Want to help shape the future of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library? Then apply to be on the Future of the Library Task Force. You can find the applications at the library’s website, or pick up a printed version at branches. The library is forming the task force to devise a strategy that will sustain the organization in the coming years. Recent budget cuts forced a drastic reduction in hours at the branches including Mint Hill. The library lost about half its staff in the last year because of budget cuts.Continue reading »
Want to get news from your only hometown newspaper? Subscribe to the Mint Hill Times today. It’s just .50 cents a week and we will deliver it to your home every Thursday. It also makes for a great gift! Here’s what we’re writing about this week:
• The Armed Forces Museum and Archive of the Carolinas, which is set for the Park on Fairview in Mint Hill, is beginning its fundraising campaign in full in the coming weeks. The museum will cost around $2.5 million.
Once a gold assay office, then the Wilson's home in the 1950s, and now a restored gold assay office at the historical society.
• Wayne Wilson surprised his dad JW with a 90th birthday party last week. Even more of a surprise, they held it in the one room house the family lived in for 10 years in the 1950s. The house remained empty for half a decade until a few years ago when it was given to the historical society where it will be restored as a gold assay office in the Carl J. McEwen Historic Village.
• Mint Hill Women’s Club, which originated in Farmwood in 1974, is beginning its new year by looking for new members. Lacey Hampton reports.
• Jamie Jamison profiles Butler defensive lineman Colin Parsons.
• Get previews and recaps for Butler and Independence football.
• Leslie Southerland writes about the act of burning books.
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Four individuals ranging in age from 11 to 17 years old were detained this morning for breaking into as many as 12 cars last night and early this morning. Det. Tim Lezette of the Mint Hill Police Department said GPS devises, CDs, phones, sun glasses and cameras were some of the more than 50 items taken from the cars. Most of the victims were in the Oxfordshire and Wilson Woods neighborhoods.Continue reading »
Mayor Ted Biggers assured the town at last night’s Board of Commissioners meeting that Mint Hill Middle School will not close. He talked to officials at CMS and was told the school is on the list of 37 schools that will see change, but only because Mint Hill Middle is overcrowded. He added that there is a threat that some of the students at Mint Hill Middles School could be sent to other schools, and that CMS could have a “heck of a battle” on its hands with the town of Mint Hill.
CMS reported in a press release yesterday that shifting students from school to school—especially those classified as homeless—results in lower performance by those students.
Several of the schools on the list have large homeless populations and Board members discussed the challenges inherent in successfully educating these students, as well as other challenges present at the schools.
Poverty, homelessness and frequent school changes are present at many schools on the list, and Board Chairman Eric C. Davis said that educating poor and homeless students is the particular challenge facing CMS.
“This is the crux of the issue we’re dealing with,” he said, characterizing it as “a test of our will.”
The following video is a report from WCNC on shuffling students. They speak with a parent who was affected by the reassignment plan that shifted Mint Hill students from Butler to Independence.
Hard to believe Mint Hill Madness is almost here. The parade on September 25 will start on the Highway 218 side of Matthews-Mint Hill Road and proceed up to Brighton Park. If you are trying to use Highway 218 or Lawyers Road on that day, you may want to consider a different route. Mint Hill Police said today the detour will be “lengthy.” The roads will be blocked from 8:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. From John Rowell of the Mint Hill Police Department:
Individuals not attending the event are advised to avoid the downtown Mint Hill area during this time. Traffic is expected to remain slow and congested from 5 p.m. Friday (9-24) through 6 p.m. Sunday (9-26) due to the Mint Hill Madness Festival.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library has brought us the Novello festival for more than a decade now. Due to budget concerns this year, the festival is on hold. Enter UNC-
Mark West
Charlotte Professor Mark West who organized a Novello-lite to fill the void this year. The library liked West’s idea, and is sponsoring “A Tribute to Novello.”
Local writers will lend their services for free and Novello Press will announce the two books it will publish this year.
“I felt like the community had benefited from Novello for all these years and maybe it was time for the community to show its appreciation to the Library for what the festival has come to mean,” said West in a press release from the library.
October 1 and 2 will feature adult authors and October 9 will feature young adult and children’s authors.
In addition, Novello Festival Press (NFP) will present its two most recent publications:
October 2: Topograph: New Writing from the Carolinas and the Landscape Beyond, an Anthology edited by Charlotte Viewpoint’s Jeff Jackson
October 9: The Children’s Book: Wings and Dreams: The Legend of Angel Falls by Irania Macias Patterson with illustrations by Catherine Courtlandt McElvane.
Pat Siegfried, a former librarian with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and current owner of Black Forest Books and Toys, will head up the youth events. West will coordinate the adult events.
For more information visit the Library’s website at www.cmlibrary.org/novello.
