FAQ City
79 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 83 ratings"FAQ City" is an online, broadcast and podcast series that invites the community to help shape our news coverage. Send us your question, and we may answer it on an upcoming episode. The series was previously hosted by Claire Donnelly , Nick de la Canal and Alexandra Watts.
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Episodes
FAQ City: What You Can And Can't Do Under North Carolina's Stay-At-Home Order
April 05, 2020 11:01Hard to believe that just a month ago, the Charlotte area was still gearing up for all the usual springtime events. Our kitchen calendars still had spaces blocked off for college commencement, spring break, and opening day at the ballpark. Perhaps you were planning to hit the gym or the hair salon to look good for summer.
FAQ City: Is It Coronavirus Or COVID-19? Answering Your Questions About The Pandemic
March 22, 2020 04:10The tumult caused by the coronavirus this week has many WFAE listeners writing into our newsroom with questions about the unfolding pandemic. For instance, "Why do news anchors alternate between saying coronavirus and COVID-19?" "Is there a difference between quarentine and isolation?" "What should I do if I think I have the coronavirus?"
FAQ City: What's Up With Those Mobile Police Towers?
March 10, 2020 08:03Maybe you've seen one in a parking lot at Walmart, or outside the mall during the holidays. A keen-eyed television viewer might spot them among the crowd at the Super Bowl, or in Times Square on New Year's Eve.
FAQ City: Shhhh! Where Is The Quietest Spot In Mecklenburg County?
February 25, 2020 05:07Living near the city can be loud. Really loud. Even though we can tune the noise out after a while, the constant racket can have serious effects on our health and our environment. That might be why WFAE listener Katrina Lee wrote to FAQ City asking where she might find might Mecklenburg County's quietest outdoor spot.
FAQ City: What Are All Those Black Poles Popping Up In Charlotte?
February 11, 2020 05:12A crop of new utility poles and wires is starting to appear around Charlotte. You've probably sped right by them and barely noticed. These poles are black metal, about the size of a wooden utility pole, with a strange cylinder on top. And those wires — you see them hanging from utility poles, or sticking up out of the grass along the roadside. What could all this work be?
FAQ City: Fact Or Fiction? Local Legend Says Concord, NC, Is Built Atop Ancient Volcano
January 28, 2020 09:09For years, people in Concord have heard tale that the city is built on a volcano. An ancient volcano, actually, that once spewed molten lava across the prehistoric piedmont.
FAQ City: Why Do Flights Out of Charlotte Cost So Much?
January 14, 2020 09:04When was the last time you booked a flight out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport? How much did you pay? It's great to have a busy airport, where you can get a direct flight to just about anywhere. But sometimes it can be tough on your pocketbook.
FAQ City: The Miracle Of Hickory
December 31, 2019 09:21How do you respond to tragedies? We all face them periodically over the course of our lives. Sometimes there's little we can do to remedy the situation. Other times, we're given the opportunity to fight back.
FAQ City: Why Do Sidewalks End? Examining Charlotte's Sidewalks To Nowhere
December 17, 2019 05:40 - 640 BytesIf you do a lot of walking in Charlotte, perhaps you've had this experience before: You're strolling along the side of the road, the kids are in the stroller or perhaps Fido is tugging on the leash, and suddenly, the pavement beneath your feet comes to an abrupt stop. Where did the sidewalk go?
FAQ City: How Do I-77 Express Toll Lanes Work And Who Has To Pay?
November 19, 2019 06:20The Interstate 77 Express Lanes have been under construction for four years north of Charlotte. The toll lanes are now open on all 26 miles between Interstate 277 and Exit 36 in Mooresville, and drivers have all kinds of questions about how they work.
FAQ City: Where Can You Find Pastries From 'The Great British Baking Show' In Charlotte?
November 05, 2019 10:04Editor's note: A version of this story was originally published in April 2019. So you've finally binged all of "The Great British Baking Show" on Netflix, and now you're left wondering how to get some of those scrumptious-looking baked goods. But what bakery in Charlotte carries hazelnut dacquoise or kouign-amann?
FAQ City: Is Queens University Really Haunted?
October 23, 2019 15:46Editor's note: A version of this story was originally published in October 2018. Not long ago, two of our listeners wrote in wondering about paranormal hotspots in the Charlotte area. Does Charlotte have local ghosts? Is the city haunted by the supernatural? According to some students and longtime faculty at Queens University, the answer might be yes.
FAQ City: The Weird And Smelly History Behind Charlotte's 'Poo Tracks'
October 08, 2019 09:00Editor's note: A version of this story was originally published in December, 2018. WFAE listener Chappy Garner has been mountain biking for about five years, and one of his favorite spots in Charlotte is the Backyard Trails — a 12-mile network of twisty, turvey paths winding through 140 acres of woods in south Charlotte.
FAQ City: There's Gold Under That There Skyline!
