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Another store set to close at Northlake Mall + Family of scaffolding collapse victim seeks change

Andrew Nantais
·3 min read

Hey, everyone! Drew here. It’s finally Friday!

The Charlotte Observer Mobile Newsroom is off to our next stop — the communities in the Beatties Ford Road corridor — and we’re excited to meet them.

Beginning next month, The Observer will be at the Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library. We will be in residency there for the next six to eight weeks to learn more about this community, the issues they care about and to cover it in ways we’ve never done before.

To kick things off, the branch will host “Meet the Charlotte Observer Staff “ Monday, April 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 2412 Beatties Ford Rd. We invite the community to come and tell us about your neighborhood and your concerns. Bring your questions and conversation and learn more about how we do our jobs.

We look forward to seeing you there!

1. ‘Nobody helped.’ says witness who watched man die in Mecklenburg jail

Bryon Miller’s death is the most recent at the Mecklenburg County jail and the first of 2023. Last year, five other people died in custody.
Bryon Miller’s death is the most recent at the Mecklenburg County jail and the first of 2023. Last year, five other people died in custody.

Bryon Miller is the sixth person to die since January 2022 at the Mecklenburg County jail.

Abdou Bah didn’t know who he was, but in Miller’s last moments he did his best to save his life.

While the men were in their bunks in the early morning hours of Jan. 18, Miller started gasping for air, Bah said, accompanied by his attorney, in a recent interview with The Charlotte Observer. Corrections officers were alerted that Miller was having a medical emergency.

“Nobody helped me, they wouldn’t even come inside,” Bah said.

Kallie Cox shares more from this story.

2. Another store is closing at Northlake Mall amid financial and safety struggles

Buckle apparel chain is closing its store at Northlake Mall in Charlotte.
Buckle apparel chain is closing its store at Northlake Mall in Charlotte.

Another store is leaving Northlake Mall.

Buckle will close at the end of the day Sunday, according to the company’s website. The Nebraska-based retail chain sells men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and accessories.

The Nebraska-based chain did not say why it’s closing. It’s the second store to close this month after the Apple store shuttered in the middle of the day on March 1, the day after a third shooting in three months on the property.

Catherine Muccigrosso has the details on the latest closing at Northlake.

3. ‘Why was there no safety?’ Couple seeks change after son died in scaffolding collapse

Iris Bonilla, left, lost her son, Jose Bonilla Canaca, in a scaffolding collapse earlier this year. Bonilla, her daughter Amy, and her husband Osman Reyes stand with a photo of Jose holding the first fish he’d caught. “Every day, there is a pain in my heart,” Iris said.
Iris Bonilla, left, lost her son, Jose Bonilla Canaca, in a scaffolding collapse earlier this year. Bonilla, her daughter Amy, and her husband Osman Reyes stand with a photo of Jose holding the first fish he’d caught. “Every day, there is a pain in my heart,” Iris said.

Jose Bonilla Canaca was just 26 years old when he died in a scaffolding collapse on Jan. 2 in Charlotte.

Why the scaffolding on the uptown Charlotte apartment building gave way remains unclear. The state Division of Occupational Safety and Health is still investigating.

While they wait for an explanation, Jose’s family is calling for stronger efforts to keep construction workers safe.

“I want there to be more safety so this will never happen again to Latino families,” Jose’s mother, Iris Bonilla, said through an interpreter. “Because their parents, mothers, sons – they’re waiting for them to come back home.”

Ames Alexander looks in to what’s being done to in wake of the accident.

4. Some more stories to read

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Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.
Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.