A brand-new nature museum next to Freedom Park is finished and ready, with two river otters waiting in a tub. It can't open because Discovery Place owes Mecklenburg County about $14.6 million for construction and says it can't pay it all at once. Commissioners say they didn't know they approved the unsecured loan, which passed on a consent agenda in January 2024. They now have until October 27 to choose between a repayment plan that could run 36 years and taking over the building themselves. Also today: the gas-tax bill is on Governor Stein's desk, and the final text sets no penalty if stations don't pass along the savings. Duke Energy has a new deal on data center power rates, ahead of Monday's moratorium hearing. Today at 5 p.m. is the voter registration deadline. And a ballpark full of books this Saturday.

CLT Daily — Charlotte's independent daily briefing. New episodes every morning. cltdaily.com

Sources this episode: WSOC, WFAE, Spectrum News, The Charlotte Ledger, WRAL, WBTV, Axios Charlotte, N.C. General Assembly, Books on the House

CLT Daily is written, hosted and produced by Steve Bouboulis, an independent journalist covering the Queen City. Got a tip, a document, or a story the city isn't telling? Reach him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevebouboulis/

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