Enlarge Smith Language Academy parents and students show support for their school. (The Charlotte Observer)

Posted: November 4th, 2010 Greg Lacour

Some stories worth sharing this week (better late than never):

• The most contentious local issue over the last several weeks drives toward a momentous vote Tuesday by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education – the decision on whether to close eight schools and make major changes to about two dozen more next year. This week, the fifteenth and final public forum in a five-month study of student assignment drew hundreds to the Olympic High gym.


• The midterm elections captured everyone’s attention this week, and locally, among the most significant results were the passage of $203.6 million in bonds to pay for expanded streets, new sidewalks and storm drains and low-income rental housing. The housing bonds were a bit of a surprise, given some high-profile opposition to low-income housing developments in South Charlotte, but the bonds passed with 57 percent of the vote. What does that say about our community as a whole?


• One of Charlotte’s truly unique and diverse neighborhoods, NoDa, is in a state of transition (as, really, it always is). The closing of a pair of longstanding art galleries is raising questions among residents and visitors about what kind of “arts district” NoDa can be if its retail focus isn’t on art. Will this change the character of the offbeat district, or is this just a case of economic diversity taking hold as the neighborhood develops?


• When offensive speech collides with free speech: N.C. State students blocked access to an on-campus tunnel and painted the interior black to obscure racist and anti-gay graffiti involving President Obama. Here’s the thing: It’s called the “Free Expression Tunnel.” Should there be limits to expression? Where do you draw the line on offensive speech, or do you draw a line at all?


• Maybe you’ve seen the “Sesame Street” clip that’s gone viral, featuring a Muppet singing about how much she loves her curly, wiry hair. The actual voice belongs to 13-year-old Wilson Middle School student Chantylla Johnson, a child actress who lives in Charlotte. Which is cool. But the message – be happy with who you are – might be even cooler.

Posted: October 27th, 2010 Greg Lacour

Some stories worth sharing this week:

• What we all felt instinctively, the data bear out: Charlotte has suffered more than most in the economic crash of the last two years, with key economic indicators such as jobs, pay and housing falling more sharply than the national average and in major metro areas.


• The ugliness over Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ plans to close eight schools in poor and minority neighborhoods keeps growing, as parents hurl charges of racism that stir echoes of the Jim Crow days of the segregated South. Kudos to former City Council member Malachi Greene, who offers a plea for civility: "It's another one of those community problems that we've got to roll up our sleeves and do the Charlotte way: Work it out without tearing Charlotte apart," he said. "We've got to get through this without hurting what we all love, and that's our children and our community." Sadly, these CMS students don’t appear to have gotten the message. Or these. What the heck’s going on in our schools, and how do we as adults and members of the community respond?


• Thankfully, some students are doing the right thing, like these 14 honored Tuesday at a ceremony at Bank of America Stadium, where they got a stadium tour, pizza and the chance to meet a couple of Carolina Panthers.


• Some nice news out of Davidson, where WDAV-FM, the classical public radio station, is beginning trials of its weekly Spanish-language music program “Concierto” in key markets with large Latino populations – with an eye to eventual national syndication.


• Finally, some election-related data: The annual Carolinas poll shows that 63 percent of Mecklenburg County residents disapprove of cuts this year to county park and library hours. Tight budgets force tough choices. Did county officials make the right ones?