Travelers are ready to hit the road (free version)
Plus: Atrium Health limiting non-essential surgeries?; Improve your listening skills; Land deals in Myers Park and Dilworth; Hair discrimination outlawed in Durham; Pittenger-Lebda legal battle ends
Good morning! Today is Wednesday, January 20, 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 complete article examining the wave of vacation bookings local travel agents say they are experiencing — including information on some of the most popular destinations from Charlotte and the outlook for travel in the next few months.
Info on what Atrium Health says it is doing to make room for hospitalized Covid patients, after doctors told The Ledger that the hospital system seems to be limiting elective surgeries.
Advice from author, podcaster and former WCNC investigative reporter Stuart Watson on how to become a better listener, part of our “A Better You in 2021” series.
Details on land deals on Providence Road in Myers Park and on East Boulevard in Dilworth — and what might happen next on those sites.
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With the end of Covid in sight, Charlotte travel agents are busy booking socially distanced vacations; Resorts adapting
IF YOU LIKE PIÑA COLADAS: With vaccines rolling out and perks like Covid testing being offered at some resorts, many are choosing to satisfy their wanderlust with vacations to places like Jamaica, shown here in a December photo from a Ledger reader.
by Cristina Bolling
Wannabe travelers longing for hot sandy beaches or quaint mountain towns are now starting to do something about it.
With vaccines rolling out and pent-up demand to pack suitcases growing, travel experts say they’re seeing signs that the travel industry is on a rebound, even though the options for where to go are still limited.
What’s hot, travel experts say, are trips to beach destinations both abroad and within the U.S., where days can be spent outside — cool drink in hand — and socially distanced from others.
Is Atrium Health limiting non-essential surgeries because of Covid?
Sometimes you ask a simple question, and you get a not-so-simple answer.
We have had several readers who are doctors tell us they believe Atrium Health has halted elective surgeries that require overnight hospital stays, to make room for the increasing number of Covid patients requiring hospitalization in Mecklenburg County.
So we put that question to Atrium — what is Atrium doing on elective surgeries that require overnight stays, or can we talk to somebody to explain it?
Here’s Atrium’s response:
Editor’s note: For many of us, January is a time of self-reflection and improvement. So at The Ledger, we’re pulling together advice and achievable tips from some of our city’s top experts in various fields for this month-long feature designed to help build a better you — personally and professionally.
Say what? Here’s how to improve your listening skills
By Stuart Watson
My Uncle Slick once struck a big Florida land deal during the seventh inning stretch. He did it by listening to the stranger who happened to sit beside him at the baseball game. They hit it off. And before they stood to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” they shook on the deal.
We teach speech in grade school. We have speech competitions. We give trophies and medals to speakers. I’m unaware of any big listening competition. But nobody every listened their way out of a business deal. It pays to listen. So listen to me.
Here’s 40 years of paid professional listening experience in four bullets — my L-A-S-T lesson in listening.
Stuart Watson is the author of “What She Said & What I Heard: How One Man Shut Up and Started Listening” and the creator of ManListening.com He was also a Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University.
Previous installments of “A Better You in 2021,” our series that helps you improve professionally and personally with the advice of local experts:
One of Charlotte’s best-known writers shares his best advice for writing well (🔒)
A karate instructor tells you how to improve self-discipline (🔒)
Developer buys Harry & Bryant property in Myers Park
A developer has bought the land beneath the Harry & Bryant funeral home in Myers Park, the oldest continuously operating business in Mecklenburg County.
Don’t forget: 40 Over 40 Nominations Now Open!
All the details went out yesterday in a special email about The Ledger’s 40 Over 40 awards. Nominate an over-40 in your life today!
2 East Boulevard parcels sold in Dilworth, totaling 13, but plans unclear
A Charlotte developer has quietly amassed 2.55 acres on 13 parcels along East Boulevard in Dilworth.
In brief
End of Pittenger-Lebda legal battle: Former Rep. Robert Pittenger has decided not to appeal a judge’s decision dismissing his lawsuit against his next-door neighbor, LendingTree CEO Doug Lebda, and the Gleneagles homeowners association. Pittenger lawyer Kenneth Davies wrote to The Ledger in an email: “The Pittengers have decided not to pursue an appeal.” Pittenger said Lebda’s new house was too big and didn’t conform to neighborhood rules, but a judge dismissed the case last month (🔒). The Ledger covered the case exhaustively in the last 18 months, here, here, here and here.