CMS announced it has come up with a list of 32 schools “where change may be needed” in the 2011-2012 school year. Mint Hill Middle School is on this list. The changes could be minor or significant, including closing some of the schools. The Board of Education, which has worked on guiding principles all summer, based its decision on an index that took into account academic proficiency, academic growth, per-pupil cost and condition of the school.
After the break, read the CMS press release and see a list of the schools that could close. Others on the list? Garinger, Harding and Olympic high schools.Continue reading »
Don’t know the name Dr. Mike Beitler? In a state like North Carolina that hinders involvement from third parties, it’s understandable. Beitler is the Libertarian candidate running for U.S. Senate. He will face incumbent Richard Burr and Democrat Elaine Marshall in the fall elections. Libertarians rarely win despite having a platform that for the most part takes the best ideas Republicans and Democrats have to offer. However, Libertarians tend to be ex-Republicans and are generally considered conservative. That is why it was somewhat of a shock to see this paragraph in a recent press release:
As you know, Beitler has been polling between 6-10% in recent polls and he has taken a controversial stance on the immigration issue (in favor of amnesty and pathway to citizenship).
Even Democrats, who in general favor amnesty, do not have the guts to use the word “amnesty.” Yes, Beitler might not be known now, and he may not be on election day, but with such a controversial stance on immigration, he will raise more than a few eyebrows.
Are you leaving your car unlocked at night? If so, it might not be a good idea. Mint Hill Police are reporting an uptick in vehicle breaking and entering offenses where owners did not lock their doors at night. Electronics as well as personal items have been left in the vehicles and taken.
Mint Hill Police are urging all residents to make sure that they do not leave their vehicles unlocked with personal items inside. Several items have been stolen to include, Car stereos, GPS Systems, IPods, Laptops, Money, and any other items of value.
Mint Hill Police are requesting that residents pay close attention to their neighborhoods for suspicious activity and persons. Any items of value should be removed from your vehicles and placed in a secure area.
Please contact Mint Hill Police at 704-545-1085 (Office) or 704-889-2231 (Dispatch) for concerns on this release. For immediate and emergency assistance please call 911.
Sue Myrick, who represents the Mint Hill area in the U.S. House of Representatives, released this video today bemoaning the U.S. Homeland Security for not taking seriously the threat of Hezbollah entering the country illegally along the Mexico border. The narrator of the video cites anecdotal evidence, while the Director of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, says there is no credible threat. Hezbollah has attacked American interests around the world, but has never directly threatened inside our own borders. Is Myrick correct that more attention should be paid to terrorism on the Mexican border?
As we reported last week, the town has finally purchased the land at Mint Hill Village for the new town hall. In this week’s Mint Hill Times, Commissioner Tina Ross explains her opposition to the site, while Mayor Ted Biggers asks her to show him the numbers.
Also in this week’s paper:
• Dwight Moody, who has called the Mint Hill area home for many decades, is a world famous bluegrass fiddler. Read the first of a two-part interview about his amazing 60 year career that is still going strong. In the video above, watch him play fiddle with the latest incarnation of the WBT Briarhoppers, a band he has played for since the 1940s.
• A Mint Hill fireman was injured at last Saturday’s training session. Mint Hill, along with Idlewild and Matthews fire departments, used the old Idlewild Country Club building in a controlled burn for training purposes. However, everything didn’t go according to plan.
• The Mint Hill Historical Society has another Eagle Scout building a historically accurate structure at the Carl J. Historical Village. Lacey Hampton reports.
• In sports, Rocky River High School may have lost its first game last week, but that didn’t stop the school spirit. Also, read previews of Butler, Independence and Rocky River’s games this week.
• In the opinion section, Leslie Southerland has the kindergarten blues, this week’s editorial looks at the latest black eye for Butler High School, and John Hood “believes” Bev Perdue’s excuse for not reporting travel campaign expenses.
Librarians and high fashion will collide next weekend. The Charlotte Mecklenburg library is teaming with Neiman Marcus department store to raised funds via a raffle. The prizes—other than the satisfaction of donating to the library—include a stay at the Ritz Carlton hotel, a $500 gift card from Neiman Marcus, and a private wine tasting for 12 people. The library hopes to make $20,000 via the raffle.
Neiman Marcus chose Charlotte Mecklenburg Library as the charitable beneficiary for its Fashion’s Night Out event on Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m. Winners of the raffle will be announced at the free event, but they do not have to be present to win. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased on-line by visiting www.cmlibrary.org/raffle. Tickets can also be purchased at the event or at any of the 20 library locations.
Interested in attending Fashion’s Night Out? Reserve your spot at the event by emailing RSVPCharlotte@NeimanMarcus.com.
