Morning Minute: Friday, April 3, 2020

News Around Town: April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Livable Meck understands that home isn’t always a safe place for children, and getting help can be especially difficult during extended times away from school. For those who need support, Livable Meck Partners Safe Alliance and Pat's Place Child Advocacy Center are still serving the community.  Safe Alliance's HOPE Hotline (980-771-4673) is staffed 24/7 and anonymous.

Parents rejoice! CMS student packets will NOT be available for pick up tomorrow (Friday, April 3). As we hear more we’ll update you.

Tie a purple ribbon around the old oak tree (or new mail box.). Novant Health is asking the community members to tie a purple bow in front of their homes to show community-wide support of those in the medical care field. share photos by tagging @NovantHealth and #thankyounh on your social media outlets of choice.

Morning Minute: Thursday, April 2, 2020

News About Town: Since the shooting of Mr. Brett Thomas Butler on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the Matthews Police Department was investigating the incident. Through collaboaration with CMPD, the FBI Violent Criminal Task Force, Stallings Police Department, Monroe Police Department, and the Union County Sheriff’s Office, police were able to identify, locate, and apprehend the person responsible, a17-year-old male, yesterday, April 1, 2020.

Don’t Forget: We have art prompts from Eileen Schwartz (@healingartforcaregivers). Don’t forget to follow along and post it to your Insta, use #Art_stayathome to share your creation. Don't have an Instagram account? Post it on our Facebook page and email it to Eileen at eileen@healingart4caregivers.com.

News Around Town: Missing your favorite classes at the Community Center? Matthews Parks and Rec Department made a handy dandy list of teachers who have online resources available (see image below).

Morning Minute: Wednesday, March 32, 2020

News About Town: Hired by the Town of Matthews, Blythe Construction will begin repaving select town-owned roads this month. Moore, Bubbling Well, Kimway, Matthews Plantation, and a portion of Reverdy are included on the project list. To see the full list of roads on the schedule, visit the town website.

From the County: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools will begin fourth-quarter content no later than Monday, April 6. Learning packets will be available for each pre-kindergarten through third grade student at local school lunch sites. For Matthews, Crown Point Elementary is the closest site. Work will also be available to print at home from the CMS website. Your child’s school will provide additional information.

From the State: Thursday, April 2 at 6 pm, tune in to learn about the local response to Coronavirus. Representatives Rachel Hunt, Wesley Harris, and Brandon Lofton are hosting COVID-19 Town Hall, with special guest Roland Bibeau, President of Novant Health Matthews Medical. Register here.

Matthews During COVID-19: A Photoessay

Take a stroll through Matthews with photographer Claire Rodahaver. Claire captured the usually active downtown, now absent of people, the streetscape dotted with informative handmade signs. This is our current normal.

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“I hope this is a time when small business owners come together and support one another. We need to get through this. We must and we will! Thankful for the opportunity to live and work in Matthews the last year. It is truly an amazing gem of the Charlotte area. As a photographer, I hope I can use photography to share powerful stories and uplift people in this time of uncertainty. ”

— Claire Rodahaver

Claire Rodahaver is Matthews-based photographer, photojournalist, and educator.
Visit her website here.

Morning Minute: Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Business Changes: Your Mom’s Donuts will now be open at the Matthews location, Wednesday through Saturday am to 2 pm, Sunday 8 am to 2 pm. Thursday’s get a dozen for $20. With expanded grocery options, pickup days are now Wednesday and Saturday. Cutoff times for orders are Monday and Thursday, both at 10 pm.

Jekyll & Hyde has decided to cancel curb side pickup service. With the Stay At Home order, they decided to put their staff first. Jekyll & Hyde will once again serve the community once the pandemic passes.

If Novant is your health care system, their dedicated drive-up screening centers are available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm to help you determine if you should be tested for the coronavirus, without leaving your vehicle. Use Novant’s GoHealth Urgent Care Centers for weekend screening and testing.

