August 28, 2025 • 37 mins
Tune in here to this Thursday's edition of Breaking With Brett Jensen!
Breaking Brett Jensen kicks the show off by talking about the surge of attention his posts on X have been getting and the statement made by Charlotte’s Republican mayoral candidate about Mayor Vi Lyles on a recent murder. Jensen highlights how the remarks on Tuesday by Mayor Vi Lyles, which he called one of the worst written statements he’s ever seen from a politician and seemed to excuse a murderer rather than honor the victim.
Jensen turned his focus to former Governor Roy Cooper, blasting his record on hurricane relief. He highlighted millions in federal recovery funds that Cooper sat on after storms and FEMA’s warnings about future aid. Jensen argued Cooper’s failures undercut his credibility on disaster response.
Jensen has an exclusive one-on-one interview with North Carolina State Representative David Willis to discuss the life, legacy, and impact of Union County veteran Sergeant Michael Verardo, who recently passed away at the age of 40. Verardo, critically injured by an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2014, defied the odds by surviving more than a decade and becoming a source of inspiration for countless veterans and families. Alongside his wife Sarah,
Listen here for all of this and more on Breaking With Brett Jensen.
To be the first to hear about Breaking Brett Jensen's exclusives and more follow him on X @Brett_Jensen!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Hi Oh, Let's go hi oh, Let's go oh, Let's
go oh, Let's come the news song eleven ten in
ninety nine three WBT Brett Jensen here with you on
this Thursday night edition of Breaking with Brett Jensen. As
we go up until seven o'clock tonight. Telephone numbers as
(00:43):
always to call the show seven oh four five, seven
oh eleven ten, and guys, that's also the exact same
number to reach out on the WBT text line, which
of course is driven by Liberty Buick GMC. And I'm
going to tell you right now, And I know I've
been telling you this every day, damn near for three
and a half years, but I am being sincere when
(01:04):
I tell you you really need.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
To be following me on X.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
You really need to be following me on X right now,
Brett Underscore Jensen. Since Tuesday Monday, like tens of thousands
of views. Everything I'm putting out there right now seems
to be going viral, like it's I'm putting out what
I think is just normal stuff, and next thing you know,
(01:31):
it's exploding with views and likes and retweets and everything else.
I think they're called reposts now they're not called retweets now.
But for instance, I just put out a statement from
Terry Donovan, the woman who's running for mayor on the
Republican side, about the vilil statement that came out on Tuesday,
(01:53):
which was a disaster of all disasters, one of these
singularly worst statements I've ever seen from a politician. Why
do I say that because it was thought out and written.
It wasn't off the cuff and someone caught her off
guard and interviewed her. It was a carefully planned written
(02:14):
statement by her or her staff somebody.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
And it could not have been worse.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
The only way it could have been worse is that
she actually blamed the victim that got murdered. That's the
only way it could have gotten worse, because she pretty
much excused the murder. So I put that out there
by Terry Donovan today and next thing, I know, that
thing's blown up. And I didn't see that coming. I honestly,
(02:48):
truly I did not see that coming at all, but
it did. And I'll read you the statement again. She's
this is Terry Donovan. She's running for mayor. She's on
the Republican side right now, she doesn't have a primary
because she's the only Republican running.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
But here's her statement.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
The people of Charlotte deserve leadership that is serious, compassionate,
and focused on safety, not flippant or misplaced sympathy or
flippant remarks or misplaced sympathy. Mayor Lyle spent more time
talking about the killer than honoring the innocent young Ukrainian
girl whose life was taken. That is unacceptable. Charlotte doesn't
(03:29):
need excuses for criminals. We need action. As mayor, my
priority will be putting resources where they belong into law enforcement,
community safety, and prevention. Leadership is not about ex Leadership
is not about excusing violence. It's about stopping it and
making our city safe for every family. And I put
(03:50):
that out there this morning and two hundred and fifty
five likes, eighty seven retweets, nineteen comments, in eight point
three thousand views. Didn't see like I didn't see eight
point three thousand views, and by tomorrow there'll be ten
thousand views.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I didn't see that coming. I didn't.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
And here's something else. So early this morning, I'm going
through Twitter. I'm sorry X. I want to give elon props.
I don't want to call it Twitter. I'm gonna make
sure I get it right. It's X, so I'm going
through X this morning. I woke up this morning at
six am in a sheer panic, full disclosure, because I
(04:33):
forgot to do something for Mark Garrison, and I just
literally woke up at six colon zero zero on the
dot no alarm, and I went, oh my god, I
forgot to give that to Mark. And I started working
in like and I sent Mark some stuff that I
needed to send him that I had totally forgotten about
last night after the show. So anyways, as up scrolling,
(04:57):
I see this gem from Roy Cooper.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
And this says, the President put Michael Watley.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Who is running for US Senate used to be the
RNC chair at the head of the ncgpaint writing and
Senate against the Roy Cooper. The President put Michael Whley
in charge of federal recovery from western North Carolina. Wattley
is failing North Carolina families. And there's a story from
the Smoky Mountainnews dot com. Okay, and the headline is
(05:33):
Helene victims still waiting for Waltley to like help or
whatever right.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
And I went, of.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
All the people in the world to put something out
about hurricane recovery, and it's you, Roy Cooper.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
You, of all people, you are the governor that had
tens and tens and tens and tens of millions of
money stashed.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
That was given to you by FEMA to give to
the victims of Hurricane Matthew down East Lumberton, bridges, washed
out roads, washed out people living in trailers for years,
like all like trailers because their houses were destroyed.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Or and whatever.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
And he didn't give a single page like I take
that back out of I don't know. I'm going to
roughly guess eighty million, ninety million whatever it was, seventy
five million, one hundred million, whatever it was between seventy
five one hundred million, whatever. It was federal money he
gave out like a million and just kept the rest.
I don't know if he kept it in a savings account.
(06:48):
So how bad was it. It was so bad that
FEMA actually said to Roy Cooper and made it public.
If you don't give out this money, we don't don't
care how many hurricanes hitting North Carolina. You won't get
another penny. We've given you all this money and you're
just sitting on it. You're literally not helping the people
in your own state. He was investigated by the state
(07:12):
for why he was holding the money, and then he goes, yeah,
I'm gonna do better, and they put.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Out this big press release.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
We've got to ten million dollars that we've given out
in the last two three months, really like after years
of holding it. And that was your big pat in
the back moment. What about all the tens and tens
of millions of dollars that you hadn't given out now
you're still sitting on and then Hurricane Helene comes? Are
(07:39):
you serious right now? And you're the one trying to
take a shot at Walley. I if Roy Cooper is
that stupid?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Now?
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Granted he's been in government since nineteen eighty seven, he
hasn't had a real job, so he actually might be stupid.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Well, Brett, being Attorney general is a real job.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Yeah, Okay, go to a courtroom and like prosecute people
or defend people. Knowing Cooper, we would probably be defending.
