Latest news with #QUEENCITYNEWS
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Matthews commissioner announces bid for town's mayor
MATTHEWS, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Matthews commissioner is now running to be the town's next mayor. Dr. Leon Threatt has served on the board of commissioners in Matthews since 2023. Before that, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps and with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Threatt announced his campaign on Tuesday and held an event discussing future development in the area. On his campaign website, he says Matthews must not become a space for overflow from the continued growth in Charlotte. Threatt believes that it can be done through careful planning. Mayor Pro Tem Gina Hoover shared a statement with Queen City News saying she fully supports Threatt's bid for mayor. I fully support Commissioner Threatt in this endeavor. He has a genuine passion for our town and its citizens, and I believe he will make an excellent Mayor. I wholeheartedly endorse Leon Threatt for Mayor of Matthews. Gina Hoover, Matthew's Mayor Pro Tem Queen City News reached out to Mayor John Hidgon for a statement on the announcement and the future developments in Matthews. As of publication, we have not heard back. Matthews Mayor Hidgon also announced his bid for reelection. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Mecklenburg County Detention Center decreasing A/C functionality ahead of scheduled maintenance during stretch of extreme heat
MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — During the hottest stretch of temperatures the greater Charlotte area has seen since 2015, the Mecklenburg County Detention Center is decreasing its air conditioning functionality. At 6:30 a.m. on Monday, July 28, the air conditioning in Tower One is set to undergo scheduled maintenance to restore full functionality to the cooling system. Staff and residents will experience a 'temporary disruption in the air conditioning services,' according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office. The air conditioning is expected to be fully operational by Monday afternoon. Pinpoint Weather Alert: Unbearable heat this weekend Ahead of the maintenance, officials said the system will be functioning at about 45% capacity, making the affected areas warmer than usual. 'We realize this may cause discomfort and inconvenience, and we kindly ask for your patience and cooperation as we work to make these essential repairs,' the sheriff's office said. 'Staff will monitor conditions closely and take any necessary steps to support the health and well-being of residents and employees during this brief period.' When asked about additional resources that will be put in place, jail staff said there will be industrial cooling fans, and they will adjust to the needs if necessary. Most of the region is under heat advisories or extreme heat warnings this weekend as feels-like temperatures could exceed 105 degrees. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
'We're not just housing people,' Mecklenburg County Jail hosts dinner to reduce stigma around inmates
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — For the first time in the county, local food enthusiasts ate dinner with inmates at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center. On Thursday, July 24, more than 30 members of Charlotte Foodies ate dinner with inmates in what's being called the 'Incarcerated Dinner.' Officials said the goal of the evening was to dismantle the stigma and humanize those in jail. The foodies reportedly didn't know they were dining with people who were incarcerated, as everyone was wearing a Charlotte Foodie shirt to create a shared space without bias or judgment. 'This wasn't just a meal. It was a movement,' Dorian Johnson, MCSO Programs Director, said. 'The idea was to create an experience where the person comes before the perception. By removing labels and sharing a table, we saw genuine connection, curiosity, and compassion. This is what rehabilitation begins to look like.' The dinner featured a five-course meal prepared by Chef Erick Crawford, a formerly incarcerated culinary artist who now runs his own food business in Davidson. The menu included: Shrimp and pimento grits with beef sausage crumble and salsa verde Pickled deviled eggs with crispy turkey bacon and crushed Flamin' Hot Cheetos Hibachi ramen stir-fry Smoked prime rib brushed with pineapple soy glaze, served with mashed sweet potatoes State-cake with honeybun layers and tang citrus cream 'As someone in recovery, this experience hit home. Too often, people who've made mistakes arewritten off, but this dinner challenged that narrative,' Chef Erick said. 'I went from recovery to owning an award-winning food truck, and now a brick-and-mortar restaurant and catering business. There is a path forward, one built on hard work, faith, and community. The reactions on people's faces said it all: joy, connection, dignity. That's what this dinner delivered.' Sheriff McFadden has been adamant about changing the culture within the detention center and reducing the jail's recidivism rate. 'This dinner represents what's possible when we lead with vision, not fear,' Sheriff McFadden said. 