CMS to propose redrawing some high school boundary lines
Plus: CMS' top lawyer is leaving; Storm was a bust but roads still icy; Fire destroys N.C.'s oldest bar; Charlotte magazine editors to join digital food outlet; From Myers Park High to the Super Bowl
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CMS officials tell the school board they’d like to reopen E.E. Waddell High as a comprehensive high school — with an attendance zone
by Tony Mecia
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is floating the idea of reopening E.E. Waddell High School in southwest Charlotte and turning it into a comprehensive high school — a move that would require redrawing school attendance boundaries in the area.
At a school board retreat on Saturday, CMS deputy superintendent Melissa Balknight told board members that the district is going to be exploring the idea of converting Waddell — which has been used as a magnet school for the last 15 years — into a regular high school.
“This would allow us to draw attendance lines to E.E. Waddell, to help reduce capacity” at nearby high schools, Balknight said.
The school, on Nations Ford Road west of I-77, is in the Olympic attendance zone but is close to zones of several other high schools, including Myers Park, South Mecklenburg, Palisades, Ballantyne Ridge and Harding. Drawing attendance zones around Waddell could alter boundaries for some or all of those schools.
➡️ Keep reading: The Ledger posted the full story on our website. Check it out.
Today’s supporting sponsor is Landon A. Dunn, attorney-at-law in Matthews:
CMS’ general counsel is departing next week, board chair says; has been absent from recent board meetings
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and its top lawyer, general counsel André Mayes, are parting ways effective next week.
Mayes has served as the chief legal officer for the past six years, leading the district’s legal department and offering legal advice to the district, board and superintendent. She reports to the school board and is the district’s second-highest-paid employee.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education Chair Stephanie Sneed told The Ledger in an interview on Saturday that Mayes is retiring effective Feb. 2.
Intrigue over Mayes’ status has been building in the past two weeks among people who follow CMS closely, as she did not attend CMS’ most recent regular board meeting on Jan. 13 and was not present at last week’s three-day board retreat, as would be common for a top district official. Mayes’ office was represented instead by Deputy General Counsel Anna Hehenberger.
The board has not publicly discussed Mayes’ employment status, and CMS has not announced her departure. The Ledger asked CMS about Mayes’ status earlier this month. CMS spokespeople did not directly reply but sent The Ledger public records that confirmed Mayes was still employed as general counsel.
On Saturday, at a break on the final day of the CMS board retreat, The Ledger asked Superintendent Crystal Hill who CMS’ general counsel was. She replied: “That’s a great question — that’s a great question for Chair Sneed.”
Sneed said Mayes remains the general counsel until Feb. 2. Asked why Mayes has not been present at recent meetings, she said Mayes is “still in the status of working for CMS but is just transitioning out” and is “not in the office right now.”
She said the district would hire a new general counsel, which she said would be part of a larger effort to examine “how we efficiently use the dollars and get the bang for our buck in our operational systems but still be able to deliver to our public and our community.”
Mayes, who is 65, earns an annual salary of $369,737, according to CMS records.
Asked if Mayes would be receiving any supplemental bonus or had an employment separation agreement, Sneed said: “She decided to retire. She is getting what she is entitled to as a part of retirement.”
The Ledger had previously requested written correspondence between Mayes and the school board regarding her employment status. CMS declined to release those records, saying they are personnel records that are protected from public disclosure under N.C. law.
The Ledger also called several CMS board members on Jan. 15 seeking information about Mayes’ departure. Board member Shamaiye Haynes was the only member who returned the call, but she said she couldn’t comment on personnel matters.
Mayes did not respond to emails and social media direct messages from The Ledger seeking comment. She first started working for CMS in 2008, when she was hired as an associate to the general counsel. —Tony Mecia and Lindsey Banks
Charlotte dodged a disaster in this weekend’s storm. But it’s still a disruption.
This weekend’s storm turned out to be more of a garden-variety winter storm than the forecast icepocalypse, but we’ll still be feeling the effects in Charlotte for the next few days.
For instance…
There’s a Charlotte Hornets game today at 3 p.m. — a rare daytime weekday NBA game uptown.
There’s still ice and sleet on the streets, many workers will be working from home, and who knows how long schools might be closed.
There were about 3,600 Duke Energy customers in Mecklenburg without power on Sunday night, out of 563,000 total customers. That figure fell to just 68 Mecklenburg outages as of 7 a.m. Monday.
That’s a far cry from the “widespread and long-lasting power outages” the National Weather Service had been warning about for the past few days. Let’s celebrate that as a win, rather than evidence that meteorologists are collectively bad at their jobs. Predicting the future is tough work.
There are about 35,000 Duke Energy customers in the Carolinas without power as of 7 a.m. — mostly in the area between Greenville, S.C., and Asheville. Most are expected to regain power today, according to Duke’s website, except for those near Hendersonville, two hours west of Charlotte, where there are about 14,000 customers in the dark. Their power might not be back until Thursday, according to Duke estimates.
Nationally, there are an estimated 830,000 electricity customers without power. Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana each have more than 100,000 outages.
Temperatures in Charlotte are expected to barely edge above freezing today and Tuesday, so the ice/sleet/snow mix on streets could linger until at least mid-week.
