CMS cuts, the transit tax, Crosland's memo - those are the topics that drove Paper Trail this week.
Here are links to the documents behind those stories - and Charlotte's fastest week in review:
1. Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones said Thursday he's recommending cutting nearly $34 million from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools next year. That would help balance a looming shortfall in the county budget, a move that likely would trigger layoffs of hundreds of teachers.
Click here to see Jones' memo.
2. State lawmakers told city and town leaders Wednesday that if they want the option of asking voters to approve another half-cent sales tax increase for transit, they need to get their "act together" and ask for it.
Click here to read the bill.
3. Developer John Crosland said it's time to attack Charlotte's affordable housing shortage. "Thousands of people are trapped by this system," he says in a white paper circulating among city leaders.
Click here to read Crosland's conclusion.
- Doug Miller
Friday, May 8, 2009
New details in Yarmolenko case
Slain UNC Charlotte student Irina Yarmolenko was found last May with a bungee cord, ribbon and drawstring around her neck, according to new details contained in motions filed this week in Gaston County Superior Court.
Click here to see the court papers.
According to discovery evidence released to defense lawyers representing the two suspects in the case, DNA from the items around Yarmolenko’s neck and scrapings from beneath her fingernails did not match either suspect.
But partial evidence from both men did match DNA found inside the car, according to the motions, which seek modifications in the defendants bonds.
Mark Carver of Gastonia and his cousin, Neal Leon Cassada Jr. of Mount Holly, have been charged with first-degree murder in the May 5, 2008 killing of Yarmolenko, 20. Her body was found beside her car on the banks of the Catawba River in Mount Holly where authorities said she had gone to take photos. An autopsy revealed asphyxia as the cause of death. - Joe Depriest
Click here to see the court papers.
According to discovery evidence released to defense lawyers representing the two suspects in the case, DNA from the items around Yarmolenko’s neck and scrapings from beneath her fingernails did not match either suspect.
But partial evidence from both men did match DNA found inside the car, according to the motions, which seek modifications in the defendants bonds.
Mark Carver of Gastonia and his cousin, Neal Leon Cassada Jr. of Mount Holly, have been charged with first-degree murder in the May 5, 2008 killing of Yarmolenko, 20. Her body was found beside her car on the banks of the Catawba River in Mount Holly where authorities said she had gone to take photos. An autopsy revealed asphyxia as the cause of death. - Joe Depriest
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Jones memo: Cut $33.9 million from CMS
Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones said this afternoon he's recommening cutting nearly $34 million from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools next year in order to help balance a looming shortfall in the county budget, a move that likely would trigger layoffs of hundreds of teachers.
Click here to see Jones' memo.
Jones also is recommending cutting about $2.4 million from Central Piedmont Community College, according the memo sent to county commissioners today. - April Bethea
Click here to see Jones' memo.
Jones also is recommending cutting about $2.4 million from Central Piedmont Community College, according the memo sent to county commissioners today. - April Bethea
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
CMS magnets: Lottery results
What's full? Piedmont Middle, Montessori programs and traditional elementaries.
On the other end, 14 magnet schools came through the first lottery with no one waiting to get in.
A Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools list shows how many students got into magnets and how many landed on wait lists, by grade, program and school. Numbers will shift during spring and summer, as some students decide not to claim their seats and others fail to earn scores that would get them in.
Click here for the results of this year's first CMS lottery.
Waiting lists are long at perennial favorites, even after the school board revamped the magnet offerings for 2009-10. Piedmont Middle, for instance, will lose its "open" program, shifting all its seats to the International Baccalaureate program that used to make up about half the school.
That means students who don't pass their reading and math exams this year can't get in. Piedmont has the district's longest waiting list, with 444 students,
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is offering students another chance at getting into underfilled magnet schools next year.
Click here to learn more about which schools still have openings and how to claim them (deadline is May 22). - Ann Doss Helms
On the other end, 14 magnet schools came through the first lottery with no one waiting to get in.
A Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools list shows how many students got into magnets and how many landed on wait lists, by grade, program and school. Numbers will shift during spring and summer, as some students decide not to claim their seats and others fail to earn scores that would get them in.
Click here for the results of this year's first CMS lottery.
Waiting lists are long at perennial favorites, even after the school board revamped the magnet offerings for 2009-10. Piedmont Middle, for instance, will lose its "open" program, shifting all its seats to the International Baccalaureate program that used to make up about half the school.
That means students who don't pass their reading and math exams this year can't get in. Piedmont has the district's longest waiting list, with 444 students,
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is offering students another chance at getting into underfilled magnet schools next year.
Click here to learn more about which schools still have openings and how to claim them (deadline is May 22). - Ann Doss Helms
Update: Charlotte needs to get 'act together' for transit tax
Charlotte area legislators told city and town leaders today that if they want the option of asking voters to approve another half-cent sales tax increase for transit, they need to get their act together and ask for it.
“If Mecklenburg County wants to be included in this legislation, we need to hear from the local community, sooner rather than later,” Sen. Malcolm Graham, a Charlotte Democrat, told the local leaders during a meeting at the legislature. “There needs to be consensus.”
