Homelessness in Charlotte dropped by 9% last year and by 36% over the past five years. Unfortunately, the number of homeless people living in ‘places unfit for human habitation,’ such as cars and under bridges, has increased by 4% and the number of family members living in emergency shelters also increased.

On Tuesday, April 26th, CMS voted to hire a consulting firm to investigate the schools’ socioeconomic diversity. The decision is highly controversial, with some worried about the negative effects of school segregation and others more concerned with a potential reassignment’s undermining of successful schools.

On April 26th, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education agreed to request an $805 million bond referendum. If awarded, the bond would fund 29 CMS projects, including ten new schools, fourteen renovations, and an administrative facility. Superintendent Ann Clark released a statement, saying, “As our school district continues to grow, so do our needs. These projects will help relieve overcrowding, reduce the number of mobile classrooms and bring much-needed renovation and improvement to some of our older schools."

Charlotte’s unemployment rate fell from 5.3% in February to 5.1% in March—an increase of 13,300 jobs—according to North Carolina’s Commerce Department. This time last years, unemployment was at 5.4%.

On Monday, April 25th, thousands of LGBT activists arrived at the North Carolina legislature in an official protest during which fifty members were arrested after refusing to exit the building. On the same day, Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas cancelled shows in Charlotte, citing the recent law as an affront to their values.