If you care to relive the weekend, the Ledger team chronicled many of the twists and turns of the storm saga this weekend on our live blog — in between bingeing movies and TV, watching two great football games, taking dogs for walks, and making soup in the crockpot.
If you don’t care to relive the weekend, we won’t blame you.
Here’s to a good week ahead! —Tony Mecia
N.C.’s oldest bar goes up in flames in Blowing Rock
The building containing Bistro Roca and Antlers Bar in Blowing Rock burned down Sunday morning, destroying what is said to be North Carolina’s oldest continuously operating bar. Antlers Bar opened in 1932, just before the end of Prohibition. The town’s mayor told the Watauga Democrat newspaper: “It's the loss of an iconic building, an iconic restaurant, a lot of history.” The fire’s cause is under investigation. The owners say they will rebuild. (Photo: Town of Blowing Rock)
Former Charlotte magazine editors plan to join digital publication that covers Southern food
Two of the top editors with Charlotte magazine, which closed abruptly in November, said last week that they plan to start the Charlotte branch of a highly regarded digital publication that covers Southern food and drink.
Greg Lacour, Charlotte magazine’s editor, and Taylor Bowler, its lifestyle editor, plan to join The Food Section, an award-winning publication that says it aims to provide “intelligent food journalism that helps make sense of the South’s extraordinary and complex culinary scene.” It says it does not provide “breathless new restaurant coverage orchestrated by swanky PR firms” or “mindless parroting of popular opinions or reflexive veneration of popular people.”
Lacour shared the news in an email with friends on Thursday, which also said that longtime Charlotte food writer Kathleen Purvis would be writing for the publication. (Lacour and Purvis have written several pieces for The Ledger.)
The Food Section is a subscription-based publication that has newsletters covering Asheville, Atlanta, West Virginia and Nashville. It was founded in 2021 by Hanna Raskin, the former food editor and chief critic with The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier. Lacour said the Charlotte edition would start March 4.
Charlotte magazine was closed after nearly 60 years by its parent company, Georgia-based Morris Communications. The company did not provide a reason for the closure. —Tony Mecia
Related Ledger articles:
“Charlotte magazine is shutting down” (Nov. 6)
“Farewell to Charlotte magazine” (Dec. 5)
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board — because of the winter storm, please reconfirm any events before attending:
NOW THROUGH FEBRUARY 1: “Queen’s Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week®,” 5-10 p.m., at over 120 participating metro-area restaurants. Get out and taste the town during Queen’s Feast, as restaurants in 9 metro-area counties showcase their best with multi-course menus at special prix fixe prices. Explore menus and make reservations at CharlotteRestaurantWeek.com. $30-$55/person.
TOMORROW: “IDK Guitar,” 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Arts+ Community Campus, 2304 The Plaza. “I don’t know anything about the guitar...” Great! Arts+ will teach the basics you need to play your favorite songs by The Beatles, Taylor Swift and more. Sign up for one, a few, or all six for a discount! This program is offered every Tuesday from January 27 to March 3. $35/session.
MARCH 2: “Final Draught with Meagan Church,” 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Divine Barrel Brewing, 3701 N. Davidson St., Suite 203. Final Draught, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation’s local author series, will feature NYT bestselling author Meagan Church this March. Her latest novel “Mad Wife” weaves domestic drama with psychological suspense, so poignant and immersive, you won’t want to put it down. Ticket includes beverage of your choice and refreshments. $20/ticket.
APRIL 30: “Estate Planning and Wealth Management Forum,” 7:15 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Queens University of Charlotte, 1900 Selwyn Ave. Registration is now open! This single-day, in-person conference offers a comprehensive educational program featuring nationally recognized experts, networking opportunities, sponsor booths and continuing education credits. Join Queens University of Charlotte for the premier estate planning program of the Carolinas. $325 early registration until March 13. $360 standard registration. Current North Carolina and South Carolina university students and faculty can contact the Queens team to receive a discount link for a $75 registration fee.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
Fire chief charged with arson: A 54-year-old Matthews fire battalion chief was arrested and charged in connection with a Jan. 12 fire at a vacant former Boston Market on East Independence Boulevard and has been placed on leave pending investigations. (WSOC)
True-crime pod examines death of Charlotte woman: The popular true-crime podcast “Crime Junkie” released a new episode revisiting the 2022 death of Charlotte woman Shanquella Robinson, introducing claims from an anonymous trip participant that could renew public attention and pressure on authorities in the still-unresolved case. (Axios Charlotte)
Fantasy football punishments: Axios Charlotte readers shared cruel fantasy football last-place punishments, including eating 22 hot dogs, performing an interpretive dance at a staff meeting, getting frosted tips for a month and watching “The Emoji Movie” for 17 straight weekends. (Axios Charlotte)
Myers Park grad to play in Super Bowl: By beating the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the New England Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl, led by Myers Park High grad Drake Maye. Myers Park High’s Instagram account congratulated its alum on Sunday, writing: “Congratulations to myersparkfootball alum drake.maye! From Gus Purcell Stadium to the Super Bowl, he is the second youngest QB to start in a Super Bowl, at 23 years and 162 days old.”
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I’m very disappointed in how you characterized the meteorologists’ predictions of this past weekend’s storm. 1° difference and we could be sitting in the dark. Please don’t be so flip. You just encourage people not to pay attention to the important work and science that goes into making these predictions.
I recognise one of those dogs. ❤️