Officials with the Charlotte Area Transit System released surveillance video Friday of a deadly stabbing on the light rail. The video shows how quickly the random attack unfolded on Aug. 22 and how passengers rushed to help the victim, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska.
WSOC Channel 9 was one of multiple news outlets to request this video with the purpose of better understanding the timeline shared by authorities in the days after the attack.
Decarlos Brown stabbed Zarutska to death that Friday night, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and CATS. Brown was seen wearing a red-orange sweatshirt on the train that was going to the East/West Boulevard Station, which had a lot of people on it.
Zarutska was living in Charlotte after fleeing the war in Ukraine. She boarded the train and sat in an aisle seat in the row in front of him while Brown sat at the window.
She was wearing headphones, and the two had no interaction, whatsoever. She was scrolling on her phone the entire ride.
Brown showed little to no emotion on the ride and rested his head on the window. CATS had said before that he looked like any other transit rider. About a minute before the fatal stabbing, there was shift in his behavior. Brown started to fidget with his hand and his eyes widened.
He actually rested his head on the glass just seconds before he took a knife out of his pocket, stood up and immediately stabbed Iryna Zarutska.
In Zarutska’s final moments, an angle shows Brown slowly walking toward the front of the train.
A man ran to tell the light rail operator what happened and to stop. About 2 minutes and 5 seconds later when the train came to a stop at the East/West station, Brown stepped off the train. CMPD arrested him on the platform.
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) took place on Sunday at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Hosted by rapper and actor LL Cool J in his second year as emcee.
The ceremony marked several historic firsts: it aired live on CBS for the first time (alongside MTV and streaming on Paramount+), introduced two new fan-voted categories (Best Country and Best Pop Artist), and honored music legends with special awards. The event celebrated music videos and songs released between June 20, 2024, and June 18, 2025, blending high-energy performances, nostalgic tributes, and fan-driven voting.
The show kicked off with a performance by Doja Cat and featured a star-studded lineup including Sabrina Carpenter (debuting her new single "Tears" with a drag queen entourage and trans rights advocacy), Post Malone (performing from Germany on his tour), Tate McRae, sombr, Alex Warren, J Balvin ft. DJ Snake, Conan Gray, and Jelly Roll.
Special honorees Mariah Carey (Video Vanguard Award, her first VMA ever), Busta Rhymes (inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award), and Ricky Martin (inaugural Latin Icon Award) delivered career-spanning medleys. A poignant tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne included Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, YUNGBLUD, and Nuno Bettencourt performing Black Sabbath hits.
Lady Gaga emerged as the night's top winner with four Moon Person trophies, building on her 18 prior VMAs wins and solidifying her pop dominance. She won Artist of the Year (dedicated to her fiancé Michael Polansky), Best Direction and Best Art Direction for "Abracadabra," and Best Collaboration for "Die with a Smile" with Bruno Mars.
The Late Show, Stephen Colbert last Thursday dedicated the final eight minutes to highlighting the importance of public radio, interviewing NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher about the severe impact of federal funding cuts that threaten to close dozens of local stations.
In July, Congress slashed $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports NPR and PBS, as part of Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” The CPB is slated to shut down in October, endangering many public radio stations. Maher estimated that 70 to 80 of NPR’s 246 member stations, which reach 99.7% of the U.S., could cease operations.
Maher warned that these closures would exacerbate the decline of local news, noting that one in five Americans already lacks access to local news sources. “When you take away local public radio, you’re undercutting our ability to trust one another… and the very institution of democracy itself,” she said.
While NPR’s national programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered rely on federal funding for only about 1% of their budgets, local programming will bear the brunt of the cuts. Colbert and Maher highlighted shows like South Carolina’s Walter Edgar’s Journal, Vermont Public Radio’s But Why?, and Cincinnati’s Backed Up, a plumbing-focused program, as well as Utah’s lost dog reports and Alaska’s community classifieds, which foster local connections.
Maher emphasized the irony of funding cuts from those advocating “old-fashioned values,” saying, “This is old-fashioned community connection.” Colbert concluded by thanking Maher for her efforts to preserve public airwaves.
Labor Day Weekend the "Trump is dead" rumor, was fueled by left-wing influencers, which spiraled from two minor details into a viral conspiracy.
It began with photos of Trump showing swollen ankles and a hand bruise, followed by a July 17 White House statement confirming he had chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition, but was in "excellent health."
