Does back-to-school season make you sad or glad?
Plus: Top news of the week — Nursing program coming to Johnson & Wales — Longhorn bull spends 5 days on the lam — A park at Eastland? — Fury cranks back up at Carowinds
Good morning! Today is Saturday, August 12, 2023. 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 Fox Rothschild, a national law firm whose Charlotte-based attorneys provide litigation, real estate, labor and employment, corporate and a wide range of other services to clients in the Carolinas and across the country.
Whether you mark return-to-school with Kleenex or champagne, emotions are often a mixed bag; if your school supply shopping days are over, here are some good excuses to hit the aisles for those in need
by Colleen Brannan
Backpacks and sneakers and supplies, oh my!
Back-to-school time carries mixed emotions for parents. Family beach vacations, camps and cookouts are replaced with bus stop schedules, carpools and after-school activities. Saying goodbye to the carefree days of summer and returning to routines brings a sigh of relief to some parents and makes others misty-eyed.
Father-of-two Lee Freedman is glad his kids, 7-year-old Henry and 4-year-old Caroline, are heading back to school soon, mostly because of how filthy they are at the end of each camp day. “Between the sunscreen, chlorine, sweat and dirt, they are disgustingly grimy — so much so, I’m often tempted to take them out back and whip out the pressure washer, because a standard bath just doesn’t feel sufficient,” he joked. However, he says he is not looking forward to the germs they bring home from school that make the whole house sick. Maybe the dirt from camp helped build their immunities?
Ashley Hedrick, mother of two boys and a girl, ages 8, 4 and 3, is sad about back-to-school season, but not for the reasons we might think. “Oh, I’m sad alright — sad about waking up even earlier to get everyone to school on time, sad about packing three lunches the night before and sad about homework reminders,” she shared. However, she is glad not to hear Nick Jr. songs all day long.
James Labar, the father of a 13-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy/girl twins, refused to choose a sad or glad lane. “I’m sad that we all can’t sleep a little later, and I’ll soon be back to wondering where the heck the bus is and listening to elementary school drama,” he explained. “However, I am happy to know where they are between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.”
Amanda DeWeese, boy mom to 4-year-old Lucas and 6-year-old Nolen, is thankful for the family and camp time summer brings but welcomes back to school with open arms. “With a rising first-grader and preschooler, our summer is beyond chaotic,” she explains. “Our oldest is in a different camp each week, so I’m driving all over the city dropping him off before I get to work. During the school year, he’s on the bus by 7 a.m. Hello, routine, structure and discipline. We’ve missed you!”
Adam Williams is sad about the return to the grind for his boys, Ash, 11 and Austin, 8. “Early morning drop-off, after-school sports, meal, homework, rinse and repeat,” is how he describes their school day routine. “Summer is more laid back, with plenty of excuses to travel and a great time to bond with my sons when they aren’t so worn out from all their programmed activities.”
From my informal field research, the “glads” and “sads” seem to be neck and neck, so I’ll be the tie breaker.
With two college-aged kids, both of whom were home for the summer while doing internships, back to school for me is a sad time as family dinners and beach weekends come to a screeching halt. In fact, l just returned from taking my daughter, Phoebe, back to the University of Southern California, for her sophomore year. That return plane ride alone was brutal and I suspect will never get any easier. I’ll do the same for my son, Nick, a senior at UNC Chapel Hill, this coming week but that’s slightly easier by car and, because I get to see him more often, being just two hours away.
I do vividly remember the school supply scramble, the first day of school clothes shopping and the flurry of excitement around finding out who’s in your classes. Since the need for rulers and glue sticks have been replaced with new computers and iPhones at my house, I found a way to scratch my traditional school supply shopping itch. Two local nonprofits are currently seeking back to school items:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Central Carolinas needs 100 School Book Bags for the kids. Visit their website to learn how you can donate a backpack or other in-demand supplies.
Classroom Central supports schools in our community and needs all kinds of back-to-school items. There are plenty of ways listed on their website to drop off or donate online including Target and Walmart registries. My plan is to shop their wish list — in person — to get the full experience.
Sad, glad, or somewhere in between, back to school comes the same time every year, and regardless of how parents feel, kids typically look forward to it because they get to be with friends they haven’t seen all summer. As parents, I think it’s more than OK to welcome back routine while savoring the memories you made this summer and looking forward to the next.
Colleen Brannan, a 30+ year public relations professional and owner of BRANSTORM PR believes back-to-school ads will always make her sad and might be found roaming the aisles of Target this time of year. Email her colleen@branstorm.com Follow her on Instagram (Colleen_Brannan), X (Twitter) (@colleenbrannan) and LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/ccbrannan
‘Bucket list’ update:
In my last column, I asked “Is there a hole in your bucket list?” Proving the power of The Ledger readership, two of those wish list items have now come true.
Cottingham Chalk real estate broker Cay Craig wanted to meet and have drinks with Charlotte City Councilman Ed Driggs. That happened last week when Ed and his wife, Caroline, joined Cay and her family at Porter’s House in Waverly. No taxpayer dollars were used at this social gathering.
