Charlotte's nondiscrimination ordinance: Less than meets the eye? (free version)
Charlotte's nondiscrimination ordinance: Less than meets the eye? (free version)
Plus: CMS board to hold meeting on masks; CDC recommends masks indoors again; Realtors seek blessing of 'Shark Tank' judge; Myers Park Country Club told to hand over records; Mesmerizing Ally lobby
Good morning! Today is Wednesday, July 28, 2021. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
Editor’s note: This is a shorter, free version of The Charlotte Ledger sent to people on our free sign-up list. Paying subscribers received our complete version 15 minutes ago. It included:
the complete article analyzing the proposed nondiscrimination ordinance that the City Council is set to discuss next week — including what it means for small businesses, the full text of the proposal, how people would file complaints and advice for HR departments and companies seeking to get on the right side of the law
the latest on the CDC’s newly revised mask guidelines — and what they might mean for local schools and businesses
a look into how two Charlotte-area real estate groups both claim to have an affiliation with a popular judge on the entrepreneurial reality TV show “Shark Tank”
information on a ruling by a business court judge that will force Myers Park Country Club to hand over financial records to a member that it suing the club — a controversy that only Charlotte Ledger members have read about
Ledger members on Tuesday also received our Ways of Life obituaries newsletter, with a feature on a promising artist from Charlotte who graduated from Northwest School of the Arts with dreams of pursuing a theater career — plus summaries of 17 local obituaries.
If you’re like us, you get information from a lot of places. But how much of it is original, local news that is interesting, important and relevant to your life?
When you join The Ledger as a paying member, you’re supporting a growing, responsible source of local information that delivers news and analysis you simply won’t find elsewhere. We’re not into rehashing press releases, doing other people’s PR, telling you stuff you already know or bombarding you with annoying ads. We’re a locally owned small business striving to make Charlotte better by delivering information that makes our readers well-informed about our city.
If you like our approach, we ask you to join us today as a paying member, so we can keep growing and improving and doing more. Memberships start at $9/month, and you receive full access to every edition by email and on our website, including the complete Wednesday and Friday issues, our Tuesday obituaries newsletter, our Thursday transit/transportation newsletter and more. Details here.
Charlotte contemplates a ban on workplace discrimination, but some employment lawyers are underwhelmed; ‘momentous’ or just symbolism?
by Tony Mecia
Charlotte appears to be on the verge of passing a nondiscrimination ordinance, joining several other North Carolina cities in enshrining protections for the LGBTQ community and others who face discrimination.
The city for years has wanted to pass an ordinance prohibiting businesses from discriminating against customers based on sexual orientation or gender identity. A draft of the ordinance that surfaced this week added an additional measure — outlawing discrimination in employment, too.
But would it have any effect?
What employers should do
Several employment lawyers offered advice for companies wanting to stay on the right side of the law:
“My advice would be
CMS meeting on masks in schools set for Friday; new CDC guidance says to wear them indoors
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education has called a special meeting Friday at 9 a.m. to discuss mask requirements — and the recommendations just keep piling up that students should wear them, even if they have been vaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday backtracked on earlier guidance and said it now “recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status.” Previously, the state had recommended masks for K-8 and for students in grades 9-12 who are not vaccinated, but it left decisions up to local school districts.
We are going to go out on a limb and say there is approximately a 0% chance that CMS will ignore the county and state health departments and the CDC. Other districts in the region have made masks optional.
Masks for everyone again? The CDC also added a “recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.” It counts Mecklenburg as “high transmission.” (Numbers have been rising since early July though they remain far below January peaks.) Would anyone be surprised to see businesses or local/state governments reimpose mask mandates? —TM
You are in the new Ally Charlotte Center. You are feeling sleepy, very sleepy…
MESMERIZING LOBBY ART: The lobby of the new Ally Charlotte Center at South Tryon and Stonewall streets uptown contains two panels called “Geode,” which is “engaging, site-specific animation” that takes data about the city and translates it into art. It’s made of 32 LED columns that “create a subtle, mesmerizing, two-way viewing experience.” The day we were there last week, the piece was translating data on local water consumption and recycling into slow-moving waves. “We hope that our design and implementation of Geode distinguishes Ally Charlotte Center as one of the most unique and innovative lobbies,” a Crescent Communities designer said.
One Barbara Corcoran, but two local Realtors claiming Corcoran blessing
Which Charlotte real estate agent has the loyalties of “Shark Tank” judge Barbara Corcoran?
