Monday, August 3, 2026

This is a podcast produced by actual humans from the Queen City Podcast Network. From the Queen City Podcast Network, this is CLT First, Charlotte's first daily news podcast. July rains bring improvement to the state's drought conditions. More on that in a moment, but first, it is Monday, August 3rd, 26. Rain in the forecast all week, high 87 today, low 72. I'm Brian Baltashevitz. North Carolina's drought picture is improving, but official state the state isn't out of the woods yet. A wetter than normal July and heavy rains over the past week have eased conditions across central and northeastern counties in the state. The Charlotte region has now shifted into moderate drought, though parts of eastern Stanley and Union counties remain in severe drought. In spite of the rainfall, reservoirs are still below normal levels after nearly a year of drought pushed water supplies to record lows. Stream flows are close to normal again, but groundwater levels will take longer to recover. State officials continue urging residents to conserve water as the summer heat rolls on. Charlotte's mandatory water restrictions remain fully in effect under stage two of the Kataba watery low inflow protocol, and nothing has been lifted yet. More than 99% of North Carolina roads damaged by Hurricane Helene have now reopened, according to the NC Department of Transportation. WFA reports that out of more than 1,000 closure statewide, only nine roads remain shut down, mostly in the mountains where crews are still repairing landslides and washed out pavement. NCDOT says the progress comes after months of round-the-clock work following Helene's destruction. While most major routes are back in service, officials warn that some repairs are temporary. and full reconstruction will continue into next year. Drivers can check current closures on the state's drive nc.gov site. Matheson Avenue is now closed in both directions through late 2026 as the city begins major work on the Matheson Avenue Streetscape Project. According to the city of Charlotte, the shutdown affects the stretch between Chick-Godly Road and Jim Jordan Place, where crews are rehabilitating the bridge, upgrading sidewalks, and bicycle facilities. improving stormwater drainage, and installing new pavement markings and traffic signals. A sign to detour is in place, routing drivers along the plaza, East 36th Street, North Davidson Street, and Jim Jordan Place. Pedestrian and bicycle access on the north side of the bridge will remain open throughout the construction. The city says work will improve safety and connectivity to North Triand Street, the Lynx Blue Line, the Cross Charlotte Trail, and Noda, with the roadway expected to reopen late next year. From its origins as a timber company to where it stands today, Crescent Communities has come a long way, now offering planned residential communities with some developments along the Kataba River Basin.

Andrew Baysden from Crescent Communities and the River District joins host John Searby on the Daniel Stoke Conservancy's Queen City Green podcast. And they talk about how the project's got their start and just how the project is ecologically different from other planned communities. Crescent was formed due to Duke Energy effectively creating the Cataba River Basin for... Power. Yeah. They bought tons of land along the river because they knew they were going to be creating multiple reservoirs. Yep. To create hydroelectric energy. Yep. So they had all this land that was only only bought to build lakes and they didn't really need it after that. That's right. And here and and thus Lake Norman is finished. It's the last lake. Now crescents formed. Yeah. And I think what happened. was, you know, to your point, it started as a timber group. And so they literally, it was crescent land and timber. And they literally had a whole staff of people that just managed that 200 plus thousand acres of land. And then what I think they figured out in the 70s, maybe 80s was like, wow, we've created all this waterfront destination real estate. You know, maybe that would be a great, you know, subsidiary company to help monetize things. And so that's really Crescent after the timber days really started as a master plan community for Lakefront Living. Queen City Green is a member of the Queen City Podcast Network and can be found at Apple Podcasts and Spotify and everywhere your favorite podcasts are found because, say it with me, local stories matter. It's game week for the Carolina Panthers. Next. Where do you turn to stay in touch with the city around you? Broadcast news isn't what it used to be. Commercial radio doesn't scratch that itch. If only there was one place you could get it all. When you want, wherever you want, on your schedule, there is the Queen City Podcast Network. Listen to your city on your schedule at queencity podcastnetwork.com. And everywhere you get your podcasts.

CLT First is produced by the Queen City Podcast Network at the QCPN Studios in Uptown Charlotte. Got a story idea or something you want to talk about? Email us at hello at queencity podcastnetwork.com.