News About Town: With the spread of the delta variant Town meetings are back to virtual. Advisory board meetings this month include:

• Veterans Advisory Committee (tonight at 7pm);

• Parks, Rec, and Cultural Resources Committee (Wednesday, September 8 at 6:30pm);

• Matthews Committee on Education (Tuesday, September 14, 6:45pm);

• Environmental Advisory Committee (Tuesday, September 14, 7pm);

• Transportation Advisory Committee (Thursday, September 16, 7pm);

• Appearance and Tree Committee (Monday, September 20, 7pm);

• Planning Board (Tuesday, September 28, 7pm);

• Cultural Diversity Committee (Tuesday, September 28, 7pm).

News Around Town: The community of Matthews has suffered a great loss with the recent death of Charlotte Allstar Gymnastics and Cheerleading co-owner Julie O’Brien. Through programming, Charlotte Allstars serves more than 1,000 youth athletes, largely because of Julie's vision to create a gym with open doors and a philosophy of love. The local gym offered a safe space for virtual learning last year and often opens their doors to community at large on school holidays. Julie passed away August 24 after battling COVID. A GoFundMe has been set up to provide support to her two children.

One Good Thing: Tails are gonna be wagging this Friday, September 3, when the Purser-Hulsey Dog Park opens! The park, located at 3024 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, will open daily at dawn and close at dusk. Two areas are fenced so small dogs (under 25 pounds) can play without getting trampled by their bigger friends. The spigots aren’t running yet, so bring some water for your canine BFF.