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INDEX: News Briefs, Scores, 6; Crime Blotter, 7; Home Sales, 10; Education, 12; Rev. Tony, 16; Calendar, 18; Sports, 20; Classifieds, 23 PAGE 20 20 to Treasure Volume 8, Number 3 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 Locally Owned & Operated www.matthewsminthillweekly.com Matthews approves purchase of Outen Pottery Town designates site as historic landmark, prepares for stabilization by Josh Whitener [email protected] Matthews finds ‘bridge’ to new program by Courtney Schultz [email protected] MATTHEWS – A piece of property that’s been sig- nificant to the Matthews community for more than 60 years will now officially become a town-owned, histori- cally designated landmark. The Matthews Board of Commissioners voted unani- mously on Monday, Jan. 12, after months of discussion to designate the lot, where the R.F. Outen Pottery and Kiln is located, as a historic landmark. The board also unanimously approved the purchase of the 1.12-acre lot, as well as the adjacent 0.36-acre lot “to make the (Outen Pottery) site more viable,” according to a memo from town manager Hazen Blodgett. Matthews will purchase the property from the Char- lotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission for $270,000, with payments to be made interest free over a period of five years. The town will begin making annual payments of about $55,000 to the commission beginning July 1, Blodgett’s memo said. The first step after purchasing the property will be MATTHEWS – About 25 people, in groups of four, huddle around card tables in the Crews Recreation Center in Mat- thews, dealing out cards. Only a murmur can be heard as the players concentrate while determining their best bid. This group of mostly senior citizens represents the American Contract Bridge League-sanctioned Matthews Bridge Club, a new program at the Crews Rec Center, located at 1201 Crews Road. Bridge is a trick-taking game using a standard 52-card deck, played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around the table. Charlie Babcock, the program’s direc- tor, started the Matthews program after helping direct a bridge club in the Dil- worth area. “It used to be the only club in the area,” Babcock said. “(Dilworth) became the center of town, since people started moving east and south.” Babcock wanted to accommodate bridge players in other areas. After some encouragement from others, he con- tacted Scott Rawls, athletic programmer for the Matthews Park, Recreation and Cultural Resource Department, and the bridge club was born the first week of December 2014. Babcock offers two session options each week for players, at $6 each session: Residents of Alpine Village in Mint Hill recently joined together to support patients at Levine Children’s Hospital. See Josh Whitener’s story on page 3. Josh Whitener/MMHW photo (see Bridge on page 8) (see Outen Pottery on page 5) Home Sales in Matthews and Mint Hill PAGE 10
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Page 1: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

INDEX: News Briefs, Scores, 6; Crime Blotter, 7; Home Sales, 10; Education, 12; Rev. Tony, 16; Calendar, 18; Sports, 20; Classifieds, 23

page 20

20 to Treasure

Volume 8, Number 3 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 Locally Owned & Operatedwww.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Matthews approves purchase of Outen PotteryTown designates site as historic landmark, prepares for stabilization

by Josh [email protected]

Matthews finds ‘bridge’ to new program

by Courtney [email protected]

MATTHEWS – A piece of property that’s been sig-nificant to the Matthews community for more than 60 years will now officially become a town-owned, histori-cally designated landmark.

The Matthews Board of Commissioners voted unani-mously on Monday, Jan. 12, after months of discussion to designate the lot, where the R.F. Outen Pottery and

Kiln is located, as a historic landmark. The board also unanimously approved the purchase of the 1.12-acre lot, as well as the adjacent 0.36-acre lot “to make the (Outen Pottery) site more viable,” according to a memo from town manager Hazen Blodgett.

Matthews will purchase the property from the Char-lotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission for $270,000, with payments to be made interest free over a period of five years. The town will begin making annual payments of about $55,000 to the commission beginning July 1, Blodgett’s memo said.

The first step after purchasing the property will be

MATTHEWS – About 25 people, in groups of four, huddle around card tables in the Crews Recreation Center in Mat-thews, dealing out cards. Only a murmur can be heard as the players concentrate while determining their best bid.

This group of mostly senior citizens represents the American Contract Bridge League-sanctioned Matthews Bridge Club, a new program at the Crews Rec Center, located at 1201 Crews Road. Bridge is a trick-taking game using a standard 52-card deck, played by four players in two competing partnerships, with partners sitting opposite each other around the table.

Charlie Babcock, the program’s direc-tor, started the Matthews program after helping direct a bridge club in the Dil-worth area.

“It used to be the only club in the area,” Babcock said. “(Dilworth) became the center of town, since people started moving east and south.”

Babcock wanted to accommodate bridge players in other areas. After some encouragement from others, he con-tacted Scott Rawls, athletic programmer for the Matthews Park, Recreation and Cultural Resource Department, and the bridge club was born the first week of December 2014.

