11 points, but came out with four minutes left after committing his third personal foul.

Ball picked up where White left off, putting the Hornets back ahead with a quick layup, but the lead continued to change hands.

Ball’s skill as a playmaker was also on display, with a smooth alley-oop to Diabate putting the Hornets ahead again, 52-54, in the closing minutes of the half.

Charlotte came out of the locker room hot, going on a 7-0 run and forcing a Miami timeout before many halftime concessions customers had made it back to their seats.

The crowd started to react poorly to the officiating, especially a foul called against Sion James, as Miami tightened the score with six minutes to go in the quarter.

The Hornets started to pull away in the closing minutes of the quarter thanks to two consecutive, silky three-pointers from Ball and White, but Miami immediately responded with two of their own, making it a one possession game yet again.

Then Coby White lit the building on fire, scoring 8 consecutive points and forcing a Miami timeout with an effortless, pull-up jumping three from 25 feet.

Charlotte remained in control for the rest of the quarter, leading 88-96 going into the final twelve minutes.

The first couple of minutes didn’t improve Miami’s situation, and a string of turnovers – coupled with a highlight reel-worthy play from Ball – led to the Heat using all but one of their timeouts with more than nine minutes to go.

The Hornets would then go on a 14-0 run.

Brandon Miller sank two consecutive threes to expand the lead to 19, and Knueppel drew a foul on his three-point attempt to widen the gap, making all three. Knueppel added a three of his own during Miami’s cold streak, Diabaté made a play off his own rebound … it was a dominant performance all around.

Hornets fans started to leave the Spectrum Center early, long before the third string players came on.

These days, they get to do so knowing their team won.

Keys to the Game

While Charlotte was up a comfortable 8 points going into the 4th quarter, that’s not much of a lead in the high-scoring, fast paced NBA of today. However, outscoring your opponent 18-40 in one quarter is usually going to do the trick.

By missing every three-pointer in the final quarter, Miami only shot 19% from three over the course of the game. Charlotte shot 40% from three, and also bested Miami in overall field goals (40% to 53%).

Buzz Bright Spots

With the team honoring Dell Curry this week, it’s worth mentioning that Coby White is already making a difference not unlike Curry during the 1993-94 Hornets season, when #30 won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award as an impact player off the bench.

White had 24 points in only 20 minutes of play.

Also, there was this LaMelo Ball play …

Buzzworthy Facts

With a much easier basket during the 3rd quarter, LaMelo reached 6,000 career points during the game.

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Hornets Manage Magic on Dell Curry Night

Charlotte takes season series against Orlando three games to one, honors former Hornets great

By Adrian Singerman

It was Hornets legend Dell Curry’s night, but that didn’t stop the new generation from showing up.

On the night they retired the jersey of perhaps the greatest shooter in franchise history, the Charlotte Hornets put on a scintillating shooting display Thursday evening to take a one-sided 111-130 victory against divisional rival Orlando Magic (38-31, 7th in the East).

Charlotte put together a dominant two-quarter stretch spanning both halves, outscoring Orlando 76-45 across the second and third quarters to put the game away well before its conclusion. Coby White led the way with an efficient 27-point performance in 23 minutes off the bench, Brandon Miller scored 15 of his 25 points in the third quarter, and LaMelo Ball added 20 points for Charlotte. Desmond Bane paced the Magic with 24 points, and Paolo Banchero tallied 20 points and seven assists.

The Magic got off to a hot start, making 6 of their first 7 shots and jumping out to a 19-11 lead, an advantage they maintained for much of the first quarter. Down 30-22, the Hornets responded with a 12-2 run to close out the quarter and take a 34-32 lead into the second, a lead they never relinquished.

The Buzz then proceeded to make 16 threes across the dominant second and third quarters, turning a close game into a rout. With the game firmly in hand heading into the final frame, Charlotte took its foot off the gas, allowing Orlando to make the final score more respectable.

Keys to the Game

With the Orlando offense humming and LaMelo Ball on the bench with two early fouls in the first quarter, Charlotte found themselves down 30-22 and struggling to keep pace with the Magic. Enter Coby White. The newest Hornet provided an immediate spark with seven quick points and a beautiful dish to Ryan Kalkbrenner for an and-one to tie the game at 32. Charlotte never trailed again.

With the Hornets up 42-37 just over four minutes into the second quarter, a 4-point play by Knueppel put the Hornets up nine, their largest lead of the game up to that point. On the very next play, Knueppel grabbed a rebound off a Magic miss and whipped a pass from beyond half court to the left side corner to a wide open Sion James, who calmly sank a three to extend Charlotte’s lead to 12 and force a timeout by Orlando.

As things continued to unravel for the Magic, head coach Jamahl Mosley was hit with two consecutive technical fouls during a stoppage in play at the 5:14 mark of the second quarter, resulting in his ejection.

The Hornets nearly notched another 50-40-90 game as a team, shooting 53% overall, 48% from three (22/46), and 89% from the line (24/27).

