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.