The universal Catholic Church is in the midst of a period of nine days of official mourning for Pope Francis, who died yesterday at the age of 88.

What to expect: There will be a larger mass at Saint Mark's in Huntersville tomorrow at 7pm to celebrate Pope Francis' life, Bishop Michael Martin told reporters.

By the numbers: The Diocese of Charlotte includes more than 530,000 Catholics across 46 counties in western North Carolina.

• Approximately 7% of people in the Charlotte metro area are Catholic, according to Pew Research.

What they're saying: "The beauty of the church is that we're not in this by ourselves," Bishop Martin says, encouraging people grieving to turn to the Lord and their community.

Share of residents who identify as Catholic across the U.S.

💼 Check out the fresh open positions in Charlotte.

1. Learning & Development Specialist at Krispy Kreme.
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3. Paid Search (PPC/SEM) Specialist at Atypic.

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Pope Francis' death sets in motion a meticulous process that brings faith leaders from around the world to the Vatican for a historic vote on who will lead the Roman Catholic Church.

Go deeper: What happens right after a pope dies

With a record number of new apartments opening in Charlotte, rents were expected to fall as supply briefly outpaced demand. And they did...by $1.

Why it matters: Renters expected a breather from high prices as excess supply came onto the market. But the relief was minimal.

• Demand was higher than anticipated, and asking rents have returned to their most stable level in nearly two years.

By the numbers: Charlotte's average monthly asking rent at the end of Q1 2025 was $1,644 — just $1 less than the first quarter of 2024, according to commercial real estate information company CoStar.

• Vacancies are relatively stable at around 12.8%, per CoStar's report — another reason price changes are steady.

What they're saying: "People are less likely to put their homes on the market now, which I think is keeping prices rising in the for-sale market, while rents...have leveled off in the for-rent markets," says Chuck McShane, senior director of market analytics at CoStar.

State of play: More than 17,000 new apartments opened in the Charlotte area in 2024, and roughly 4,400 new units opened in the first quarter of 2025.

Go deeper: Rent prices in the suburbs versus urban neighborhoods

🧛 Twilight In Concert is coming to Charlotte's Ovens Auditorium in November. The live-to-film experience features the original movie accompanied by a 12-piece ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians. (Tickets)

🌮 Paco's Tacos & Tequila opened its Fort Mill restaurant yesterday at Kingsley Town Center.

🏀 Duke star Cooper Flagg declared for the NBA Draft on Monday. He is considered most likely to be the No. 1 pick. (Yahoo Sports)

🪧 The pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church says about 85% of his congregation is boycotting Target, joining Black churches across the country who are protesting the store for rolling back its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. (WBTV)

💍 California-based jewelry brand, gorjana, will open a store in SouthPark Mall this Saturday, April 26.

Rows of shiny Airstreams will take over downtown York for the county's 8th annual Silver in the City Festival this weekend.

What to expect: Live music, local vendors, food from regional favorites, and of course, lots of classic Airstream trailers to tour.

If you go: The festival runs April 25-27 in downtown York, SC. It'll kick off with an opening ceremony on Friday.

What's next: York County's 2025 South Carolina Strawberry Festival will take place the following weekend (May 2-3) in Fort Mill, SC.

La Bodeguita is a new craft café and wellness studio opening inside one of Camp North End's vintage Airstreams.

What to expect: Instead of the deli meats and junk food you'd find inside a typical bodega, La Bodeguita will offer crafting experiences, like postcard collages, clay hand building and watercolor painting.

• The menu of craft activities will rotate seasonally, and each will be self-guided, according to a press release.
• There will be seats outside the airstream for more than 15 people to craft and each activity will cost between $15-$35 per person.
• La Bodeguita is for adults only; BYOB and BYO-food is encouraged.
• Set-up and clean-up will be handled by owner Michelle Fernandez, a local mental health therapist best known for her creative pop-up Limoncito Goods.

Why it matters: "Art allows us as humans to tap into the parts of us that are bursting with creation and where we can also find curative and therapeutic benefits," Fernandez said in a statement.

Stop by: La Bodeguita will open on May 3 in Camp North End's Boileryard District, near Canteen, Gravity Sourdough Pizza and Hip Hop Smoothies.

• It'll be open Fridays 7-10pm and Saturdays-Sundays from 12-8pm.
• Reservations for crafts will go live on Wednesdays for the following week.

Go deeper: Camp North End guide