#FiveForFriday: A Morning Minute News Round Up

There was a little excitement at Town Hall yesterday, and for once it didn’t involve a council meeting. Around 1 PM emergency services were called after the alarm system went off. Three Matthews fire trucks answered the call. After an inspection of the premises, it was determined there was a fault in the sprinkler system which caused the alarm to go off.

Ashley HomeStore licensee Broad River Retail announced plans to open a HomeStore Outlet in the former Capel Rug Outlet store (9632 E Independence Blvd.). Just down the road, Discount Tire has requested rezoning at the former Tilted Kilt location (1625 Windsor Square), which has been vacant since 2015. The tire retail chain would like to raze the current building to construct a new store. In 2018 the ABC Board applied to rezone the site but was denied. Since the ABC Board was denied rezoning within the last 12 months, Discount Tire must request special permission from the Planning Board to apply for rezoning.

Mark your calendar for the next HAWK meeting, Tuesday, February 5. Kim O'Shea, beekeeper, archaeologist and master gardener will change the way you see bees. Her own videos and photos provide a unique glimpse into the way bees interact with their surroundings. Kim will explain methods for gardening for and with bees through year-round sustainable practices. 7 p.m. at the Community Center.

Photo by Kim O’Shea

USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby in America, selected the Sportsplex at Matthews as the site for their 2019 Spring College National Championship Series. The organization worked with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority/Visit Charlotte to determine the location of their 2018 Fall College National Championships. Visit Charlotte partnered with Sportsplex staff to deliver a professional-level experience for USA Rugby and their participating teams. The Men's D1AA, Women's D1, and Women's D2 finals will be played on the weekend of May 3.

Did you know that Matthews Fire & EMS holds an annual awards banquet? This year's banquet had 140 attendees and honored the following members of the department:

Explorer of the Year – Jacob Rodriguez
Fire Corps Member of the Year – Sabrina Corra
SAFER Award for most hours (Fire) - Jacob Bobeng
SAFER Award for most hours (EMS)- Montana Hudgens
Rookie of the Year – Kyle “Bon Jovi” Beard
Derek E. Layman EMT of the Year – Montana Hudgens
Firefighter of the Year – Reyes Cruz Guzman
Officer of the Year – Lt. Matthew Losh
L.H. Yandel Award – Chief Rob Kinniburgh

To see a recap of the department’s accomplishments in 2018, view this YouTube video.

Matthews Morning Minute: September 7, 2018

News About Town: The Town is currently updating AV equipment in the Hood Room of Town Hall. AV updates were approved during the June 25, 2018 Board of Commissioners meeting.  Included in this update is the capacity to video record Board of Commissioner meetings which will then be posted on the Town’s YouTube channel. The  update will make Town Council meetings more accessible to those unable to attend them live.

News Above Town: The Weather Channel says more of the same...highs in the low 90s, lows around 70. It's going to be sunny, so if you didn't take time to enjoy the gorgeous sky yesterday, make sure you pause to look up today. The blue skies are limited edition over the next couple days.  

News Around Town: ​ Great Harvest Bread opened September 3 in Matthews Station and there’s no denying the call of the carb. Open Monday thru Sunday, 7 AM til 3 PM, 110 Matthews Station St, Matthews.

One Good Thing: Did you know Matthews is home to Bright Blessings? Through volunteers and supporters, Bright Blessings, a non-profit organization serving the greater Charlotte region, will provide essentials, literacy aids, and birthday parties to more than 10,000 homeless and impoverished children this year.

Welcome to the Beacon!

Norah Burke, Co-Founder and Business Manager

Six months ago we sat down and talked about our experiences in Matthews. After Norah's campaign for Town Council last year and Renee's foray into community activism, we knew there was a need for better communication. We decided to launch The Matthews Beacon as an online "paper" with contributing Matthews writers and photographers and a Matthews-specific focus. Why so hyper-local? There is a specific brand of pride that goes with living in Matthews. It's not just another suburb, and we're not the cookie cutter suburbanites of the '50s. Matthews is a diverse town with a rich history, one locals work diligently to maintain amidst modern pressure for growth and development.

We asked ourselves: "What is Matthews' identity?" Is it the agrarian history, the meandering neighborhoods, could it even be the traffic? How has Matthews remained

“We asked ourselves, “What is Matthews’ identity?” How has Matthews remained Matthews, snuggled right up against the largest city in North Carolina? Most importantly, where can you find the amazing stories and individual voices of the people who make up the Matthews community?”

Matthews, snuggled right up against the largest city in North Carolina?  What is the structure of our town government and how can we share what we've learned about the complexities that keep things running? Where can you go for in depth, unbiased information about local issues? Most importantly, where can you find the amazing stories and individual voices of the people who make up the Matthews community?

We'll publish unique posts daily.  Expect to start the day with a few small bites about what's going on in our Matthews Morning Minute series. Throughout the day we'll publish short segments, pieces that will introduce you to your neighbors. We'll present feature stories and town news, cover local events, and provide an examination of important issues of Matthews in one central place.

Between Norah's experience in business management and Renee's creative talent and 10+ years of blogging for self-promotion, we hope to provide an interesting, quality alternative newspaper focusing solely on Matthews.