Next, a misquoted August 27 interview with Vice President J.D. Vance went viral. Asked if he was ready to assume the presidency, Vance replied, “If, God forbid, there's a terrible tragedy, I can't think of better on-the-job training than what I've gotten over the last 200 days.”
John Glanz
Finally, Trump’s uncharacteristic silence after a three-hour cabinet meeting on August 26 added fuel.
Social media activity surged.
On August 28, after two days without a Trump appearance, “Trump is dead” appeared 915 times across X, Reddit, YouTube, and Bluesky, with 489,822 engagements (likes, shares, comments). By September 3, mentions skyrocketed to 8,971, with 3,752,585 engagements, per Rolli IQ.
The most viral post, garnering 13.9 million views on X, was by John Ganz, author of When the Clock Broke) on August 30, stating, "Trump is dead. He died on Wednesday."
Ganz explained the post was a spontaneous “s***post” prompted by a Mets game blackout. He tweeted about Trump’s absence, found it amusing when friends liked it, and went to bed. He awoke to hundreds of thousands of likes and angry responses, surprised by the post’s impact.
The music industry is poised for a golden decade, with Goldman Sachs forecasting global music revenues to soar to nearly $200 billion by 2035, effectively doubling from current levels.
This bullish outlook, driven by skyrocketing demand for streaming services, steady expansion in music publishing, and a vibrant resurgence in live performances, signals a robust recovery from the pandemic-induced slump of 2020.
With revenues projected to grow 7.7% in 2025 alone, the industry is riding a wave of consumer enthusiasm for digital platforms and concert experiences, propelled by blockbuster tours from global superstars.
Rick Davies, the visionary keyboardist, singer, and co-founder of the British rock band Supertramp, passed away on Friday at his home on Long Island, New York, at the age of 81.
His death, following a decade-long fight with multiple myeloma—a rare blood cancer affecting bone marrow and white blood cells—was confirmed by the band in a heartfelt statement on social media, marking the end of an era for one of rock's most innovative and enduring acts.
Davies, known for his raspy baritone vocals, soulful Wurlitzer piano riffs, and songwriting prowess, was the driving force behind Supertramp's evolution from a progressive rock outfit to a global pop-rock phenomenon, with hits that blended jazz, blues, and wry introspection.
Born Richard Davies on July 22, 1944, in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, to Betty (a hairdresser) and Dick Davies (a merchant navy seaman who passed away in 1973), young Rick showed an early affinity for music. At age eight, a secondhand radiogram gifted by his parents sparked his passion; he was captivated by jazz drummer Gene Krupa's "Drummin' Man," initially training on percussion before switching to keyboards and piano, where he found his true calling.
"Music was the only thing he was any good at at school," his mother once recalled.
Davies cut his teeth in the 1960s London scene, forming Rick’s Blues with a teenage Gilbert O’Sullivan (future hitmaker of "Alone Again (Naturally)") on drums, who later credited Davies as a mentor. He also played in The Joint and the Lonely Ones alongside future Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Noel Redding. By 1969, after The Joint disbanded, Davies placed an ad in Melody Maker seeking musicians for a new band.
Enter Roger Hodgson, a multi-instrumentalist from a contrasting privileged background. Despite their differences—Davies's working-class roots versus Hodgson's private school upbringing—they clicked instantly, co-writing nearly all of Supertramp's material. The group, initially Daddy, renamed itself Supertramp in 1970, inspired by W.H. Davies's 1908 book The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp.
After 25 years as morning hosts on Atlanta’s now-defunct Christian station Fish 104.7, Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott are moving to secular pop station Star 94. They will host a new weekday morning show from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., starting Monday, September 15.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” Scott told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I need to pinch myself!” Avery added, “It’s a perfect match for us. I can’t wait to get started.”
At Fish 104.7, owned by Salem Media Group, Kevin & Taylor built a loyal following with their “good clean fun” approach, syndicated nationally in over 100 markets. They shared their Christian faith subtly, focusing on humor, personal stories, and relatability, consistently ranking in the top 5 among women aged 25-54 in Atlanta through 2024.
On New Year’s Eve, Salem sold Fish 104.7 to Educational Media Foundation, which replaced it with syndicated Christian format Air1 on February 1, leaving Kevin & Taylor jobless. With no local Christian stations available, they targeted Star 94, a station appealing to “suburban soccer moms” since 1989, now owned by Audacy.