'I want Mecklenburg County to be a model for how detention centers can become places of healing, learning, and transformation. We're not just housing people; we're preparing them to return to the community stronger than when they arrived.' Mecklenburg County Detention Center decreasing A/C functionality ahead of scheduled maintenance during stretch of extreme heat Earlier this summer, in June, the Mecklenburg County Detention Center opened a . Unfortunately, a video showed an inmate of the detention center, who was charged in connection with the , participating in the new music program. The family of the victim was not aware the suspect would be in the video, and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office later . The music program is part of a larger effort to provide voluntary, rehabilitative opportunities to inmates. Sheriff McFadden emphasized that these programs are not to determine guilt or innocence, but to offer support and structure for those willing to engage in change. The sheriff's office said plans are underway to host more dinners and other events designed to change public perception and 'give residents the dignity they deserve on their path forward.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
RNC Chair Michael Whatley to run for Senate seat
RALEIGH, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Michael Whatley, the North Carolina native who leads the Republican National Convention, will run for the Senate seat currently held by Thom Tillis. The news comes after Axios reported that former NC Governor Roy Cooper will seek the Democratic nomination. An advisor to Cooper would not confirm the reporting but told Queen City News that he would decide in the coming days. Whatley will reportedly have the backing of President Trump. In a post to X on Thursday, Wilmington native Lara Trump, the President's daughter-in-law, announced she would not seek the office. 'She had put something out last week saying that she would make a decision in November. Well, that was a sign to me that perhaps she wasn't really considering it because to actually run in North Carolina in November, she would have had to actually be a registered voter in our state by September,' said Chris Cooper, a professor at Western Carolina University. Other candidates are running in the primary, but they don't have the same recognition or connections that Cooper and Whatley have, and they seem to be staying in the race, at least for now. RELATED: Former Gov. Roy Cooper may announce plans to run for Senate In a statement, Wiley Nickel, a former Democratic congressman, called Whatley a 'rubber stamp' for Trump. He has not criticized Cooper, whom he would have to face in a primary to secure the nomination. 'I'm just focused on my record and the things that I did to work across the aisle to get things done as a member of Congress and why the Senate race is so important for our state,' he told Queen City News. Republican Andy Nilsson, who has previously run for Lieutenant Governor, told Chief Political Correspondent Andy Weber back in June that he is the most pro-Trump candidate, despite not having the President's endorsement. 'Everybody that Roy Cooper has run against in however many elections that he run in has been a typical, recycled, swamp dwelling politician, I'm not. I was 30 years in business until I retired and started coaching high school football, now I'm working with special needs kids,' said Nilsson. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill to improve transit for Mecklenburg County advances through the General Assembly
MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Plans to expand and improve Mecklenburg County's transportation infrastructure are one step closer to becoming reality. State senators voted Wednesday afternoon to pass HB 948, legislation that would allow voters to approve a new, one-cent sales tax in the county to fund transit initiatives. 'We're thrilled that the General Assembly has shown their support both in the House and the Senate for this bill. I think it goes to show that they understand that being able to continue to move efficiently is very important for any municipality in the state,' said Shannon Binns with Sustain Charlotte, a local nonprofit backing the tax. PREVIOUS | HB 948, also known as the P.A.V.E. Act, would enable the county to gather revenue to pay for a light rail expansion, improvements to roads throughout the county, and create new, faster bus routes. Legislators said 40 percent of revenue would go directly to municipalities, and 60 percent would go to a new, yet to be established, transit authority. 'This is what people in our area said they wanted, so we just are grateful they realized this is a local need,' said Binns. The one-cent tax and related plan have a lot of support throughout the county, including from Charlotte and the Town of Davidson. But leaders in Matthews oppose the tax, frustrated that the town was not included in a planned light rail expansion, set to be named the Silver Line. At Wednesday night's Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles expressed her appreciation of the bill's authors, most of whom are from Mecklenburg County. 'We're very grateful to the relationships we've built, and the relationships that made this possible,' she said. 'I truly believe it is something that changes the way the city grows and the towns and the county doing something that we haven't had the funding to accomplish. We're really looking forward to the improvements to be made for all of our citizens.' Supporters hope to have the tax before voters during the municipal elections set for November 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