Buzz Bright Spots

At halftime, the Hornets honored Curry, the first player ever selected by the organization in the 1988 expansion draft, by retiring his jersey.

After the game, head coach Charles Lee chimed in on what it was like to get the win on DC30: “It was amazing. Perfect ending to a great day to celebrate a great man that’s done so much for us. We love that he was able to come into the locker room and break it down for us. I think the guys enjoyed his speech postgame way better than mine.”

Buzzworthy Facts

In his 10 years with the team, Curry racked up 9,839 points, good for second in franchise history behind all-time leader Kemba Walker, who amassed 12,009 points in his eight years with the club. He also ranks first in franchise history in seasons (10) and games played (701).

For the second straight game, White posted a personal high in points as a member of the Hornets. He followed his 24-point performance against Miami Tuesday night with 27 points against the Magic.

The only bad news for White was when Knueppel told him during the game that White’s alma mater, Carolina, had been unceremoniously knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by VCU.

“As soon as I stepped out in the 4th quarter, Kon (Knueppel) could not wait to tell me,” White said in a postgame interview. “He was like, 'Man, you had a great day... not such a great day for your Tar Heels, though.”

What’s Next

The Buzz close out the month of March with the final five home games of their season-long seven-game home stand, starting with an inter-conference tilt against the struggling Memphis Grizzlies this Saturday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for just after 7 p.m.

Charlotte remains comfortably in position to make the play-in as the 10 seed with a seven and a half-game cushion over the eleventh place Milwaukee Bucks. Sitting only two and a half games back of 7th place Orlando and 6th place Atlanta, a strong finish could see the Hornets earn a home game in the 7th/8th place matchup or even direct entry into the playoffs as the 6th seed.

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Matt at the Movies

Matt at the Movies took over our Instagram timeline Sunday night, reporting live from the annual Academy Awards party at Independent Picture House. Matt, Dana Gillis, and IPH executive director Brad Ritter all correctly picked One Battle After Another as the Best Picture award winner.

Matt also brought his locks to the table, writing, “I can confidently bet my life savings on Jessie Buckley for Best Actress, KPop Demon Hunters for Animated Feature, and ‘Golden’ for Best Original Song” in addition to picking Sinners for Best Score and first-time winner Paul Thomas Anderson for Best Director.

Luckily for Matt’s savings, all five of his “locks” proved correct, as well as the predictions he gave to Queen City News.

And the Oscar Goes To …

• Best Picture: One Battle After Another

• Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

• Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

• Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

• Best International Feature Film: Sentimental Value

• Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons

• Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

The full list of winners and nominees is available here.

Soccer Sheet

Messi-less Miami Ties Charlotte, 0-0

March 14 is Pi Day, so it’s fitting Charlotte FC’s match against Inter Miami CF ended with two round numbers, O-O, as the final score at Bank of America Stadium…

Read more

6 months ago · Rebekah Whilden, Jake Sokol, and Jorge Torres

Soccer Season is in Full Swing

For the first time this calendar year, Charlotte’s four professional soccer teams all hit the pitch. Charlotte FC drew a Messi-less Inter Miami CF 0-0, with Soccer Sheet by Y’all Weekly reporting earlier in the day that Lionel Messi was unlikely to play.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Carolina Ascent FC won at home 1-0 against the reigning Super League champion Tampa Bay Sun thanks to a goal from new addition Tyler Lussi, who most recently played for the NC Courage of the NWSL.

• The Charlotte Independence drew Westchester SC 1-1 in their first match of the year, with 17-year-old Viggo Ortiz tying the game in the 97th minute in his first-ever appearance for the Jacks. The Independence are home (at Matthews Sportsplex, not Memorial Stadium) this week for the first round of the U.S. Open Cup on Thursday.

• Crown Legacy FC, Charlotte FC’s reserve team, leads the MLS NEXT Pro standings with an undefeated record, three straight wins, and Legacy’s Rodolfo Aloko leads the league in goals with 5.

The CLT Calendar

Ongoing

• If you’re in the Plaza Shamrock Neighborhood, the “Shamrock I Spy” pieces are still sticking around from Shamrock Fest this weekend.

Today, Tuesday, March 17 - St. Patrick’s Day

• The Mecklenburg County Commission meets at 5 PM. On the docket are appointments to the citizens’ committee overseeing next year’s property revaluation — and for many county residents, higher tax bills.

  • Note: due to a national conference, there was no Charlotte City Council meeting this week. They will return for the zoning meeting next Monday, March 23.

• The Charlotte Hornets host the Miami Heat at the Spectrum Center. Tip off at 7:00 PM. In addition to the red-hot Hornets, it’s a chance to see Miami’s Bam Adebayo fresh off his historic 83-point game.

  • Follow Y’all Weekly on social for live coverage:

    • Instagram

    • Twitter

Wednesday, March 18

A tip of the hat to the excellent Charlotte Optimist for pointing this one out:

• U.S. Bank is hosting a summit on business succession and legacy planning this Wednesday, March 18, 9AM to 2PM, in SouthPark. Michael and Jason Stier, featured in this Optimist article, are keynote speakers. Register here.

