Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton hit a few serves during the men's exhibition between Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe, along with Panthers legend Steve Smith and visiting Cleveland Cavaliers players. Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
🎾 16,194 people attended the inaugural Charlotte Invitational. (Axios)
⚽️ Charlotte will host four FIFA Club World Cup matches in June 2025. (Axios)
🏈 The Charlotte 49ers hired Tim Albin as their new head coach. (Axios)
🗳 Outgoing Gov. Roy Cooper is considering running for U.S. Senate in 2026. (WSOC)
I love public service. I want to keep helping North Carolina and our country. I haven't made that decision yet, but it's on the table.
— Cooper
💸 A Charlotte woman says she sought FEMA money to fix a small crack in her window from Helene. Instead of covering the $200 tab, she says, FEMA offered to put her and three others in a hotel for a month. (WSOC)
One option was the Marriott in SouthPark, where the average rate is nearly $200 a night.
🚉 Charlotte Area Transit System has opened a survey for feedback on its transit system plan. The plan outlines which projects a potential 1-cent sales tax would pay for. (CATS)
🎄 A Nashville Christmas tree business is finding ways to give back to Hurricane Helene victims in North Carolina. (Axios)
⛳️ Visitors spent an estimated $95.7 million at the 2024 U.S. Open, and generated around $242.5 million in economic impact for North Carolina. (BusinessNC)
It's the Tar Heels' 28th appearance in a national title game and the Demon Deacons' first-ever appearance.
🏀 Applications are open until Jan. 6 for the fourth annual Rick Bonnell Memorial Scholarship. The Charlotte Hornets Foundation will award $10,000 annually to a journalism student enrolled at a North Carolina college or university. (Hornets)
