Staff Writer
Jack Beckett is the editor of Fourth Ward Charlotte. Direct, reportorial, dry wit; short sentences; primary sources; doesn't bury the lede. A Mercury Local cross-publication byline, also writing for The Charlotte Mercury, The Farmington Mercury, and Strolling Ballantyne.
The Liddell-McNinch House has been a Charlotte landmark since 1976. On Sept. 28, City Council voted to extend the designation to the whole property, opening a property tax deferral the owners told…
Jack Beckett·Sep 29, 2026
Council took no vote on the youth curfew. The transcript also records a Sept. 28 hearing for the Liddell-McNinch House, which Charlotte designated historic property 50 years ago.
Jack Beckett·Aug 11, 2026
Charlotte FC plays down the street Tuesday. The Knights are away, and two NASCAR drivers won at Iowa. Here is the Fourth Ward version of what matters.
Jack Beckett·Aug 11, 2026
The regional board that killed the I-77 South toll lanes will vote again on September 23, under a state budget that told opposing governments to revive the project or repay $64 million.
Jack Beckett·Jul 16, 2026
The new regional authority that will run Charlotte's buses and trains cleared its last state requirement on June 24, and the rail lines and the long-promised Gateway hub sit at Fourth Ward's doorstep.
Jack Beckett·Jun 29, 2026
A Raleigh bill would charge the Charlotte-area governments that killed the I-77 South toll lanes an estimated $60 million, and the corridor at the center of it begins at uptown's edge, where earlier…
Jack Beckett·Jun 17, 2026
The I-77 South toll lanes are dead after CRTPO withdrew support on May 20. For Fourth Ward, at the Uptown end of the corridor, here is what the vote did and what comes next.
Jack Beckett·May 23, 2026
Six takeaways from a heavy week at city hall: Stage 2 water restrictions, a unanimous data-center moratorium, a $4.5 billion budget hearing, the NC state-budget framework, the CMS budget reversal…
Jack Beckett·May 16, 2026
Charlotte City Council passed a non-binding resolution on I-77 South Monday night, then voted 6 to 5 to rescind its support for the toll-lane partnership.
Jack Beckett·May 13, 2026
Charlotte Water's mandatory Stage 2 restrictions take effect Friday, May 15. For Fourth Ward, the biggest direct impacts hit power washing, decorative water features, and the neighborhood's…
Jack Beckett·May 10, 2026
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles will resign June 30. Fourth Ward sits in District 2, and Council Member Malcolm Graham, the council's Budget Committee chair, is on record this week about how the appointment…
Jack Beckett·May 8, 2026
Atrium and WakeMed announced a strategic combination Friday that would put Atrium in corporate control of Raleigh's hospital network. The story is statewide. The implications reach uptown.
Jack Beckett·May 1, 2026
Quick read for Fourth Ward residents: CMS denied Hill's $2.1B budget 8-1; Hill asked four times for direction at the dais, Sneed declined and adjourned. Revised budget due May 12.
Jack Beckett·Apr 29, 2026
Charlotte City Council deadlocked 5-5 Monday night on a public hearing for a data center moratorium. Mayor Lyles broke the tie no.
Jack Beckett·Apr 28, 2026
Charlotte FC lost at Orlando and at Nashville to drop to fifth in the East. The home stand resumes May 9 with FC Cincinnati at Bank of America Stadium, a walkable match for Fourth Ward.
Jack Beckett·Apr 26, 2026
Charlotte Water's voluntary restrictions and the citywide burn ban both took effect this week. In Fourth Ward, the practical effect runs through HOAs and condo boards as much as individual units…
Jack Beckett·Apr 26, 2026
State Rep. Carla Cunningham re-registered Unaffiliated on Friday after losing her March primary by nearly 48 points. HD-106 is north of uptown — Fourth Ward sits in HD-100 — but the property-tax…
Jack Beckett·Apr 25, 2026
