Friday, August 7, 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. More bad news for Tar Heel football. More than a minute. But first, it is Friday, August 7, 2026. More rain today, high of 88, low of 70. I'm Brian Baldeshevitz. Federal debate over hemp is now colliding with decisions in Raleigh. North Carolina lawmakers recently delayed their own vote on tightening hemp regulations, and that pause comes as the White House is pushing Congress to postpone a nationwide ban on hemp-derived THC products. The shift has raised conflict of interest questions in Washington because White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has close family ties to the hemp industry. Her son-in-law, Brett Warley, is CEO of MC Nutraceuticals. a major producer of hemp-derived intoxicating products. The White House was formally in favor of the ban. Now they may be backtracking. His company has urged allies to lobby Congress for a delay in the federal ban. The proposed federal postponement would push enforcement from November 12 to December 11th. North Carolina Republican Senator Ted Bud is fighting the delay, calling it ridiculous, saying the ban should take effect as scheduled. The FCC has voted two to one to eliminate the long-standing rule that prevents any single TV company from reaching more than 39% of U.S. households, a move that could accelerate major broadcast mergers. Chair Brendan Carr argues the cap is outdated and that broadcasters need more scale to compete with streaming giants, while Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez warns the change will fuel consolidation and weaken local news. Next Star already owned stations across North Carolina, including Fox affiliate WJZY and My Network affiliate WMYT here in Charlotte. They recently received FCC approval via a waiver for a massive acquisition of Tegna that would expand its reach to 80% of U.S. households if court challenges are resolved. Tegna currently owns WCNC in Charlotte. WFAE reports North Carolina's latest youth risk behavior survey shows high school students are reporting sharp declines in substance use, reaching the lowest levels in nearly 20 years. Alcohol use has dropped from 42% in 2005 to 16%, and marijuana and prescription misuse are also at two-decade lows. Vap use fell as well, down from 21% in 2023 to just 13%. Mental health concerns remain, but they're improving. About 30% of students say they feel sad or hopeless, down from a pandemic-era peak of 43% in 2021, and the share who seriously considered suicide is now at a 20-year low, though still at about 1 in every 10 students. State officials say the results are encouraging, but warn there's still a lot of heartbreak, especially for low-performing and LGBT-plus students who report feeling less safe and less connected at school. Charlotte leaders are weighing whether the city should require air conditioning in all residential units after a summer of triple-digit heat. The Charlotte Ledger reports at this week's Housing Committee meeting the city's code enforcement manager said state building code requires heat, but not cooling. And adding an AC mandate could be costly, especially for older homes, with expenses likely passed on to tenants. The city's HVAC pilot program launched last summer to help landlords install permanent AC has received no qualifying applications.

Census data analyzed by the ledger shows 0.8% of Mecklenburg households lacked air conditioning in 2023. Charlotte officials say they need more information before they make a decision. The issue will return to the committee as early as next month. Beck in June, Miss Charlotte USA Maya Hadley was runner-up in the Miss North Carolina USA pageant. Today, she wears the crown. The original Miss North Carolina USA winner, Jasmine Smith, has been stripped of her title. Pageant officials say Smith was dethroned for violating her contract, but they didn't specify which rule she broke. All they said was the Miss USA organization, quote, does not tolerate racism, homophobia, transphobia, nor language that strips any person of their dignity, unquote. Whatever she did, it doesn't sound good. Maya Hadley is from Charlotte. She'll represent North Carolina at the 75th annual Miss USA pageant in Miami on August 27th. The Panthers marked the unofficial start of the football season 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.

The Carolina Panthers kicked off the unofficial start of the NFL season Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. No starters played for either team, and many of the players in uniform in the fourth quarter won't be on the roster when the season starts. But if it matters, the Panthers won. The Carolina Panthers legend, Luke Kikley, will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday in Ohio. His enshrinement is part of the Hall of Fame's annual ceremony at Tom Guy Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, where each inductee delivers remarks after being formally introduced. Kikley will be inducted by former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, who coached him through most of his professional career. You can watch the ceremony live on ESPN and the NFL network with coverage beginning Saturday afternoon. More bad news for the North Carolina Tar Heel football program in what has been a rough preseason. UNC assistant coach Steve Belichick, the son of head coach Bill Belichick, is taking a medical leave of absence, the school announced on Thursday. The university did not disclose the nature of his condition or how long he'll be away. He joined the Tar Heel program earlier this year as linebackers coach after more than a decade with the New England Patriots. UNC says his coaching duties will be handled internally while he's out and that Belichick's leave is effective immediately. The Tower Hills open up their season against TCU at Aviva Stadium in Ireland on August 29th. That's a wrap for this week. Have a safe weekend. We'll see a Monday with an all-new CLT-First. CLT-Firsts 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.

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