Taylor & Kevin
Star 94 recently faced layoffs, retaining only Jenn Hobby, whose morning show was cut to two hours. In April, Emily Boldon, a seasoned radio executive, joined as brand manager to revitalize the station.
Despite minimal live talent, Star 94 ranked 11th overall and 8th among women 25-54 in July, with mornings placing 12th overall and 3rd in the target demographic.
“Since the pandemic, Star has lacked live, local programming, which dulled its connection with listeners,” Boldon said. “My goal is to restore its heritage with great music, personalities, and community focus.”
She called hiring Kevin & Taylor, a team deeply rooted in Atlanta, a “no-brainer” to compete with personality-driven shows like Q99.7’s Bert Show and B98.5’s Tad & Drex.
After a video of a woman berating a father-son duo at a baseball game in the USA went viral, social media users have been on a hunt to identify the 'Phillies Karen'. In the aftermath of the video, some speculated that the woman's name was Cheryl Richardson-Wagner, which inevitably led to users bombarding her Facebook page with messages.
As it turns out, the social media sleuths may have got it wrong this time. The woman, identified as Cheryl Richardson-Wagner was forced to put up a statement on her social media page, insisting that she was not the person who bullied the father for the home run ball.
"Ok everyone. I'm NOT the crazy Philly Mom (but I sure would love to be as thin as she is and move as fast)... and I'm a Red Sox fan," Ms Richardson-Wagner wrote, adding that she wasn't anywhere near Florida during the match.
I-D To Be Determined
Richardson-Wagner even changed her Facebook cover photo to the Boston Red Sox crest to get her point across.
"Apparently I am trending on Twitter. I wonder if I will get apologies from all of these people when the real culprit is discovered??" she responded to a friend.
What happened?
During a Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Miami Marlins on Friday (Sept 5), Harrison Bader hit a solo home run as the ball landed in the stands of the LoanDepot Park. A man quickly ran across to collect the ball and gave it to his son.
However, moments later, a woman charged at the man, grabbed his shoulders and demanded the ball back, seemingly under the belief she was entitled to it since it was closer to her seat.
We got the Phillies Karen that took a kid’s baseball in 4K
Donald Trump attended the U.S. Open for the first time in nearly a decade on Sunday, receiving a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd. Arriving less than an hour before the men’s final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, Trump was seen clapping and waving from his suite. He briefly returned to the suite before reappearing for the national anthem, which drew further cheers and boos.
Notably, ABC cut to a commercial break when Trump was displayed on the scoreboard after the first set.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) had requested that broadcasters of the U.S. Open avoid showing protests or reactions to President Donald Trump’s attendance at the men’s singles final on Sunday, according to a memo reviewed by The Athletic.
The USTA noted that Trump would appear on tournament feeds during the pre-match ceremony, which includes the national anthem presentation, before the final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
The memo instructed broadcasters to refrain from highlighting any disruptions related to Trump’s presence, as he is expected to watch from a sponsor’s suite, with heightened security measures in place.
USTA spokesman Brendan McIntyre told The Athletic that it’s standard practice to ask broadcasters to avoid focusing on off-court disruptions.
ESPN, the primary broadcaster, declined to comment officially, but a source familiar with the network’s plans, speaking anonymously, said ESPN intends to acknowledge Trump’s presence as it typically does for notable figures at sporting events while maintaining normal coverage of the match.
This marks Trump’s first U.S. Open appearance since 2015, when he was booed during a quarterfinal match between Venus and Serena Williams. Prior to his political career, Trump was a regular attendee at the tournament.
➦In 1907...actor John 'Jack" Mather Born. (Died from heart attack at age 58 – August 16, 1966). He a radio and television actor, best known for playing The Cisco Kid on Mutual radio from 1947 to 1956. and for being the original voice of Wally Walrus.
➦In 1930...WBEN signed on in Buffalo, NY. However, its history dates to the 1920s. WBEN initially used the facility built by the Norton Laboratories organization from Boston, as part of an experiment to send voice transmissions between Niagara Falls, New York, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, as WMAK.
When WMAK was launched in 1922 it operated initially from Lockport, New York at 833 kHz. The station later moved its transmitter to North Tonawanda, New York (broadcasting at 1130 kHz there) and then landing on 900 kHz, with 1000 watts of power, as a result of General Order 40, which realigned American AM radio allocations in 1927–28. In the late 1920s WMAK was acquired by the Buffalo Broadcasting Company, based at Buffalo's Rand Building, which also controlled WGR and WKBW in Buffalo. WMAK was a charter member of the CBS Radio Network, being one of the 16 stations that aired the first CBS network program on September 18, 1927.
