CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — 2024 has been quite a year. An emotional year filled with heartache and tragedy to triumph and hope.
Here are the top 5 local stories for the Queen City this year:
5. Asha Degree: Closer to closure
On Valentine’s Day in 2000, then-9-year-old Asha Degree disappeared from her family’s home in Shelby. She has not been seen since.
In September 2024, the case was put back into the spotlight when several search warrants were executed in Vale and Charlotte.
4. Madalina Cojocari: Is she still alive as her mother flees the country?
Then 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari was last seen just before Thanksgiving 2022 in Cornelius. This year saw her mother, Diana Cojocari, leave the country after pleading guilty to failing to report Madalina missing.
Also this year, Christopher Palmiter, Madalina’s stepfather, was found guilty of the same charge and filed for divorce from Diana.
3. Shannon Park Shooting: Four law enforcement officers killed
On April 29, four law enforcement officers were killed and five others injured trying to serve an arrest warrant in Charlotte.
CMPD Officer Joshua Eyer, Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas M. Weeks Jr. and NC Dept. of Adult Corrections Officers Samuel Poloche and William Elliott, who both were serving on the Marshals Fugitive Task Force, all lost their lives that day.
Following the devastating shooting, the community gathered around the fallen officers’ families, local law enforcement and each other.
2. Election: Trump wins Presidency, key NC races turn blue
This year saw the battle for not only a seat in the Oval Office but several top positions in North Carolina. Donald Trump made history as the second president to be elected to a non-consecutive term following President Joe Biden dropping out of the race and backing Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid.
This election also saw NC Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson’s campaign wrapped in controversy over alleged past comments. The state turned red for Trump but chose Democrats for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and Superintendent of Public Instruction.
1. Helene: Devastation and destruction in WNC
At the end of September, Tropical Storm Helene tore through western North Carolina, bringing historic flooding and widespread destruction not seen for about a century.
As of the end of the year, 100 people have been found dead and thousands lost their homes. From housing to electricity to clean drinking water, the recovery is still an ongoing process.
