📸 It's spring: Who let the dogs out?
Plus: New Ledger crossword and top news of the week — Charlotte jobs surpass pre-Covid levels; New SouthPark tower plans unveiled; Duke-UNC Final Four matchup looming?
Good morning! Today is Saturday, March 26, 2022. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger’s Weekend Edition.
Need to subscribe — or upgrade your Ledger e-newsletter subscription? Details here.
Today’s Charlotte Ledger is sponsored by SPARK Publications, which publishes entrepreneurial books that help your business grow. Do you have questions about publishing your book? “Ask Fabi” is a free virtual Q&A held on April 12, at 8:30 am (EST). Register here!
Spay-ecial Report: People love spring. People love dogs. Who’s ready for some fetching photos of dogs enjoying spring?
Let the humans have their hot girl summer. Today, we’re celebrating what we’re calling hot dog spring, when canines across Charlotte are basking in the glow of the warm sun and gentle breezes.
The news can be ruff sometimes, and it’s easy to suffer from in-fur-mation overload. So we figure — why not take a moment to paws and savor some photos of local dogs enjoying their ulti-mutt selves in the great outdoors?
(And not to hound, if you’ve been considering adding a tail-wagger to your family, now may be a doggone great time. Local animal shelters say they’re reaching capacity with so many dogs and cats in need of adoption.)
Got a pooch who’d like to be Ledger-famous? Email your favorite springtime dog photo to Ledger managing editor Cristina Bolling, and we just may run a collar-ge of them in a future Saturday edition of the Ledger.
Conan’s exuberance over the coming of spring is undeniable. He may also be chasing a squirrel. (Photo by Jayson Singe)
DID SOMEONE SAY ‘TREAT’? We believe Juice (left) to be happier on the inside than he is on the outside, shown here in sunny Elkin. Crash (right) seems happy to yield to the command: sit. (Photos by Sara Money-Monday)
DOG DAYS OF SPRING: Risa (left photo) takes a moment for mindful reflection. Rough collies Molly (right photo, left dog) and Teddy head out for their afternoon walk. (Photos by Andrew Bolling and Amber Veverka)
WHO CALLED THE PUP-ARAZZI? Georgia (left) contemplates life and the location of the mailman beside the spring tulips at her house; Charlie (right) is having a tongue-wagging time at Symphony Park in SouthPark. (Photos by Tony Mecia and Deb Chaplin.)
Today’s supporting sponsors are Ducie Stark, Residential Real Estate Broker with Dickens Mitchener…
… and Soni Brendle:
Crossword time: ‘Brown Bagging It’
We’re back with our weekly Charlotte-themed crossword by Chris King. It’s edited by Tim Whitmire and presented by CXN Advisory. Enjoy!
.PDF (suitable for download and printing):
.PUZ (suitable for use on tablets and computers with Across Lite app):
We publish solutions on Mondays. You can check out all our weekly puzzles and answers on our dedicated Crosswords page.
This week in Charlotte: Tall office tower announced for SouthPark; CMS reading scores getting worse; federal inmates transferred; election ads heating up; the ultimate Duke-UNC showdown ahead?
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.
Local news
Inmates transferred: (Observer) The federal government was expected to remove dozens of federal inmates from the seriously understaffed Mecklenburg County jail this week and send them to a Georgia detention center — a move that will make the jail safer but will cost millions in federal reimbursements. The inmate transfer comes in part at the request of Sheriff’s Office, which is under a state mandate to correct safety violations at the jail by mid-April.
Mecklenburg growth slowing? (Carolina Demography, Observer) More people moved out of Mecklenburg County between April 2020 and July 2021 than moved in, according to new census figures. Net migration in Mecklenburg was -664, and the county’s percentage growth of 0.6% was slower than the state average and came from births — not people moving here. “Mecklenburg and Durham had large estimated in-flows of international migrants but even larger out-flows of individuals leaving for other counties and states,” a UNC Chapel Hill demographer wrote. “… Whether this is a single year aberration due to the pandemic or a multi-year trend is something we won’t know until we get more data.”