September 24, 2019 12:47Editor's note: A version of this story was originally published in March 2019. Many Charlotte residents have long heard tales of abandoned gold mines left buried beneath uptown. Aaron Hopping, a WFAE listener, wanted to know more. Like, where are they? What happened to them? And are any still accessible?
FAQ City: Why Do CMS High Schools Start So Early?
September 10, 2019 05:00Waking up is hard. Even harder when you're a teenager who has to be at the bus stop at 6 a.m. One WFAE listener, Jennifer Morell, wrote in to " FAQ City " wondering why our high schools start so early in the morning, and if our kids might be better served if we pushed back the opening bell.
FAQ City: How Many Charlotteans Are Native?
August 27, 2019 11:50Native Charlotteans are sometimes described as unicorns — so rare they also seem mystical. Transplants, on the other hand, seem far more common, and one WFAE listener says it feels like their numbers have grown considerably in the last decade.
FAQ City: The Story Of Charlotte's Earle Village
August 13, 2019 10:14Editor's note: A version of this story was originally published in October 2018. Few Charlotteans may remember Earle Village, the public housing community built in First Ward just outside uptown. It was a bustling community that stretched from Sixth Street to 10th Street, roughly bordered by Myers Street and Caldwell Street. It was the place where 400 of the city's poorest families resided — until the village was condemned to demolition in the 1990s.
FAQ City: What's At The Top Of The Bank Of America Tower?
July 30, 2019 05:15The 60th floor of the Bank of America Corporate Center is a mysterious, mythical place. At nearly 776 feet above the ground, it's one of the highest spots a person can visit in Charlotte. It's situated higher than the top of the Space Needle and the Washington Mounument, and it presumably offers unparralleled views of not just the city, but the entire region. And it's strictly closed off to the public.
FAQ City: What Lies Beneath Lake Norman?
July 23, 2019 18:43Editor's note: This story was originally published in December 2018. Mooresville resident Lauren Sullivan has a boat she takes out on Lake Norman from time to time. She and her husband will cruise across the water, sometimes towing a wakeboard from behind. Like most people, she knew the lake was man-made, and that got her wondering: what might have been swallowed up by all the water, and what happened to the people who once called the area home?
FAQ City: How To Get A Poorly-Timed Traffic Light Fixed
June 18, 2019 08:29We all know the feeling. You're in a rush on your way to work or to drop the kids off, and you end up hitting back-to-back-to-back red lights. Your blood pressure kicks up, your body tenses, and your brain screams LET'S GO! Turn green already!
FAQ City: Why Are There Seagulls In Charlotte?
June 04, 2019 09:22It's summer, and lots of us are headed to the beach to play in the sand and see the marine wildlife. But some of our listeners say they've seen coastal creatures right here at home.
FAQ City: What Happened To Charlotte's Cankerworms?
May 21, 2019 04:05Editor's note: A version of this story was originally published in June 2018. Does it seem like something's missing around Charlotte? Something small, green, or brown? Listener Hope Nicholls thinks so. She wrote in to FAQ City wondering about what seemed to be a total absence of cankerworms this spring.
FAQ City: Just Who Are Those Cell Tower Trees Fooling?
April 23, 2019 04:00There's something awfully suspicious about that pine tree off the side of Interstate 485. You know, the one with the perfectly smooth trunk and the oddly sparse branches. Seems strange that it would grow so much taller than the other trees. Oh, and the giant panels on the top are interesting. Perhaps they're a type of fruit?
FAQ City: Where In Charlotte Can You Find Pastries From The Great British Baking Show?
April 10, 2019 04:01So you've finally binged all of "The Great British Baking Show" on Netflix and now you're left wondering how to get some of those scrumptious-looking baked goods. But what bakery in Charlotte carries hazelnut dacquoise or kouign-amann?
FAQ City: Are There Really Old Gold Mines Beneath Charlotte?
March 26, 2019 04:00Many Charlotte residents have long heard tales of abandoned gold mines left buried beneath uptown Charlotte. Aaron Hopping, a WFAE listener, wanted to know more. Like, where are they? What happened to them? And are any still accessible?
FAQ City: How Did Charlotte Become A Major Banking City?
March 12, 2019 04:05A version of this story was originally published on May 8, 2018. Orlando has tourism, Nashville has music — it seems like Charlotte has always been defined by its banks. But have you ever wondered why?
FAQ City: What Happened To Google Fiber?
February 26, 2019 05:00Google Fiber's internet speed may be lightning fast, but its rollout has been painfully slow around the United States, including in Charlotte – where the company has requested no new construction permits so far in 2019.
FAQ City: Why Don't Some Major Charlotte Roads Have Streetlights?
February 12, 2019 05:00A version of this story was originally published Feb. 13, 2018. Imagine two roads in Charlotte — one in the north, one in the south. Both have four lanes and plenty of rush hour traffic, but one has streetlights while the other doesn't. Seem weird?
FAQ City: Understanding The 9th Congressional District Race
January 29, 2019 05:00Twelve weeks after the 2018 election, residents of North Carolina's 9th Congressional District still don't know who officially won their race for Congress.