INSIDE: Readers react to town hall drama • Page 2A
Indian Trail
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Flip to page 1B BY THE UNION COUNTY WEEKLY
Friday, Jan. 24, 2020 • Vol. 1 • No. 3
ABOUT US P.O. BOX 1104 Matthews, NC 28106 (704) 849-2261 justin@cmgweekly.com unioncountyweekly.com
Sandy Hook parent prioritizes social-emotional learning, safety in run for school board by Kayla Berenson kayla@cmgweekly.com
Claudia Sandoval’s life was forever changed when her children became survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. She chose to end her 12-year Sandoval veterinarian career to become an advocate for gun violence prevention. She and her family now live in Union County, where her three children attend Union County Public Schools. Her investment in the community and passion
WHAT'S INSIDE:
for school-related issues prompted her to run for the board of education at-large seat. “I think Union County kids deserve a bright future, so I’m running for the board of education at-large to ensure that every child has access to public education that promotes both academic excellence and social-emotional competency,” Sandoval said. Along with promoting social-emotional learning, advocating for safety in schools will be a top priority for Sandoval if she is elected. For the last year and a half, Sandoval has advocated to the board as a member of the safety committee. She advises on evidence-based school safety programs.
Sandoval also recently started working for Sandy Hook Promise, which was founded by parents who lost their loved ones in the 2012 shooting. She gets to visit schools in North Carolina and educate students on how to speak up anonymously, as well as find warning signs regarding gun violence. “I’m really proud in this role of the partnership that the state of North Carolina has developed with the Sandy Hook Promise in using their Say Something anonymous reporting system,” Sandoval said. “I get to go into schools and do see SANDOVAL, Page 3A
Indian Trail needs a
REBOOT
Couple wins We recognize small business winners, 5A
Common Heart’s Hunger Walk fundraiser supports programs that include food banks, a thrift shop and various economic empowerment workshops. Photo courtesy of Mnemosyne Studio
Poverty simulation a chance to understand
Craft coffee Area roasters get a taste of growth, 1B
They're chilling Antarctic dinosaurs are coming, 6B
Justin Vick
Alfaro helps seniors stay on the road, 6A
see REBOOT, Page 3A
see POVERTY, Page 3A
Top: A view outside of town hall. Fortunately, there have been no mobs with pitchforks. Above: Who will sit in the town manager seat at the end of the town's investigation into Manager Patrick Sadek? Kayla Berenson/ITW photos
Managing Editor
Mobility
him three years later. Joe Fivas took over in 2010 and left on his own accord in 2015 right after the town election. Mayor Pro Tem David Cohn told me at the time that Fivas left because he "saw the handwriting on the wall." Scott Kaufhold was promoted in 2016 and fired the next year. Based on this knowledge, it seems to me like the town manager should elevate consensus-building as the top priority. It should start with the town council, continue with the town staff and spread throughout the community. The manager needs clear objectives
INDIAN TRAIL – Brian Cross sums up his experience in a poverty simulation in one word – stressful. Cross, who serves as a board member for Community Heart, took on the role of a 9-year-old girl in a struggling family. “Over all my life experiences I've never gone through anything like that,” he said. “There's a lot of weight that was put on that 9-year-old girl that she was really having to act as an adult to help her family navigate around and not enjoying her youth. This simulation allows you to sit in their shoes and see what they're going through and what they're stressed about.” Poverty is often portrayed as a standalone issue, but this simulation allows individuals to walk a month in the shoes of someone who is facing poverty and realize
I
don't know what is happening or what will happen to Indian Trail Town Manager Patrick Sadek. Since we learned the town council voted to place him on administrative leave as a third-party investigator snoops around, we've reached out to people for information and requested some records. So far, nothing.
Regardless of the outcome of this investigation, I don't think Indian Trail can go back to business as usual. In other words, regardless of whether Sadek is retained, fired or resigns as town manager, Indian Trail government needs to regain the trust of its citizens. I'm not jumping to conclusions here. I'm not accusing Sadek or the current town council of making any mistakes, but the town doesn't have a good track record when it comes to the relationship between manager and council. The council hired Ed Humphries as the first full-time manager in town history in 2006 only to fire
Deese to lead Forest Hills football team Expansion Assisted stretching is catching on, 3A
INDEX Dining Scores................................................. 6B Classifieds..............................................................5B Readers Respond.................................. 2A Calendar....................................................................3B Loud&Live.............................................................3B Sports.............................................................................. 4A Arts & Entertainment....................... 1B Puzzles.........................................................................3B
by Andrew Stark andrew@cmgweekly.com
Forest Hills announced the hiring of Jammie Deese as its new head football coach on Jan. 14. Deese was serving as the offensive coordinator at the University of West Florida, an upstart program that won the Division II National Championship this past season. He left the program after his wife, Brandi, took a job as Indian Trail’s director of planning last June, so he was out of football last season. Deese joined the West Florida staff in 2014 as the first coordinator hire for the new program. In the team’s inaugural season in 2016, the Argonauts averaged more than 400 yards per game
and over 300 yards passing. During the team's run to the Division II national runner-up in 2017, Deese's offense averaged 343 yards. After moving to Indian Trail with his wife and to help his kids transition to their new school district, Deese said he’s ready to get back into the game. “I prayed about it, and it’s faith and family for me, so it was the right decision to come back to Indian Trail,” he said. “I was an assistant at
see DEESE, Page 4A
Forest Hills football coach Jammie Deese has experience on the offensive side of the football and building programs at the collegiate level. Photo courtesy of Forest Hills High School
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