Thursday, March 19 - March Madness Begins

• The Charlotte Independence host the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at the Sportsplex in Matthews. Tickets start at $16.

• The Charlotte Hornets host the Orlando Magic at the Spectrum Center. Tip off at 7:00 PM.

Friday, March 20 - Eid al-Fitr

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

• The Queen City Eid Celebration at the Islamic Center of Charlotte, 8310 Harrisburg Road in Charlotte, runs from 4 PM to 11 PM. Tickets are available here, and both Muslims and non-Muslims are welcome.

• Theatre Charlotte’s God of Carnage opens. “A comedy of manners…without the manners. Winner of the 2009 Tony Award®, God of Carnage is a brash and hilarious exploration of human nature.” Tickets available here.

• Queens University is in the NCAA Mens’ Basketball tournament for the first time. The #15 seeded debutants face #2 Purdue in St. Louis at 7:35 PM ET on TV screens across Charlotte.

Saturday, March 21

• The Charlotte Hornets host the Memphis Grizzlies at the Spectrum Center. Tip off at 7:00 PM.

• Charlotte FC hosts New York Red Bulls at Bank of America Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 PM

  • Follow Soccer Sheet on social for live coverage:

    • Bluesky

    • Instagram

    • TikTok

    • Twitter

Sunday, March 22

• Looking for a cheaper alternative to Charlotte FC matches? The undefeated Crown Legacy FC host I-85 rivals Atlanta United 2 at the Matthews Sportsplex.

In Case You Missed It …

While ACC Championship weekend just ended, the Hive is still alive this season. Rookie sharpshooter Kon Kuneppel leads the league in three-point shots made, LaMelo Ball is actually #2 in that category, while Brandon Miller and Moussa Diabaté are joining them to make the best starting lineup in the NBA.

Go see some community art in Plaza Shamrock:

Charlotte FC earned their first win of the season against Austin FC, as the team came back to the Bank for the first time this year:

Soccer Sheet

Charlotte FC Earn First Win of the Year Against Austin, Face Miami Tonight ... But Where is Messi?

VAR giveth, and VAR taketh away…

Read more

6 months ago · 4 likes · Sam Spencer, Jorge Torres, Seth Koch, and Rebekah Whilden

Matt at the Movies did a good job predicting the Oscars:

Matt at the Movies

The Oscars Exchange: Part 1

We are back for the second half of our Academy Awards predictions. In our previous installment, we focused on most of the “below the line” categories, which you can view here. Today, we look at who has the most juice after the awards circuit and Best Documentary Feature. We have two special guests joining us today, including Brad Ritter, the Independent…

Read more

6 months ago · Matt at the Movies and Y’all Weekly

RSVP to the Launch Party

Thanks to a Neighborhood Matching Grant from the City of Charlotte, the Plaza Shamrock Neighborhood Association brings a unique public art project to life. Shamrock I Spy is a neighborhood-wide sculpture trail featuring 14 handmade critters created by Charlotte artist and Plaza Shamrock neighbor Nico Amortegui.

The idea began with a small group of neighbors who wanted to bring public art to the community. But Plaza Shamrock, with more than 1,000 homes, doesn’t have a central park or gathering space where a single sculpture could live. Instead, neighbors got creative: they decided to create multiple small sculptures and spread them throughout the neighborhood, hosted in front yards of residents.

Colorful birds, cats, turtles, and other whimsical creatures are tucked into yards and hanging from trees across Plaza Shamrock. Each sculpture has its own personality, turning an ordinary walk into a neighborhood-wide scavenger hunt.

To celebrate, the neighborhood will host a Shamrock I Spy Art Launch Party this Saturday, inviting residents and visitors alike to walk the neighborhood and discover the sculptures.

Amortegui’s primitivist, symbolistic neo-expressionism has been visible in Charlotte’s public spaces for years, most notably decorating exterior and interior spaces at NoDa’s Salud Cervezeria.

It’s a reminder that even a small neighborhood organization, powered by a handful of volunteers and support from grants, can create public art for everyone to enjoy.

Some may consider it cheating, but you can find a map of all of the critters here.

Since we last checked in on the Charlotte Hornets (32-33, 10th in the East) they did something no Charlotte team has done since 2022: reach March with a winning record.

After three strong road wins in a row against the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers — all by 17 points or more — the Bugs returned to Charlotte to face the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks (write-ups below) before traveling to Boston to win their 10th away game in a row, setting a franchise record with the 29 point win.

Unfortunately for the Hornets, they lost one at home to Miami (photos below), and dropped another on the road in Phoenix to end their away winning streak, but they’re still holding on to 10th place and a spot in the postseason Play-In Tournament.

Furthermore, rookie sensation Kon Kneuppel is still at the top of the NBA’s “Rookie Ladder” rankings ahead of the final stretch; his main opposition for the title, Cooper Flagg, didn’t suit up for the Mavericks in Charlotte last week. He was awarded his 4th Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award before the loss to Miami.