I don't know, sounds like something he would do trying
to get the hardened criminals off.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
But maybe he was a prosecutor. I don't know. I'm
just going by his personality.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Traits, but he failed to bring up the National Guard
for seven days or six days. Well, Brett, you know
it takes a week five days to have to fill
out all the paperwork for the National Guard to get
to the mountains. Really, because he told everyone that the
(08:39):
hurricane was coming, had press conferences about the weather coming
for the mountains, why didn't he sign all the paperwork
there and have the National Guard on standby if you're
giving them press conference, going, hey, you might want to
get out of dodge or shelter in place because it's
going to get really really bad in the mountains and
you're not used to this. Maybe you might want to
(09:01):
have the National Guard on standby.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Just a thought.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Call me crazy, but here you are going after Michael Wally.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
You of all people, You of all people.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Okay, okay, that's like Joe Biden accusing another person of
being senile. What that's like al Capone accusing someone else
of evading taxes, tax evasion?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
What?
Speaker 1 (09:32):
You're the poster child for hurricane failures and you're literally
the one going after Michael Wally?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Are you serious?
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Maybe it was some slacky, lacky twenty five year old
on their social media team who knows, but I promise
you that tweet wasn't sent out with approval without approval.
Promise you that guarantee you that at least one person
approved it, if not multiple, said Hey, this would be
a good thing to put out there, because apparently the
(10:03):
people that work for you are stupid as well. So
just a little friendly advice as a reporter talking smack
about hurricanes might be one area you might want to
avoid the rest of your campaign between now in November
of twenty twenty six, you might want to stay away
from that for self preservation.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Just a thought.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
But hey, you went fourteen months without taking my questions
about COVID, So I'm sure you're not listening to me
now either, because you wouldn't listen to me.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Then, all right, when we come back, we'll get into
a couple.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Other things, including a sad situation that happened just out
of Union County. We'll get into that with the passing
of someone, and we'll talk to North Carolina State Representative
David Willis about that.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Welcome back to breaking Lebrett Jensen on this Thursday night.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Okay, so a veteran living in Union County dies at
the age of forty from complications of injuries he sustained
in Afghanistan during the war back in twenty fourteen. And
the thing is Michael Verrato and his wife Sarah, they
(11:20):
started the Independence Fund's track chair program. It's and I
remember dealing with him a couple of years ago and
seeing this situation and like it was at a charity thing.
I may have been a charity golf trim or something,
but they called a track chair. It looks like a
wheelchair with the tank and it's really big with big
(11:42):
grips and like the rotating thing, and they called a
track chair. And for like obviously disabled veterans, Michael Verrado
was hit by an ied in Afghanistan twenty fourteen. No
one expected him to survive the airlift out of the
danger zone to the hospital and he lived eleven years
(12:05):
and wasn't supposed to and did and he just passed away.
And his funerals on Tuesday, and I can already tell
you that many many big time dignitaries will be there
and the funeral is going to be down there like
in Union County, right and like a lot of people
like people from I you know, like with the well
(12:27):
associated with the White House, not Trump, not vands, but
like secretaries of Defense or secretaries of this or whatever, Senators, congressmen,
they're all coming because he and his wife Sarah have
done a lot with the Independence Fund. It's like it
might be the biggest thing out there for disabled veterans
when it comes to wheelchairs and stuff. Well, someone who
is no stranger to Michael Verrado and his wife Sarah
(12:49):
is Union County State Representative David Willis. First of all, David,
thanks for joining us tonight. And second of all, Michael Verado.
You introduced a bill a few years back with his
name on it. Can you just talk about the bill
that you introduced concerning him?
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Absolutely. My very first session in Raleigh back in twenty
twenty one, we introduced the dri Kono Wounded Heroes Day
in honor of Sergeant Michael Verardo, a day that would
recognize April twenty fourth every year, the statewide holiday recognizing
our heroes that have you know, been injured and a
(13:29):
lot of times catastrophically injured on the battlefield and have
come home and are now dealing with the fallout of
all of that and then learning how to survive. Surviving
as they say, and so it was a special opportunity
for me. You know, bill passed unanimously in the House
and the Senate. You know, Governor Cooper signed on a
(13:51):
very special ceremony on the you know, the the bi
centennial plaza right there across from the General Assembly and Raleigh,
and it's just in a spectacular event and gotten bigger
and bigger, and actually this year, uh and and for
the fourth anniversary, we actually had the event at the
at the White House, And so it's just something that's
(14:12):
that's growing bigger and bigger every year and recognizing these
special heroes. And Michael Arrado obviously was the impetus for
all of that.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Speaking with North Colin and Representative David Wallis, who represents
Union County, well, I'm glad you brought that up, because
you know, the track wheelchair like that was a very
big deal, became very very famous, and because of that,
Michael Varrado's wife really became extremely well known within the
community and the Military Committee in Washington, d C.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And some of the biggest politicians in the country. Can
you just talk about that relationship, Well.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Sarah, you know, Sarah is amazing. I said, you know,
Michael gets credited as the as the you know, the
hero from the you know, the military perspective, but Sarah
is a hero in her own right. And you know
what she's done for so many veterans across the you know,
North Carolina, but really across the country, as you mentioned.
And yet and I mean, there's nothing really that happens,
(15:07):
I think from a military veterans perspective that they don't
UH at least have some you know, fingerprint on these days.
And and the work that they've done when it's starting
out with with trash hairs, helping mobility improvement for for
folks coming back that have lost limbs and so forth
to get back out and and kind of re uh
you know, reuh assert themselves that you know, with their
(15:31):
families where they can get out and and and go
fishing or go for walks or other things where they
couldn't before. UH to Veterans' suicide, which is a huge
thing that they're working on now, and and veterans the
Veterans Justice Initiative, which we piloted and rolled out now
across North Carolina that helps veterans who are dealing with
UH mental health or UH substance abuse issues that get
(15:53):
caught up with law enforcement, and uh, there's just so
many things that could go on and on about the
Independence Fund and the things that they've done, and they're
just absolutely amazing. And Sarah's been that leading that and
she's just a force of nature in her own right.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Speaking with North Calendar Representative David Willis, who represents Union County.
So let's go back to Michael Varado a little bit.
Can you just talk about him and you getting to
know him and getting to talk to him. He was
injured in Afghanistan, hit by an IUD, wasn't even supposed
to live, wasn't supposed to survive the helicopter trip, and
here he is eleven years later and unfortunately he just
(16:28):
passed away.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
But can you talk about getting to know him.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
You know, I had the opportunity to learn about Michael's
story before I actually had a chance to meet him,
and you know, the story just really pulls you in.
I mean, what what a remarkable American. I mean, he
he you know, was on the front lines in Iraq
and had a an IED attack and you know, fourteen
(16:54):
days after you know, his original ied attack, you know,
he's fighting to get back out on the front lines,
refuses to go home or to get further treatment. Uh,
forces himself, you know, back out to the to the
front lines to be there with his brothers. And on
his very first about South Wire, you know, he gets
hit with another catastrophic ied explosion.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
And this was the one yet think he was done
for five. I mean he literally had blood transfusions right
there on the spot to try to save him. And uh,
you know, miraculously he survived and and got back to
Walter Reed and and here we are, you know, and
fifteen years later, and and you know, after one hundred
(17:38):
and twenty surgeries for pretty much everything you can possibly imagine.