Help wanted: Vacancies emerge at North Carolina’s biggest newspapers; Clicks have fluctuated
Web traffic at North Carolina’s largest newspapers, The Charlotte Observer and Raleigh News & Observer, trended higher in the last year — though there is a lot of month-to-month volatility. The papers, owned by Sacramento, Calif.-based McClatchy Co., announced separately that their top editors are leaving their posts: Last week, McClatchy said the N&O’s Robyn Tomlin, 50, was being be promoted to vice president. This week, The Observer’s Sherry Chisenhall, 58, said she’s leaving “to step back and find some balance in life.” The company was bought out of bankruptcy last year by New Jersey-based hedge fund Chatham Asset Management and is now a private company that does not disclose financials. With print newspapers in decline, editors have said they believe their web reach is an important indicator of the health of their business: “We reach more people than we ever have before,” Tomlin said last month. (Source: Comscore)
Judge tells Myers Park Country Club to fork over board records
A judge has ordered Myers Park Country Club to hand over internal financial documents and other records to a club member who is suing it over a controversial renovation.
In an order released Tuesday, Judge Michael Robinson of the N.C. Business Court largely
Related Ledger articles:
“Teed off: A lawsuit at the country club” (🔒) (April 14)
“Myers Park Country Club prez: We are listening to our females” (🔒) (April 30)
“Country club hands over financial records as part of lawsuit” (🔒) (June 2)
“Myers Park Country Club seeks identity of who is behind ‘women of Myers Park’ email account” (🔒) (June 23)
“Myers Park Country Club suspended former county commissioners chairman for emailing objections to renovation plan” (🔒) (July 21)
In brief
Bank to replace funeral home in Myers Park? J.P. Morgan Chase has applied to put a bank branch on the southwestern corner of Providence Road and Moravian Road in Myers Park, the Biz Journal reported. Another bank, no big deal … except that when you look at where that is, you realize that the corner is currently occupied by McEwen Funeral Service & Cremation, formerly Harry & Bryant Co., which is one of the oldest businesses in Mecklenburg County. The Ledger reported in March 2020 that the funeral home planned to relocate.
Recycling request: Mecklenburg County is asking residents to “go the extra mile” to separate glass from other recyclables because “it’s difficult and costly to separate glass when it’s tossed in with other recyclable materials like cardboard.” There’s no mandate, but the county recommends that people take glass recyclables to full-service recycling centers and put them in big yellow bins there. (Mecklenburg County on Twitter)
Fintech raises money: Local fintech company Anduin raised $14M in a seed round. It provides an artificial intelligence platform that aids with accounts receivables for accounting and consulting firms. (Charlotte Inno)
New Indy employee running for Rock Hill mayor: William “Bump” Roddey, an employee of the New Indy paper plant that’s accused of releasing noxious fumes over a multi-county area, filed Tuesday to run for mayor of Rock Hill. Roddey is a five-term York County councilman, and his county council bio says he’s a “chemical and pulping specialist” at the containerboard plant. Residents of communities for miles around the plant have been filing class-action lawsuits and lobbying state and national officials over putrid fumes they say are harming their health and making their neighborhoods intolerable. (Vote for Roddey website)
New rec center in Cornelius: A new $40M Northern Regional Recreation Center is expected to open in the first quarter of 2022. The center will have an indoor track, gyms, exercise equipment, swimming pools and a greenhouse. Family passes will be $65 per month. (Cornelius Today)
DaBaby under fire: Troutman resident and rap star DaBaby apologized after comments over the weekend that were seen as insensitive to people with HIV and AIDS. He had encouraged the audience to hold up their cell phone flashlights if they “didn’t show up today with HIV/AIDS or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that will make you die in two to three weeks.” Singer Dua Lipa said she was “surprised and horrified” at the comments. DaBaby later said on Twitter: “What I said was insensitive even though I have no intentions on offending anybody. So my apologies.” (Variety)
Making uptown better: Ideas for improving the uptown area include burying power lines, prohibiting elevated walkways over streets and building more child care facilities, pharmacies and grocery stores. Those were part of the “All in 2040” plan released last week by Charlotte Center City Partners, which is accepting input on the plan and will publish a final version in the coming months. (UNC Charlotte Urban Institute)
Hot enough for ya? Temperatures will be in the mid- to upper 90s with high humidity Wednesday through Friday. (Observer)
Programming note: Ledger editor Tony Mecia appears as a guest on 90.7 WFAE at 6:40 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. on Thursdays for a discussion of the week’s local business news in the station’s “BizWorthy” segment. Audio and transcripts are also available online.
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer a free version, as well as paid memberships for full access to all 3 of our local newsletters:
➡️ 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.
Change newsletter preferences: Go to ‘My Account’ page
Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Sponsorship information: email brie@cltledger.com.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: Lindsey Banks