Have a peek at CMS south Charlotte draft maps
Plus: Feel the power of the Ledger editor's seat — our annual Teen Talk Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet returns🦃 — Plus the top news of the week
Good morning! Today is Saturday, November 19, 2022. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger’s Weekend Edition.
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Preliminary drafts of CMS south Charlotte school assignment maps are now online
by Tony Mecia and Cristina Bolling
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has posted a series of draft maps that provide a window into the district’s thinking on shifting school assignment boundary lines in south Charlotte.
The maps will be of immense interest to parents in the Myers Park, Ardrey Kell, South Mecklenburg and Providence high school zones. Parents have been eagerly awaiting the details of proposals to redraw boundaries, which is necessitated by the planned 2024 opening of a new high school in the Ballantyne area.
The Ledger learned of the maps late Friday. They are available as part of a presentation that district planning officials made to parent groups at several south Charlotte schools this week. During the meetings, CMS planning director Claire Schuch flipped through the maps quickly, to the frustration of many of the parents who attended. She said the district hoped to narrow the possibilities to “around three” in the next week or two.
The Ledger reached out to Schuch late Friday night via email to inquire about the release of the draft maps but didn’t immediately hear back.
➡️ You can view the presentation, with the maps, here.
The Ledger reported last week on the existence of four draft plans, named blue, orange, yellow and violet. This week’s presentations included five additional plans: red A and B; and brown A, B and C.
The Ledger plans to have further analysis of the dynamics of south Charlotte school reassignment in our Monday newsletter.
Related Ledger articles:
“CMS officials are making the rounds to PTA groups this week about south Charlotte boundary changes; parents still awaiting maps” (🔒, Nov. 16)
“CMS eyes shake-up of south Charlotte school boundaries” (🔒, Nov. 11)
“Get to know Claire Schuch, CMS director of planning services” (🔒) (Nov. 11); also available on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast 🎧
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Today, we’re going to conduct an experiment. Since we work for you, we’re going to let you tell us what you’d like to see in Monday’s newsletter. You’re getting behind the wheel, and we’re forking over the keys.
Your voice, your vote ✓: We have several articles ready to go — and we want you to tell us which one you’d like to read most. You can vote in this poll, and the top vote-getter will be the lead story and will headline the email newsletter you receive from us Monday at 8 a.m.:
We realize that, unlike Ledger editors, you (probably) are not a professional journalist and don’t have 25 years of experience making these weighty decisions. But we trust you. You got this!
(We do work weekends, and if there is urgent news today or tomorrow, we reserve the right to lead with it instead of your choice — sorry.)
We’re as curious as you are to see what our readers pick. See you Monday at 8 a.m.!
Just in time for Thanksgiving🦃: The Ledger’s 2022 Teen Talk Cheat Sheet
An occasional feature we have in The Ledger is Teen Talk, which keeps you up to date with all the modern lingo you might need to talk to folks younger than you.
Every year, at Thanksgiving, we reward you with a special treat: our annual Teen Talk Cheat Sheet, a one-page reference that you can print out and take to dinner so you can impress and delight everyone with your mastery of the latest and greatest words of the 2020s. You’ll be vibin’ with those younger relatives in no time. And that’s no cap.
Whether your Thanksgiving feast is bussin’ or just mid, we’ve got you covered.
➡️ Download this year’s cheat sheet here.
Enjoy! If you use these and make an impression at Thanksgiving, drop us a line and share your story.
This week in Charlotte: Parents anticipate news on CMS boundary maps; Booster club under investigation; Robot bear orchestra won’t return to Founders Hall this year; 45-acre South End Business Park sold
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Education
Parents await south Charlotte school maps: (Ledger 🔒) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools promises maps will be coming soon with the boundaries for a new south Charlotte high school, and officials are making the rounds to PTA groups to say that nine drafts are currently underway and could possibly be made available by Thanksgiving.
CMS investigates Chambers High booster club: (Observer) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools says it is investigating the misuse of funds by the Chambers High School booster club.
