The N.C. Department of Transportation unveiled "feasible" plans to reconnect Charlotte's West End across I-77 to the rest of the city, including a highway cap and new green spaces.

Why it matters: The agency is effectively using those long-sought reconnection projects as a bargaining chip to preserve support for widening the same highway that divided the historically Black neighborhoods decades ago.

State of play: NCDOT is aggressively defending the I-77 project as some city council members signal they're ready to formally reconsider their support for it.

• The department held a briefing with reporters yesterday to address what it called "sensationalism" and "narratives" around the project, emphasizing the corridor's high crash rate and congestion.

Between the lines: NCDOT has not confirmed funding for the reconnection projects. However, NCDOT says bundling them into the express lanes project could allow the agency to complete the side projects "faster and more efficiently."

Zoom in: NCDOT is studying six areas where it could reconnect the west side along the I-77 corridor. At a council committee meeting on Monday, it shared two examples:

• Widen the Oaklawn Bridge 100 feet with bike and walking paths, plant trees and build greenway connections underneath.
• At Fifth and Trade streets, near Ray's Splash Planet, NCDOT has envisioned a lid over I-77 general-purpose lanes, with recreational fields on top and the elevated toll lanes above.

📸 See renderings

💼 See who's hiring around the city.

1. Life Sciences Lab Technician (part-time) at Charlotte Country Day School
2. Audio Visual Coordinator at Sardis Presbyterian Church
3. Social Media & Marketing Manager at Monkee's of Charlotte
4. Lower and Middle School Teacher at Palisades Epsicopal School

Want more opportunities? Check out our Job Board.

Hiring?Post a job.

The Truist Championship is underway at Quail Hollow Club.

Why it matters: Cue "Public Service Announcement" by Jay-Z, because Charlotte's annual PGA Tour event has a new name and look with Truist at the helm. The Charlotte-based bank replaced Wells Fargo as the title sponsor in August 2024.

What to expect: The tournament runs through Sunday, featuring golf titans like Rory McIlroy, local business pop-ups, and fancy fan zones.

• Check out the South End fan zone for local perfume and a manicure.
• Test your golf swing at The Park, which has a virtual golf game.
• Lounge in front of a massive video board at the Green Mile Courtyard between holes 16 and 18.

Dig in: Fuel up on local food and beverages, including.

• 🍦 Two Scoops Creamery (they created a special ice cream flavor for the tournament called Purple Parfection).
• ☕️ Night Swim Coffee
• 🥟 Sabor
• 🍕 Inizio
• 🍔 Cowfish
• 🍖 Noble Smoke

Full guide

We've rounded up more than 30 of this city's best apartments from luxury high-rises to gated communities.

Why it matters: Charlotte has been in the midst of one of the greatest apartment expansions in the country, and there are plenty of places to choose from.

Here are a few options for you to consider in your apartment hunt:

• Maddox in South End
• Artizia in Lower South End
• The Vue in Uptown
• Village at Commonwealth in Plaza Midwood
• Mercury in NoDa
• The Encore in SouthPark

Go deeper: Our apartment guide

🎹 The Mint Museum is launching a Steinway Residency Series at its Uptown location. The free monthly live performance will feature pianists from the region beginning on May 20. (Mint Museum)

🖼️ "Beyond Boundaries: Black Abstraction in the Elliot and Kimberly Perry Art Collection" opens this Friday, May 8, at 6pm at the Harvey B. Gantt Center. (Gantt)

⛳️ Tee times for the first and second rounds of the Truist Championship will be adjusted to approximately 11am – 1pm due to weather. (PGA Tour)

🍝 Italo, a new Italian restaurant from the team behind Aria, will open in Uptown on May 19, serving handmade pastas, classic Italian dishes and wines by the glass in the former Cicchetti space, per a release.

🏆 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools honored its top educators at the annual Gem Awards, naming Clarice Surles (Berryhill School) Teacher Assistant of the Year, Reese Finnie (Bruns Avenue Elementary School) Beginning Teacher of the Year, and Rebeckah Hauss (Metro School) Teacher of the Year.

🍷 Dilworth wine bar Emmy Lou's is launching a monthly wine club with curated three-bottle ($60) and six-bottle ($110) subscriptions, themed selections, and home delivery across Charlotte starting June 15.

🍽️ The Goodyear House and soon-to-open Uptown steakhouse Guard and Grace are teaming up for a June 3 "Carolina Luau" dinner in NoDa, blending Carolina and Hawaiian flavors in a four-course family-style feast. Tickets are $85 per person.

News you can use from our partners.

• Mom deserves a little pampering. Criswell & Criswell's Mother's Day packages include options like hydrating facials, LED therapy, tox and laser treatments. Plus, gift cards come with a 10% bonus this month. Go ahead — treat her. 💝

There's still time to pull together last-minute Mother's Day plans with this weekend's event list — and maybe squeeze in a little fun for yourself, too.

⛳️ Friday: Attend the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

🧀 Saturday: Eat your way through the Charlotte Grilled Cheese Festival.

🍳 Sunday: Treat your mom to a Mother's Day brunch at The Ballantyne Hotel.

Full weekender

Dyad Coffee recently opened inside PostScript in Plaza Shamrock.

Catch up quick: The mobile coffee business launched in 2021 and has spent the last several years hosting pop-ups around Charlotte. PostScript recently opened in the former Letty's space.

What to expect: A full lineup of espresso drinks — Americanos, cortados, cappuccinos, and lattes — plus a slew of specialty drinks.

• Standouts include a lemon loaf latte, wellness lattes with vanilla charcoal or beetroot, and the cherry lemon "Spro Drop," which mixes espresso with Cherry Lemon Sundrop.

If you go: Dyad shares the bar with PostScript at 2121 Shamrock Dr.

• Coffee service runs Tuesday-Friday 7am-2pm and Saturday 8am-2pm.
• PostScript serves dinner Tuesday-Saturday from 5-10pm.