News + Opinion

Maybe It's Time to Start Listening to Tom Low

Charlotte has been called a “foreclosure hot spot” and one of the nation’s worst gas-guzzling cities. Meanwhile, fuel prices continue to climb, single-family home sales continue to dip, and developers still exert undue influence over the planning process

Signs of a Good Life

When the little pink dome on my leg turned out to be cancer, I thought of myself, then other young women basking in the sun. Then I thought of my kids

Close Reading. Like, Really Close Reading

The editors of The New York Times Sunday Magazine--one of the best mags in the business--publish a surprisingly uninteresting blog (note to the seven people who read this blog: I totally get the irony of me making that statement) called…

What I'm Reading This A.M.

Some interesting stuff in the big O this morning:"Love him or hate him, but Gorman made a difference"Once again, Tommy Tomlinson demonstrates how he's become the conscience of the city. I admire his adventures in storytelling, but I wish he…

Look Ma, I'm on TV!

In this JumboTron era, do people still get excited about being on TV? Sure they do! That's why it's the JumboTron era!Rob Boisvert over at News 14 Charlotte is kind enough to host me as a semiregular guest on his…

Davidson Names First Female President

I just got word that Davidson College, the little school just up the road that is most famous for being my alma mater (kidding), just named its 18th president. Carol Quillen, who will also be the first college's president in…

Summer Fun

There are 98 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day — and we have an idea for every one of them

Long Road Home

James Lubo Mijak survived the infamous Sudanese Lost Boys death march and years in refugee camps. He ended up in Charlotte and settled in well. Now he’s facing one of his toughest challenges—he’s going back home

Toasting a Hero

Others can commemorate the Civil War, America’s ugliest and bloodiest episode, all they want. I’m going to celebrate my hero Shelby Foote—the man who wrote its story

MAGS was good to us

This past Thursday, the Magazine Association of the Southeast held its annual conference in Atlanta. I'm proud to report that we picked up eight Gamma awards at the conference's luncheon. Charlotte magazine won six awards, and our sister publications Charlotte…

Imams on a plane and Freedom Riders

I couldn't help but notice an interesting juxtaposition on the front page of today's Charlotte Observer. Below the fold, there was a story about two Muslim imams who were kicked off a US Airways flight. Right next to it was…

2011 Best of the Best

We scoured Charlotte all year long to compile this year’s list of 138 Best of the Best winners, from the best burger and the best childrens shoe store to the best house cleaner and the best happy hour and more!

Caution Flag

As a lifelong racing fan and Charlotte native, I wanted to like the NASCAR Hall of Fame. But it just wasn’t honest enough

Bully at the Pulpit

While Greater Salem Church went $5 million in the hole and the building itself began to crumble, its pastor, Anthony L. Jinwright, and his wife, Harriet, were accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary and bonuses per year and insisting everything was fine. The congregation believed their leaders, and they are still suffering for their faith

FOX News Meltdown

Rather than reporting sensational news, the on- and off-air talent at WCCB FOX Charlotte has been making it. Personnel shifts, some bizarre and scandalous, have plagued the station for the past year, leaving us to wonder what’s actually breaking over there—stories, or sanity

The Worst of the Worst

We like to focus on what’s great about our town. But everyone knows Charlotte isn’t perfect. Just read any comments section on the Observer’s website and you’ll see that a lot of people have problems with Charlotte—incidentally, you’ll also see…

Power Politics

These are history-making times in the Tarheel state. For the first time since the late 1800s, Republicans rule the state legislature. A hometown politician boasts the highest rank in Raleigh.

The Talented Mr. Talley

Quentin Talley is a slam poet, theater producer, and gifted goofball. He’s using all those talents to help bring this city a little closer together

Subscribe to Charlotte Magazine Newsletters:

* indicates required
Newsletters: *

Calendar