He it's just been a a beacon of hope and
inspiration to so many just to continue to fight, to
be there for his girls and for fort Earrah and
and you know, for those of us that have gotten
to know him, uh in the community, I mean, we
(17:58):
just what an inspiration and uh, you know, always a
smile and and uh you know, and just a joke
you will, kind of. I know, he likes to jump
around with his brothers and uh, you know, and and
the same guy mentally, you know, with them and in
terms of just kind of joking and talking football and
and and all of that, and in dealing with all
of the catastrophic injuries that he's had and the challenges
(18:21):
and so it's just, you know, if you can't take
this story and this family and be uplifted, you know,
there's there's something wrong with you. I mean, you're just
not You're not a red blooded American and uh, you know,
they're just they've just been an inspiration to me and
so many others.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
North Colina State Representative David Willis, I really appreciate you
joining us tonight to talk about this and Michael Verado
and everything else, and his wife Sarah and what they've
done for those injured military veterans and everyone else that
could use a trek wheelchair. Again, I really do appreciate
you coming on tonight to talk about it.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Absolutely. Thank you all right, once.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Again thanks to David Willis, North County State Representative and
Michael Vrado being very heavily injured with an ied there
in Afghanistan, okay unfortunately passed away and the memorial service
in the funeral will be on Tuesday, and there will
be a lot of heavy hitters coming into Charlotte for
that and then down into Union County where the funeral is.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Okay, when we come back, we'll get into a few
other things, including I got some Caberra's County news. You know,
it can't go very long without Cabera's County CapCo.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Come on, Welcome back to breaking with Bret Jensen on
this Thursday night.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I know yesterday I said I was going to be
talking about my best friends, the magistrates in Mecklmore County.
There was just a lot going on today and I
wasn't able to do what I needed to do. So
maybe tomorrow or maybe sometime early next week, we'll talk
about the magistrates. By the way, early voting just reminder
(20:03):
for the entire Oh, I want to read this real quick.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
I want to read this before I get to Gomber's County.
I want to read this. I looked this up earlier
today and it is h It's a doozy. It's a doozy.
So here we go.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Through the first five days of early voting Mikelmore County.
But the only thing that to vote for on right
now are Charlotte City Council primaries. So I understand there's
nobody voting from Huntersville. There's nobody voting, but Charlotte has
nine hundred and forty thousand people.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
Okay, through the first five days of early voting out
of a city that's nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty
thousand strong, nine hundred thousand, whatever it is, right, Yeah,
about nine eight thousand, eight fifty whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
I will go light and just say eight.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Hundred and fifty thousand, eight hundred thousand, All right, I'll
just I'll go light and say eight hundred thousand, what
I think is like, because there's one point one million
in the county. So I'll just say eight hundred thousand
out of roughly eight hundred thousand people.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
In the city limits of Charlotte.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Through the first five days of early voting for the
city council races and the mayoral race and the primaries,
a grand total of five hundred and sixty nine people
have voted. One hundred and fifteen people a day are
(21:44):
voting on average. Yesterday, eighty nine people voted. For the
life of me. I don't know why the Macklmbrough County
Board of Elections did this, because the only place you
can vote for like the first seven days of early
voting is uptown at the Howe Marshall Center. Problem, no
(22:08):
one's going to uptown anymore. As I have talked about
many many times, no one goes uptown because they don't
feel safe.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Look at all the crime.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
It's like the highest crime in uptown, the most violent
crime in uptown maybe in thirty years sincerely, But nobody
goes uptown because of the crime. Nobody goes uptown because
so many people now work from home with like Bank
of America people Waco or Wells Fargo. They're working two
(22:40):
days a week uptown, like Monday, Thursdays, Tuesday Thursdays, Monday Wednesdays.
So nobody works uptown. Nobody goes uptown because of safety.
And that's the only place you can vote in Charlotte
in all Meclamore County. The rest of the county gets
(23:03):
opened up on Tuesday because you know, we got Labor
Day on Monday, right, so the rest of the county
opens up on Tuesday. And it is, honestly, it's hysterical
to me. It is absolutely hysterical to me that they
(23:24):
so here's the places that you can vote starting on Tuesday.
Don't ask me where these places are, because I can't
tell you, and if anybody in the room knows where
these places are.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Let me know.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Allegra west Brooks Library, never heard of it. Independence Library,
I assume that's somewhere down George.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Is that down on the Independence Boulevard.
Speaker 5 (23:51):
Independence, And it's right off of where the extension for
Idlewild goes over to Monroe, goes.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Between Ida Wild and Monroe.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Okay, Okay, so Independence Library, State Stay Bye. The Marion
Deal rec Center, I think I've heard of it. No
idea where it's at the South County Regional Library.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
I know exactly where that's at. That's right there at
fifty one and Ray Road.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I know exactly where that's at South Park Library. I
know exactly where that's at. That's usually one of the
biggest ones or busiest ones in the entire county. Still
Creek Masonic Lodge.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
I assume that's in stell Creek.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
The University Library and the West Boulevard Library. I assume one'
up at University and I assume the other ones on West Boulevard.
So those are the places that you can vote starting Tuesday,
Okay for early voting. But I want to make sure
I get Oh, we got to update ladies and gentlemen.
We had a bonanza of people vote today, so now
(25:01):
I gotta update my stats.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
I said five sixty.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Nine in person through five days, through six days, we
now have six hundred and eighty nine as a grand
total of one hundred and twenty people, almost right on average.
Because I said one hundred and fifteen, one hundred and
twenty people voted today. Like, why are you having seven
(25:27):
days at how Marshall where nobody goes?
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Are you?
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Are you literally trying to do that on purpose? I
actually spoke to somebody today and they said, we think
it's about voter suppression.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
They know nobody goes there.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
All right, Okay, six hundred and eighty nine people voted today.
Early voting now, I would hope and expect all next
week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, early voting is going to
be I would hope somewhat heavy. I mean a lot
(26:05):
of people are fired up with everything that the mayor
has done or not done, and things that she said
and not said over the last four months. People are upset.
Tiajuana Brown got felony charges hanging over her head again.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Isaac'scirrel so anyways, six hundred and eighty nine people, six eighty.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Nine democracy at its finest. But I know, I know,
starting to say, way, way, way more people will vote.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
I get that.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
But through six days of voting and you can only
vote at one place in a city of what eight
hundred thousand, nine hundred thousand, whatever it is, six hundred
and eighty.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Nine have voted.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
And no I haven't voted because I'm waiting until next week,
just like probably.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
The other people. All Right, everyone, when we come back
now I'll get into Cobart's County. When we were.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Welcome back to breaking with Brett Jensen, we got about
nine minutes to go seven four or five, seven eleven ten.
