This #FiveForFriday Morning Minute News Round Up is for the week of April 15 through April 19, 2019.
News About Town: Watch out for falling speed limits. Several roads in Matthews will have reduced speeds: Sam Newell, Charles Street, Sardis Road, and Weddington Road. Sam Newell at Crestdale Middle School will become a 25 mph school zone. Trade Street currently picks back up to 35 mph leaving town past the greenway crossing. The 25 mph limit will extend beyond the crossing to allow safer pedestrian access to and from the greenway. East Charles St is currently 35 in a portion of the road but will, instead, be 25 mph along the entire length, even after the name change to Tank Town. NCDOT suggested a change on Sardis Road to 40 mph, five mph less than the current posted limit. Speed limits on portions of Weddington Road will be reduced to 35 mph, making the length of the road 35 through to the county line. The City of Charlotte oversees this portion of the road.
News Around Town: IRS scam calls seem to be on the rise once again. One of our readers wrote and warned us about them, then several other people said they’d had the same call in the past couple of days. We asked Officer Aycock with the Matthews Police about the calls and what to do. He graciously explained. The scam starts when someone calls (Red Flag 1) saying they’re from the IRS and demand immediate payment. They usually ask for it payment to be made on a prepaid card (Red Flag 2). The IRS likes to communicate old school, via snail mail. Odds are good they’re not going to be calling. They’re also not going to tell you how to pay, they want their money and aren’t going to specify mode of delivery. Think it could be the IRS? Hang up and call the IRS yourself.
News Around Town: On the theme of continued learning, the Levine campus of CPCC (2800 Campus Ridge Rd, Matthews) is expanding their weekend course offerings, this fall. High-demand classes will be offered more frequently on weekday evenings, Fridays, and Saturdays to meet student need.
News About Town: The Town of Matthews recently purchased 11 new Cardiac Science G5 Defibrillators for the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program, thanks to a $15,000.00 grant from Novant Health. The older defibrillators these replace were heavier with outdated parts. “When Novant Health found out that we were looking at ways to start upgrading our AEDs, they immediately asked how they could help,” said Matthews Police Chief, Clark A. Pennington. “It’s such an overwhelming feeling when you have community partners that are willing to help provide lifesaving equipment to our officers. We all benefit when our officers have the best tools possible.” Novant stated it’s crucial for these machines to be available for police in emergency response roles. Accessibility and response time dramatically increase chances of survival for a person who experiences sudden cardiac arrest.
News About Town: Want to learn more about town functions and have the time to invest on a weekly basis? Matthews 101 applications should be live shortly. Matthews 101 is a 6-week course that will teach you the ins and outs of local government. You’ll tour both the police station and fire station (no comment which one is more fun), learn about municipal finances, how streets are managed and maintained, and more. The deadline to apply is August 26, and while we usually wait closer to the day-of to post things, seats for this course go quickly. Have you taken Matthews 101 and want more? The League of Women Voters provide a Civics 101 course that covers county level operations.
