Jason Cook

@wxbrad Someone’s been using NotebookLM I believe 😀

My rule of thumb: If there's a winter storm, the answer to 'Will my flight be affected?' is always YES. The specific how and when? No idea!!! That’s out of my hands. I know the weather, but I don't know crew timeouts or de-icing holdovers, their schedules, the plane type, the airline, etc.... Those are airline decisions, not weather predictions. Check with your carrier for the real-time reality. #cltwx #ncwx #scwx #wcnc

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 Now Joe, don’t go letting these pesky facts get in the way of the wonderful word salad statements from our elected leaders!!

A person who was on board the light rail during the stabbing tells me the suspect, Oscar Solarzano, was drunk, actively drinking a BeatBox and harassing people on board. An older gentleman wearing a Show Prows shirt was scrolling on his phone. The witness says Solarzano yelled at him to "stop taking pictures of him." He wasn't taking pictures. The witness says Solarzano then started yelling at someone else. People on board told him to stop and said there were kids on board. Solarzano apparently kept yelling and banging on things. The victim, Kenyon Dobie, told him to stop and leave everyone alone. The witness said Solarzano got in Dobie's face. The DA's office says Dobie felt in danger and pushed Solarzano over. The witness says when Solarzano got up, he pulled out a large knife and attacked Dobie. The witness said the scene was gruesome and Dobie faded in and out of consciousness. He said Solarzano started to panic after the stabbing and even asked someone to hold his knife. When the train came to a stop, Solarzano got off and attempted to flee. CMPD arrested him a short time later. The witness said if security was on board, it's highly unlikely this would have happened because security would have kicked him off for openly drinking and being disruptive. Solarzano was previously banned from CATS. CATS hasn't said what for. DHS says he was previously deported twice and is a citizen of Honduras wsoctv.com/news/local/sus…

@josephperson He had time to visit Carowinds on that play

The Matthew Stafford Carowinds ride continues: 2 TDs to Davante Adams, 2 INTs (one returned for a TD). And there are 13 minutes left in the 2Q. Buckle up.

@josephperson Canales is the absolute worst

Panthers go for 2 after the roughing the snapper. Don't get it. First read was covered. They trail 17-9 with 49 seconds left in 3Q.

@josephperson Would never had needed that if Canales committed to the run on earlier downs

A.J. Terrell saves a TD by getting a hand on Bryce's pass to Legette. Fitzgerald 34 FG pulls Panthers to 21-19 with 58 seconds left in 3Q.

@josephperson Clown show organization

Now it's y'all's turn. Jaguars 26, Panthers 10. Three-word reviews -- leave 'em here.

@katieperalta @axioscharlotte So you think your neighbor wants to smell that every time they open the lid for the next week? Absolutely not.

This 💩 question in yesterday's newsletter has elicited more feedback from @axioscharlotte readers than I've seen in a while. My take: As long as the bag is tied, who cares? It's waste in a city-owned trash bin; not like you're bringing it in the house. axios.com/newsletters/ax…

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 @Hunt_Saenz Can we see if she’d like to be mayor? This brave woman is dealing with something unimaginable and yet still put together a much more coherent statement than @CLTMayor

Today we heard from Decarlos Brown's mom. She spoke to @Hunt_Saenz. She is not making excuses for her son. She says "what he did was atrocious, it was horrible and it was wrong." The point of her speaking isn't to make her son out to be a victim. He's not. She says she wanted to speak about the arrest to highlight how the system failed and things got to this point. With Brown not yet appearing before a judge and police largely quiet about the details of what happened, Brown's mom provides more context on how things escalated to this point where Iryna Zarutska was randomly stabbed to death on the light rail. As I previously reported, Brown served more than 5 years on an armed robbery charge. When Brown was released from prison, Brown's mom says "he started saying weird things." She says she got Brown evaluated but his behavior became aggressive so she got an involuntary commitment order from the courts. He was placed under psychiatric monitoring for two weeks and diagnosed with schizophrenia. But after he was released she says Brown became so aggressive she had to kick him out. He became homeless. In January, Brown was arrested for misusing the 911 system. Police say he called from the hospital and claimed someone gave him "man made material" that controlled when he "ate, walked and talked." Despite his criminal past and homelessness, Magistrate Teresa Stokes allowed him to be released from jail on a written promise to appear. In court last month on this charge, his public defender questioned Brown's mental capacity. Judge Roy Wiggins ordered a forensic evaluation. Brown's mom says the court should have never let her son be out in the community knowing he had mental health issues and previous arrests. CMPD's community policing team was well acquainted with Brown. They encountered him three times in 2024 and referred him to resources each time. CMPD has still not answered my questions asking what these resources are, if he accepted any of them, if police have any recourse if they keep encountering someone who refuses help and why Brown wasn't arrested if he was accused of criminal activity.

