New $30M animal shelter
Plus: Toppman reviews 'Murder on the Orient Express'; Early voting up 51%; Pumpkin wall lit; Cease-and-desist letters sent to school board candidates; Butterfly species named after Iryna Zarutska
Good morning! Today is Monday, October 27, 2025. You’re reading The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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The city is starting work on an animal adoption center in southwest Charlotte that will add 130 kennels and ‘reduce pressure on our existing infrastructure’
Juno (pictured) was one of 180 dogs available for adoption at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control in June 2023 (Ledger file photo; map created with Datawrapper). The city of Charlotte has started work on a second shelter to help ease the space crunch.
by Lindsey Banks
The city of Charlotte is taking steps toward building a $30M animal adoption center, a move that would give Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control more room to care for lost and stray pets — and reduce the need to euthanize them.
City planning department records filed this month show that the city is in the early stages of planning for a second facility, at 5400 South Tryon St., about four miles away from its existing center at 8315 Byrum Drive, near the airport.
The original shelter is more than 30 years old, and chronic overcrowding has led to higher euthanasia rates to make space for incoming animals, The Ledger has reported.
The new facility is expected to include 100 dog kennels and 30 cat kennels, according to a spokesperson from AC&C. The exact number could change depending on the final design and budget, but officials say it’s a major step forward for a shelter system that’s been stretched thin for years.
The Charlotte City Council approved the new center in June as part of its annual budget and hired Albion General Contractors to design the building. The city also moved Animal Care & Control from the police department to its general services department, a move that backers said would reduce bureaucracy.
According to the latest shelter data, 667 cats and dogs were brought in during May alone. From January through May, the shelter took in a total of 4,189 pets and reported euthanizing 445 animals.
“As Charlotte continues to grow rapidly, so does the pet population—and with that comes increased demand for shelter space and services,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Once complete, the new center will focus primarily on adoptions, while the current shelter on Byrum Drive will remain the main site for animal intake, medical evaluations, spay and neuter procedures and care for the animals with greater medical needs. Byrum Drive will also stay open for adoptions and rescue transfers.
The existing shelter sits on land owned by Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which is a city entity. AC&C pays rent to operate there—$664,713.37 for the 2025 fiscal year and an expected $688,970 for 2026.
When asked about the rent, airport officials explained that they’re required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to charge fair market value for any property used on airport grounds, even by other city departments.
The Sullenberger Aviation Museum, which sits on airport property, pays $1 per year in rent because of an exemption for some kinds of operations, including aviation museums.
The new South Tryon Street property is city-owned, which means the shelter won’t have to pay an additional lease for the new facility, the AC&C spokesperson said.
The new adoption facility is still years away; the project is still in the early design stages, and the timeline for construction remains “fluid,” the spokesperson said.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the city’s support,” the spokesperson said. “The new kennels will help reduce pressure on our existing infrastructure, allow us to better care for animals in need, and give more time to find adoptive or foster homes.”
Related Ledger articles:
“City leaders propose moving Animal Care & Control out of the police department’s domain” (May 16, 🔒)
“Heartbreak at the animal shelter” (July 2023, 🔒)
Today’s supporting sponsor is Arts+. Pick a Friday afternoon, Saturday, or Sunday for your celebration at the Arts+ Community Campus in Plaza Midwood.
The jack-o’-lanterns are out in Elizabeth
Residents of Charlotte’s Elizabeth neighborhood lit the annual Great Elizabeth Pumpkin Wall on Sunday night. This year’s word: “Elizabeth.” The pumpkins will be on display until Saturday and will be lit every night until then. It’s at 2017 Greenway Ave.
🇺🇸 Election notes: Early voting is way up – led by Matthews; Cease-and-desist letters sent to school board candidates; Watch Charlotte City Council candidates; School board forum tonight
◼️ Matthews fired up about transit plan? Through the first eight days of early voting, the number of voters is up this year — big — compared with 2023.