That's the telephone number and the text line.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Okay, so.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
You guys know, I've talked quite a bit about Caberras
County over the last gosh since March, basically quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
And just all the wild.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Things that the former head of the Cabarras County Commissioners,
Chris Besberg, and all that stuff that he was doing
where we literally voted to break the law, and of
course the judges were like, yeah, that's probably not a
good idea.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
So if you remember, was it a week ago? Two
weeks ago? A loose track, So I apologize.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Mark Garrison interviewed Laura Lindsay and about how they had
just fired.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
The county manager, the county manager that she Larry Pittman.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
And Chris Mesmer handpicked to put in place former business
partner of Chris Mesmer with no government experience working in
a county as the county manager.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
That is getting more and.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
More populated every day and is actually a pretty big county.
But they're buddies, so he hired them and fired the
county manager that had been there, I think working for
the county some thirty two years.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Right, Well, the.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
County manager sued Mike Downs. He sued because he said, look,
it's in my contract. You have to pay me this,
and you have to pay me that, and you have
to pay me this whether you fire me with cause
or don't fire me with calls.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
That's in my contract. Camaris County was like.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Yeah, we're not gonna, we don't We really don't want
to pay you. That was during the Chris uh Chris
Mesmer regime. Right, some might call it the Dark Ages. Anyways,
they were they went to court. They sued Mike So
Mike uh, Mike Downs has sued and they were due
(29:44):
to have like a hearing, and because the county wanted
to thrown out of court, they was never going to
get thrown out of court the lawsuit. Sorry, I got
a contract, got the contract, so the county. So he
was suing for four hundred and eighty eight thousand dollars.
(30:04):
That's what you owe me through January thirty. First you
got fired in like February, March whatever it was February,
I guess it was. You owe me the whole year
plus this plus that plus this four hundred and eighty
eight k. Well, the two sides reached an agreement on
Monday because.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
They were gonna lose.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
The county was gonna lose, and the county knew they
were gonna lose. But Chris Laura Larry not exactly keepers
great stewards of the county.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Cash said they were going to do this.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
They weren't gonna like they wanted to fire him, and
we weren't going to settle.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Chris is gone.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
They've got a new chair of the County Commission, and
they agreed to settle with Mike Downs because it may
have cost way more to continue the lawsuit than to
you know, try and settle, like because I mean, this
scene could have gone and gone and gone and appeal
after appeal after appeal. Right, So, uh, the settlement will
(31:21):
be official on a few days because any settlement you
don't get to have an NDA, not when you're talking
taxpayers money. I mean the Charlotte observerant, I mean, excuse me,
the Charlotte City Council tried to with their secret payouts
to Johnny Jennings, by the way, who's been mia since May.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
By the way, have you noticed that.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Mike I don't even know if he's living in Charlotte
anymore at this point.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
His last day is January first.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
So anyways, that's uh. I just thought that was interesting.
So Chris Beesmer, the gift that keeps on giving. The
county had to settle a law suit because of he
and his actions. Chris Besburg, if you ask, was appointed
to a state Senate seat, a vacant vacant state Senate
(32:11):
seat out of Caberras County. So that's where he's at now,
and he'll be running for re election in twenty twenty six.
So anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there,
that there is there was a settlement more Cabarras County News.
Uh real quick here, let me just completely there's no
smooth transition at all. There's no way to do with
(32:34):
this transition.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
There's just not so About a month.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Ago, almost exactly a month ago, I'm at a political event.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
And there's a bowl of like.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Food or whatever, right, you know, snacks whatever, right, And
I reach over and put my hand in a bowl
like just grab like two or three, and I eat them.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
And they weren't what I thought they were. I thought
they were just pretzels.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Oh no, they're like little pretzel nuggets, right, like little
tiny nuggets filled with peanut butter. I had never seen
of those. I'd never heard of those. Apparently I've been
living under a rock. But I love my snacks. Like
you need to understand. My cabinet is full of like
chips and cheetos and whatever, right, tons, and cause I
(33:34):
eat a lot of sandwiches.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
I like sandwiches.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
So for lunch, I'll eat a sandwich and I'll have
some chips or cheetos or whatever.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
And I'm like, what are these? And the guy goes, oh,
I got them from Costco. Oh okay, never seen, never
heard of them.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
And then the other day or then like like two
days later, I was at Harris Teeter and Snyders makes them, so.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
I bought a bag. I was like, oh my god,
they're just as good.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
So today I haven't had the pretzels because I think
I ate them like that weekend. I ate the whole bag,
like sitting at night watching Netflix for sports and just
mowing on.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
The pretzels filled with peanut butter.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
And the prinzels are like the size of like a
thumbnail or whatever, just going to town on them. And
I was there today and you could either buy the
big jar that was on sale from seven to fifty
to five forty nine or two bags for five dollars.
So my brain, I'm going, Okay, how many ounces are
the big jar versus how many ounces are two bags?
(34:43):
And Da dah da costs comparison, And they were the
exact same price.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
You just got four more ounces.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
So don't think Jensen didn't buy two big bottles of
prinzels filled with peanut butter today. So never heard about
it until a month ago, and now I have to
have them in my life, and you guys looked at
me like like, yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Moron, where have you been right? Exactly right? I don't know,
but now, like I'm so obsessed with these.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
I was literally doing a price comparison between the Big
bottle because sometimes, like buying more bags if they're on sale,
is cheaper than buying the big bottle.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Usually buying in bulk is cheapest, but not always.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
So I'm doing I'm doing price comparison. I'm pulling out
my calculator to see how many how much they're charging
me per ounce like it was a whole thing, and
wound up being the same price. And I wound up
buying two big jars of the Snyders pretzels filled with
peanut butter. That and George, It's sad when things like
that excite me. I'm sitting there, going I get to
(35:46):
go home tonight, watch football and eat my pretzels with
peanut butter.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Welcome to oldness. Oh no, I know, I like, I
would argue with you, but I can't. I would argue
with you, but I can't.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
It damn it.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Peanut butter filled.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Pretzels, filled withanut butter, and I love like the extra
salt on the pretzels with the peanut butter. And you know,
maybe that stands the reason why my favorite candy of
all time? Lonnie, you see me in here all the time?
What's my favorite candy of all time? What about You
didn't hear almost every single night when I go to
the commissary.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
You know what.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
My mind?
Speaker 2 (36:28):
But cups? Yeah, the four pack of recy cups.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
I'm down all four of them during a commercial break,
I just mouth like a whole at a time. You
don't buy them, you split the whole cup like chew it.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
I mean, at least I know that your favorite soda
is a n W root Beer.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
It's my favorite non caffeine soda, my mistake, Yeah, it's
It's the reason I drink NW root beer at nice
because there's no caffeine and root beer. My favorite is
ANW zero. My favorite soda my far, and it's not
even close. If I want, if I don't care about sugar,
I'll go Sundrop. But my go to every single day
(37:09):
is probably a couple bottles a day Coke zero. That's
my that's my that's my CoFe. I don't drink coffee.
