Since June 15, food carts in uptown's Tryon Street vendor program have had to shut at midnight instead of 3 or 4 a.m. The rule didn't come from city council — it came from Charlotte Center City Partners, the nonprofit that runs the program, at CMPD's request. That's within its authority, and nobody broke a rule. But the people it lands on got no vote and no hearing. The manager of the Halal Food Cart at Trade and Tryon says sales are down about 40% and he's cut employee hours; another vendor stopped operating entirely; a petition to reverse it has about 1,400 signatures. The safety case isn't empty — uptown's police district reported total crime down 23% in the first half of 2026. But that window is January through June, and the rule took effect June 15, so it covers about two weeks of a six-month measurement. Whatever drove that drop mostly happened before the carts closed early. Plus: the CMS board votes Tuesday on releasing parts of the Crystal Hill investigation — and costs are on the list — and Asheville moves to cancel its Flock contract a week after the state made the program permanent.

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Sources this episode: WFAE, WBTV, Blue Ridge Public Radio

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