News Around Town: If you’re spending your days gardening, a seed chart might help you figure out what to plant when.

Don’t Forget: We have art prompts from Eileen Schwartz (@healingartforcaregivers). Don’t forget to follow along and post it to your Insta, use #Art_stayathome to share your creation. Don't have an Instagram account? Post it on our Facebook page and email it to Eileen at eileen@healingart4caregivers.com.

Glass Spring

Glass Spring

On one American morning, a virus came ashore, it does not discriminate,

it knocks on anyone's door

On one American morning, this invisible beast made humans its feast

On one American morning, our country decided to fight against the pain

and sorrow, now a familiar site

On one American morning,  we will make this pandemic leave no forwarding

address

On one American morning, together we are strong, we are America we will achieve success

On one American morning, again, we will resume our daily routines, and not

forget, anything can change life in a minute

On one American morning, we will defeat the unknown

On one American morning the sun will rise, just like before

it will greet the young and old

On one American morning, again the alarm clocks will ring, school buses

will roll and a glass wall will not divide us anymore

By Lorraine Stark

Image via Unsplash @anshu18

Morning Minute: Monday, March 30, 2020

News About Town: Last week the Town of Matthews hosted a video teleconference for businesses in Matthews in relation to the Stay at Home Order and the coronavirus pandemic. The video has been posted to the Town’s website. Helpful topics include resources from the Small Business Administration, insight from Tory Summy, Associate with Parker Poe Attorneys and Counselors at Law, and comments from the Matthews Chamber of Commerce.

News Around Town: Families in need of food have an additional resource for non-perishable food items in Matthews. Crestdale Middle School is distributing groceries on Saturdays from 9 am to noon in the bus lot, by the cafeteria, using in a "drive-thru" format. If you would like to donate, donations are accepted in the main office Monday through Friday from 9 am until 2 pm. The school is asking for the following non-perishable food items: dried pasta/rice, pasta sauces, canned meats (tuna, chicken, etc.), instant mac-n-cheese / ramen, cereal/cereal bars/granola bars, peanut butter/jelly, canned pasta (Chef Boyardee / Spaghetti-Os), canned soups, canned fruit/apple sauce. The following hygiene items will also be accepted: feminine hygiene products, shampoo, bar soap, lotion, Lysol/Clorox wipes/hand sanitizer. If you have questions, contact Principal Jennifer Schroder at 980-343-5755 or jennifer.schroder@cms.k12.nc.us  

One Good Thing: If you’ve found yourself welcoming robocalls and over-the-phone salespeople, Matthews Police want you to be aware. There are coronavirus scams already taking over the phone lines. Their advice? Hang up on robocalls, don’t answer texts or calls about checks from the government, and be extra wary of phishing emails. Find out more on their Facebook post and through the Federal Trade Commission's website.

Don’t Forget: We had art prompts over the weekend from Eileen Schwartz (@healingartforcaregivers). (Saturday here, Sunday here.) Don’t forget to follow along and post it to your Insta, use #Art_stayathome to share your creation. Don't have an Instagram account? Post it on our Facebook page and email it to Eileen at eileen@healingart4caregivers.com.

Morning Minute: Friday, March 27, 2020

News From the Town: Police Chief Clark Pennington popped onto social media yesterday to briefly explain what might happen to those who do not follow the Stay at Home Order.

News From the County: With the newly enacted Stay at Home Order, some County residents may need the information in their first language. Mecklenburg County has provided the order summary (available here) in Arabic, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Nepali, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Telugu, and Vietnamese. You can also find a longer FAQ in English and in Spanish there as well. 

Have questions? Call Mecklenburg County's COVID19 helpline at 704-353-1926. Looking for county COVID19 updates? Visit mecknc.gov/covid-19. For text updates from the state, text COVIDNC to 898211. 

One Good Thing: It’s Day 2 of art prompts from Eileen Schwartz (@healingartforcaregivers). Join in and post it to your Insta, use #Art_stayathome to share your creation. Don't have an Instagram account? Post it on our Facebook page and email it to Eileen at eileen@healingart4caregivers.com.

