Enlarge Matthews cancer survivor Jeff Davis with daughter Jessica. (Photo: Presbyterian Hospital)

Posted: February 1st, 2012 Lee Howard

• When is a business not a business? When it involves gambling, as far as York County officials are concerned. The Catawba Indian Nation wants to open a full-scale casino on its York reservation, which has irked presumably “pro-business” local officials. 
•  Nolan Hargis of Mint Hill was six months old when he was diagnosed with cancer. Jeff Davis of Matthews was 42. Both are cancer survivors being featured in this year’s survivor calendar published by Presbyterian Buddy Kemp Cancer Support Center. The calendar raises awareness about cancer and brings in money to support the center.
• As anticipated, Charlotte police Monday rousted the Occupy Charlotte encampment at the Old City Courthouse. Seven were arrested. It’s a scene playing itself out at Occupy sites across the country.
• Stagnant sales-tax revenues are prompting the Charlotte Area Transit System to seek its fourth fare increase in as many years for bus and light rail. CATS is proposing to raise the one-way local fare for buses and trains to $2, up from $1.75.
• The former home of George Davis, built in 1895 for Johnson C. Smith University’s first black professor, will be restored. The historic landmark early next year is expected to house the Foster Village Network Center, a support program for teens who’ve aged out of foster care.
• The Human Rights Campaign North Carolina Gala is Feb. 23-26. A multitude of state and national gay rights leaders are expected to attend. The event will be held at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Posted: January 23rd, 2012 Brant Aycock

Do you have an idea that will bring diverse members of Charlotte's population together, but need some funding to make it happen?  You may be eligible to receive those funds through Crossroads Charlotte's A.C.T. (Achieving Community Today) Projects!

Candidates submit their ideas via Crossroads Charlotte's Facebook Page.  Submissions are reviewed by Crossroads Charlotte and finalists have their ideas voted upon by the Facebook community.  The best ideas get up to $500 of funding!

"The ACT Projects were designed as a way to fund small community efforts that connect people across lines of difference," says Crossroads Charlotte Assistant Director Stacey Henderson.  "No idea is too small, and this is the perfect opportunity to make a change or impact."

Hundreds of people have already voted on projects throughout the community, and these projects have had a huge impact on those involved.  The next round of submissions starts on February 24th - so be ready to tell us about your idea!  No formal grant applications are involved!  We'll look forward to hearing from you. 

For more information you can contact Stacey Henderson at shenderson@fftc.org or 704.973.4577

Posted: January 11th, 2012 Lee Howard

A dark horse emerged from the gloom last week to fill the vacant District 6 Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board seat. The relatively unknown Rev. Amelia Stinson-Wesley was appointed over 12 contending for the spot left open after board member Tim Morgan won an at-large position in the last election. PTA mom Stinson-Wesley beat out more familiar names, including Wilhelmenia Rembert, who once chaired the school board.

Begging after dark is forbidden in Charlotte. It’s also against the law to panhandle near an ATM, bus stop or restaurant. While one might argue the local rules are impossible to enforce, Raleigh police in 2011 handed out more than 400 citations for begging without a permit.

The Democratic National Convention Committee last week announced it had invested convention funds in two N.C. minority controlled lenders. The committee deposited $2 million each in non-interest bearing accounts with Durham-based Mechanics & Farmers Bank, an African-American owned bank, and the Latino Community Credit Union.

These people meet via Twitter and social media channels. Then they hit the basketball court. Now, they've launched a commununity service effort off-the-court and offline. They call themselves #SCLThoops.

Posted: January 4th, 2012 Lee Howard

When you’re an 11- or 12-year-old girl, especially at Christmas, what do you think about? New shoes? A pony? Not Micah Fagala , 11, or her sister, Kelli, 12. They stock the food pantry Micah created at Benton Heights Presbyterian Church in Monroe. Kelli also has been raising money for the Union County Community Shelter.

We all have a right to free speech, even if that means burning the flag. Just dig a pit first. This was the lesson learned by an Occupy Charlotte member who was jailed last week after helping burn two U.S. flags in the uptown area.
Fort Mill resident Alex Tyler and three others were jailed, not for burning the flag, but on charges stemming from careless use of a fire because they didn't use a fire pit.

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx last year led the effort that landed the Queen City the Democratic National Convention. (The Dem’s Big Party is coming up in September.) Foxx, regarded locally as Newsmaker of the Year, also swept the polls for a second term this past fall. Foxx describes his various victories as “improbable.”

So, when did stories about North Carolina politics ring in the New Year sounding like something you’d read in the Chicago Trib? Harold Cogdell throws his Democratic Party affiliations aside to assume the chairmanship of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. And former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory hopes to unseat Gov. Bev Perdue, even as the State Board of Elections has opened an investigation into McCrory’s campaign finances.

LaWana Mayfield’s election to the Charlotte City Council last fall seems have to surprised some, including Mayfield. The first openly gay Charlotte City Council member says she had her own trepidations about running. But, as it turns out, her sexual orientation didn’t matter to voters.