According to data from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, 15,299 residents have cast ballots so far this election, compared with 10,159 in the first eight days in 2023. That’s a 51% increase.
While municipal and school board elections were on the ballot in 2023, as they are this year, the big difference could be the transit/transportation referendum. It could also be a continuation of the trend toward people voting early instead of on Election Day. (But we’re betting it’s mostly the referendum.)
Interestingly, the early voting site with the biggest increase in voters in 2025 is Matthews — the same town whose political leadership largely opposed the transit plan, over concerns that the light rail wouldn’t connect to the town as originally envisioned.
So far, the number of voters at Matthews Town Hall has more than doubled this year (+139%), according to a Ledger analysis of the data. The other two sites where the number of voters has more than doubled are the South County Library (+110%) and the Steele Creek Masonic Lodge (+108%).
Early voting continues this week at 21 locations. Schedule:
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
➡️ Find all the information you need to cast an informed vote at The Election Hub — free to all, down-the-middle information, no annoying pop-up ads and auto-play videos (or ads of any kind)
◼️ Cease-and-desist letters to school board candidates from CMS contractor: WFAE reports that Kimberly McGregor, owner of educational consulting firm SYDKIMYL, and her husband, Raki McGregor, who was a former consultant to the CMS superintendent, have sent cease-and-desist letters to school board candidates Melissa Easley and Toni Emehel.
The letters are “regarding what [the McGregors] saw as ‘false and defamatory statements’ about them and their companies on the campaign trail,” WFAE reported last week in an article about the north Mecklenburg school board race, in which Easley, the incumbent, is running against challengers Charlitta Hatch and Bill Fountain.
Raki McGregor, who works on education issues for the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council (CELC), has publicly backed the candidacies of challengers to school board members who had questioned CMS’ contract with SYDKIMYL.
The cease-and-desist request seems to have had little effect on Emehel, who is running in a south Charlotte/Steele Creek district against Anna London and Justin Shealy. Emehel wrote a letter to the media on Sunday pointing out additional links between London and Hatch and SYDKIMYL, such as a shared finance manager, which Emehel suggests is a potential conflict of interest.
◼️ Watch Charlotte City Council candidates 🎥: We’ve got the video of the online candidates’ forum we held last week in partnership with The Election Hub and QCity Metro.
You can hear directly from candidates for Charlotte City Council at-large, District 3 (west Charlotte) and District 6 (south Charlotte):
We held a similar forum for candidates for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. You can check that out here.
◼️ Watch school board candidates tonight: WFAE and the League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg are holding a school board candidate forum tonight (Oct. 27) at 7 p.m. at WFAE’s Center for Civic and Community Engagement, 301 E. 7th St. It also will be streamed on WFAE’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Details and registration.
Review: Even if you know the ending, Theatre Charlotte’s spin on Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ is worth the ride
Ledger arts critic Lawrence Toppman took in Friday night’s performance of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” a whodunit play about detective Hercule Poirot unraveling a murder aboard a snowbound luxury train, where every passenger is a suspect. It runs through Nov. 9 at Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road. Four showtimes have already sold out.
In his latest review for the Toppman on the Arts newsletter, he writes:
Besides the humor, Ludwig has made two changes that will strike Poirot purists — myself first among them — as bizarre. First, the Belgian detective (played with no-nonsense keenness by a younger-than-usual Brandon Samples) has been given a faint romantic inclination toward one of the suspects, a Hungarian countess who briefly becomes his investigative sidekick.
Second, he displays a fanatic attitude toward crime that makes him first cousin to Inspector Javert in “Les Miserables,” although Christie’s Poirot showed no such tendencies. His final monologues about conscience and the letter of the law make the ending of the play, so deftly handled by Christie in her novel, seem overlong and odd.
Despite those speeches, the play comes in at a trim two hours that supply all the essential material and play fair with the viewer. We really have the sense we’re moving forward, both on the rushing train and inside the coach itself when snow halts the journey.