Truliant Federal Credit Union Commercial Market Executive Judy Wishnek said she has always wanted to be in a parade. Our friends at Chalotte Center City Partners waved their wand and have made that possible, too. Judy will appear in the Novant Health Thanksgiving Eve parade with the Toy Box float as a story book character. My vote is for Snow White!
Today’s supporting sponsor is QCity Metro’s Women Thrive Conference. Join us on Saturday, Oct. 7, for QCity Metro's first Women Thrive Conference. The Women Thrive Conference invites you to spend a day learning how to take your business to the next level. Whether you're just starting your business or are looking for ways to grow, you'll walk away with actionable insights. Sessions will include marketing, securing loans, web design and more — all led by topic experts. The first 50 people to buy tickets get $100 off!
This week in Charlotte: Assault on south Charlotte greenway; RIP Union County board chairman; Beyoncé performs at BofA stadium; car insurance is going up
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
New nursing program: (Ledger 🔒) Johnson & Wales University is planning to launch an accelerated bachelor’s in nursing program at its uptown Charlotte campus.
CMS cellphone crackdown: (WFAE) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is stressing that cell phones won’t be allowed in classrooms during instructional time this school year, enforcing a rule that’s been in place previously. CMS officials say they have noticed an increase in cellphone use after remote learning during the pandemic.
Politics
Union County board chairman dies: (WFAE) Stony Rushing, chair of the Union County Board of Commissioners, died Tuesday at age 51 after battling health issues for the past year, the county said in a statement.
Dan Bishop kicks off attorney general campaign in Charlotte: (WFAE) Charlotte-area Republican Congressman Dan Bishop held the first news conference of his N.C. Attorney General campaign at Maggiano’s in SouthPark.
Local news
Greenway assault: (WCNC) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are investigating a reported sexual assault that happened Friday morning along the McAlpine Creek Greenway in south Charlotte. A 15-year-old girl said she was jogging when a man approached her, exposed himself and touched her inappropriately near the intersection of Bevington and Rea roads.
Fury 325 reopens at Carowinds: (WBTV) Carowinds reopened its Fury 325 rollercoaster Thursday, which has been closed for nearly six weeks after a crack was discovered in a support beam.
Bull found: (WSOC) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police located a 900-pound longhorn bull on Friday night that had been roaming Charlotte since it escaped from its owner’s care Monday night.
Famous singer visits Charlotte: (Observer) Music star Beyoncé became the first female or Black artist to headline a standalone concert at Bank of America Stadium when she performed in Charlotte on Wednesday night.
Business
Auto insurance rate hike: (Observer) North Carolina auto insurance premiums will rise by an average of 4.5% annually over the next two years, due to factors like growing crashes and fatalities primarily caused by distracted driving.
Queen cities battle over tennis: (Biz Journal) Cincinnati and Charlotte are competing to secure the long-term hosting rights for the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament, which has been held in Cincinnati for 124 years. Charlotte has proposed a $400M tennis facility for the event, but Cincinnati is responding with its own bid.
Sports
Charlotte FC falls to Messi: (ESPN) Charlotte FC lost 4-0 to Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals on Friday night. This week’s Fútbol Friday newsletter examined the matchup before the game.
Charlotte FC had high hopes of upsetting Inter Miami and soccer superstar Lionel Messi (left) on Friday but lost 4-0. Messi scored one goal. (Photo by Kevin Young/The 5 and 2 Project)
From the Ledger family of newsletters
Speech delays in children: Speech pathologists have reported an increase in speech delays among children after the pandemic, largely due to the lack of stimulation and social interaction outside of the home during the pandemic.
Pickleball at Quail Hollow golf club: Local nonprofit InReach is hosting a pickleball fundraiser at Quail Hollow Club next month to raise funds for a new activities coordinator position at InReach’s activities center.
History of Uptown Cabaret building: Jeremy Markovich of North Carolina Rabbit Hole dove into the history of Uptown Cabaret — a strip club that closed last month to make way for a $700M development — and discovered that the building is more than 90 years old.
Wednesday (🔒)
The recession that hasn’t arrived: Last year, economists predicted a recession due to rising interest rates, sky-high inflation and a war in Ukraine that threatened global energy markets. But the recession hasn’t hit yet — for a few reasons.
Discovery Place Nature update: Discovery Place Nature museum at Freedom Park will close later this year, and demolition and rebuilding will start in 2024, according to Catherine Horne, president and CEO of Discovery Place. The original schedule planned for construction to start in spring of 2023.
🎧 New podcast: Terri White, president and CEO of the Charlotte Museum of History, shares her philosophy behind planning exhibits, what her goals are in her role as president and CEO, why telling Charlotte's history is important and what museum-goers can expect to see in the future.
Friday (🔒)
County park at Eastland? The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Commission has brought up the idea for a larger public park at the site of Eastland Yards if the other two proposals for an esports facility or sports complex fall through.
Coming attraction: Plans are in the works to replace the Regal Cinebarre movie theater at the Arboretum shopping center in south Charlotte with something far less dramatic.
Destiny’s Child throwback: Before performing at Bank of America Stadium as a solo act, Beyoncé performed in the Charlotte area 23 years ago with her then-group Destiny’s Child at Eastridge Mall in Gastonia.
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:
➡️ 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.
Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Sponsorship information/customer service: email support@cltledger.com.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman, BC Creative