WMAK was closed in the spring of 1930 as federal regulators began probing concentration of media ownership in the nation's largest radio markets. Buffalo Broadcasting Company chose to retain WGR and WKBW while shutting down WMAK and another daytime-only station, WKEN in suburban Kenmore, New York.
At the same time, the Buffalo Evening News was granted a broadcast license of its own, purchased the decommissioned transmitting facility of WMAK on Shawnee Road in Martinsville (North Tonawanda, New York) and re-licensed it as WBEN.
A new studio complex was built at the Statler-Hilton Hotel in downtown Buffalo (chosen primarily for access to the live orchestra there), and served WBEN, its sister FM station and sister television station (which opened in the spring of 1948) for more than 25 years.
In 1941, the station moved to its current position on the dial, at 930 kHz, as a result of the North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA).
The station also relocated its transmitter to Grand Island at during this time, increasing full-time power to its current 5,000 watts. The Grand Island transmitter and two towers are still in use today.
➦In 1935...A singing group called the Hoboken Four, one of whose members is named Frank Sinatra, made their first national appearance, performing on WOR's radio show Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
➦In 1929...the forerunner to 'Let’s Pretend', a Saturday morning radio show for kids was heard for the first time on CBS Radio Network. The Adventures of Helen & Mary became Let’s Pretend 5 years later. Let's Pretend, created and directed by Nila Mack, was a CBS radio series for children. In its most famous form, Let's Pretend, the Peabody Award-winning series ran from 1934 to 1954.
➦In 1934...Daniel Trombley "Dan" Ingram was born. Ingram is an American radio icon with a fifty-year career on radio stations such as WABC 770 AM and WCBS 101.1 FM in New York. "Big Dan" started broadcasting at WHCH Hofstra College, Hempstead, New York, WNRC, New Rochelle, New York, and WALK-FM, Patchogue, New York.
Dan Ingram
Ingram mastered the talk-up, talking over the intro to a song, ending right before the vocals. Ingram could get the song title, the current temperature and a one-liner in his talk-ups. He wholeheartedly embraced one of radio's golden rules: When you're talking to the audience, do it like you're talking to one person.
Ingram was noted for his quick wit and ability to convey a humorous or satiric idea with quick pacing and an economy of words—a skill which has made him uniquely suited to, and successful within, modern personality-driven music radio.
He is among the most frequently emulated radio personalities, cited as an influence or inspiration by numerous current broadcasters.
He was well known for playing doctored versions of popular songs. The Paul McCartney & Wings song My Love Does it Good became My Glove Does it Good. The stuttering title refrain of Bennie and the Jets went from three or four repetitions to countless. In the same vein, the distinctive refrain added to Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede, Ooga-ooga-ooga-chucka would start repeating and listeners would never know when it would end. (Other examples include Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, and "rearranging" the spelling of "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y" on the Bay City Rollers' Saturday Night.)
Dan's longtime closing theme song was "Tri-Fi Drums" by Billy May. An edited version of the song was used for broadcast.
Dan commented occasionally about the pronunciation of his name: jingles often are heard pronouncing his last name as "Ing-ram," but Dan has said it is correctly pronounced "In-gram."
Ingram died June 24, 2018.
➦In 1936...Early rock & roll icon Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock Texas. His name was misspelled on his first record contract and he decided to leave it that way. At age 22, he died in a plane crash Feb 3, 1959 along with Ritchie Valens and J.P.Richardson (The Big Bopper.)
➦In 1949...Windsor (Ont.) radio station CKLW, later to become Canada’s all-time most listened-to station (due to its huge US audience), increased power from 5000 to 50,000 watts. The station had moved from 1030 to 800 KHz, a Canada/Mexico clear channel, in the great frequency shuffle of 1941.
As television's popularity boomed, CKLW, like many other stations, coped with the changes by replacing the dying network radio fare with locally based disc-jockey shows. Throughout most of the 1950s and into the mid-1960s, CKLW was basically a "variety" radio station which filled in the cracks between full-service features with pop music played by announcers like Bud Davies, Ron Knowles (who had a rock-and-roll show on AM 800 as early as 1957), and Joe Van. For a few years in the early 1960s, CKLW also featured a country music program in the evenings called Sounds Like Nashville. This ended in 1963.
➦In 1979...ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, made its debut on US cable TV as the world’s first full-time channel devoted to sports.