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 @efbandy Absolute least of her transgressions but still embarrassing

@efbandy Typo by the mayor

Mayor Vi Lyles has released the following statement in response to my inquiry about the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on the light rail: First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to the young women’s family and friends. This is a tragic situation that sheds light on problems with society safety nets related to mental healthcare and the systems that should be in place. As we come to understand what happened and why, we must look at the entire situation. While I do not know the specifics of the man’s medical record, what I have come to understand is that he has long struggled with mental health and appears to have suffered a crisis. This was the unfortunate and tragic outcome. While there are questions about the safety and security of our transit system and our city, I do know there have been significant and sustained efforts to address safety and security within our transit system and across our city. Charlotte is by and large a safe city. CATS by and large is a safe transit system. However, tragic incidents like these should force us to look at what we are doing across our community to address root causes. We will never arrest our way out issues such homelessness and mental health. I am committed to doing the hard work with Mecklenburg County, community leaders, health care service providers, and the private sector to ensure that Charlotte continues to be one of the best cities in the world, with the highest quality of life for everyone. I want to be clear that I am not villainizing those who struggle with their mental health or those who are unhoused. Mental health disease is just that – a disease like any other than needs to be treated with the same compassion, diligence and commitment as cancer or heart disease. Our community must work to address the underlying issue of access to mental healthcare. Also, those who are unhoused are more frequently the victim of crimes and not the perpetrators. Too many people who are on the street need a safe place to sleep and wrap around services to lift them up. We, as a community, must do better for those members of our community who need help and have no place to go.

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 @wsoctv Were prior arrests non-violent?

CMPD has arrested 34-year-old Decarlos Brown for the stabbing death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska. Police say they the victim was on the light rail in South End @wsoctv Mugshot is from one of Brown’s prior arrests. Brown is in the hospital with non life threatening injuries sustained during the incident. He will be formally charged with murder when he is released, per CMPD

@wxbrad Too early to know timing of the rain on Saturday?

10-Day Forecast: The heat is slowly going away, and by the weekend, sweet relief and yes, even some rain, will finally arrive. #cltwx #ncwx #scwx #wcnc

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 It is mind boggling that anyone would want or be impressed by an endorsement from Roberts.

Democratic Charlotte City Council candidate Juan Diego “JD” Mazuera Arias has announced that he is being endorsed by Former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts, State Representative Jordan Lopez and State Representative Julia Greenfield. He is challenging incumbent Councilmember Marjorie Molina in District 5

@CLTdevelopment @JennaxRDH Agree but then I’m curious why be worried about challenging incumbency? If we need the best leaders regardless of party then why care about stepping on a few toes if those toes need to get walkin’? 😀

@JennaxRDH we shouldn't have have parties in city politics. It should be 100% policy only.

While I did not file to run this year for council or mayor, I am committing RIGHT NOW to a 2027 run, when I see less incumbency as an obstacle. So expect my face in way more places over the next 24 months and I hope to see you at the polls in 2027.

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 A step in the right direction but this has been an issue for years. Glad they’re finally seeing what’s been really obvious for awhile now

Thread from one of Charlotte's top influencers calling for change: Candidate filing ends Friday at noon.

@BigCorbs73 You could have left off the last two words for maximum accuracy

David Newton claims he NEEDS to be in our locker room when we’re getting out of practice/showers to know us on a personal level and share our stories… Yet after three years together he doesn’t know a thing about me.

Final BC 54 VT 36

@_andrewcarter @newsobserver Well I wouldn’t know anything about perfection. I am a Hokie, after all. I would say humility in the face of mistakes is a better goal. Anyway - here’s to another Saturday of mid basketball ✌🏼

@thesearchguy @newsobserver Sometimes it's as simple as "mistakes happen," Jason. You'll have to teach me about perfection sometime. In any case, it has been updated.

@_andrewcarter @newsobserver do you all do any fact checking or nah? How do you miss this? I get that y’all love your glorious Tobacco Road schools, but Mike Young sent the great Coach K home empty handed in his final ACC tourney game. Mental block?

@JoeBrunoWSOC9 @wsoctv It is negligent that our elected leaders threw so much money behind such an inadequate mode of transportation. But you know - we’ll just keep electing them so I guess I get it

Charlotte’s streetcar will be replaced by a bus at 8 pm due to snow @wsoctv

Charlotte has revived plans for the Rail Trail Bridge after years of delays wsoctv.com/news/local/cha…