Robin Hayes pardoned: President Trump pardoned former Rep. Robin Hayes early this morning. Hayes, a former Republican congressman from Concord, was serving probation for making false statements to investigators examining his role in an attempt to bribe North Carolina’s insurance commissioner. (WTVD)
Covid vaccinations for ages 65+: The county health department will take appointments for the Covid vaccine for ages 65+ beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, the county said in a news release. Slots are available for the first three weeks in February. Phone: 980-314-9400, select Option 3. Details here. Atrium and Novant have also started taking appointments. Readers report that some patients who have reached the hospitals are getting vaccinations within a few weeks, while others are scheduled for March.
Sports fan: Health director Gibbie Harris has heard from a lot of people objecting to high school sports being shut down as a result of her “directive” last week recommending people stay home, she said at a news conference Tuesday. “Sports is no different than any other activity that we are talking about during this time,” Harris said. “… As we understand the concern about sports, I’d love for sports to be up and running, but I’d really love for our schools to be up and running. Our children really need that.” An online petition to allow high school swimmers to finish their seasons had more than 4,400 signatures as of Wednesday morning.
No more chicken, for now: The Chick-fil-A on Woodlawn Road by Park Road Shopping Center has closed for renovations. The city approved a rezoning for the site in 2019 that calls for a double-lane drive through, more outdoor seating and eliminating indoor seating and, sadly, the playground, according to a Charlotte Agenda article at the time.
Burr investigation dropped: The Justice Department has ended its insider-trading investigation of Sen. Richard Burr without bringing charges. Burr sold up to $1.7M in stock in February, as the pandemic was worsening, while publicly proclaiming confidence about the government’s Covid response. (NPR)
DiMicco exit cheered: Former Nucor CEO Dan DiMicco is stepping down from Duke Energy’s board, a move cheered by shareholder activist group Majority Action. The group said DiMicco gave money to politicians who supported contesting the election results, while DiMicco says he’s stepping down in May because of Duke rules that limit the age of board members. (Financial Times)
Sitting on a gold mine: A Charlotte homeowner is having to demolish her house after the discovery of a collapsed old gold mine in the crawlspace of her bungalow north of uptown. (WFAE)
BofA earnings better than expected: BofA’s 4Q earnings fell 28% but beat analysts’ expectations. “We continued to see signs of a recovery, led by increased consumer spending, stabilizing loan demand by our commercial customers, and strong markets and investing activity,” CEO Brian Moynihan said. (CNBC)
Bakery replacement: The old Nova’s Bakery spot in Plaza-Midwood will be replaced by a Marble Slab Creamery & Great American Cookies. (The Nichols Co. on Instagram)
Young Covid death: One of the recent Covid-related deaths in Mecklenburg County was an individual under the age of 18 — only the second minor in the state to die after testing positive for Covid. Health director Gibbie Harris said at a news conference she would give no further details, including the patient’s health history, out of respect for the family’s privacy. The county has reported 691 Covid-related deaths as of Tuesday, 86% of them patients aged 60+. (WBTV)
Spring chickens: Renfro Hardware in Matthews announced its arrival dates for baby chicks: March 19 through April 16, the store told customers via email on Tuesday. “We were unable to get any chicks for Good Friday, April 2nd,” the message said. “… We have a great relationship with the chick hatchery we have used for decades and should be able to add some later dates and get everyone’s needs met before the start of summer.” The chick arrival usually means lines around the block.
Hair discrimination: Durham has become the first city in North Carolina to ban discrimination on the basis of hairstyle. A measure approved Tuesday night outlaws discrimination on the basis of “protected hairstyle,” which includes “any hairstyle, hair type, or hair texture historically associated with race such as, but not limited to, braids, locks, twists, tight coils or curls, cornrows, Bantu knots, and afros.” The ordinance, which takes effect in July, also bars discrimination on the basis of military status, sexual orientation and gender identity. (WTVD)
Loves me some internet
A kangaroo hops down the aisle of an American Airlines flight from Charlotte to Newport News, Va., “part of a wildlife conservation effort,” according to travel blog View from the Wing.
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