That's my coffee in the morning. Cook zero. Let's go.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
All right, everyone that's gonna do it for us tonight.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
I'm about a minute and a half overdue here, so again,
thanks for everyone listening tonight, thanks to North Carolina state
Representative David Willis who also joined us, and we're gonna
do this all over again tomorrow. My name is Brett Jensen,
and you have been listening to Breaking with Brett Jensen.
Hi Oh, Let's go hi oh, Let's go oh, Let's
go oh, Let's come the news song eleven ten in
ninety nine three WBT Brett Jensen here with you on
this Thursday night edition of Breaking with Brett Jensen. As
we go up until seven o'clock tonight. Telephone numbers as
(00:43):
always to call the show seven oh four five, seven
oh eleven ten, and guys, that's also the exact same
number to reach out on the WBT text line, which
of course is driven by Liberty Buick GMC. And I'm
going to tell you right now, And I know I've
been telling you this every day, damn near for three
and a half years, but I am being sincere when
(01:04):
I tell you you really need.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
To be following me on X.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
You really need to be following me on X right now,
Brett Underscore Jensen. Since Tuesday Monday, like tens of thousands
of views. Everything I'm putting out there right now seems
to be going viral, like it's I'm putting out what
I think is just normal stuff, and next thing you know,
(01:31):
it's exploding with views and likes and retweets and everything else.
I think they're called reposts now they're not called retweets now.
But for instance, I just put out a statement from
Terry Donovan, the woman who's running for mayor on the
Republican side, about the vilil statement that came out on Tuesday,
(01:53):
which was a disaster of all disasters, one of these
singularly worst statements I've ever seen from a politician. Why
do I say that because it was thought out and written.
It wasn't off the cuff and someone caught her off
guard and interviewed her. It was a carefully planned written
(02:14):
statement by her or her staff somebody.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
And it could not have been worse.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
The only way it could have been worse is that
she actually blamed the victim that got murdered. That's the
only way it could have gotten worse, because she pretty
much excused the murder. So I put that out there
by Terry Donovan today and next thing, I know, that
thing's blown up. And I didn't see that coming. I honestly,
(02:48):
truly I did not see that coming at all, but
it did. And I'll read you the statement again. She's
this is Terry Donovan. She's running for mayor. She's on
the Republican side right now, she doesn't have a primary
because she's the only Republican running.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
But here's her statement.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
The people of Charlotte deserve leadership that is serious, compassionate,
and focused on safety, not flippant or misplaced sympathy or
flippant remarks or misplaced sympathy. Mayor Lyle spent more time
talking about the killer than honoring the innocent young Ukrainian
girl whose life was taken. That is unacceptable. Charlotte doesn't
(03:29):
need excuses for criminals. We need action. As mayor, my
priority will be putting resources where they belong into law enforcement,
community safety, and prevention. Leadership is not about ex Leadership
is not about excusing violence. It's about stopping it and
making our city safe for every family. And I put
(03:50):
that out there this morning and two hundred and fifty
five likes, eighty seven retweets, nineteen comments, in eight point
three thousand views. Didn't see like I didn't see eight
point three thousand views, and by tomorrow there'll be ten
thousand views.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
I didn't see that coming. I didn't.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
And here's something else. So early this morning, I'm going
through Twitter. I'm sorry X. I want to give elon props.
I don't want to call it Twitter. I'm gonna make
sure I get it right. It's X, so I'm going
through X this morning. I woke up this morning at
six am in a sheer panic, full disclosure, because I
(04:33):
forgot to do something for Mark Garrison, and I just
literally woke up at six colon zero zero on the
dot no alarm, and I went, oh my god, I
forgot to give that to Mark. And I started working
in like and I sent Mark some stuff that I
needed to send him that I had totally forgotten about
last night after the show. So anyways, as up scrolling,
(04:57):
I see this gem from Roy Cooper.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
And this says, the President put Michael Watley.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Who is running for US Senate used to be the
RNC chair at the head of the ncgpaint writing and
Senate against the Roy Cooper. The President put Michael Whley
in charge of federal recovery from western North Carolina. Wattley
is failing North Carolina families. And there's a story from
the Smoky Mountainnews dot com. Okay, and the headline is
(05:33):
Helene victims still waiting for Waltley to like help or
whatever right.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
And I went, of.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
All the people in the world to put something out
about hurricane recovery, and it's you, Roy Cooper.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
You, of all people, you are the governor that had
tens and tens and tens and tens of millions of
money stashed.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
That was given to you by FEMA to give to
the victims of Hurricane Matthew down East Lumberton, bridges, washed
out roads, washed out people living in trailers for years,
like all like trailers because their houses were destroyed.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Or and whatever.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
And he didn't give a single page like I take
that back out of I don't know. I'm going to
roughly guess eighty million, ninety million whatever it was, seventy
five million, one hundred million, whatever it was between seventy
five one hundred million, whatever. It was federal money he
gave out like a million and just kept the rest.
I don't know if he kept it in a savings account.
(06:48):
So how bad was it. It was so bad that
FEMA actually said to Roy Cooper and made it public.
If you don't give out this money, we don't don't
care how many hurricanes hitting North Carolina. You won't get
another penny. We've given you all this money and you're
just sitting on it. You're literally not helping the people
in your own state. He was investigated by the state
(07:12):
for why he was holding the money, and then he goes, yeah,
I'm gonna do better, and they put.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Out this big press release.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
We've got to ten million dollars that we've given out
in the last two three months, really like after years
of holding it. And that was your big pat in
the back moment. What about all the tens and tens
of millions of dollars that you hadn't given out now
you're still sitting on and then Hurricane Helene comes? Are
(07:39):
you serious right now? And you're the one trying to
take a shot at Walley. I if Roy Cooper is
that stupid?
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Now?
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Granted he's been in government since nineteen eighty seven, he
hasn't had a real job, so he actually might be stupid.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Well, Brett, being Attorney general is a real job.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Yeah, Okay, go to a courtroom and like prosecute people
or defend people. Knowing Cooper, we would probably be defending.
I don't know, sounds like something he would do trying
to get the hardened criminals off.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
But maybe he was a prosecutor. I don't know. I'm
just going by his personality.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
Traits, but he failed to bring up the National Guard
for seven days or six days. Well, Brett, you know
it takes a week five days to have to fill
out all the paperwork for the National Guard to get
to the mountains. Really, because he told everyone that the
(08:39):
hurricane was coming, had press conferences about the weather coming
for the mountains, why didn't he sign all the paperwork
there and have the National Guard on standby if you're
giving them press conference, going, hey, you might want to
get out of dodge or shelter in place because it's
going to get really really bad in the mountains and
you're not used to this. Maybe you might want to
(09:01):
have the National Guard on standby.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Just a thought.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Call me crazy, but here you are going after Michael Wally.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
You of all people, You of all people.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
Okay, okay, that's like Joe Biden accusing another person of
being senile. What that's like al Capone accusing someone else
of evading taxes, tax evasion?
Speaker 3 (09:29):
What?
Speaker 1 (09:32):
You're the poster child for hurricane failures and you're literally
the one going after Michael Wally?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Are you serious?