News for Essential Workers: As a nonprofit, it is COSKids’ mission to help families with educational, financial and spiritual support. As required by recent state and county orders, COSKids is supporting those families who are essential workers. To support Matthews through this current crisis, the organization is making a limited number of classroom spots available for the first responders and health care workers in the Matthews community. The openings are for infants through 5th grade and the hours are 6:30 am - 6 pm. Call 704-756-8817 for additional information or to register.

Morning Minute: Thursday, March 26, 2020

News About Town: Unsure what a Stay At Home Order is? Mayor John Higdon made a quick video to explain. He also cites some useful resources in just under two and a half minutes. Pour a morning coffee and give it a watch. 

News Around Town: If you’ve been looking for a way to help the larger community with coronavirus relief, COVID-19 Greater Charlotte Area Mutual Aid (COVID-GCA) is a good resource. The organization’s mission “caters to individual and community needs by consolidating resources, fostering solidarity, and distributing immediate aid during the coronavirus health crisis.” Available on both on Facebook, a great resource for quick updates, and as a website, which is well-organized for finding specific resources, COVID-GCA is impressively comprehensive. Efforts include finding resources for local nonprofits, matching elementary and middle school students with tutors from high schools and colleges, and providing a collection of links to government agencies for reliable information.

One Good Thing: Eileen Schwartz knows how much art enhances life. She teaches therapeutic and healing art with area veterans, residents with special needs, and people with dementia at the McDowell Arts Center. While the arts center is closed, Eileen has created a series of daily art prompts. Join in by following @healingartforcaregivers. We've included today's prompt here to get you started, and will continue as long as Eileen continues! Post it to your Insta and use #Art_stayathome so we can see the beauty you're creating. Don't have an Instagram account? Post it on our Facebook page and email it to Eileen at eileen@healingart4caregivers.com.

Birding While In Isolation

“A mixed blessing is that we may have more time on our hands, and are home more.  The question is, what do we do with that time?”

These are scary times and a lot of us are worried and feel helpless when we watch the news.  I am, too, but I'm also grateful that this is happening during the spring.

New life is emerging all around us.  We see plants breaking through the soil.  We see insects starting to fly around.  And we see birds starting their mating seasons and other birds on their spring migration.  It's a grand time to be outside!

A mixed blessing of the Coronavirus is that we may have more time on our hands, and are home more.  The question is, what do we do with that time, at our home?

I think it's really important that we give children a love of, and connection to, nature.  They will not protect and conserve what they do not love and are not connected to.  What better time than spring to give them that connection?

Can you identify 12 of our bird species?  Can your children?  Even young children can recognize color and size differences, which is a great start to identifying birds.

Here are some birds that are so common in our area that we'll have a lot of opportunities to study them.  Binoculars can help, but most of these are right out in front of us and we can easily see them with the naked eye.

1. Northern Cardinals - Our most common bright red bird. Males and females have different coloring, with females being less bright.

Image via Unsplash

2. American Robin - These guys usually come in a group, and they feed on the ground.

Image provided by author

3. Crow - We actually have two crows in this area, the American Crow and Fish Crow. They can be hard to tell apart by sight, but their calls are very different.

Image via Unsplash @jacksondesign

4. Eastern Bluebird - Males and females differ in color, with the females being pretty drab compared to the beautiful, bright blue males. These guys like to visit feeders, which makes them easy to spot.

Image provided by author

5. Blue Jay - These birds are much larger than the bluebirds, and a different color blue. They also have a cone-shaped crest on their head and they can be quite noisy. Their nickname is "Sentinel of the Forest" because they sound an alarm when predators are near.

Image via Unsplash @erinw

6. American Goldfinch - These tiny beauties visit feeders, too, and love sunflower chips and thistle. The males are a vibrant yellow with black markings and the females are more of a washed-out yellow. Goldfinches change color during the winter, with males and females becoming more of a drab olive color. People mistakenly think they migrate away from here because they're not used to seeing them in their winter coloring.