Charlotte has a late game against the Trail Blazers in Portland tonight; a win will take them back to .500 with 16 regular season games left to play.

Charlotte Easily Handles Blazers on HBCU Day

There are no HBCUs in Oregon, but that wasn’t why the Portland Trailblazers fell 93-109 during the Charlotte Hornets’ HBCU Day celebrations at the Spectrum Center.

Instead, poor shooting on Portland’s side was met by the sort of production we’ve come to expect from the Hornets, despite an underwhelming night for Kon Knueppel. Instead, Brandon Miller led the Bugs with 26 points and 8 rebounds.

Perhaps most important to the Hornets’ success was the pre-match injury report: for the first time in 7 years – the first time since the pandemic – Charlotte had zero players out for injuries.

The Healthy Hornets dominated the 1st quarter, going up by 12 early; they would lead for 96% of the contest.

While the Trail Blazers began to close the gap before halftime, the Hornets always had a response. One for the highlight reel was Miles Bridges’ 360-degree-behind-the-back spinning layup with under five minutes in the quarter to keep the Bugs ahead.

When the Hornets’ lead got down to 7 points with less than four to go, Miller drilled another three at the end of a play that demonstrated both Charlotte’s skill at hitting the boards, and the issues with finishing that need to be resolved before dreams of a deep playoff run become reality.

Every time Portland knocked on the door in the first half, the Hornets answered. A 5 point game became 8 and an 8 point game became 11 due to consecutive threes from Miller.

As North Carolina A&T’s Cold Steel drumline took the court, the Hornets went to the locker room ahead by 8, 43-51.

By the 3rd quarter, the LaMelo Ball and the Hornets really looked like they were having fun. It started to get away from the Blazers with an alley-oop pass from Ball to Miller, who was excellent throughout the game.

It wasn’t a great night for the rookies, however. Ryan Kalkbrenner struggled throughout the game. Though the 7-foot center excelled on the boards, he occasionally looked like a deer in headlights on offense, especially on the Hornets’ last play of the 3rd Quarter. Kalkbrenner held the ball for too long and struggled to find a teammate, causing a turnover and allowing Portland to close to 67-74 going into the final 12 minutes.

In the 4th Quarter the Hornets kept producing. When Portland got Charlotte’s lead under 10 again, Moussa Diabate set a textbook pick for Knueppel, who drained 1 of his 2 three-point shots from the right side of the basket. When the Trailblazers got within 7 again, it was a Diabate rebound - his 10th of the night - and a Bridges trey from the baseline that kept Charlotte ahead..

The nail in the coffin was a dunk from Bridges with less than two minutes to go. White and LaMelo moved the ball back and forth effortlessly in what could have been the best-looking play of the game. Though the shot from three didn’t fall, Bridges was there chasing the shot for the offensive board, and jumped above the rim to finish the play.

The Hive exploded in applause.

Xavier Tillman, Pat Connaughton, and Tre Mann came on for their first minutes of the game shortly after, and the Hornets would close out the win 93-109.

Keys to the Game

Miller shot 50% (6-12) from downtown, elevating his team’s overall three point percentage to 38%, and making up for an uncharacteristic Knueppel performance that saw the rook shoot 2-7 from three — and 0-3 from the stripe — for a total of 10 points.

Coby White, the newest member of the team, had 20 points off the bench, including 8 of 9 from the stripe.

Buzz Bright Spots

Not to be outdone, Diabaté tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds for the only double-double on either side of the court.

The match marked Charlotte’s 4th win in a row.

Buzz-Worthy Facts

Despite leading the team in scoring with 26, Miller’s raw +/- was actually -1, while Knueppel’s was +24 despite only scoring 10 points. Sometimes you have to take the stats with a grain of salt.

Bonus Video: 2nd Quarter Time Lapse

Hornets Dispatch Short-Handed Mavericks

by Adrian Singerman

Charlotte pulls away in second half with dominant third quarter, balanced scoring attack.

The Charlotte Hornets won their fifth straight game Tuesday evening at the Spectrum Center as they defeated the visiting Dallas Mavericks 117-90 in yet another dominant display of long-range shooting. With injured star rookie Cooper Flag watching from the Dallas bench, denying fans the chance to see a matchup of the top two contenders for Rookie of the Year with former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel, the Hornets gave the hometown crowd plenty to cheer about in this one. Despite off shooting nights from Knueppel and Lamelo Ball, the Hornets sank 20 three-pointers, with eight different players making at least one basket from distance. Brandon Miller led eight players in double figures for the Hornets with a team-high 17 points. Ball added 15 points, 9 assists and 5 steals for the Buzz, more than making up for his shooting struggles with a complete all-around performance. Guard Brandon Williams led the way for Dallas with 18 points.