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Maybe it was some slacky, lacky twenty five year old
on their social media team who knows, but I promise
you that tweet wasn't sent out with approval without approval.
Promise you that guarantee you that at least one person
approved it, if not multiple, said Hey, this would be
a good thing to put out there, because apparently the
(10:03):
people that work for you are stupid as well. So
just a little friendly advice as a reporter talking smack
about hurricanes might be one area you might want to
avoid the rest of your campaign between now in November
of twenty twenty six, you might want to stay away
from that for self preservation.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Just a thought.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
But hey, you went fourteen months without taking my questions
about COVID, So I'm sure you're not listening to me
now either, because you wouldn't listen to me.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Then, all right, when we come back, we'll get into
a couple.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Other things, including a sad situation that happened just out
of Union County. We'll get into that with the passing
of someone, and we'll talk to North Carolina State Representative
David Willis about that.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Welcome back to breaking Lebrett Jensen on this Thursday night.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Okay, so a veteran living in Union County dies at
the age of forty from complications of injuries he sustained
in Afghanistan during the war back in twenty fourteen. And
the thing is Michael Verrato and his wife Sarah, they
(11:20):
started the Independence Fund's track chair program. It's and I
remember dealing with him a couple of years ago and
seeing this situation and like it was at a charity thing.
I may have been a charity golf trim or something,
but they called a track chair. It looks like a
wheelchair with the tank and it's really big with big
(11:42):
grips and like the rotating thing, and they called a
track chair. And for like obviously disabled veterans, Michael Verrado
was hit by an ied in Afghanistan twenty fourteen. No
one expected him to survive the airlift out of the
danger zone to the hospital and he lived eleven years
(12:05):
and wasn't supposed to and did and he just passed away.
And his funerals on Tuesday, and I can already tell
you that many many big time dignitaries will be there
and the funeral is going to be down there like
in Union County, right and like a lot of people
like people from I you know, like with the well
(12:27):
associated with the White House, not Trump, not vands, but
like secretaries of Defense or secretaries of this or whatever, Senators, congressmen,
they're all coming because he and his wife Sarah have
done a lot with the Independence Fund. It's like it
might be the biggest thing out there for disabled veterans
when it comes to wheelchairs and stuff. Well, someone who
is no stranger to Michael Verrado and his wife Sarah
(12:49):
is Union County State Representative David Willis. First of all, David,
thanks for joining us tonight. And second of all, Michael Verado.
You introduced a bill a few years back with his
name on it. Can you just talk about the bill
that you introduced concerning him?
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Absolutely. My very first session in Raleigh back in twenty
twenty one, we introduced the dri Kono Wounded Heroes Day
in honor of Sergeant Michael Verardo, a day that would
recognize April twenty fourth every year, the statewide holiday recognizing
our heroes that have you know, been injured and a
(13:29):
lot of times catastrophically injured on the battlefield and have
come home and are now dealing with the fallout of
all of that and then learning how to survive. Surviving
as they say, and so it was a special opportunity
for me. You know, bill passed unanimously in the House
and the Senate. You know, Governor Cooper signed on a
(13:51):
very special ceremony on the you know, the the bi
centennial plaza right there across from the General Assembly and Raleigh,
and it's just in a spectacular event and gotten bigger
and bigger, and actually this year, uh and and for
the fourth anniversary, we actually had the event at the
at the White House, And so it's just something that's
(14:12):
that's growing bigger and bigger every year and recognizing these
special heroes. And Michael Arrado obviously was the impetus for
all of that.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Speaking with North Colin and Representative David Wallis, who represents
Union County, well, I'm glad you brought that up, because
you know, the track wheelchair like that was a very
big deal, became very very famous, and because of that,
Michael Varrado's wife really became extremely well known within the
community and the Military Committee in Washington, d C.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
And some of the biggest politicians in the country. Can
you just talk about that relationship, Well.
Speaker 4 (14:46):
Sarah, you know, Sarah is amazing. I said, you know,
Michael gets credited as the as the you know, the
hero from the you know, the military perspective, but Sarah
is a hero in her own right. And you know
what she's done for so many veterans across the you know,
North Carolina, but really across the country, as you mentioned.
And yet and I mean, there's nothing really that happens,
(15:07):
I think from a military veterans perspective that they don't
UH at least have some you know, fingerprint on these days.
And and the work that they've done when it's starting
out with with trash hairs, helping mobility improvement for for
folks coming back that have lost limbs and so forth
to get back out and and kind of re uh
you know, reuh assert themselves that you know, with their
(15:31):
families where they can get out and and and go
fishing or go for walks or other things where they
couldn't before. UH to Veterans' suicide, which is a huge
thing that they're working on now, and and veterans the
Veterans Justice Initiative, which we piloted and rolled out now
across North Carolina that helps veterans who are dealing with
UH mental health or UH substance abuse issues that get
(15:53):
caught up with law enforcement, and uh, there's just so
many things that could go on and on about the
Independence Fund and the things that they've done, and they're
just absolutely amazing. And Sarah's been that leading that and
she's just a force of nature in her own right.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
Speaking with North Calendar Representative David Willis, who represents Union County.
So let's go back to Michael Varado a little bit.
Can you just talk about him and you getting to
know him and getting to talk to him. He was
injured in Afghanistan, hit by an IUD, wasn't even supposed
to live, wasn't supposed to survive the helicopter trip, and
here he is eleven years later and unfortunately he just
(16:28):
passed away.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
But can you talk about getting to know him.
Speaker 4 (16:32):
You know, I had the opportunity to learn about Michael's
story before I actually had a chance to meet him,
and you know, the story just really pulls you in.
I mean, what what a remarkable American. I mean, he
he you know, was on the front lines in Iraq
and had a an IED attack and you know, fourteen
(16:54):
days after you know, his original ied attack, you know,
he's fighting to get back out on the front lines,
refuses to go home or to get further treatment. Uh,
forces himself, you know, back out to the to the
front lines to be there with his brothers. And on
his very first about South Wire, you know, he gets
hit with another catastrophic ied explosion.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
And this was the one yet think he was done
for five. I mean he literally had blood transfusions right
there on the spot to try to save him. And uh,
you know, miraculously he survived and and got back to
Walter Reed and and here we are, you know, and
fifteen years later, and and you know, after one hundred
(17:38):
and twenty surgeries for pretty much everything you can possibly imagine.