Local news
Bad news for the bears: (Ledger 🔒) The Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble of 18 singing robot bears, is not being invited back to Founders Hall this year, and Bank of America declines to give an explanation.
Central Flea Market is back: (Observer) The Central Flea Market, which closed 10 months ago after losing its space at the old Eastland Mall site, will be open this weekend at 1720 Galleria Blvd. in south Charlotte near Matthews starting at 9 a.m.
City holiday for Juneteenth: The Charlotte City Council approved a measure adding an annual holiday for city workers to commemorate Juneteenth.
Business
Atrium merger approval: (Observer) An Illinois health board gave approval to Atrium Health’s proposed merger with Advocate Aurora Health. It’s one of several regulators that needed to agree to the deal.
Big LoSo land deal: (Biz Journal) Florida-based developer Ram Realty Advisors has bought the 45-acre South End Business Park in lower South End and plans to build a mixed-use project including office, hotel, residential, retail and green space.
Sports
LaMelo re-injures ankle: (NBA) Hornets star LaMelo Ball re-injured his ankle in only his third game back on Wednesday, and it’s unclear how much time he might miss.
Turf wars: (WBTV) The NFL released a report showing that players aren’t significantly more likely to suffer injuries when they play on artificial turf versus grass, but some players on the Carolina Panthers, who play on Bank of America’s artificial turf field, say they disagree and that grass is more forgiving and easier for athletes with joint problems.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Female-focused health clinics: Novant Health and Atrium Health are both making strides toward improving women’s health care by offering female-tailored services. The Novant Health Women’s Center offers a sexual health clinic, an ob-gyn practice, breastfeeding support and mammography, and Atrium Health plans to open a women’s sexual health practice and its first women’s cardiology program.
YMCA $2.5M pool dome: The Morrison YMCA in Ballantyne is planning to add a $2.5M retractable “DynaDome” over its swimming pool that will allow the pool to be used 12 months a year.
Davidson Earth Fare closing: Earth Fare is closing its store in Davidson next week, part of a recent series of closings after the company was revived from bankruptcy in 2020.
Wednesday (🔒)
UNC Charlotte earns Phi Beta Kappa distinction: Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and one of the most selective academic honor societies in the country, made UNC Charlotte its newest chapter last April as one of fewer than 300 four-year colleges with chapters.
Charlotte’s housing supply doesn’t match demand: A new report on Charlotte’s housing market found that 50% of area residents are unable to afford houses that are at the 10th percentile in price, which is around $200,000, and 80% of residents unable to afford a median-priced house, which is around $420,000.
WFAE employees join union: WFAE might be the first public radio station in the Carolinas to form a union after 70% of its newsroom signed a petition in support of joining SAG-AFTRA, a national labor union.
Friday (🔒)
A subdivision in the front yard: Historical preservationists and developers are teaming up to save historic structures in Mecklenburg by building housing on the grounds of century-old mansions, including one in the SouthPark area that will have eight $2M homes in the front yard.
Dilworth development: A developer has filed plans to build an office tower on the site of Dilworth Neighborhood Grille, but the restaurant’s owner says he expects no changes.
New vision for Queens Park: Non-profit Friends of Queens Park announced a new 37-acre vision Thursday for Queens Park in NoDa that no longer includes the Norfolk Southern rail yard and instead proposed combining forces with Mecklenburg County to expand on the county’s current plan for a 13-acre park between North Davidson and Tryon streets in NoDa.
Uptown land available: Charlotte Pipe & Foundry said it has hired global real estate firm CBRE to market is 56-acre site on Morehead Street, which has been long speculated as a future stadium site.
Ways of Life (🔒)
Wayne Felton, 72, fell backward and hit his head while unloading groceries in his kitchen next to his wife. He died two days later.
The Ledger’s Lindsey Banks tested out and reviewed the new TravelSafely app in South End, which is a part of Charlotte’s “Vision Zero” safety initiative to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries.
A special offseason edition of Fútbol Friday explores Charlotte FC players’ workout regimens in their home countries, as well as looks at Charlotte ties to the World Cup and recent roster moves.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project