A close start to the game saw the Hornets holding a slim three point advantage at the three and a half minute mark of the first quarter, when two consecutive threes from Brandon Miller and Grant Williams extended the lead to nine at 28-19, prompting Dallas head coach Jason Kidd to call his first timeout of the game. Charlotte led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter as Brandon Miller poured in 13 points, but a 10-0 run by the Mavericks spanning the first and second quarters cut the deficit to one, and Dallas eventually tied the game at 33 on a three-pointer by former Hornet P.J. Washington with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half. The Hornets responded with a 24-10 run over the next seven minutes before Dallas scored the last five points of the half. Charlotte took a 57-48 lead into the locker room on the strength of 10/25 shooting from deep, including three makes from reserve Josh Green, and Miller’s 15 points.

Dallas scored the first four points of the half to get within five at 57-52, and they were still within striking distance at 76-66 with just over four minutes left in the third quarter, but a 16-6 Hornets run put the game out of reach as Charlotte took a 92-72 lead into the final frame. Dallas never managed to get closer than 14 points the rest of the way as the Hornets cruised to victory.

Keys to the Game

No surprise that three-point shooting was once again the key to Charlotte’s offense, as the Hornets made 20 shots from deep, while Dallas went 3/22 (14%). The Mavericks shot just 38% overall.

With Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, and Klay Thompson all out due to injury for Dallas, the Maverick simply didn’t have the firepower to stay with the Hornets for the long haul, though they did manage to hang around for the first two and a half quarters.

Buzz Bright Spots

On a night when the Hornets’ starters didn’t bring their usual scoring punch, Charlotte’s bench delivered a stunningly efficient performance as they contributed 54 points on 19/28 shooting (68%), including 12/21 from three-point range. When asked about their performance, head coach Charles Lee put it succinctly: “Those guys were really impactful.”

Sion James nearly notched a double-double with 13 points and 8 rebounds.

Buzz-Worthy Facts

Backup center Ryan Kalkbrenner didn’t miss a single shot in his 18 minutes, making all four of his field goals and sinking both of his free throws. All four of his shots from the field were dunks.

With the win, Charlotte finds themselves at .500 for the first time since they were 2-2 all the way back in October. With a 31-31 record, the Hornets are a mere two and a half games behind the sixth place Philadelphia 76ers with 20 games to play, making the playoffs a very realistic possibility for the Buzz as they enter the stretch run of the regular season. When asked what reaching the .500 mark means, coach Lee wasn’t short on praise for his players: “It’s a testament to the hard work these guys are putting in every day. I think we’re seeing the fruits of our labor, and we’re getting better and better in a lot of different areas. I’m really proud of the growth we’re making. I think we’re getting a lot of contributions from a lot of guys at different moments in the game, and it’s helping us a ton.”

Knueppel was named Eastern Conference rookie of the month for February, a month that saw him set the all-time record for three-pointers made by a rookie in a season. This is the fourth consecutive month he has won the award.

Miami 128, Charlotte 120

Photos by Jorge Torres

The Miami Heat defeated Charlotte 128-120 on Friday night at Spectrum Center, ending a 6-game winning streak for the Hornets.

Brandon Miller led the charge for the Hornets with 11 points in the 1st quarter, but the Heat still led 30-27 after the first 12 minutes. The Hornets bridged the first two quarters with a 17-6 run to take a seven-point lead midway through the 2nd quarter, but Miami’s standout player on the night — Tyler Herro — made back-to-back three-pointers for Miami to tie the score at 41-41 with six minutes remaining.

Herro would lead both rosters with 33 points on the night.

“I think we just have to be better on the defensive side of the ball,” said Miller. “We let [Tyler] Herro get whatever he wanted early, and then it just kind of opened up the rim. I feel like he was seeing a big rim, and it’s easy to score the basketball when you’re already going. So, just tighten up with that and our coverages, and we’ll be fine.”

Charlotte would lead 61-58 at the end of the half.

The score was knotted up on five different occasions during the 3rd quarter, with both teams putting up 40 points.

After tying the score at 108 with 7:54 remaining, the Heat scored seven-straight points to take a 115-108 lead. Grant Williams sank a timely three-pointer to get Charlotte within 4 points with five minutes remaining in regulation, and Kon Knueppel also sunk a pair from downtown near the end, but Miami would prevail in a close game.

What’s Next

The Hornets play the Trail Blazers in Portland tonight at 10 PM EDT, and continue their western swing away against the Sacramento Kings tomorrow and the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Their next home game at the Spectrum Center is a rematch against the Miami Heat on Tuesday, March 17 at 7:00 PM.

Today, after six decades, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting officially dissolved.

We’re sharing their official statement, in full, below.

Today, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting formally dissolved as a corporate entity.

For nearly 60 years, CPB stewarded the federal appropriation for public media in ways that enhanced the lives of all Americans, ensuring everyone, regardless of where they live or how much they earn, has access to public media and the essential services it provides, free of charge. As a whole, public media provided such value, at so little cost to the taxpayer, that it received bipartisan support for decades and few thought it would be defunded.

