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INSIDE ▼ The Bowl to host ice skating
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Friday, October 10, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 41
thecharlotteweekly.com
@southcltweekly
Audit: Transit down 55% in armed security By Alan Wooten Contributor
(The Center Square) – Safety concerns centered on a 55% reduction in armed security staff, 211% increase in contract value, and ties to diversity, equity and inclusion are in a preliminary audit of the Charlotte Area Transit System released Sept. 30.
Dave Boliek, first-term Republican state auditor, pledged the probe in response to the Aug. 22 stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska aboard a light rail train. His staff investigated contracts for CATS from 2018 through September. Armed security personnel for CATS were
between 68 and 88 in a 2018 contract with G4S Secure Solutions. This month’s detail was 39. PSS has the contract today. The pact was for $5.9 million in 2022 and is $18.4 million this year. Private security firms for the transportation system, the report says, are influenced by the Charlotte Business Inclusion program. During a meeting of its advisory committee in April, the report said the panel was advised to hear the “Republican argument” supporting proposed legislation to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in state and local government in order to “be prepared to counter it.”
House Bill 171, also known as Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI, was vetoed in the summer by first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. It remains eligible for veto override, a process that would have to start in the House of Representatives where no Democrats were in favor at the 60-48 passage. Charlotte’s city compliance officer in 2022, the report says, wrote in an email about the security contractor that the “solicitation is only open to CBI security firms, it is not open to other firms regardless if they have other certifications by other parties.” The contract today allows up to 219 personnel. That means 82.1% of the available jobs are vacant in an agreement allowing armed guards
on all 48 train cars at once. “The safety of the citizens of Charlotte needs to be first and foremost when security decisions are being made,” Boliek said, noting a final report is forthcoming. “Our report shows there has been a clear shift away from armed security in the CATS’s private security contracts. “Further, limiting any part of a contract providing citizens with security to only firms that meet a DEI checkbox raises questions as to whether politics has taken priority over public safety. As we continue our investigation, we will be examining the decisions that went into designing, soliciting and approving these security contracts.”
WALK TO END ALZHEIMER’S KICKS OFF OCT. 18
TD Bank expands corporate presence in Ballantyne CHARLOTTE – TD Bank has signed a 10-year lease with Northwood Office for 91,464 square feet of office space in Ballantyne.
The Alzheimer’s Association hosts 17 walks across North Carolina, including the one scheduled for Oct. 18 at Trusit Field in Charlotte.
Photos courtesy of The Alzheimer’s Association
CHARLOTTE – The Alzheimer’s Association invites residents of Mecklenburg County and nearby areas to join the fight to end Alzheimer’s.
Presented by The Sharon at SouthPark, the Alzheimer’s Association - Western Carolina Chapter will host Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Charlotte on Oct. 18 at Truist Field, 324 S. Mint St. Check-in opens at 9 a.m., followed by the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. and the walk afterward. “This is a pivotal moment in the fight against Alzheimer’s. There are now treatments that change the course of the disease,” said Katherine L. Lambert, CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association - Western Carolina Chapter.
“We hope that everyone in our community can join us by starting a team to help the Alzheimer’s Association raise awareness and funds for families facing the disease today, take more steps toward treatments and finally ending this disease.” On the day of the walk, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer’s with the Promise Garden ceremony. During this ceremony, walkers hold pinwheel flowers of various colors representing their personal connection to the disease. Visit act.alz.org/Charlotte or call 800-2723900 to register as a participant or team captain, or learn about becoming a sponsor or volunteer.
The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s raises awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.
15 local companies win in NC Brewers Cup CHARLOTTE – The North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild recently announced the results of the 2025 NC Brewers Cup competition, and several beers from the Charlotte area won awards.
The competition attracted a record 935 entries from 123 independent craft breweries. The entries were judged simultaneously at Raleigh Brewing Company in Raleigh and White Labs in Asheville over the weekend of Aug. 23 and 24. Certified judges from across the Southeast assessed the beers based on the 2025 GABF Beer Style Guidelines. Thirteen brewers from Charlotte won awards. Seaboard Brewing in Matthews and Americana Beer Company in Monroe also took home awards. Here are local brewers that won awards: • Americana Beer Company's New Slang Raspberry Saison won bronze for category 17 Saison. • Divine Barrel Brewing's Largesse won silver for category 14 European Sour Ale. • Divine Barrel Brewing's Songs To Fill The Air won honorable mention for category 17 Saison. • Divine Barrel Brewing's Time Is Only Part Of The Equation won gold for category 33 Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer.
