#FiveForFriday: A Morning Minute News Round Up

This #FiveForFriday Morning Minute News Round Up is for the week of February 25 through March 1, 2019.

News About Town: At tonight’s Council Meeting (7 p.m., Town Hall) Former Councilman Reverend Larry Whitley will be approved to become a voting member of the Planning Board. Larry has served on the Planning Board as an alternate member since February 2018. Prior to serving, Rev. Whitley served two years on Matthews Town Council and is the only African American elected to Town Council to date.

News Around Town: Thai Tamarind (Matthews Festival) closed its doors this past Sunday after four years in Matthews. Tamarind opened as an Indian restaurant (in the same location) and, after several years, switched to a Lao/Thai street food menu. The restaurant was popular and known as a hidden Matthews gem by Charlotte-area critics.

News Around Town: If it feels like we’re getting a lot of rain, well, we are. According to the USGS rain gauge at Matthews Elementary, Matthews has received 9.37 inches of rain since January 1. According to the National Weather Service Forecast, the Charlotte area averages 3.41 inches in January and 3.32 in February. If it's too early for math, we're already 2.64 inches above average. According to the site, August is typically our rainiest month averaging 4.22 inches.

News Around Town: The North Carolina Youth Rugby Union will descend upon Matthews this weekend (March 2 and 3) for the 16th Annual Carolina Ruggerfest. Ruggerfest, the largest youth rugby tournament on the East Coast has approximately 1,500 athletes, ranging in age from 7 to 18 years, who will be taking to the fields of the Matthews Sportsplex. An additional 2,500 parents, coaches, and crew will be accompanying the teams, so if you notice a few extra thousand people in town, it’s #kindofabigdeal.

News About Town: This past Wednesday, February 27, the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC), the policy board for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), approved going forward with the 2030 Plan,which includes the Silver Line light rail. Mayor Paul Bailey represents Matthews on the MTC.

The proposed Silver Line will run from Belmont to Matthews, ending at the Central Piedmont Community College Levine campus. The line will cost at least $1 billion and is projected to be complete by 2030.

Morning Minute: Tuesday, January 22, 2019

News About Town: Have you noticed a pot hole on your street that needs to be filled? Sign knocked down and hasn’t been replaced? First figure out if the street is owned by the town or state. If your street is a town-maintained street, as are most neighborhood streets, then contact Public Works to report the problem. If your street is state-maintained, NCDOT has an easy form to fill out to report the problem.

Public Works: 704-708-1240 or email matthews@matthewsnc.gov

NCDOT: 1-877-DOT-4YOU (1-877-368-4968) or website form

Need a stop sign replaced? Call Public Works or NCDOT.

News Around Town: 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.

One Fun Thing: Family Fun Night at Crews Rec Center is a night of free food, drinks, and entertainment in a family-friendly atmosphere. February 1, Family Fun Night returns with Mini Golf Night! If you’ve been missing Putt Putt on Albemarle Road (for what? two decades now?) get yourself on over to Crews and relieve the glory of a hole-in-one shot blindly through the middle of a gnome-sized windmill.

*Windmills have not been confirmed, but we’re pretty sure there’s no skeeball.