He it's just been a a beacon of hope and
inspiration to so many just to continue to fight, to
be there for his girls and for fort Earrah and
and you know, for those of us that have gotten
to know him, uh in the community, I mean, we
(17:58):
just what an inspiration and uh, you know, always a
smile and and uh you know, and just a joke
you will, kind of. I know, he likes to jump
around with his brothers and uh, you know, and and
the same guy mentally, you know, with them and in
terms of just kind of joking and talking football and
and and all of that, and in dealing with all
of the catastrophic injuries that he's had and the challenges
(18:21):
and so it's just, you know, if you can't take
this story and this family and be uplifted, you know,
there's there's something wrong with you. I mean, you're just
not You're not a red blooded American and uh, you know,
they're just they've just been an inspiration to me and
so many others.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
North Colina State Representative David Willis, I really appreciate you
joining us tonight to talk about this and Michael Verado
and everything else, and his wife Sarah and what they've
done for those injured military veterans and everyone else that
could use a trek wheelchair. Again, I really do appreciate
you coming on tonight to talk about it.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Absolutely. Thank you all right, once.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Again thanks to David Willis, North County State Representative and
Michael Vrado being very heavily injured with an ied there
in Afghanistan, okay unfortunately passed away and the memorial service
in the funeral will be on Tuesday, and there will
be a lot of heavy hitters coming into Charlotte for
that and then down into Union County where the funeral is.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Okay, when we come back, we'll get into a few
other things, including I got some Caberra's County news. You know,
it can't go very long without Cabera's County CapCo.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Come on, Welcome back to breaking with Bret Jensen on
this Thursday night.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I know yesterday I said I was going to be
talking about my best friends, the magistrates in Mecklmore County.
There was just a lot going on today and I
wasn't able to do what I needed to do. So
maybe tomorrow or maybe sometime early next week, we'll talk
about the magistrates. By the way, early voting just reminder
(20:03):
for the entire Oh, I want to read this real quick.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
I want to read this before I get to Gomber's County.
I want to read this. I looked this up earlier
today and it is h It's a doozy. It's a doozy.
So here we go.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Through the first five days of early voting Mikelmore County.
But the only thing that to vote for on right
now are Charlotte City Council primaries. So I understand there's
nobody voting from Huntersville. There's nobody voting, but Charlotte has
nine hundred and forty thousand people.
Speaker 5 (20:42):
Okay, through the first five days of early voting out
of a city that's nine thousand, nine hundred and fifty
thousand strong, nine hundred thousand, whatever it is, right, Yeah,
about nine eight thousand, eight fifty whatever it is.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
I will go light and just say eight.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Hundred and fifty thousand, eight hundred thousand, All right, I'll
just I'll go light and say eight hundred thousand, what
I think is like, because there's one point one million
in the county. So I'll just say eight hundred thousand
out of roughly eight hundred thousand people.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
In the city limits of Charlotte.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Through the first five days of early voting for the
city council races and the mayoral race and the primaries,
a grand total of five hundred and sixty nine people
have voted. One hundred and fifteen people a day are
(21:44):
voting on average. Yesterday, eighty nine people voted. For the
life of me. I don't know why the Macklmbrough County
Board of Elections did this, because the only place you
can vote for like the first seven days of early
voting is uptown at the Howe Marshall Center. Problem, no
(22:08):
one's going to uptown anymore. As I have talked about
many many times, no one goes uptown because they don't
feel safe.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Look at all the crime.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
It's like the highest crime in uptown, the most violent
crime in uptown maybe in thirty years sincerely, But nobody
goes uptown because of the crime. Nobody goes uptown because
so many people now work from home with like Bank
of America people Waco or Wells Fargo. They're working two
(22:40):
days a week uptown, like Monday, Thursdays, Tuesday Thursdays, Monday Wednesdays.
So nobody works uptown. Nobody goes uptown because of safety.
And that's the only place you can vote in Charlotte
in all Meclamore County. The rest of the county gets
(23:03):
opened up on Tuesday because you know, we got Labor
Day on Monday, right, so the rest of the county
opens up on Tuesday. And it is, honestly, it's hysterical
to me. It is absolutely hysterical to me that they
(23:24):
so here's the places that you can vote starting on Tuesday.
Don't ask me where these places are, because I can't
tell you, and if anybody in the room knows where
these places are.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Let me know.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Allegra west Brooks Library, never heard of it. Independence Library,
I assume that's somewhere down George.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
Is that down on the Independence Boulevard.
Speaker 5 (23:51):
Independence, And it's right off of where the extension for
Idlewild goes over to Monroe, goes.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Between Ida Wild and Monroe.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Okay, Okay, so Independence Library, State Stay Bye. The Marion
Deal rec Center, I think I've heard of it. No
idea where it's at the South County Regional Library.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
I know exactly where that's at. That's right there at
fifty one and Ray Road.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
I know exactly where that's at South Park Library. I
know exactly where that's at. That's usually one of the
biggest ones or busiest ones in the entire county. Still
Creek Masonic Lodge.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
I assume that's in stell Creek.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
The University Library and the West Boulevard Library. I assume one'
up at University and I assume the other ones on West Boulevard.
So those are the places that you can vote starting Tuesday,
Okay for early voting. But I want to make sure
I get Oh, we got to update ladies and gentlemen.
We had a bonanza of people vote today, so now
(25:01):
I gotta update my stats.
Speaker 2 (25:03):
I said five sixty.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Nine in person through five days, through six days, we
now have six hundred and eighty nine as a grand
total of one hundred and twenty people, almost right on average.
Because I said one hundred and fifteen, one hundred and
twenty people voted today. Like, why are you having seven
(25:27):
days at how Marshall where nobody goes?
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Are you?
Speaker 1 (25:30):
Are you literally trying to do that on purpose? I
actually spoke to somebody today and they said, we think
it's about voter suppression.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
They know nobody goes there.
Speaker 1 (25:41):
All right, Okay, six hundred and eighty nine people voted today.
Early voting now, I would hope and expect all next
week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, early voting is going to
be I would hope somewhat heavy. I mean a lot
(26:05):
of people are fired up with everything that the mayor
has done or not done, and things that she said
and not said over the last four months. People are upset.
Tiajuana Brown got felony charges hanging over her head again.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Isaac'scirrel so anyways, six hundred and eighty nine people, six eighty.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Nine democracy at its finest. But I know, I know,
starting to say, way, way, way more people will vote.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
I get that.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
But through six days of voting and you can only
vote at one place in a city of what eight
hundred thousand, nine hundred thousand, whatever it is, six hundred
and eighty.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
Nine have voted.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
And no I haven't voted because I'm waiting until next week,
just like probably.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
The other people. All Right, everyone, when we come back
now I'll get into Cobart's County. When we were.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
Welcome back to breaking with Brett Jensen, we got about
nine minutes to go seven four or five, seven eleven ten.
That's the telephone number and the text line.
Speaker 2 (27:30):
Okay, so.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
You guys know, I've talked quite a bit about Caberras
County over the last gosh since March, basically quite a bit.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
And just all the wild.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Things that the former head of the Cabarras County Commissioners,
Chris Besberg, and all that stuff that he was doing
where we literally voted to break the law, and of
course the judges were like, yeah, that's probably not a
good idea.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
So if you remember, was it a week ago? Two
weeks ago? A loose track, So I apologize.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
Mark Garrison interviewed Laura Lindsay and about how they had
just fired.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
The county manager, the county manager that she Larry Pittman.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
And Chris Mesmer handpicked to put in place former business
partner of Chris Mesmer with no government experience working in
a county as the county manager.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
That is getting more and.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
More populated every day and is actually a pretty big county.
