Ely Portillo

Stories by Ely Portillo

What’s next for uptown once the pandemic fades?

A few minutes after noon on a recent Friday, a single customer waited for lunch at the Halal food cart parked on the sidewalk at Trade and Tryon streets.



Exploring the racial wealth gap and housing

Charlotte’s notorious “50-out-of-50” ranking for economic mobility has many roots, ranging from systemic discrimination to gaps in education, health and jobs training. 



Here's what it would take for our park system to reach ‘the Disney model’

Parks in Charlotte can be a bit of a touchy subject.



Plans for the Silver Line are taking shape

The multibillion dollar Silver Line light rail is years away, but Charlotte is moving closer to a final vision for the east-west transit line that could reshape much of Charlotte.



Charlotteans got 46 hours back from traffic last year

It’s obvious that there were a lot fewer cars on the road last year, as we worked from home, kept kids out of school and stopped driving to sports games, concerts and dinners with friends.