Education
Reading scores: (WFAE) Third grade reading scores appear to be getting worse in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, according to a report presented to the school board. Based on preliminary testing, fewer than 15% of all third graders — and fewer than 10% of those who are Black or Hispanic — are expected to earn end-of-year scores that show them as “college and career ready.” Last year, under 16% of Black and Hispanic students hit that mark. The board has set a goal of getting that level to 50% by 2024.
School funding case gets new judge: (WRAL) N.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby replaced the trial judge in the long-running Leandro school funding lawsuit with a Republican judge. The previous judge, a Democrat, had ordered state leaders to transfer more than $1.7B to improve education in the state, and the case is being appealed. The new judge might take a softer line on requiring more education spending, which Republican legislative leaders have said is the responsibility of the General Assembly, not the courts.
Politics
Council candidate’s business ties, financial reports: (WFAE) City Council candidate James Mitchell says he still owns a 25% stake in R.J. Leeper Construction, which could pose a conflict if he is elected because the company does business with the city. Mitchell stepped down from his council seat last year to run R.J. Leeper, but he no longer works for the company. If he wins, “the majority owners of R.J. Leeper will have to make a business decision,” he says — which probably means buying him out. Separately, Mitchell apologized for failing to file campaign finance reports for three years.
New McCrory-Budd ads: (Associated Press/Spectrum News) The Republican primary for the U.S. Senate race is heating up, with a new ad by an outside political action committee painting former Mayor Pat McCrory as soft on illegal immigration. “For years, Charlotte was a sanctuary city. Mayor Pat McCrory didn’t seem to mind,” the ad says. A McCrory campaign officials said it distorted his record. McCrory’s main opponent, U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, also released his first commercial this week, showing him toting a pistol while walking the U.S.-Mexico border and promising to “finish this wall.”
Business
Charlotte jobs return: (Ledger) The number of jobs in the Charlotte area has surpassed pre-Covid levels, according to new data from the Labor Department. Charlotte made up the gap faster than the national average.
Phillips Place office tower: (Ledger 🔒) Developer Lincoln Harris unveiled renderings of a proposed 10-story office tower at Phillips Place, which would replace the shopping center’s Regal movie theater. Some neighbors worry that the height, 250 feet, is too tall. The City Council will decide on a rezoning for the land in the next month or two. Online critics said they didn’t care for the look of the new building.
Sports
Duke-UNC doomsday scenario? Duke and UNC Chapel Hill are each one win away in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament from playing each other next weekend in the Final Four, which has never happened. It would be a high-stakes game with perhaps a generation of bragging rights at stake — and many fans on both sides fear being on the losing side. Duke plays tonight, and the Tar Heels play Sunday. Both are favored.
New financing for Panthers HQ: (Business Journal, subscriber-only) York County says it has developed an alternate financing arrangement that would allow construction on the Carolina Panthers’ headquarters to resume and that that Panthers have agreed to the proposal in principle. The team halted construction this month, saying the city of Rock Hill had not issued bonds needed to pay for infrastructure for the project.
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Corporate swag: (Wednesday 🔒) Corporate gifts have long been a tool for businesses to strengthen their relationship with customers and employees, but they’ve entered a new realm during Covid, with companies using them in a more thoughtful, personal way.
Restaurant owner sues journalist: (Friday 🔒) The owner of uptown Charlotte restaurants La Belle Helene and Union and Church has sued a freelance writer with Queen City Nerve who shared allegations from ex-employees of one of the restaurants on Twitter. The libel lawsuit seeks $25,000 or more in damages.
Golf retail: (Friday 🔒) Charlotte’s golf retail scene continues to expand, with the announcement of an expanded store in SouthPark and a soon-to-open big retail store in south Charlotte.
New corporate HQ: (Wednesday 🔒) Industrial giant Ingersoll Rand, which said a month ago that it is leaving its longtime offices in Davidson, told employees this week that it has found a near home nearby.
