Headlines for week ending: Sunday, January 31 2010

(1.29.10) Charlotte City Council panel looks at longer terms
CHARLOTTE — Should Charlotte City Council members serve four years rather than two? A council committee debated that question Thursday afternoon, as well as changing how council members are elected. District members now must live in their district, and are elected only by voters from that district. At-large member Edwin Peacock, a Republican, suggested that the Restructuring Government Committee explore requiring district members to reside in their district but be elected by the entire city.

(1.29.10) State gets $545 million to beef up rail service
RALEIGH — North Carolina will start spending $545million in federal rail money right away, state officials said Thursday, to create more than 5,000 jobs and get trains running faster and more often between Charlotte and Raleigh. Lisa P. Jackson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, came to Durham's new Amtrak depot to announce the state's share of $8 billion in stimulus money approved by Congress to start building a national high-speed passenger rail network.

(1.28.10) Costly streetcar wires raise questions
CHARLOTTE — When the Charlotte City Council voted last fall to spend $4.5 million on engineering work for a streetcar, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and other supporters said the study would help determine whether the line could be built without costly overhead wires. If new technology were feasible, such as battery-powered streetcars, not building a catenary could save more than $100 million of the streetcar’s estimated cost of up to $500 million for the full 10-mile line.

(1.28.10) Consensus: Slow growth for Charlotte region
CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte region is emerging from the recession, but its standards of growth, living and doing business are shifting, business owners, city officials and economists said Wednesday. The leaders met over breakfast at Duke Energy uptown to talk about the economy and hear the results of a fourth-quarter survey of 166 businesses from across the community.

(1.28.10) CATS may raise its fares to solve revenue squeeze
CHARLOTTE — Bus and train riders may pay an extra quarter for a one-way ride starting in July, and the Charlotte Area Transit System is considering service cuts for the elderly and disabled to fill a nearly $2 million budget hole. In addition, CATS is proposing to cut the historic trolley service through South End. That service uses replica trolley cars on weekends, and is mostly used by tourists and families.

(1.27.10) Charlotte to seek $25 million federal grant for streetcar
CHARLOTTE — Charlotte is going to ask the federal government for $25million to help build a streetcar line uptown. The City Council voted 7-4 Monday night to apply for a grant that would pay for much of a 1.5-mile line from the Charlotte Transportation Center to Presbyterian Hospital on Hawthorne Drive in the Elizabeth neighborhood. If successful, the city would need to spend at least $12 million of its own money to finish construction. Republicans Andy Dulin, Warren Cooskey and Edwin Peacock voted against seeking the grant, along with Democrat Warren Turner.

(1.27.10) Challengers’ Mackey ties spur accusations
CHARLOTTE — Three Democratic legislators from Mecklenburg County are gearing up for primary challenges - and some suspect that fellow Democratic lawmaker Nick Mackey may be behind them. State Sen. Malcolm Graham and Reps. Beverly Earle and Becky Carney all expect May primaries after candidate filing opens Feb. 8. Mackey denies having anything to do with recruiting the challengers, though one is his former legislative aide and another is a former associate from his years at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

(1.27.10) Report cites disparity in CMS spending
CHARLOTTE — Per-pupil spending is highest in Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s small, high-poverty schools and lowest in large suburban ones, a report released Tuesday shows. The school board heard a staff report designed to gauge whether students in high-poverty schools are getting an equal shot at a good education. The report looks at such measures as extracurricular activities, faculty credentials, technology and library books. Following up on a discussion at a weekend retreat, many said they need to figure out a better way of measuring results.

(1.26.10) Catawba’s wrangling stays afloat
CHARLOTTE — N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper says a two-state river commission could help resolve the Carolinas’ water fight over the Catawba River, now before the U.S. Supreme Court. His S.C. counterpart, Henry McMaster, says Cooper is barking up the wrong tree. The Supreme Court this week ruled Charlotte could not become a party to the case, in which South Carolina says it’s not getting a fair share of the Catawba, which flows through both states.

(1.26.10) Watt defends president’s economic plan
CHARLOTTE — Speaking in a city struggling with unemployment and weakened banks, Democratic Rep. Mel Watt on Monday defended the Obama administration’s economic strategy, saying it saved the nation from “catastrophe.” Watt told party loyalists attending an uptown luncheon that President Barack Obama’s plan to create affordable healthcare, clean energy and an educated workforce will push the country out of the worst recession in decades.

(1.26.10) Charlotte won’t release file on Jackson
CHARLOTTE — The city of Charlotte won’t release the personnel file of former police officer Marcus Jackson after the Charlotte City Council voted Monday night not to go into closed session to discuss making it public. City Manager Curt Walton has said he is against releasing the records, and the six council members voting against going into closed session essentially ends the issue.

(1.25.10) N.C. smoking ban upheld by complaint system
WILMINGTON — The smoke officially cleared Jan. 2 in North Carolina, but public health officials say it could take a few more months for the dust to settle with the state’s new indoor smoking ban. Some warning letters have gone out to businesses not complying, but most owners appear to be adhering to the new rules, said Erin Morrissette, tobacco prevention educator for the New Hanover County Health Department.

(1.25.10) Couple sues Charlotte, former officer
CHARLOTTE — A couple who accused former police Officer Marcus Jackson of misconduct filed civil suits against him and the city of Charlotte Friday, alleging an abuse of power and “inept” hiring practices by the city. The suits, filed in Mecklenburg Superior Court Friday, accuse Jackson and the city of violating the couple’s constitutional rights and offers graphic details about what they say happened the night Jackson pulled them over as they headed home from a nightclub.

(1.25.10) Customers feel soaked by water bills
CHARLOTTE — In late September, a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities computer flagged a house on Mornington Drive as having a potential erroneous water bill. The east Charlotte house had consistently low bills dating to January 2004. In September, reported usage skyrocketed to more than eight times the monthly average. But a team of CMUD employees that reviews flagged bills decided against investigating. The bill went in the mail, shocking resident Erica Stitt.

Return to the Headline Archive