However, throughout 2025, CPB and public media became the target of heightened, relentless partisan attacks with the goal of defunding CPB. Millions of Americans who value their public media station and recognize that public media’s trusted, educational and informational content is vital to our democracy, expressed support for public media and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB.

Against the wishes of the majority of Americans, in July 2025, Congress defunded CPB by passing the Rescission Act of 2025 — a maneuver that enabled Congress to “claw back” already appropriated funds by just a single-vote margin.

Since then, CPB has survived mainly on private donations because Congress failed to provide basic closing costs. The CPB team has worked with unwavering professionalism to honor existing commitments and distribute remaining grants to local stations, producers, PBS, and NPR, even when only a handful of us remained. We mark their dedicated service with respect and gratitude.

Some have asked if CPB could survive on private donations alone until a more favorable political climate emerges that would favor restoring funding to CPB. The CPB Board of Directors gave very careful consideration to many options and concluded that dissolution was the only responsible path.

The longer CPB tried to exist without funding, the greater the probability that our remaining funds would never reach the public media system. Moreover, we grew increasingly concerned that funding directed to public media could become subject to new content restrictions, and that compliance would further harm stations and erode the trust we worked decades to build.

These risks were real and dangerous, and we would not allow them to take shape.

We could have survived by complying with demands for political control over news coverage, by rewriting history, by limiting the stories and information shared with the American public, by abandoning diverse talent, or by supporting content that increases divisiveness through disinformation.

But the American people deserve more. So, CPB took its last stand.

We invested in the innovative, sustainable solutions that will empower public media to survive in our absence.

Since October, we have provided over $170 million in funding into organizations, stations, and programs with the power to carry public media forward.

We made strategic investments that preserve public media’s legacy and strengthen its future, safeguarding the American Archive of Public Broadcasting so our shared civic history endures; maintaining national distribution of locally produced programming through American Public Television; supporting trusted, research-backed educational content; commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary through StoryCorps; and advancing rigorous research that documents public media’s impact and role in supporting our democracy.

All of these measures reflect CPB’s enduring purpose: to strengthen education, preserve democratic memory, amplify local voices, and ensure that public media remains valuable to the public it serves.

The Board took the heart-wrenching but necessary step to dissolve this venerable institution not only for financial reasons but to protect CPB from continued attacks or other interventions that would diminish the institution, as has occurred at other federally funded agencies.

We are grateful for the public’s decades of support for our mission and work, and thankful for your continued support to local stations struggling in the wake of the rescission.

The Public Broadcasting Act, which envisioned a public media system that put the public interest above profit, still exists. Let us look to a future when public media funding is restored in ways that honor that mission.

Thank you.

Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else. - Mister Rogers

Over the past year many of the important pieces of the cultural fabric in America have been torn and frayed, but not destroyed. It’s a challenging time for public news and local information sources, and often, they’re fighting an asymmetric battle against national narratives delivered by corporate media.

Artists and cultural institutions are not only up against addictive, dopamine-producing content from reels and streaming services, they’re battling against the loneliness epidemic and the decline of civic society and social capital. Ask any party or event planner how hard their job has become when the idea of the couch gets increasingly comfortable with each passing year. Community theatre producers and museum directors would probably agree.

The foundations of civic society — the arts, independent movie theaters, museums, and local information sources — are asking folks to step out of their comfort zone, and en masse, folks are replying, “No.”

Or maybe just, “Huh?”

The old reporter adage - attributed to Finley Peter Dunne - that the job of journalism is to "Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable" has taken on new meaning as people are steered towards reporting and opinion pieces that reenforce the barriers of their bubble.

To stay true to purpose, art, culture, and journalism not only have to challenge people in power, they have to challenge their audience without losing ears, eyeballs, and fingers to apathy.

Many of the organizations and institutions that are closing their doors weren’t prepared to take on civic entropy, loneliness, and the chaotic disinformation machines of the Internet Age. However, there is hope. As Fred said, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”

One of our goals at Y’all Weekly is to be a part of the “something else.” We got started in 2022 with a manifesto of sorts from our co-founder, Jesse Kimmel: our community is full of amazing writing, art, and culture, but too often, “Y’all didn’t know about it.”

Recently, Jesse has joined our local NPR affiliate WFAE for “First Friday Arts” segments to get the word out, but there’s a lot more we can do as well.

Part of that is supporting the other folks who are part of the “something else.” If you live in Charlotte or the Carolinas, and haven’t subscribed to some of the below publications that are doing things differently and adapting to the moment, you’re doing yourself a disservice:

• The Assembly

• The Charlotte Ledger

• The Charlotte Optimist

• The Charlotte Post

• The Food Section - Charlotte

• NC Newsline

• QCity Metro

• Queen City Nerve

• WFAE and/or your local NPR News Source

That’s just a short list that doesn’t even include any of the great Carolina publications that publish in languages other than English - we hope you’ll seek those out too.

At the end of the day everything we do is about community, and even without the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, we hope to be a part of a strong, locally-focused, independent, and collaborative future for journalism and the arts.

Thanks for being a Y’all Weekly subscriber.