Reader development question: (Friday 🔒) The latest in our “You Ask, We Answer” series tackles a reader question about construction adjacent to Flat Branch Nature Preserve on Ardrey Kell Road in south Charlotte
A warm presence at the movies: (Ways of Life 🔒) Tensley Brandon’s warm smile and exuberant laugh welcomed moviegoers for 12 years at the AMC theater in Northlake Mall. He’d been a standout basketball player at Independence High School when a car crash caused him to lose one leg and suffer from slurred speech and memory loss. He worked to overcome his challenges, got married and had a daughter. He died at age 39 of what doctors say may have been an aneurysm.
Road costs rising: (Transit Time) With the state facing a huge gap on road funding, our weekly Transit Time newsletter examined one project in Matthews — the widening of N.C. 51 — where projected costs went from $4M in 2014 to $42M last year. The surge in costs helps explain the state shortfall.
More international flights from CLT? (Wednesday 🔒) Charlotte could be poised for more nonstop American Airlines flights to Europe and South America because new Airbus aircraft are on the way, an airline official told pilots in a recent Q&A session.
Basking in first win: (Fútbol Friday) Our new Fútbol Friday newsletter examines the aftermath of last week’s thrilling first victory by Charlotte FC: what it means for the team’s star player, how the coach celebrated afterward, the signature celebration move of rookie sensation Ben Bender and much more. It’s a fun read.
Bo to go, or sit down: (Monday) Bojangles says it is abandoning plans for a drive-thru-only restaurant in Cotswold. The Chick-fil-A next door, though, is moving forward with plans to eliminate indoor seating. Traffic often backs up in the area.
A big thank you to our Premium members
The Ledger is able to deliver original, local information to you because of the support of our sponsors and paying members. We are grateful for them.
Producing high-quality local information costs money, and we can’t do it without the financial support of our members.
Today, we want to give special recognition to our Premium-level members. Premium memberships are for companies, groups and individuals willing to give more in exchange for a few extras — and also to lend support to the new model of independent local journalism that The Ledger represents.
They pay $379/year, which comes with newsletters for up to six email addresses, a monthly public thank-you (if desired) and an invitation to Ledger events.
A special thank you to:
AccruePartners
Ally Financial
ATCO Properties
Arden 55+ Living
Axios Charlotte
Carroll Financial
The Center for Intentional Leadership
Charlotte Business Journal
Charlotte Center City Partners
Corporate Information Technologies
Crescent Communities
Crown Castle
Drew Long Productions
Dyer & Co.
Eagle Commercial
Foundation For The Carolinas
Greenway Wealth Advisors LLC
Interact Studio
Jessica Grier
JLL Capital Markets
Ann Doss Helms
John Miller Law Firm, PLLC
K&L Gates LLP
Kearns & Company
Levine Properties
McGuireWoods LLP
MVA Public Affairs
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Next Stage
Nichols Architecture, PA
NorthMarq
Northwood Office
OrthoCarolina
Positec Tool Group
The Providence Group
Queens University of Charlotte
Rachel Sutherland Communications
St. John’s Baptist Church
SignatureFD
Chris Skibinski
Social Pet Hotel and Daycare
SPARK Publications
Starrett Law Firm
Sycamore Financial Planning, LLC
TalentBridge Inc.
Tassel Capital Management Inc.
Thrift CRES
T.R. Lawing Realty Inc.
Tribek Properties
Trinity Partners
Worth Supply
Joan Zimmerman
For more information on paid memberships to The Ledger, including Premium memberships, check out this post. If you or your company wants in as a Ledger Premium member, you can take care of that here:
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 4 of our local newsletters:
➡️ Opt in or out of different newsletters on your “My Account” page.
➡️ Learn more about The Charlotte Ledger
The Charlotte Ledger is a locally owned media company that delivers smart and essential news through e-newsletters and on a website. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.
Sponsorship information: email brie@cltledger.com.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Contributing photographer/videographer: Kevin Young, The 5 and 2 Project