Babcock offers two session options each week for players, at $6 each session:

Residents of Alpine Village in Mint Hill recently joined together to support patients at Levine Children’s Hospital. See Josh Whitener’s story on page 3. Josh Whitener/MMHW photo

(see Bridge on page 8)(see Outen Pottery on page 5)

Home Salesin Matthews and Mint Hill

page 10

Page 2: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

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Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 3www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

News

MINT HILL – The members of Alpine Village retirement community’s craft group are no strangers to giving back.

In the past, group members have created gift baskets for local firefighters and police officers, clipped coupons for U.S. service members and made bibs for residents of area nursing homes.

“If there’s one thing I can say about this group, it’s the generosity (of its members),” said Ruth Owens, an Alpine Village resident and member of the craft group. “We want to do things for our community.”

The Mint Hill retirement community can now add helping hospitalized children to its growing list of philanthropic efforts. Mem-bers of Alpine Village’s craft group recently created 48 dolls and 32 surgical caps, which will be distributed to pediatric patients at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte.

Joanne Bilger, a member of the craft group, said members simply were brain-storming about ways they could help the community when the idea to make dolls for Levine Children’s Hospital came up. Mem-bers came together to develop a system

where individuals were responsible for a separate step of constructing the dolls, giv-ing the group an opportunity to work on the project together at their weekly Tuesday meetings or at home during the rest of the week.

“What we would do is somebody would cut, somebody (else) would sew and some-body (else) would stuff them,” Bilger said.

Group members met with Carrie Keu-ten, event coordinator for Levine Children’s Hospital, on Monday, Jan. 12, to present the items and learn more about how their gifts will help the hospital’s young patients.

The dolls are made of white fabric and don’t contain any clothing, facial or body features or patterns. This allows physicians to draw on the dolls with pens or Sharpies to demonstrate how a certain procedure will be performed. Children can mark on the dolls to show doctors where they are hurting, and others can choose to draw and decorate their dolls while they are receiving treatment or experiencing an extended hos-pital stay.

“These things come out with everything on them – it’s so much fun to see,” Keuten said. “We do everything we can to make it a good experience for them.”

The surgical caps created by the Alpine Village craft group bore a variety of color-ful and seasonal patterns – including every-thing from Snoopy designs to turkeys for

the Thanksgiving holiday. Keuten said chil-dren would be able to wear the caps as they go in for surgery or treatments.

“We’re very appreciative of anything that comes in because we’ll find a home for it in the hospital,” she said.

Levine Children’s Hospital has 234 beds, including 85 “baby beds” in the neonatal and progressive intensive care units.

While physicians do everything they can to help children leave the hospital as soon as possible, Keuten said, a number of young patients face long-term stays, especially those waiting for transplants or recovering from a heart attack or serious injuries.

Keuten said blankets also are a popular item donated to patients – and one the

hospital is in continual need of, especially for teenagers.

“These are real popular with our teens,” Keuten said about homemade blankets. “A lot of times teens get forgotten, and a lot of times they’re as frightened as a 2-year-old can be,” she said.

Members of the Alpine Village craft group said Keuten’s visit was inspiring and they hope to continue helping the Levine Chil-dren’s Hospital through various means.

“I crochet, so I’ll probably make an afghan,” Bilger said.

Find more information on how to help the Levine Children’s Hospital at www.carolinashealthcare.org/levine-childrens-hospital under the “Give Back” tab.

Crafting for childrenRetirement community gives back to Levine Children’s Hospital

by Josh [email protected]

Members of the Alpine Village craft group examine the specially-designed surgical caps they created for Levine Children’s Hospital. Josh Whitener/MMHW photo

Page 4: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

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Page 5: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 5www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

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News

to stabilize the site, according to Paula Lester, president of the Matthews His-torical Foundation.

Commissioners voted to purchase the Outen Pottery property in May 2014, but commissioners didn’t want to move forward with the purchase until they received cost estimates for stabilization. Lester received two esti-mates at $21,500 and $29,650.

“The plan right now is to stabilize the property and keep it, so it doesn’t deteriorate,” Lester said. “We need to make sure it’s stable, so when we want to renovate it, we can.”

Outen Pottery, located at 430 Jeffer-son St., was built in the early 1950s and is the last known pottery kiln in Mecklenburg County, Lester said. Rufus Franklin Outen, who ran Outen Pottery in the mid-20th century, was known for crafting “utilitarian pottery” – items people needed for their every day lives, such as dishes and feeders.

“I think that speaks volumes about the importance (of Outen Pottery) to Matthews,” Lester said. “Pottery is such an interesting art form and

certainly collected by many, many, many people … That makes (the site) something we feel is certainly worth preserving.”

