CMS sticks with back-to-school plan (free version)
Plus: Who's going to run for open U.S. Senate seat?; Worries about more traffic on Providence Road; Feta cheese shortage; 40 Over 40 judges named; 'Long-simmering jealousies' at BofA continue
Good morning! Today is Wednesday, February 10, 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. The complete version for paying subscribers went out 15 minutes ago. It included:
The breakdown of last night’s school board meeting, in which Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders discussed plans to return 90,000 students to classrooms later this month.
The full article including the best-informed speculation from anonymous sources on who might be considering running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina in 2022 — including several well-known Charlotteans.
An update on the city’s plans to woo the leadership of the General Assembly to allow a sales tax referendum to be placed on the ballot in November, to help pay for light rail and other transit priorities.
The latest plans for a townhouse development on Providence Road at Alexander/Rea roads — and what nearby residents worry it might do to traffic.
The Sycamore Brewing hard seltzer can label that was rejected by state alcohol regulators as too offensive — even though it’s a sentiment many people probably agree with.
The Ledger delivers original, thoughtful information and analysis about Charlotte that you won’t find anywhere else — and we round up the most relevant and interesting news from other sources. Consider a paid subscription for full access and insights from experienced journalists who know this city like few others. Paid subscriptions are $9/month or $99/year, and the yearly plan comes with a second email address (collected after sign-up). It’s a win-win: You receive smart and essential news and support a new, innovative, local small business. Details here.
No last-minute changes as CMS board keeps return-to-classrooms plan that starts next week; ‘a cautious approach’
ROLLING, ROLLING ROLLING: CMS elementary school students will board buses starting Monday for two-days-a-week rotations. Middle and high-schoolers will start back on Feb. 22. (Photo by Reshot)
by Cristina Bolling
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board of education stuck with its plan to reopen classrooms to students starting next week during a drama-free meeting Tuesday night that capped months of twists and turns in the district’s struggle to reopen schools.
Tuesday night was the final school board meeting before the district’s expected opening of school buildings to nearly 90,000 students, and thousands of parents and staff watched online to see if there would be last-minute changes, as has happened on numerous occasions this school year.
“These are the dates we have long awaited and much preparation has been completed,” CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston told the board. “We do approach this return very mindful that Covid remains a threat in our community, but we believe with the practices and procedures we’ve put in place to reduce the risk … we’re confident we’re ready to proceed with in-person instruction.”
The district’s return-to-schools plan is as follows:
Big names said to be considering U.S. Senate run — many with Charlotte connections
The race for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat next year sounds as though it’s about to get crowded.
Sure, the general election is 21 months away, but political types have been buzzing lately about who’s jumping in to try to replace Republican Sen. Richard Burr, who said he’s not running for re-election. Raising money, hiring campaign staff and crisscrossing the state promising to fight for North Carolina doesn’t just happen overnight.
On the Democratic side, state Sen. Jeff Jackson of Charlotte is in, as is former state Sen. Erica Smith. On the Republican side, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker has said he’s competing.
But those names are likely just the beginning, and there are a few surprises. Other names include:
City starts working with General Assembly on transit referendum
City leaders say they feel encouraged about their chances to get leaders of the General Assembly to agree to a sales tax referendum this fall — one of several big hurdles to a massive expansion of Charlotte’s transit network.
Charlotte needs the blessing of the General Assembly to place a referendum on November’s ballot. On paper, that could be tricky, since the biggest local backers tend to be Democrats, and the General Assembly is led by Republicans. Or those Republican leaders could figure hey, if Mecklenburg wants to tax itself to pay for more light rail, bus routes, greenways and roads, who are they to stand in the way?
In a briefing with reporters on Monday, assistant city manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba said he and Mayor Vi Lyles met with Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore in Raleigh late last year and made a pitch for the transit plan.
More traffic on Providence Road? Neighbors worry about proposed townhomes
Plans to build townhomes along Providence Road in south Charlotte are drawing objections from nearby residents, who say that all the new developments in the area are making traffic worse.
In the summer, Lat Purser & Associates proposed 76 townhomes on 6 acres at the intersection of Providence and Alexander roads. In January, though, the company backed out of the project, which is now being developed by Fielding Homes and DRB Group. The latest proposal calls for 45 townhomes.
Even with the reduction of the size of the project, neighbors say it will cause problems. About 70 residents attended a two-hour-long online community meeting last week and expressed concerns.
New Charlotte shortage: feta cheese, thanks to TikTok
The hottest new trend on TikTok is a ridiculously simple one-dish feta-and-tomato pasta recipe that’s so hot, Charlotte grocery stores apparently can’t keep blocks of the cheese on the shelf.