Image via Unsplash @mimurphy

7. Mourning Dove - These birds look a little on the chubby side, and are a soft gray. They hang out in trees and on feeders. They're known by their soft cooing sound, which some people think sounds sad.

Image provided by the author

8. Carolina Wren - These are adorable little brown birds with a white eyebrow and an upturned, perky little tail. They are huge singers and you would think the sound is coming from a much larger bird. They will build a nest absolutely anywhere - in shoes left outside, on top of a tire, in a mailbox.

Image provided by the author

9. Carolina Chickadee - These are small black and white-ish birds with bright black eyes. They're very helpful to beginning birders since they say their name - chickadeedeedee!

Image provided by the author

10. Red-bellied woodpecker - These are pretty big and very vocal. It's easy to spot them once you know their call. Their red head is a lot easier to see than their red belly.

Image provided by the author

11. Black vulture - Large birds who are sometimes called Mother Nature's cleanup crew. Some people mistakenly call these buzzards, but we don't have buzzards in the US. These birds are awkward on the ground but soar gracefully in the air.

Image provided by author

12. Barred owl - This is the most common own in our area and there are a lot of them around! The best way to make sure you're identifying them correctly is to listen for them. Their call sounds like they're saying, "Who cooks for YOU? Who cooks for YOU? Who? Who?"

Image provided by author

And there you have it - twelve birds that you can easily see around Matthews, many in your very own backyard!

Enjoy spring!  Go get a dose of nature!

Morning Minute: Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Countrywide: Don’t forget the Census! “Not enough time” is no longer an excuse.

From the Town: Yesterday the County issued a Stay at Home Order. What does that mean? Only essential businesses will remain open. Essential businesses include government offices, mailing and shipping services, groceries, hardware and agricultural supply stores, gas stations, construction, and limited other services. This order goes into effect on Thursday at 8:00 am. Here is a link to the order. For information from the Town of Matthews, visit the town’s website. For further clarification, call the Mecklenburg County Stay at Home helpline (704) 353-1926. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Local Businesses: The Town of Matthews invites business owners to join a video conference call tomorrow: 

"Matthews Business Owners: In light of today's announcement from Mecklenburg County that a Stay at Home Order will go into effect on Thursday, March 26, we know there are likely many questions and concerns for you and your business. We invite you to join us for a video conference call on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 p.m. The goal of this conference call is to provide you with as much information and resources as possible. If you would like to join the call, please send an email with your name and business to matthews@matthewsnc.gov to register."  

Primavera Pizza, 1319 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, is open for take out.

Morning Minute: Tuesday, March 24, 2020

From the State: Yesterday, Governor Cooper signed an executive order stating schools will remain closed until at least May 15. The governor also issued the closure of gyms, health clubs, barbershops, salons, and other similar businesses, effective Wednesday at 5 pm.

From the County: CATS buses and rail lines will operate on a modified schedule seven days-a-week, focusing on most popular routes and times. To allow for greater distancing with drivers, fare will be free.

From the Town: Republic will implement changes to waste to pick up starting today. Bulk item pick-up and yard waste collection are suspended. All trash must be in the cart for pick-up. 

Park restrooms and play equipment are closed for public use to encourage social distancing.

Local Businesses: UPS Stores will remain open as essential businesses. MB, the Sycamore Commons UPS Store owner, let us know they’re open and offering full services, including printing and shipping in support of those who can’t access offices and are working from home.

Weaver, Bennett, and Bland have some advice for business owners and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

The Town also has a summary addressing the basics of the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans.

Gardening Gloves

Gardening Gloves

Leaves of winter
once a carpet left by
Lady Fall have since
been swept away leaving
breathing space for Lady
Spring and her display
before Lady Summer
arrives and tests the
toughest plants and
flowers in my garden as
they look forward to
receiving the first leaf of
fall again, thus signifying
another growing season
will soon cease and only
then shall I place my
gardening gloves away
in storage.