Lester said there isn’t a pressing rea-son to stabilize the building immedi-ately, but she said the Matthews His-torical Foundation plans to begin the process in the spring.

“We’re not in danger of anything happening (to the building) in the next two to three weeks, but we really need to sit down and make definite bullet points and plans for this, I would think for probably March or April, when the weather gets a little better,” she added.

Outen Pottery has been submit-ted for consideration for the National Register of Historic Places. Lester said the town should receive an answer from the federal government by mid-February.

Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor said at Monday’s meeting he was excited the board members could play a role in preserving part of the town’s history.

“We just helped, again, preserve some history of the town of Matthews,” Taylor said after the board approved the purchase.

Outen Pottery(continued from page 1)

A picture of Outen Pottery in 1968, which ran in the Charlotte News. Photo courtesy of Paula Lester

Outen Pottery as it appears today. Photo courtesy of Susan V. Mayer

Page 6: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Page 6 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

10100 Park Cedar Drive, Suite 154Charlotte, NC 28210

Phone: 704-849-2261 • Fax: 704-849-2504www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly is published by the Carolina Weekly Newspaper Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is

strictly prohibited.

Advertising: [email protected]

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

News Briefs

News

Associate PublisherRandi Trojan

FounderAlain Lillie

PUBLISHER

Charlotte ConwayAdrian Garson

Manager Mike Kochy

ADVERTISING

DISTRIBUTION

EDITORIAL

Managing EditorJosh Whitener

Sports Editor

Hannah Chronis

Education Editor

Courtney Schultz

News Writer

Ryan Pitkin

Layout Editor

Liz Lanier

Art Director

Maria Hernandez

A&E Editor

Dee Grano

The Mecklenburg County Health Depart-ment inspected the following dining loca-tions in Matthews and Mint Hill between Jan. 6 and 12.

28105

• Hibachi Buffet Sushi & Grill, 9925 E. Independence Blvd. – 95.5

28227

No restaurants inspected this week.

About the grades...Restaurants are given grades of A for

scoring at least 90 percent, B for 80 to 89 percent and C for 70 to 79 percent. The state revokes permits for restaurants that score below 70 percent.

Mint Hill named ‘No. 9 safest place’ in North Carolina

MINT HILL – Real estate brokerage and blog Movoto recently released its latest list of the Safest Places in North Carolina, and Mint Hill made the Top 10, coming in at No. 9.

The rankings are based on the 2013 FBI Uniform Crime Report, which draws upon the latest data regarding murders, violent crimes, property crimes and total crimes.

The report stated Mint Hill residents had a 1 in 54 chance of being the victim of a crime in 2013. There were 451 total crimes reported in Mint Hill during 2013, with 406 being property crimes and 45 being violent crimes, according to the report.

“With its population of 24,350, this meant that it had both the eighth fewest total crimes and property crimes per person, and the 18th fewest violent crimes. Now the 18th fewest may not sound all that impres-sive, but do keep in mind, this was out of a total of 68 places, and also, none of those violent crimes were murders,” Movoto stated in its post, “These Are The Safest Places In North Carolina (Spring 2015 Edition).”

The nearby towns of Stallings and Wax-haw also made the list, at No. 5 and No. 7, respectively. Find more information and view the entire list at www.movoto.com/blog/top-ten/safest-places-in-north-carolina-2013/.

Town approves street closures for 2015 special events

MATTHEWS – The Matthews Board of Commissioners approved a request from

the towns Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resource department for a number of street closures related to special events in 2015.

Residents should expect street closures in and around downtown Matthews during the following dates:

• May 8 and 9 (BeachFest Matthews)• June 17 (Matthews Library event – clo-

sure of town hall green circle only)• July 4 (Fourth of July Family Parade)• Sept. 4 to 7 (Matthews Alive Festival and

Matthews Auto Reunion)• Sept. 26 and 27 (ArtFest of Matthews)• Dec. 5 (Hometown Holidays Tree Light-

ing Celebration)Special events manager Lee Anne Moore

said Pawsitively Matthews, the town’s annual pet festival slated for Nov. 14, will not require any street closures.

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly will provide details on these closures as the dates draw nearer. Find the entire list of closures online at www.matthewsnc.gov under “Town Gov-ernment,” “Agenda and Minutes” and “Janu-ary 12, 2015.”

New Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly feature series coming next month

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly will intro-duce a new monthly feature series, “Eye on Development,” in February.

The feature series will include an article focusing on a different emerging or growing community, neighborhood or subdivision in the Matthews-Mint Hill area each month.