Two future NBA Hall of Famers - Kevin Durant and James Harden - came to the Hive with their post-trade deadline teams this past weekend, and while Durant had the better performance, both stars helped propel their teams past the Hornets. Durant scored 35 points for the Houston Rockets in their 105-101 victory over Charlotte, while Donovan Mitchell and his 32 points led Cleveland in their 118-113 victory at the Spectrum Center.

The losses - to teams that are both 4th in their Conference - come after both the All-Star Break, and an incredible run of form for the Bugs. [Editor’s Note: You can read more about the streak and the turnaround in Adrian Singerman’s mid-season review for Y’all Weekly.]

While it’s disappointing for Charlotte to drop two in a row at home, they remain above the play-in line at 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Plus, neither the Rockets nor the Cavs were ever going to be a walk in the park, though the Hornets may want to watch some tape after losing the season series to Cleveland 3-1 as the team is a possible playoff opponent — if Charlotte can stay in form and survive the play-in tournament.

“Honestly, I feel like we’re playing pretty decently,” the Hornets’ Kon Knueppel told reporters after the loss to Cleveland. “[Friday] I didn’t think we played our best game just in regard to taking care of the ball and just offensively, it was a little sticky, like how I mentioned this first quarter was. In all honesty, I think the way we’re competing on the defensive end and on the glass is really keeping us in these games. So, from a competitive standpoint, I think we’re really bringing it. Just two tough, close losses to two really good teams coming out of the All-Star break.”

The Hornets didn’t have to wait long to return to form as they soundly defeated the 13th-place Wizards 129-112 yesterday in Washington, D.C. LaMelo Ball took the attention off of his driving and put it back on his game as he made 10 shots from downtown — a personal career high — tying the Hornets' single-game three-pointer record.

With 37 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists — all before the 4th Quarter — Ball demonstrated why he can’t be left out of the superstar conversation.

Sharp Shooting Durant Propels Rockets to Win

To borrow a turn of phrase from The Athletic’s Tom Bogert, “He’s Kevin Durant, dude.”

Now playing in the sixth different market of his career, the 37-year-old Durant doesn’t seem to have lost a step. In addition to 8 rebounds and 35 total points on the night, Durant shot 4 for 4 in the 4th quarter to fend off a Hornets squad that would not go quietly.

On the Hornets’ side, starters Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges continued their suspensions after the “Havoc at the Hive” fight during the Hornets’ streak-ending loss to Detroit. However, all of the Hornets starters contributed 10 or more points, and Grant Williams (20 points, 9 rebounds), Brandon Miller (17 points, 7 assists), and LaMelo Ball (7 rebounds, 7 assists) made significant contributions in multiple metrics.

The Bugs got off to a good start early on, with a solid 9 point lead after the 1st quarter. However, rookie sensation Kon Knueppel had what — for him, at least — constitutes a slow night, with 15 points overall, shooting 5 of 8 in the first three quarters. Some of that was made up for by strong performances off the bench from Tidjane Salaün (9 points, 4 rebounds) and Sion James (8 points, 4 rebounds).

The game was the kind of exciting matchup fans hope for, and it was a good showcase as former Hornets — from Jeremy Lamb to Kemba Waker — were in attendance to celebrate 20 years of the Spectrum Center.

After the Rockets caught up to make it 53-52 at the half, the game remained tight through the closing seconds, including a phrenetic 4th quarter that saw the Hornets keep hope alive despite shooting only 2 of 13 from behind the arc.

Durant’s lights-out shooting — and the Hornets’ cold hands — prevented a Charlotte comeback. While the Buzz pushed all the way down to the wire, it was Houston on top 105-101.

Keys to the Game

The game was close into the 4th quarter, but Charlotte couldn’t get the threes to fall, while Houston made the shots they needed to make. Kon and others were cold from beyond the arc in the final 12 minutes, and that, as they say, was the ballgame.

Buzz Bright Spots

Brandon Miller (left) and Grant Williams combined for 37 points, 13 boards, and 8 assists against Houston, making up for an off-night from Ball (11 points) and Knueppel (15 points). Strong performances off the bench from Tidjane Salaün (9 points, 4 rebounds) and Sion James (8 points, 4 rebounds) also demonstrated the depth of the squad while two starters remained suspended.

Buzzworthy Facts

Brandon Miller continued his made free throw streak, beating the franchise record set by Kemba Walker (53) by one basket before ending his run at 54 during the same pair of of shots from the line. Miller wasn’t discouraged by the miss, and went on to make the rest of his shots from the charity stripe for a total of 6-7 on the night.

Consistent Cavs Hold off Hornets

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their seventh straight game Friday night as they defeated the hometown Hornets 118-113 at Spectrum Arena. Winners of nine out of their last ten games, the Cavs achieved the famed 50-40-90 shooting line as a whole team, including a sizzling 48% from three-point territory and 93% from the free throw line, making 26 out of their 28 attempts. Donovon Mitchell scored a team-high 32 points, and Jarrett Allen dominated the paint with 26 points and 14 rebounds, 7 of which came on the offensive end.

