Mecklenburg County’s recent decision to cut hours and services across its library system brought home an unpleasant truth to residents: Government revenue has shriveled in the recession, and public officials are having to decide what we’ll all have to do without. That in mind, Crossroads Charlotte on March 30 hosted “A Community Responds: Cuts, Closures and Access,” an... read more

As Mecklenburg County's budget cuts continue, questions abound in the community: What’s the real budget situation? What are the impacts we know about? And perhaps the biggest question: What can we do? Tonight, Crossroads Charlotte will host “A Community Responds: Cuts, Closures and Access," a gathering to address the real-life impact of the budget. The... read more

Schools and libraries are not the only Mecklenburg County services that are facing deep budget cuts in the coming fiscal year. The County Manager has directed departments such as Park and Recreation to reduce their budgets to help cover a projected $85 million gap. For the Park and Recreation department, this means reducing temporary labor, building and equipment repairs, off duty security... read more

Two days after the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board approved superintendent Peter Gorman’s plan to lay off teachers, parents and students are wondering how layoffs will affect their schools. The biggest concern is that fewer teachers will mean larger classes and less one-on-one attention for students. Under Gorman’s plan, the district will lay off about 600 teachers and cut... read more

The Beatties Ford Library and Learning Resource Center closes on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays because of a remodeling project. A visit on Tuesday offered a humbling glimpse into what could have been since Beatties Ford was on a list of 12 branches scheduled to close April 3. The rooms, some with African American art by local artists on the walls and shelves, were quiet. There were no whispers.... read more

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library board of trustees decided during an emergency meeting today to keep all 24 branches open. And, just like last week, the meeting was broadcast live, via Twitter. If you would like the play-by-play, click here. (You do not need an account to read the Tweets from the meeting.) While it's good news that all the branches will remain open, here are the trade-offs:... read more

The mood is somber Monday night at Morrison Regional Library. Opened in 1991, the SouthPark branch is one of 12 scheduled to close April 3 by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Board of Trustees. This week, ongoing efforts seek to lessen the severity of the budget cuts. The board of trustees will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Main Library on Sixth Street between Tryon and College... read more

Just over a month ago, Jean Shepard, elected officials and people in the Hickory Grove community gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new Hickory Grove Library in east Charlotte. On Saturday, Shepard, elected officials and people in the Hickory Grove community gathered at the branch for a more somber occasion – a rally to save the newly opened library. The branch, which opened... read more

Editor's note: This is the first in a weeklong series of posts about how the budget cuts may impact access to services. We'll look at how the cuts will affect libraries, schools and parks. – Crystal Dempsey It may not have registered on the Richter scale, but there's no doubt Charlotte received a major shock last week as news about tighter-than-expected county budget broke. Area schools,... read more

As news of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library closing 12 branches and laying off 148 employees broke this week, it was hard not to think about "Fortress Charlotte." "Fortress Charlotte" is one of the four scenarios that Crossroads Charlotte outlined in its film series on how the city could look in 2015. "Fortress Charlotte" depicts a community with fewer fundamental resources such as libraries,... read more