By Lorraine Stark

Morning Minute: Monday, March 23, 2020

Of the 255 coronavirus cases in North Carolina (as of 10 am Sunday), 80 are in Mecklenburg County; three or fewer of those cases are in the 28105 zip code. Positive results are increasing dramatically, partly due to more availability of tests. As of Friday at noon, there were 37 cases reported in Mecklenburg County. Most surprising is that 48.8% of those positives are people between the ages of 20 and 39.

Map via Mecklenburg County's website

Look on our website for a list of small, locally-owned restaurants (in Matthews or owned by Matthews residents) offering take out. To be certain we're missing some, so send them our way if you notice ones that are missing. Also, be sure to call and make sure they're open. Everything feels in flux and businesses have to make decisions quickly.  

A few restaurants have created Go Fund Me fundraisers. The Loyalist has one to continue providing sandwiches for kids in the school lunch program. Stumptown Station's Go Fund Me is for their employees who can't continue to work since bars were forced to close. Char Bar corporate closed all of its restaurants, letting its employees go, but the manager created a Go Fund Me for those let go.  

Retail businesses are hurting, too. We're working on a list of businesses that have remained open, similar to the restaurant list. We have an update from Friday's newsletter: Renfrow’s couldn't keep social distancing protocols in place with their traditional set up. The hardware store may reopen on a Tuesday through Friday schedule with curbside ordering and fulfillment. Check the Renfrow Facebook page for further updates.  

Supporting Locally Owned Restaurants and Bars during the Coronavirus Pandemic

With the closure of restaurants and bars, keep in mind many places still offer to-go meals. Call first, details and closures are changing daily.

Artisen Gelato
704-804-8160
menu

Beantown Tavern
704-849-2023
menu

Ben Thanh
(704) 566-1088
menu

Best Wok II
(704) 847-0028
menu

Brusters Ice Cream
704-708-6763
menu

Chen Fu
704-845-6282
menu
Delivery available

Chicken Salad Chick
980-339-7700
menu

Dorian’sDeli
704-847-4901
menu

El Valle
704-845-1417
menu

Exchange Pizza Depot
704-208-9180
Check Facebook for daily menu

GoGo Empanadas
(980) 245-2686
menu

Grace O’Malley’s
Closed
Gift cards available

Jekyll & Hyde Taphouse and Grill
704-846-HYDE
menu

Jonathan’s
704-847-8911
menu

Kebab Je
(704) 845-0707
menu

Kristopher’s
704-845-6200
menu

The Local Scoop
Owned by Matthews residents with a location in Matthews coming soon!
704-443-7812
menu

The Loyalist Market
704- 814-9866
menu
Gift certificates available
Go Fund Me

Mac’s Speed Shop
(704) 444-0332
menu
Online ordering and delivery available
Gift cards available

Marathi Masala
Temporarily closed
Follow on Facebook

Miki’s Restaurant
704-321-0051
menu (limited options)

Ming Fu
704-844-6181
menu

Moe’s Original BBQ
704-814-6637
menu

The Pizza Peel
(704) 814-0231
menu
Online ordering available

The Portrait Gallery
704-369-9982
Take away menu
Gift certificates available

Primavera Pizza
704-321-0201 menu

Royal Cafe & Creperie

Santé
704-845-1899
menu
Gift certificates available

South 21
704-844-1004
menu

Stacks
704.841.2025
breakfast menu
lunch menu
kids menu

Stumptown Station
Go Fund Me
”Tip your server” via Paypal: info@stumptownstation.com

Sub Shop (formerly Sub Station II)
704-847-8261
menu

Thai Taste
704.841.4455
lunch menu
dinner menu

VeloPops
704-776-8419
Follow them on Instagram for menu

Your Mom’s Donuts
704-771-2911
(online ordering here).
Your Mom’s Donuts is also carrying some goods from local farms, such as meats and jams. They make bread in-house, so odds are good they’ll have bread even when the grocery store is out.