Newly acquired James Harden, in just his fourth appearance with the Cavs, also turned in a solid performance with 18 points and 8 assists. Kon Knueppel led the way for the Hornets with a game-high 33 points, including seven three-pointers.

Both teams started out hot, trading baskets for the first several minutes, with Allen putting in eight points in the first three minutes of the game for Cleveland. The Hornets held a slim lead at 17-14 midway through the opening frame, but the Cavs pulled ahead when Knueppel exited the game after picking up his second foul with 5:13 seconds left, going on a 16-3 run to close out the quarter and take a 30-20 lead into the second on the strength of Allen’s 11 points and the team’s eleven made free throws out of twelve attempts.

Charlotte closed the gap to start the 2nd quarter, as a close-range basket in the paint from Ryan Kalkbrenner got the Hornets within six at 39-33 with just over eight minutes left, but Cleveland quickly opened up a fourteen point lead with an 8-0 run over the next minute and a half. The Hornets responded with three quick three-point baskets to get back within seven at 51-44, and the half ended with Cleveland maintaining a six-point edge, 59-53, a margin that would have been considerably wider had it not been for Knueppel’s 18 first-half points.

Charlotte was on fire to start the 3rd quarter, hitting three quick three-pointers and scoring thirteen points in the first two and a half minutes to take their first lead since the 1st quarter at 64-62. From there, it was nip and tuck for the rest of the quarter, which ended with Cleveland holding a slim 90-89 edge.

Neither team was able to create any separation for the first half of the final frame, as the Hornets were still within a point down 102-101 at the 5:48 mark, but the Cavs scored seven consecutive points over the next two minutes to take a 109-101 lead with just over three and a half minutes remaining as the Hornets missed several open looks from deep. A couple of late threes by Charlotte made the score look more respectable, but the Hornets never truly threatened to get back in the game after Cleveland’s decisive run.

Keys to the Game

The combination of Cleveland’s outside shooting, interior scoring, and near perfect accuracy from the free throw line was simply too much to overcome for the Hornets. Charlotte showed some serious fight to keep the game as close as they did.

Although they only shot 39% overall for the game, Charlotte made a whopping twenty baskets from deep and went 21/22 on free throws, hanging tough in a game that easily could have gotten away from them when they were down by fourteen midway through the 2nd quarter.

Buzz Bright Spots

It bears repeating that it was a valiant effort on the part of the Hornets to make this game as competitive as it was. Playing for the third straight game without suspended starters Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges, and facing a team with considerably more star-power, things could easily have gotten away from Charlotte. While moral victories won’t cut it for a team with postseason aspirations, the Hornets’ performance bodes well for their playoff chances as they enter the final third of the regular season.

Buzzworthy Facts

Kon Knueppel moved into second place all time on the list of three-pointers made by an NBA rookie, passing Donovan Mitchell (187 threes in 2017-18) in the process. At 193 made threes for the season, Knueppel has nine more than Brandon Miller’s 184 in his rookie season two years ago. With 25 games remaining in the regular season, Knueppel is on pace to obliterate the current record of 203 made threes by Keegan Murray, who achieved the feat during the 2022-23 season with Sacramento.

Ball Ties Franchise Record in Triumphant Victory over Washington

LaMelo did the best thing he possibly could after another embarrassing motor vehicle accident last week: he balled.

While his 11 points against the Rockets were underwhelming, he improved to 18 points against Cleveland (including going 8-8 from the stripe) before lighting up Chinatown with 37 points.

Charlotte was electric in the 3rd quarter, making all but one three-pointer while outpacing the Wizards by 16 points, 44-28. In terms of percentage, Brandon Miller had another strong game during the suspension of Bridges and Diabate, making 71% of his shots from beyond the arc.

With Ball’s exceptional performance and the Hornets’ sharp shooting, Charlotte easily won 129-112, continuing their strong performance on the road. With the win, the Hornets improved to a seven-game winning streak on the road, currently the longest active away win streak in the NBA. With a win against Chicago tomorrow, the Bugs have the opportunity to secure the longest road winning streak in the franchise’s history.

Keys to the Game

LaMelo Ball’s shot chart:

That’s over three quarters. ‘Nuff said.

Buzz Bright Spots

Not to be outdone, Knueppel had 28 points, and guard Josh Green had 12 points off the bench. Charlotte was 11 of 12 from downtown in the third quarter — that’s 33 points from beyond the arc in just 12 minutes.

Buzzworthy Facts

Ball’s new three-pointer record — 10 in one game — is also held at the franchise level by Devonte’ Graham, Kelly Oubre Jr., Terry Rozier, and Kemba Walker. Their away win streak (7) ties the previous franchise record.

What’s Next

Charlotte will stay on the road for their next two games. They will finish their short road trip with a quick midwestern jaunt, playing against Chicago tomorrow, and Indiana on Thursday. Their next home game will be Saturday, February 28th against the Portland Trailblazers.

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