5 Things to Know: Middle Schooler Killed in Dirt Bike Wreck
...and four more stories from June 8-14, 2025
Middle Schooler Killed in Dirt Bike Wreck
A 12-year-old boy was killed after the dirt bike he was operating in northwest Charlotte was struck by the driver of a pickup truck on Sunday.
At around 1:06 p.m. that afternoon, first responders were called to a vehicle collision with injuries at the intersection of Oakdale and Auten roads, where they found 12-year-old Mike Malanda lying unresponsive in the roadway near a damaged dirt bike and a damaged Ford truck.
A preliminary investigation found that Malanda was riding a dirt bike along the road when he was struck by the driver of a Ford truck. Malanda was pronounced dead at the scene.
Pictures from the scene show heavy damage to the front-right side of the truck. No charges have been filed against the driver. Malanda’s mother told reporters that he was out getting gas for his dirt bike when he was struck.
Malanda had just finished sixth grade at Lake Norman Charter Middle School.
“Affectionately known as ‘Big Mike’ he will be remembered by his classmates, friends and teachers for his larger than life personality, playful nature and kind soul,” read a statement from the school, adding that a counseling team would be available to provide support to students.
In the above map of deaths due to traffic-related incidents in Charlotte in 2025, red markers signify a person killed in their car; black markers signify pedestrian deaths; purple markers signify motorcycle, dirt bike and moped deaths; yellow markers signify pedestrians killed by trains; and green markers signify deaths involving micro-mobility vehicles such as bicycles, scooters, skateboards and wheelchairs.
Malanda was the second person killed while operating a dirt bike in that area this year. At around 9:30 p.m. on March 27, 18-year-old Jermaine Holly died after colliding with a car that was turning onto Oakdale Road from Brookshire Boulevard, less than a half a mile from where Malanda was killed on Sunday.
Two Immigration Bills Pass Through NCGA, Stein Doesn’t Sign
Two pieces of legislation that would more deeply involve North Carolina in President Donald Trump’s federal immigration crackdown passed the Republican-controlled General Assembly on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 153 (the so-called “North Carolina Border Protection Act”) and House Bill 318 (the so-called “Criminal Illegal Alien Enforcement Act”) would require sweeping cooperation between state and local agencies and federal immigration authorities.
SB 153 restricts access to health and housing services based on immigration status and removes legal protections from cities, counties and public universities that adopt any policy perceived as limiting immigration enforcement.
HB 318 mandates extended detention based solely on the existence of an ICE detainer and administrative warrant — even before conviction — and directs judicial officials to delay release by two hours to allow for federal queries.
Democratic Gov. Josh Stein has 10 days from each bill’s passage to decide if he will sign them. A spokesperson said Stein was reviewing the legislation.
“He has made clear that if someone commits a crime and they are here illegally; they should be deported,” the spokesperson said in an email Tuesday. Stein went on to sign six bills into law on Friday, none of which were the two described above.
“These bills are not about public safety,” read a statement from NC Sen. Caleb Theodros, a Democrat from Mecklenburg County. “They are about political theater — about scapegoating immigrants and aligning our state with a national campaign of fear and division.”
Read more: Advocates Speak Against Recent ICE Actions in Charlotte
Charlotte-based immigrant advocacy organization Carolina Migrant Network (CMN) released its own statement strongly condemning the passage of both bills.
“The passage of SB 153 and HB 318 is part of a broader trend of anti-immigrant legislation that increases the deportation pipeline in our state,” stated CMN policy director America Juarez Maldonado. “It sends a chilling message that immigrant families are not welcome, despite their profound contributions to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our state. By mandating local law enforcement collaboration, our communities are less safe.”
CMN is one of three organizations helping to organize today’s No Kings protest against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. A rally is set to begin at 11 a.m. at First Ward Park, which will precede a march through Uptown.
McColl Park Set to Open Next Weekend
The McColl Park Committee and Charlotte Center City Partners announced an opening date for McColl Park this week, planning a grand opening event for the Center City pocket park on Saturday, June 21. The celebration will include free entertainment, food trucks and carts, music and more.
The afternoon festival to officially open McColl Park — formerly the site of Polk Park at the intersection of Trade & Tryon streets, will be the focal point of a day of indoor and outdoor events, experiences and programs all around Uptown Charlotte.
Located in the heart of the city at Independence Square, McColl Park honors one of Charlotte’s modern pioneers: philanthropist and former Bank of America Chairman and CEO Hugh L. McColl Jr. The park’s opening date also lands on the same week as McColl’s birthday, as he’ll be turning 90 on June 18.
In 2021, a committee consisting of business and civic leaders began work to revitalize and rename the pocket park at the northwest corner of Trade and Tryon to pay tribute to one of the city’s trailblazers, renowned for his business and civic leadership as well as his philanthropic efforts.
An entire block of South Tryon Street will be closed from Trade Street to 4th Street during the event next week.
New Dick Vitale Invitational to Launch in Charlotte This Year
The Charlotte Sports Foundation on Monday announced the creation of college basketball’s newest marquee event: the Dick Vitale Invitational, which will launch at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center with a matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Duke Blue Devils on Nov. 4.
Launched in partnership with ESPN Events, the annual game will honor 86-year-old Dick Vitale, a Hall of Fame broadcaster and one of basketball’s most iconic voices and ambassadors.
“ESPN has been such a vital part of my life since Dec. 5, 1979, and I was so thrilled to learn that ESPN Events will have an annual Dick Vitale Invitational,” read a statement from Vitale. “Jimmy Pitaro and all my colleagues and friends at ESPN have been so good to me and I am so thankful for all of the prayers and love I have received from them during my cancer battles. ESPN has been family to me and has given me a life that has been even better than my dreams. To the Vitale family, ESPN is ‘Awesome, baby’ with a capital A!”
City Council Set to Vote on Large Providence Road Development
Charlotte City Council is scheduled to vote on a rezoning petition that would greenlight a proposed large-scale development on Providence Road across from Charlotte Latin School in south Charlotte during its Monday night meeting.
The development would include hundreds of townhomes fronting Providence Road and dozens of single-family homes located behind them, south of Kuykendall Road.
Neighbors with the Kuykendall Coalition, representing 220 households in the south Charlotte neighborhoods that surround the site, showed intense opposition to the proposal during an April hearing.
Despite recommending denial before that hearing, city staff is now recommending approval of the revised petition after developers brought the total number of multifamily units down from 220 to 210 and the number of six-unit buildings from 20 to 15. Other changes since April include an increase in parking and a decrease in some of the proposed buildings’ maximum heights.