But they're buddies, so he hired them and fired the
county manager that had been there, I think working for
the county some thirty two years.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
Right, Well, the.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
County manager sued Mike Downs. He sued because he said, look,
it's in my contract. You have to pay me this,
and you have to pay me that, and you have
to pay me this whether you fire me with cause
or don't fire me with calls.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
That's in my contract. Camaris County was like.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
Yeah, we're not gonna, we don't We really don't want
to pay you. That was during the Chris uh Chris
Mesmer regime. Right, some might call it the Dark Ages. Anyways,
they were they went to court. They sued Mike So
Mike uh, Mike Downs has sued and they were due
(29:44):
to have like a hearing, and because the county wanted
to thrown out of court, they was never going to
get thrown out of court the lawsuit. Sorry, I got
a contract, got the contract, so the county. So he
was suing for four hundred and eighty eight thousand dollars.
(30:04):
That's what you owe me through January thirty. First you
got fired in like February, March whatever it was February,
I guess it was. You owe me the whole year
plus this plus that plus this four hundred and eighty
eight k. Well, the two sides reached an agreement on
Monday because.
Speaker 2 (30:29):
They were gonna lose.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
The county was gonna lose, and the county knew they
were gonna lose. But Chris Laura Larry not exactly keepers
great stewards of the county.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
Cash said they were going to do this.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
They weren't gonna like they wanted to fire him, and
we weren't going to settle.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
Chris is gone.
Speaker 1 (30:53):
They've got a new chair of the County Commission, and
they agreed to settle with Mike Downs because it may
have cost way more to continue the lawsuit than to
you know, try and settle, like because I mean, this
scene could have gone and gone and gone and appeal
after appeal after appeal. Right, So, uh, the settlement will
(31:21):
be official on a few days because any settlement you
don't get to have an NDA, not when you're talking
taxpayers money. I mean the Charlotte observerant, I mean, excuse me,
the Charlotte City Council tried to with their secret payouts
to Johnny Jennings, by the way, who's been mia since May.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
By the way, have you noticed that.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
Mike I don't even know if he's living in Charlotte
anymore at this point.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
His last day is January first.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
So anyways, that's uh. I just thought that was interesting.
So Chris Beesmer, the gift that keeps on giving. The
county had to settle a law suit because of he
and his actions. Chris Besburg, if you ask, was appointed
to a state Senate seat, a vacant vacant state Senate
(32:11):
seat out of Caberras County. So that's where he's at now,
and he'll be running for re election in twenty twenty six.
So anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there,
that there is there was a settlement more Cabarras County News.
Uh real quick here, let me just completely there's no
smooth transition at all. There's no way to do with
(32:34):
this transition.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
There's just not so About a month.
Speaker 1 (32:41):
Ago, almost exactly a month ago, I'm at a political event.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
And there's a bowl of like.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Food or whatever, right, you know, snacks whatever, right, And
I reach over and put my hand in a bowl
like just grab like two or three, and I eat them.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
And they weren't what I thought they were. I thought
they were just pretzels.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Oh no, they're like little pretzel nuggets, right, like little
tiny nuggets filled with peanut butter. I had never seen
of those. I'd never heard of those. Apparently I've been
living under a rock. But I love my snacks. Like
you need to understand. My cabinet is full of like
chips and cheetos and whatever, right, tons, and cause I
(33:34):
eat a lot of sandwiches.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
I like sandwiches.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
So for lunch, I'll eat a sandwich and I'll have
some chips or cheetos or whatever.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
And I'm like, what are these? And the guy goes, oh,
I got them from Costco. Oh okay, never seen, never
heard of them.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
And then the other day or then like like two
days later, I was at Harris Teeter and Snyders makes them, so.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
I bought a bag. I was like, oh my god,
they're just as good.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
So today I haven't had the pretzels because I think
I ate them like that weekend. I ate the whole bag,
like sitting at night watching Netflix for sports and just
mowing on.
Speaker 2 (34:19):
The pretzels filled with peanut butter.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
And the prinzels are like the size of like a
thumbnail or whatever, just going to town on them. And
I was there today and you could either buy the
big jar that was on sale from seven to fifty
to five forty nine or two bags for five dollars.
So my brain, I'm going, Okay, how many ounces are
the big jar versus how many ounces are two bags?
(34:43):
And Da dah da costs comparison, And they were the
exact same price.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
You just got four more ounces.
Speaker 1 (34:49):
So don't think Jensen didn't buy two big bottles of
prinzels filled with peanut butter today. So never heard about
it until a month ago, and now I have to
have them in my life, and you guys looked at
me like like, yeah.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Moron, where have you been right? Exactly right? I don't know,
but now, like I'm so obsessed with these.
Speaker 1 (35:12):
I was literally doing a price comparison between the Big
bottle because sometimes, like buying more bags if they're on sale,
is cheaper than buying the big bottle.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
Usually buying in bulk is cheapest, but not always.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
So I'm doing I'm doing price comparison. I'm pulling out
my calculator to see how many how much they're charging
me per ounce like it was a whole thing, and
wound up being the same price. And I wound up
buying two big jars of the Snyders pretzels filled with
peanut butter. That and George, It's sad when things like
that excite me. I'm sitting there, going I get to
(35:46):
go home tonight, watch football and eat my pretzels with
peanut butter.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Welcome to oldness. Oh no, I know, I like, I
would argue with you, but I can't. I would argue
with you, but I can't.
Speaker 3 (36:00):
It damn it.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Peanut butter filled.
Speaker 1 (36:04):
Pretzels, filled withanut butter, and I love like the extra
salt on the pretzels with the peanut butter. And you know,
maybe that stands the reason why my favorite candy of
all time? Lonnie, you see me in here all the time?
What's my favorite candy of all time? What about You
didn't hear almost every single night when I go to
the commissary.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
You know what.
Speaker 4 (36:27):
My mind?
Speaker 2 (36:28):
But cups? Yeah, the four pack of recy cups.
Speaker 1 (36:33):
I'm down all four of them during a commercial break,
I just mouth like a whole at a time. You
don't buy them, you split the whole cup like chew it.
Speaker 4 (36:42):
I mean, at least I know that your favorite soda
is a n W root Beer.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
It's my favorite non caffeine soda, my mistake, Yeah, it's
It's the reason I drink NW root beer at nice
because there's no caffeine and root beer. My favorite is
ANW zero. My favorite soda my far, and it's not
even close. If I want, if I don't care about sugar,
I'll go Sundrop. But my go to every single day
(37:09):
is probably a couple bottles a day Coke zero. That's
my that's my that's my CoFe. I don't drink coffee.
That's my coffee in the morning. Cook zero. Let's go.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
All right, everyone that's gonna do it for us tonight.
Speaker 1 (37:19):
I'm about a minute and a half overdue here, so again,
thanks for everyone listening tonight, thanks to North Carolina state
Representative David Willis who also joined us, and we're gonna
do this all over again tomorrow. My name is Brett Jensen,
and you have been listening to Breaking with Brett Jensen.
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