Caitlin McGlade

Garry McFadden’s key to 2026 primary victory? Voters in Charlotte’s ‘crescent’ The Charlotte Observer analyzed precinct-level data and produced a map showing how every one of Charlotte’s precincts voted.

McFadden defeated his opponents in the Democratic primary with 33.8% of the vote, leading Ricky Robbins by about 2.8 percentage points. Check out my analysis detailing where his support came from.

Wrongful death lawsuits stacked up. But a Charlotte-area surgeon kept operating. Former patients and their loved ones say North Carolina doctor with a string of malpractice settlements should face more accountability.

This is outrageous. A must-read Investigation by @amb-balam.bsky.social for @charlotteobserver.com. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...

Where do most violent crimes occur on CATS transit? The answer may surprise you. A fatal attack and a second stabbing in 2025 steered much attention to safety on light rail transport. But the serious crimes happen more frequently elsewhere.

While much of the public outcry has focused on risks aboard Charlotte's light rail, serious assaults are much more likely to occur on buses than on trains, according to my analysis. Read all about it @charlotteobserver.com: www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...

Thank you for reading! And yes! It’s such important context to remind people that crime on public transit is rare.

New, key things to know about crime risks on CATS transit in Charlotte Including raw numbers and comparing crime rates on Charlotte Area Transit System property to elsewhere puts crime risk into sharper focus.

Everyone's been quoting the FTA about Charlotte's transit system having higher crime rates than the national average. But what does that really mean? And what's the source? I broke it down for you. @charlotteobserver.com www.charlotteobserver.com/article31463...

Screenshot of a question posted to quora: "Why do older people not like putting spaces in file names when saving documents?"

Just put me on a flaming raft and push it out to sea.

Happy Anniversary to those who celebrate cat attorneys.

Two years ago someone left her pregnant and tied to a tree in an empty parking lot in Phoenix in the middle of the night. We’ve had a lot of firsts together since then. Today: her first snow. What a delightfully chaotic two years it’s been ❤️

This is why I do journalism. Years ago I unearthed widespread violence at an assisted living facility run by real estate investors who boasted about making $ off seniors. Now those people have to pay up and can't run ALFs in AZ.

@azagmayes.bsky.social kept at them. www.azag.gov/press-releas...

guys minneapolis is a living hell today. they've tear-gassed so many people, tear-gassed a park, beaten people up in front of me. greg bovino is rolling around to gas stations and posing in front of them, trying to cause a riot.

Logo for The Minnesota Star Tribune

I don’t live in Minnesota, but I’m a paying subscriber to the Star Tribune.

Support local union journalism: Minnesota Star Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press, MinnPost, Duluth News-Tribune.

In one decade, 170 babies, kids and teens died in NC after fentanyl encounters Despite a slowdown in deaths since 2022, the number of North Carolina children who died with fentanyl in their system increased fourfold between 2019 and 2024, new state data shows.

Fentanyl is killing North Carolina babies and teens. Story by @amb-balam.bsky.social

DHS: It is horrific to see radical agitators bring children to their violent riots. PLEASE STOP ENDANGERING YOUR CHILDREN. ABC News • @ABC• 7h Two children, including a 6-month-old, were hospitalized last night after federal agents deployed tear gas during Wednesday night's protests, according to the Minneapolis Office of Community Safety.... 7:32 AM • 1/16/26 • 145

The 6-month-old that DHS is tweeting about here lived in the neighborhood and the baby’s father was just trying to evacuate his family after federal agents had shot someone.

Measles is spreading: Is your child’s North Carolina school vulnerable? When the number of vaccinated children drop too low in a school, the risk of infection increases there and in the wider community, experts say.

The measles is going around. Is your child's school protected? I did a ton of data cleaning and analysis to bring you answers, via @charlotteobserver.com. www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/a...

Charlotte’s data center surge — pricey, power-hungry and shrouded in secrecy Big Tech is pouring billions into Carolinas data centers to meet AI demand. But the public remains in the dark on the scope of what’s here and what’s coming.

. @cmuccigrosso.bsky.social set out to count how many data centers are in NC, how many are coming + how much power + space they'll use. Turns out the only source for that info is private. w/ neat graphics by @arbourtrary.com @charlotteobserver.com www.charlotteobserver.com/news/busines...

Stepmom Mode

bless the people at the Deportation Data Project

Fact check: NC congressman ties foreign-born residents to rise in Charlotte crime “When a city carries numbers like that, it shows up everywhere,” U.S. Rep. Pat Harrigan said on X of Charlotte’s foreign-born population.

No, murders in Charlotte's uptown are not up "200%".

www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...

DHS quietly corrects inaccurate information after Charlotte Observer report As Border Patrol arrived in Charlotte, DHS falsely said a Honduran man charged with murder was released under NC’s “sanctuary policies.”

@juliacoin.bsky.social keepin em honest

So proud of the work my newsroom has done on the Border Patrol in Charlotte. @charlotteobserver.com
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/c...

Analysis from Mary Ramsey and @caitmcglade.bsky.social for @charlotteobserver.com: The strongest support for Mecklenburg County's sales tax referendum was in NoDa, where 79.4% of voters at precinct 30 voted for the measure. South End and Uptown were also big drivers of support

FEMA has awarded only about 10% of the $20.7 million requests for Helene-related relief. And what little has been approved is going to engineering and planning support, not home buyouts.

GitHub - crmcglade/north-carolina-ice-arrests Contribute to crmcglade/north-carolina-ice-arrests development by creating an account on GitHub.

Getting a count on the number of arrests in North Carolina took some serious data surgery because 20% of the rows were null for the Apprehension State field. Check out my github repo for my methodology. I hope this helps others trying to get counts in their states!
github.com/crmcglade/no...

My first story for the @charlotteobserver.com

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

Excited to get to know this incredible state and tell your stories. I'm a long way from home but vibes here are so welcoming I already feel at home.

Also, big trees and changing leaves are really nice.

I've dug into school bus safety, school finances, public health issues (mainly in regards to vaccines), and elections. Lots of elections and voter trend stuff.

www.azcentral.com/story/news/p...

I also did quite a bit of environmental coverage, with one of my investigations on a dying desert creek inspiring former US Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to challenge the US Forest Service.

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

I moved from AZ, where I spent ~ 10 years at the Arizona Republic. My investigations prompted sweeping impact there, including the state's first-ever memory care standards, tougher assisted living oversight and the state-takeover of the most violent facility.

www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

Hello North Carolina! I just joined the @charlotteobserver.com's investigative team. I am a data reporter, which means I find and report stories on trends, systemic problems, outliers or disparities based on my own analyses. Think of me as a coder-math-nerd-journalist hybrid.

Cherokee Indians to help keep US mountain highway open during federal shutdown The tribe will contribute money and workers to maintain the popular tourist and trucking route, the tribal council voted unanimously.

The tribe will contribute money and workers to maintain the popular tourist and trucking route, the tribal council voted unanimously.