Morning Minute: October 8, 2018

News About Town: The Board of Commissioners will meet at 5:30 with Glenn Harbeck, Community Planning Director for Wilmington, NC, for a special meeting to discuss the draft vision statement for the Town. The draft vision statement is a summary of the Desired Future and Unwanted Future residents listed at the Vision for Matthews community discussion this past April. This document will be an update to the 2005 Our Vision, Our Town document. After the 5:30 meeting is the regular Town Council meeting at 7:00 PM. As usual, if you’d like to speak about general issues at the Council meeting you must sign up on the sheet outside the Hood Room doors prior to the meeting starting.

If it’s going to be stormy like the current prediction, just stare at these perennial sunflowers in that brilliant sky.

News Above Town: The Weather Channel says storms, but not until the kids are getting out of school. Temperatures will get up to 82 and things look likely to be overcast.

News Around Town: I know it feels too early to think about the holidays, but November 3 the Charlotte City Ballet will perform Prelude to the Holidays at the Matthews Community Center, 100 East McDowell Street, Matthews. They’ll have two performances, 1 and 4 PM, on November 3. After each performance, they’ll have cupcakes and a meet and greet with the dancers. Take our word for it, get your tickets now. They’re also posting updates as they practice and prepare, so follow them on Instagram @charlottecityballet #charlottecityballet.

One Good Thing: Have a-hankerin’ for some smoked hog? If you have kids, Monday evening is the perfect time to dine at Moe’s, 111 Matthews Station Street. When you dine in on Monday after 4 PM, kids eat free. If you’re not in the mood for pork, Moe’s Monday special is a blackened salmon sandwich. Consider dinner taken care of.

Morning Minute: October 5, 2018

News Around Town: The agenda is online for Monday’s Board of Commissioner’s meeting. The applicant for the rezoning of 269 South Trade Street, a project which has made recent news, has asked for deferral until November 12. If the Board denies the deferral they will vote whether to rezone the property. The board will vote on whether to approve the overlay of the 3 small area plans.

News Above Town: The Weather Channel has been pretty accurate this week, at least temperature-wise. They do keep saying cloudy skies and I keep seeing gorgeous Carolina blues dotted with happy clouds. Hopefully pretty skies again tomorrow, but temps will still be in the low 90s.

News About Town: The Hundred Dresses opens at Matthews Playhouse next week. Based on the Newbery Honor-winning book of the same name, The Hundred Dresses tells a tale of Wanda Petronski, a girl who has one faded blue dress but claims to have a hundred dresses at home. Wanda is mocked by her classmates until her father pulls her from school. This story of bullying is timely for Bullying Prevention Month, and the Playhouse is sure to do an outstanding job. Tickets sell quickly for Playhouse productions and this play will be no different.

One Fun Thing: We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: you don’t want to miss COS Kids’ Blues & BBQ tonight. Tickets are $35 per person and include food and beverages as well as live music. The best part is that the event funds a child care program for limited- income single parents. (Bonus points if you recognize Norah and introduce yourself!)

Morning Minute: October 4, 2018

News Around Town: About 1 in 8 U.S. women will develop invasive breast cancer in her lifetime and though the odds of men developing breast cancer are less common, it does happen. Early detection through regular checkups is paramount in the fight against breast cancer. This year the Matthews Police Department is doing their part to raise awareness by wearing custom Pink ‘n Blue tee shirts under their uniforms (with permission from the Chief, of course) for October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

If you want to help their efforts, the shirts are also available for the public for purchase (cash only; small to XL $16, XXL are $18) with proceeds going to the Novant Health Mobile Mammography Unit to help fund checkups for women who can not afford them.

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Matthews police will have a pop of color in their uniforms this month to draw attention to the need for early breast cancer screenings. Photos courtesy of the Matthews Police Department.

“Many women who are diagnosed have no known risk factors. Screening mammography, recommended annually starting at age 40, or younger if you are at high risk, is the best tool we have for early detection.”

— Roland Bibeau

News Above Town: In a cruel weather joke, temps will reach 90 today. If you have a good relationship with Autumn will you ask it to please come back to Matthews? We’re looking forward to a looooong visit.

The seasons may be confused but the sky is on point.

News About Town: This week a jury in Rowan County Criminal Superior Court found Gerardo Juarez, a Matthews resident, guilty of four counts of felony trafficking (heroin by possession and transportation) and one count of felony conspiracy to traffic (heroin by possession and transportation). Judge David Hall sentenced Gerardo Juarez to two consecutive sentences (totaling at least 37.5 years) and ordered a mandatory minimum fine of $500,000. Juarez and Darya Sergeyevna Borovskaya, also a Matthews resident, were arrested in an undercover operation in Salisbury in 2017.

One Fun Thing: Join the Matthews Library for Family Storytime today (and every Thursday through the end of the month) at Squirrel Lake Park! One of talented Matthews librarians will be on-hand telling stories, singing songs, and leading activities. Squirrel Lake Park, 1631 Pleasant Plains Rd, Matthews, NC 28105. Meet at shelter A.