Inside: Expert offers advice for juggling work, personal life • Page 3B
INDEX
SPECIAL EDITION
Fit & Healthy
Classifieds..............................................................5B Calendar....................................................................4B Faith....................................................................................4B Puzzles.........................................................................4B
Friday, Jan. 5, 2018 • Vol. 11 • No. 1
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Volunteers feed police over holidays by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
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MINT HILL – Like Santa Claus, Mint Hill Chief of Police Tim Ledford has a band a helpers ensuring the holidays go without a hitch. Friends of Mint Hill has made sure police officers on duty during Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day enjoy home-cooked meals. Jean Bonner, founder of Friends of Mint Hill, said the department doesn’t get as much attention as officers in New York or Charlotte, but they are always there to help citizens. “Friends of Mint Hill are people who volunteer to help, support and appreciate the Mint Hill po-
lice officers,” Bonner said. Officers dined on roast pork, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, deviled eggs, cabbage and fresh baked bread for dinner on New Year’s Day. The group has brought in food for breakfast and lunch, too. Volunteers presented officers Bojangles’ for breakfast and lunch on New Year’s Eve. Friends of Mint Hill delivered a gas grill donated by Home Depot to the police department leading up to Christmas. The volunteer group says it also has received support from Papa John’s Pizza, Bojangles’, Quilt Sew Easy, Jimmies Restaurant, Kim’s Curtains & Interiors, Mint Hill Roasting Company and Coffee House and Photographic Elegance.
Jean Bonner helps deliver food to the Mint Hill Police Department during the holidays. Photo courtesy of Friends of Mint Hill
Our senior expo is set for March Justin Vick Managing Editor
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They did what? These doctors were behaving badly, 3A
Year in health Looking back at the biggest stories, 4A
Juice empire Dentist plans on opening 17 shops, 1B
Mint Hill’s New Year’s baby CHARLOTTE – Ben and Lindsey King, of Mint Hill, welcomed the region’s first baby of 2018 at 12:25 a.m. Jan. 1 at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. They named their second son, Luke Benjamin King. He weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 19 inches. Photo courtesy of Novant Health
ur quarterly Fit & Healthy edition focuses on topics we think about through the transition of a new year: getting fit, spending money wisely, striking a work-life balance and stepping outside of comfort zones. The staff here at Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly is not only committed to making the newspaper thicker and more interesting, but we also want to be more engaged in the community. One way we hope to do this is by organizing a senior expo. We’re calling it the 2018 Thrive Over 55 Senior Expo. We’re still ironing out the details, but I can tell you the expo will take place March 16 at Christ Covenant Church, located at 800 Fullwood Lane in Matthews. We will invite a variety of companies and organizations to participate. It will be a good opportunity for senior citizens to learn about the resources that are available in the community and connect see VICK, Page 2A
Officials make decision on Memorial Stadium by Justin Vick
Worst cook Food Network TV contestant is no chef, 6A
‘Queens Feast’ Charlotte Restaurant Week returns, 1B
justin@cmgweekly.com
CHARLOTTE – County Commissioner Bill James has described ongoing talks of renovating the American Legion Memorial Stadium as a zombie that just won’t die. After years of running and hiding, county leadership appears to be taking decisive action to shoot that zombie in the head. The county has flirted in the past with the idea of partnering with the City of Charlotte and Charlotte Independence professional soccer team to split the costs. But commissioners decided Dec. 19 to invest about $32 million in reno-
vations so that it doesn’t have to share ownership of the recreational amenity. “After evaluating what we thought was in the best interests of the county, we really believe that it’s our asset,” Diorio County Manager Dena Diorio said. “We should control our asset.” Diorio recommended commissioners not negotiate away their rights to the stadium to additional funding partners. The county could still lease the stadium to the Independence or anyone else. Republican commissioners Jim
Puckett and Matthew Ridenhour preferred continued negotiations with the city and Independence to reduce the cost; however, Diorio said the Independence preferred to make lease payments instead of upfront cash. The county introduced a base package that would cost about $21.3 million. Some $14.4 million of that would include new construction, including seating, press box, stage/field cover and veterans memorial. The county offered an $10.5 million alternate add-on that would include seating, concession area and speed table with flashers on Charlottetowne Avenue.
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Renovations would help expand the field perimeter to allow for soccer, football, field hockey, lacrosse and rugby, according to parks and recreation director Lee Jones. He said the venue could field as many as 120 sports events a year, in addition to concerts and community events. Some commissioners weren’t so keen on parts of the concept. Ridenhour didn’t like the idea of people walking or potentially spitting on military medallions etched into concrete. The county plans on developing more specific project plans and engaging with the community.
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