• Gilde Brewery's Broyhan's Bock won gold for category 15 European Wheat (and Related) Beer. • HopFly Brewing Company's Beach Beer won gold for category 07 Session IPA. • Lenny Boy Brewing Co.'s Raspberry Kaleidoscope won gold for category 32 Brett, Mixed Culture & Wild Ales. • Lenny Boy Brewing Co.'s Uno Mas won gold for category 25 North American-Style Lager. • Lower Left Brewing Company's Heat Seeking Pickle won gold for category 31 Field & Spiced Beers. • Lower Left Brewing Company's Ultimo Hombre won honorable mention for category 29 Fruit Beer. • NoDa Brewing Co.'s Big SLURP won bronze for category 29 Fruit Beer. • Petty Thieves Brewing Co.'s All is not lost won silver for category 17 Saison. • Petty Thieves Brewing Co.'s Mindweaver won bronze for category 09 American-Style IPA. • Pilot Brewing Company's Hazy Skies Hefeweizen won bronze for category 15 European Wheat (and Related) Beer. • Resident Culture Brewing's BBA Twice as Lonely with Macadamia & Vanilla won silver for 33 Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer.
• Resident Culture Brewing's Festbier won gold for category 20 Amber & Other Pale European Lager. • Seaboard Brewing's Astrotrain v.6 won honorable mention for category 11 Juicy or Hazy IPA. • Seaboard Brewing's Juice Train won bronze for category 10 Juicy/Hazy Pale Ale. • Seaboard Brewing's Seaboard Oktoberfest won gold for category 27 North American-Style Amber & Dark Lager. • Seaboard Brewing's Zuganator won gold for category 22 German-Style Bock. • Town Brewing Company's Imperial Stout won bronze for category 05 Stouts. • Town Brewing Company's Spratt's Lager won honorable mention for category 36 NC Home-Grown. • Triple C Brewing Company's Schwarzbier won gold for category 21 Dark European Lager. • Trolley Barn Fermentory's Flashbacks won honorable mention for category 34 Specialty Beer. • Trolley Barn Fermentory’s Iron Horse won silver for category 01 British Pale & Bitter Ale. • Vaulted Oak Brewing's Rules of Acquisition won bronze for category 12 American-Style Sour Ale.
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TD's expansion of its corporate presence represents the growing number of employees living and working in the greater Charlotte area and the bank's commitment to operations in the Southeast. Touted as “America's Most Convenient Bank,” TD Bank has 1,100 locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. The lease comprises three floors in the Harris Building at 13024 Ballantyne Corporate Place plus an additional suite on the ground floor. These areas will provide working and meeting space for up to 540 employees as well as high-end space to meet with clients. Additional features of TD's new office space will include a grab-and-go café, wellness areas, lactation rooms, sitstand workstations and a hospitality suite. “Charlotte continues to grow in population and top talent, and our TD employee base in the region also has expanded in recent years,” said Chris Ward, regional president of the MidSouth Metro and head of U.S. Small Business Banking for TD Bank. “The Queen City is a vibrant area for our colleagues to live, work and play. We’re excited to continue deepening our relationships and ties within the area while welcoming new colleagues and talent to Charlotte.” TD's new space in the Harris Building more than triples capacity both in rentable square feet and employee seats. The bank's current offices in the Irby Building seat 111 employees within 18,514 square feet. “We’re excited to support TD's continued growth and success at Ballantyne,” said John Barton, president of Northwood Office. “Their expansion speaks to the energy and opportunities here and reinforces the value this community provides.” TD employees will move from the Irby Building to the Harris Building starting in July 2026. In addition to the class A office space, TD Bank has five stores in Charlotte, four of which are TD's community store formats that includes dedicated space for local nonprofits to host workshops and meetings with the bank.