At the Ballantyne Publix, only feta crumbles are to be found, with the exception of a lonely barrel-aged feta block ($4.99) that TikTokers apparently believe to be insufficient.
“We’ve been selling a lot of it lately … we do think it’s from ‘TikTok pasta,’” laughed a Publix deli department employee this week. “Everybody’s wanting to make it.”
Ledger sources say other stores are also experiencing the shortage, including the Fresh Market in Dilworth.
You can’t blame the TikTokers. The dish — which we’ve made, and found scrumptious — involves putting cherry tomatoes seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper in a baking dish with a full block of feta cheese in the middle, and baking it in the oven until the feta melts. Then, you smash the tomatoes and blend them with cheese to form a sauce, mix that with cooked pasta, and behold — you’ve baked the hottest thing on TikTok. —CB
Atrium releases rendering of planned med school — but hasn’t yet announced its Morehead Street location
Atrium Health released new renderings of its planned medical school on Tuesday. It has not yet announced a location. The Ledger, citing real estate sources, reported in December that it will be on Morehead Street on a 7.6-acre site near McDowell Street recently sold by Beacon Partners. (Rendering courtesy of Atrium Health)
Who is choosing 40 Over 40 winners? Here are our wise millennial and Gen Z judges.
Nominations for The Ledger’s second-annual 40 Over 40 awards are still open for a few more days, through Monday. We’re determined to find and honor 40 people aged 40+ who are working, often with little credit, to make Charlotte a better place.
Today, we are announcing another step in the process — the identities of our distinguished panel of under-40 judges. They are an impressive group from across the city, chosen for their wisdom and common sense.
The judges are: Dion Beary, Dr. Temeka Brantley, Qulia Brunson, Latesha Byrd, Christine Edwards, Alison Hall, Shaynah Jerrel, Alexis Kaiser, Bethany Lane, Justin Maharana, Sophie Mohajerani, Sophia Matthews Partlow, Ely Portillo, Jay Royster, Corri Smith, Lauren Ulrey and Daniel Valdez.
The credentials of these 17 individuals are too voluminous to mention here, but we have their backgrounds on our full official announcement of the judges online.
And remember: lobbying the judges is expressly discouraged. All the contest details are here.
Another risqué beverage label from Sycamore Brewing
The N.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission has rejected a Sycamore Brewing lemon-lime hard seltzer can label because it said “F— 2020.”:
Sycamore is appealing the decision, which will be heard in March, a commission spokesman tells us.
Sycamore has previously drawn attention for holiday-themed beer can labels with reindeer having sex and gingerbread men engaged in light bondage. —TM
In brief
BofA bonus blowback: “Anger is building in the senior ranks at Bank of America Corp. after the company waived an unpopular new bonus policy for top traders and dealmakers while keeping the plan in place for other employees,” Bloomberg reported. BofA allowed workers in investment banking and trading to be exempted from a four-year vesting on stock grants. The decision “touched a raw nerve,” Bloomberg said, and the bank was described as being “torn by long-simmering jealousies and divisions among its staff of more than 200,000.” (Bloomberg)
End of the line for Mr. K’s? Mr. K’s Soft Ice Cream on South Boulevard in South End is up for sale for $260,000. The restaurant has been there since 1967 but the owner is ready to “move on.” “Mr. K’s has an amazing lease in place with unbeatable rent for the area,” a brochure says, and an agent representing the owner says the 1,400 s.f. space can “be anything” but that the owner “would gladly sell it as Mr. K’s.” (Biz Journal, subscriber-only)
NoDa grocery: A New York-based developer closed on a piece of land in NoDa that’s being eyed for a mixed-use project that includes a grocery store. Avery Hall, working with Aria Development Group, is developing a site at East 36th and North Tryon streets. The grocery store will be on the bottom floor of a five-story apartment building. (Biz Journal, subscriber-only)
Covid citations: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police have issued 16 citations to businesses in 2021 for violating the state’s Covid orders. (WBTV)
Money for shots: Harris Teeter plans to pay its workers $100 to get the Covid vaccine. (WBTV)
Street renamings: The City Council voted to change the names of 9 streets named after Confederates or segregationists. The streets to be renamed include Stonewall Street uptown, Morrison Boulevard in SouthPark and Barringer Drive in west Charlotte. No new named have been decided on yet. (WCNC)
Boone bookstore boost: A small bookstore in Boone was inundated with online orders after being featured on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” The show featured a mock ad for Foggy Pine Books that included an appearance by Tom Hanks. (WSOC)
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.
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: David Griffith