Morning Minute: Wednesday, May 15, 2019

News About Town: Last night the Board of Commissioners had two Public Hearings for rezonings. With Zoning Application 2019-697/Harkey the Board unanimously voted to continue the public hearing at the June 10 meeting. For the town-initiated Rezoning Motion 2019-2 (downzoning three separate parcels), the Board talked heavily about finding a compromise. Lawyers representing two of the parcels spoke and requested the town cease the motion and work with the owners for a solution.

News Around Town: Yesterday was the Republican Primary in NC US House District 9. Republican and Unaffiliated voters selected State Senator Dan Bishop to move on to the General Election, with just shy of 50% of the vote. Bishop will face Democrat Dan McCready in the September special election.

One Good Thing: The countdown is on (at least here in Beaconville) for summer. If you need something for your kids to do and 24/7 screen time isn't going to cut it, check out all the options provided by Park and Rec. The selection is really fun. I mean, really fun. Like we're kind of wishing they-had-the-camps-for-grown-ups-and-the-kids-could-stay-home-by-themselves fun.

Morning Minute: Friday, February 22, 2019

News About Town: At Monday’s Council Meeting, the Board will discuss and consider actions (if any) for businesses operating primarily out of town parks without paying rental fees. According to the presentation, these groups are unfairly benefiting from public spaces to avoid overhead, while competing with similar services offered by the Town. In the summary, Town Staff makes several suggestions for solutions, such as prohibiting commercial activity or offering a commercial permit for purchase by the hour.

News Around Town:  Thursday afternoon Mark Harris (R) testified before the State Board of Elections and agreed the November 2018 election was tainted by election fraud. State Board of Elections voted 5-0 in favor of a new election for the contested District 9 Congressional Seat. Now the elections board’s attorney must research laws regarding a new primary and election, then submit tentative dates to the election board, who will then decide the dates. The process may take several months.

One Good Thing: The Matthews Habitat for Humanity has expanded its reach to include critical home repairs. Moving beyond the scope of building new homes, this program is for Matthews homeowners who are current on taxes and payments and meet income criteria. The Critical Home Repair Program is for low-income residents who have repair needs around their home that create an unsafe or unhealthy living situation, such as a failing roof or necessary accessibility modifications.

Morning Minute: Thursday, February 21, 2019

News About Town: The Board of Commissioners Agenda for the Monday, February 25 meeting was posted yesterday. The Board will revisit the Streetscape Conceptual Design contract.  The Board will also hear what State Senate Bill 469 means for stormwater control on property to be redeveloped.

News Around Town:  Have a high school junior but feel unsure about the college application process? The Matthews Library will host a one-hour workshop on February 27 to demystify the process. They’ll cover the everything from searching for a school and filling out the application, to finding scholarships and funding. Matthews Library, 230 Matthews Station St., Wednesday, February 27, 2019, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

One Fun Thing: There are lots of interesting holidays to celebrate today, so pick one (or all): National Mother Language Day, National Sticky Bun Day, Read a Card Day, Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, Grain-Free Day, and Singletasking Day. If you participate in Singletasking Day you cannot participate in other national day celebrations. 

Morning Minute: Wednesday, February 20, 2019

News About Town: The Planning Conference for the Board of Commissioners starts Friday. Pursuant to NC open meeting laws, the meeting is open to the public but there will be no portion for public comment. Items of note include: Properties of Significance with Existing “By Right” Zoning; Residential Construction and Overcrowded Schools; 4-Year Terms for Mayor and Board of Commissioners; and Hiring a Lobbyist. The full information packet can be found here.

News Around Town: The third annual Sandy Marano Memorial Build is underway with Habitat for Humanity. Sandy, an employee of Habitat and active volunteer in the Matthews community, lost a battle with breast cancer in 2016. Each year, in honor of Sandy, the Greater Matthews Habitat hosts a Women Build event, a program for women to become more involved in building affordable housing. More details to volunteer are here. Purchase a tee shirt to support the build here.

One Fun Thing: Last week we asked if you, dear readers, if you’d watched a Board of Commissioners meeting online. We received a very small sample of responses (high five to those of you who participated!) and the responses were across the board: two (40%) people said yes, one person (20%) said no, one (20%) person said they didn’t know about it, and another (20%) said not yet, but they’d like to. The video is now posted on the Town website beside the meeting agenda and minutes or on the Town’s YouTube Channel.

Morning Minute: Tuesday, February 19, 2019

News About Town: Tomorrow (Wednesday, February 20) at least four members of the Board of Commissioners will be present at the North Carolina League of Municipalities Town and State events in Raleigh. The League’s events include programming about affordable housing, broadband, an update on their Legislative Agenda, and a dinner with members of the legislature.  

News Around Town: Today the North Carolina State Board of Elections is holding the second day of an evidentiary hearing for Congressional District 9. The purpose of the hearing is to provide evidence gathered since the November election to the Board to determine whether unlawful activity occurred, and whether it justifies calling for a new election. On Monday, investigators provided clear evidence of unlawful ballot activity in Bladen and Robeson counties, but no proof Republican Mark Harris was aware of the activity.  After further facts are presented, the Board may either certify a winner, order a new election, or the US House of Representatives may step in as the final judge of the election.  

One Important Thing: If there’s more action on Wile E. Coyote’s Tinder account than usual, know that it’s because it’s coyote mating season. Coyotes are fairly common to the area, so watch out for your indoor-outdoor pets; mating season means the wild canines will need more calories than other times in the year. During mating season, with hormones running amok, they may be somewhat more aggressive than usual. Use precautions when outdoors, particularly at dawn and dusk.