Charlotte City Council members and representatives from Mecklenburg municipalities were in Raleigh today, meeting with Mecklenburg County lawmakers.
They discussed a bill that would give Mecklenburg County authority to seek voters' permission to levy another half-cent sales tax for transit.
The bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Becky Carney passed the House and is in Senate committee.
Click here to read the bill.
Some background:
The City Council deferred a vote Monday on whether to ask the General Assembly to include Mecklenburg in a bill that allows urban counties in the Triad and Triangle to levy a half-cent sales tax for mass transit.
If included in the bill, Mecklenburg County commissioners could ask county voters to approve a second half-cent sales tax for mass transit. Council members said they wanted to wait until after the Raleigh trip today before voting. They plan to address the matter May 11.
Sen. Dan Clodfelter, also a Charlotte Democrat, blocked Mecklenburg's inclusion in the bill partly because he said he wanted a commitment from the Charlotte Area Transit System that it would build light rail down Independence Boulevard. - Mark Johnson and Julia Oliver
Read more about this developing story in tomorrow's Observer.
“If Mecklenburg County wants to be included in this legislation, we need to hear from the local community, sooner rather than later,” Sen. Malcolm Graham, a Charlotte Democrat, told the local leaders during a meeting at the legislature. “There needs to be consensus.”
Charlotte City Council members and representatives from Mecklenburg municipalities were in Raleigh today, meeting with Mecklenburg County lawmakers.
They discussed a bill that would give Mecklenburg County authority to seek voters' permission to levy another half-cent sales tax for transit.
The bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Becky Carney passed the House and is in Senate committee.
Click here to read the bill.
Some background:
The City Council deferred a vote Monday on whether to ask the General Assembly to include Mecklenburg in a bill that allows urban counties in the Triad and Triangle to levy a half-cent sales tax for mass transit.
If included in the bill, Mecklenburg County commissioners could ask county voters to approve a second half-cent sales tax for mass transit. Council members said they wanted to wait until after the Raleigh trip today before voting. They plan to address the matter May 11.
Sen. Dan Clodfelter, also a Charlotte Democrat, blocked Mecklenburg's inclusion in the bill partly because he said he wanted a commitment from the Charlotte Area Transit System that it would build light rail down Independence Boulevard. - Mark Johnson and Julia Oliver
Read more about this developing story in tomorrow's Observer.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Charlotte's first wish list for Gov. Perdue
N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue has named Charlotte City Council member Michael Barnes as her volunteer liaison, and Barnes recently sent Perdue a list of key issues facing the city.
His April 27 letter lists four requests:
1. Relax the September deadline for use of federal job training money through the stimulus program.
2. Ensure that the state mow the grass along its rights of way and pick up litter.
3. Require a state DOT official work in Charlotte 2-3 days a month. Currently, Barnes says, developers must travel to the Albermarle office to review plans.
4. Install signs on I-485 directing drivers to the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
Click here to read Barnes' letter to Perdue.
Perdue named Barnes as her liaison in March, when she became the first governor with a Charlotte presence by opening a new Piedmont office in the government center.
His April 27 letter lists four requests:
1. Relax the September deadline for use of federal job training money through the stimulus program.
2. Ensure that the state mow the grass along its rights of way and pick up litter.
3. Require a state DOT official work in Charlotte 2-3 days a month. Currently, Barnes says, developers must travel to the Albermarle office to review plans.
4. Install signs on I-485 directing drivers to the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
Click here to read Barnes' letter to Perdue.
Perdue named Barnes as her liaison in March, when she became the first governor with a Charlotte presence by opening a new Piedmont office in the government center.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Crosland: 'Thousands are trapped by this system'
Today's story about Charlotte's affordable housing shortage quotes developer John Crosland saying: "It's high time we try to do something about the people who are really struggling to find an affordable place."
Crosland has published his findings about the housing situation in a white paper circulating among city leaders.
His proposed solution: reduce the cost of development, which would cut housing prices. That would require easing land-use regulations, among other steps, he argues.
Other ideas include free or low-cost government land for affordable housing and larger housing bonds.
"I have seen the system that we have in place and understand that thousands are trapped ...Instead of leaving these families to fail, we must extend them a hand," the study says. "I do not want to see Charlotte become a place where the rich get richer while the poor get poorer."
Click here to read the conclusion of Crosland's white paper.
Among the study's findings: Charlotte lost 1,125 units for the poorest families from 2001 to 2007. At least 3,201 affordable units were demolished, while only 2,076 new affordable units were built to take their place.
Crosland has published his findings about the housing situation in a white paper circulating among city leaders.
His proposed solution: reduce the cost of development, which would cut housing prices. That would require easing land-use regulations, among other steps, he argues.
Other ideas include free or low-cost government land for affordable housing and larger housing bonds.
"I have seen the system that we have in place and understand that thousands are trapped ...Instead of leaving these families to fail, we must extend them a hand," the study says. "I do not want to see Charlotte become a place where the rich get richer while the poor get poorer."
Click here to read the conclusion of Crosland's white paper.
Among the study's findings: Charlotte lost 1,125 units for the poorest families from 2001 to 2007. At least 3,201 affordable units were demolished, while only 2,076 new affordable units were built to take their place.
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