[“3 things happening in NC” is Cardinal & Pine’s weekly guide to the storylines, events, and happenings this week.]
We’ll get to the new mayor search in Charlotte, and Juneteenth in North Carolina below, but first:
I had hoped to lead off my weekly 3 Things Happening column with plans for the passage of a state budget this week. After all, our state is now approaching a full year without one and it’s starting to get more than a little embarrassing to be the only state in the US without an operating budget.
While Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger initially forecasted that a budget bill could be finalized this week, by Tuesday of last week he was already walking that back, stating that he was “not as optimistic about that as I was,” according to NC Newsline.
Berger met with NC House leader Destin Hall to discuss things on Wednesday, but whatever things they discussed, it doesn’t sound like they came much closer to putting an actual budget on the table.
“We did not get into the details on any particular issues,” Berger said, according to WRAL. “We talked about a lot of things. Talked about the [Carolina] Hurricanes, talked about the weather, had conversations about [Hall’s] newborn child, my grandchildren. Nice conversation.”
It’s clear to see why he’s not as optimistic as he was, the question now is how he ever came to believe this week would be the week for a budget. In the meantime, let’s take a look at what we do believe is going to happen around the state this week.
More than 100 people applied to be the new mayor of Charlotte. What’s next?
On Monday afternoon, Charlotte City Council will get its first chance to hear from the dozens of candidates who have applied to replace Mayor Vi Lyles at the end of the month.
Council is tasked with selecting a replacement for Lyles, who announced on May 7 that she would step down from her role on June 30 to spend more time with her grandchildren.
Lyles was re-elected to a fifth term in November 2025 and her replacement will serve nearly three quarters of a full mayoral term, ending in December 2027.
The city of Charlotte opened up the application process for Lyles’ replacement on June 2. Of more than 100 who applied before the June 9 deadline, 69 have been deemed eligible by fitting all of the criteria — someone who is at least 21 years old, a registered voter in Mecklenburg County, lives in Charlotte, is a registered Democrat, and is qualified to vote in Charlotte City Council elections.
Former mayor Jennifer Roberts was the first to publicly announce her campaign to serve as interim mayor shortly after Lyles’ announcement in May.
With a number of current council members expected to run in 2027, current Mayor Pro Tem James “Smuggie” Mitchell is the only council member to apply for the interim position. Mitchell has committed not to run next year, as most council members have stated their preference to select someone who has no plans to run for re-election.
Other candidates include former Charlotte City Council member and Mecklenburg County commissioner Harold Cogdell; NC Sen. Caleb Theodros, former chair of the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg; community leader Carrie Cook, who has worked for the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance; and political strategist Mike Evans, who worked on Lyle’s mayoral campaign and served as chair of the Charlotte Regional Visitors’ Authority.
It’s unclear how many of the 69 eligible applicants will speak during Monday’s public forum, which begins at 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on the city’s YouTube page. Each participating candidate will get two minutes to explain to council why they would be a good fit for the job.
Council is scheduled to vote on an appointment on June 22. A candidate will need to receive a majority vote of at least six council members to get the job.
As NC medical examiners walk out, there’s a bill to double their pay
Approximately 150 medical examiners from around North Carolina will begin a coordinated, indefinite vacation on Monday to call for better pay, having not seen an increase in wages in more than a decade, as reported by The Asheville Watchdog.
Participants say their important work, critical to crime investigations and other post-mortem processes, has gone unrecognized and not properly compensated.
Medical examiners are called on to investigate the cause and manner of deaths when those aren’t immediately confirmable, responding to around 13-15% of the state’s deaths in a given year. The number of medical examiners has plummeted in recent years, with North Carolina losing about half of the workforce since 2023 due to low pay.
Senate Bill 847, known as Tyler’s Law, includes a provision that would double a medical examiner’s pay from $200 per case to $400, though its future is uncertain as it is part of a larger bill that includes a number of other changes to crime and death investigations in North Carolina. The bill has languished in committee since April.
Meanwhile, the coordinated vacation that starts today will put more strain on an already overburdened system, with ripple effects impacting countless individuals dealing with the loss of a family member or loved one.
“Delays in this work make a significant difference to families dealing with the death of a loved one, as well as to our health and criminal justice systems,” a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner acknowledged earlier this month.
Fayetteville’s Juneteenth Jamboree one of many celebrations and observations across the state
Established in 2021, Juneteenth is the country’s newest federal holiday, serving as a time to reflect on the end of enslavement in the United States while highlighting the profound contributions of Black Americans to our country’s arts, culture and history.
Here’s how one eastern NC city is celebrating Juneteenth.
Scheduled for 5-11 p.m. in downtown Fayetteville this Friday, the 5th annual Juneteenth Jubilee will feature performances from alt-country artist Misha Fair and soul singer KIRBY as well as food trucks, vendors, artists and artisans, games and other family-friendly entertainment.
“The opportunity to gather our community in unity and love and amplify the positive contributions and indefatigable joy of the Black community in our history and today is deeply meaningful and resonant,” said Ashanti Bennett, president and CEO of the city’s Cool Spring Downtown District.
There are dozens of other Juneteenth celebrations scheduled across the state, including the Wilmington Star News’ list of events in southeastern NC and this guide to Charlotte Juneteenth happenings in Charlotte that I compiled for Queen City Nerve.