Director Jill Bloede keeps this cast in motion literally, abetted by Chris Timmons’ set pieces, which shift on and off without delay. The production looks especially sumptuous, from the rear projections of the train (abetted by blasts of steam and offstage sounds) to the interior compartments of the sleeping and dining cars.
➡️ Ledger subscribers can add the free Toppman on the Arts newsletter on their “My Account” page.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
TOMORROW: “Open Connect: Meet the CEC,” 5:30-8 p.m., at The Vue Rooftop, 215 N. Pine St. The Charlotte Economics Club invites you to an inter-generational networking event where seasoned professionals and emerging leaders can share experiences, explore career paths and gain practical advice. Guests will enjoy one complimentary drink, table food and live jazz in a relaxed atmosphere open to students, young professionals, CEC members and anyone interested in meaningful connections. Guests must be 21 or older.
SATURDAY: “Bourbon for Booty,” 6:30-10 p.m., at Swinerton, 901 Berryhill Road. Sip. Savor. Support. Raise a glass to help support our local cancer community. Join 24 Foundation for an exceptional evening of curated bourbons, whiskeys, wines and chef-prepared small bites. This unforgettable night of fine sips and flavorful bites directly benefits local cancer navigation and survivorship programs. Guests must be 21 or older.
NOVEMBER 5: “Leadership Rising: Networking Breakfast,” 8-9:30 a.m., at Queens University of Charlotte, 1900 Selwyn Ave. Join Queens University of Charlotte for the inaugural Leadership Rising Breakfast, launching a year-long celebration of women’s leadership in conjunction with the Queens University Charlotte BusinessWoman of the Year’s 40th anniversary. This special morning event will feature a fireside chat with Joan Zimmerman, Queens alumna and the first-ever Charlotte BusinessWoman of the Year recipient (1986). The conversation will be moderated by fellow Queens alumna Laine Coplin, highlighting Joan’s personal leadership journey, her insights on resilience and innovation, and her advice for emerging leaders. $75.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
Challenges to new Congressional districts: Voting rights groups filed the first legal challenge to North Carolina’s newly redrawn congressional map Thursday, arguing that changes to the 1st and 3rd Districts in Eastern North Carolina dilute Black voting power and violate the Voting Rights Act by moving thousands of Black voters out of a district that has long elected a Black Democrat. (WFAE/NC Newsroom)
Murder trial to start: Nearly six years after NoDa restaurateur Scott Brooks was fatally shot while opening Brooks’ Sandwich House in an apparent robbery, the two men accused of his murder are set to go on trial this week in Charlotte. (WBTV)
Shortage of lactation spaces at UNC Charlotte: Student parents at UNC Charlotte say the university’s lack of adequate lactation spaces — just three for more than 32,000 students and 3,700 staff — shows the university is failing to support breastfeeding mothers, especially compared with other North Carolina schools that offer dozens of accessible facilities. (Niner Times)
Conservative group files complaint against Davidson: National conservative group Young America’s Foundation filed a civil rights complaint against Davidson College on behalf of two alumni, alleging the school violated federal law by discriminating against them for supporting Israel and silencing their “Stand with Israel” event after administrators ordered the removal of pamphlets deemed Islamophobic. A college spokesman said the complaint is “without merit.” (The Davidsonian)
From Panther to preacher: Former Carolina Panthers player Derwin Gray left football after a 1998 knee injury and reinvented himself as the lead pastor of Transformation Church in South Carolina, where he now preaches to more than 12,000 people each week. (Fox 46)
Butterfly species named for stabbing victim: A new butterfly species named “Iryna’s Azure” honors Iryna Zarutska, the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed on Charlotte’s light rail in August. Its discoverer says the tribute will ensure her name is “never forgotten.” (ABC News)
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$30mm for an animal shelter? This seems rich to me. Perhaps $3mm for a shelter but what's being added to what's being reported for last May's figures sounds like a drop in the bucket and the drop in the bucket costs $30mm?
I feel like I'm missing something here.