“Eye on Development” features will run alongside our monthly listing of homes sold in Matthews and Mint Hill, typically included in the second issue of each month. Readers should expect the first “Eye on Development” story in the Feb. 12 to 19 issue of Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly.

Email [email protected] to recommend a community for our “Eye on Development” series.

AT&T celebrates grand opening of new Matthews site

MATTHEWS – AT&T celebrated the opening of its new authorized dealer in Mat-thews with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sat-urday, Jan. 10.

The two-hour event also featured free giveaways, including CDs, shirts and movie passes.

AT&T opened the Matthews site “to meet the growing needs of its customers in the region,” according to a news release, and pro-vides customers with options for purchasing the latest devices, accessories and services from AT&T.

“It is always exciting when a new business

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Restaurant Scores

(see News Briefs on page 11)

Page 7: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 7www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Crime Blotter

News

The following people were arrested in Matthews between Jan. 5 and 11, accord-ing to the Matthews Police Department.

• William Clayton Perry, 9600 block of Independence Pointe Parkway: Driving while impaired. Jan. 6

• Lamar Antonio Sapp, 9900 block of Matthews Park Drive: Warrant – unauthor-ized use of motor vehicle. Jan. 6

• Robert Dean Wilson, 9900 block of East Independence Boulevard: Fictitious reg-istration number plate; driving with license revoked; open container. Jan. 7

• Brandon Christopher Privatte, 200 block of Morris Road: Breaking and entering vehicle; probation violation. Jan. 9

• Jason Carmona, 1500 block of Tank Town Road: Warrant. Jan. 9

• Paxton, Steven Thomas, 1100 block of Tank Town Road: Driving while impaired; driving with license revoked; open container. Jan. 9

• Dearrico Javorlo Hopkins, 9300 block of Idlewild Road: No insurance; no operator’s license; speeding. Jan. 9

• Matthew James Lunsford, 10500 block of Paces Avenue: Simple possession. Jan. 10

• Tyshea Whitcomb Olive, 1500 block of Crescent Lane: Warrant. Jan. 11

• Arthur Nikolayevic Dolmatov, Kohl’s, 9617 E. Independence Blvd.: Larceny. Jan. 11

• Vince Deron Bacon, 700 block of West Charles Street: Driving while impaired; driving with license revoked; reckless driving. Jan. 11

The following crimes were reported in Matthews between Jan. 5 and 11, accord-ing to the Matthews Police Department.

Property Theft• Sherwin Williams, 1623 Matthews-Mint

Hill Road: Larceny by employee. Jan. 7• 1900 block of Matthews Township Park-

way: Black wallet, driver’s license, credit/debit and insurance cards stolen. Jan. 8

• Rite Aid, 630 Matthews Township Pkwy.: $10.95 worth of women’s clothing unlawfully concealed. Jan. 9

• Lakeshore Learning Store, 10005 E. Independence Blvd.: Color viewers and wall border, worth $23.98 total, shoplifted. Jan. 10

• Kohl’s, 9617 E. Independence Blvd.: Watches, gloves, cologne, perfume, head-phones and speaker, worth $429 total, shop-lifted. Jan. 11

• Rue 21, 9609 E. Independence Blvd., suite J: Larceny; nothing listed as stolen. Jan. 11

Drugs• 3400 block of Matthews-Mint Hill

Road: Possession of cocaine, heroin and

drug paraphernalia; simple possession of marijuana; conspiring to sell/deliver heroin; maintaining a vehicle. Jan. 5

• 10500 block of Paces Avenue: Simple possession of marijuana. Jan. 10

Vehicle Break-In • 1000 block of Markwell Drive: Soft

single pool stick case, soft double pool stick case and pool sticks, worth $830 total, stolen from vehicle. Jan. 7

• 3100 block of Weddington Road: $15 cash and cellphone, purse, driver’s license, bank cards and gift cards, worth $315 total, stolen when vehicle broken into, causing $750 damage to vehicle window. Jan. 10

• BoneFish Grill, 10056 E. Independence Blvd.: Book bag containing miscellaneous work clothes, worth $50 total, stolen when vehicle broken into, causing $200 in damage to vehicle. Jan. 11

• Royal Park Nursing and Rehabilitation, 2700 Royal Commons Lane: iPad Mini and Northface clothes, worth $600 total, stolen from vehicle, causing $500 in damage to vehicle. Jan. 11

• Harris Teeter, 1811 Matthews Township Pkwy.: $10 in coins and lunch box, coin con-tainer, set of work keys, gift cards and CDs, worth $540, stolen when vehicle broken into, causing $1,000 in damage to rear passenger window and passenger door. Jan. 11

Home/Business Break-Ins• 200 block of Morris Road: Burglary, non-

forced entry; nothing listed as stolen. Jan. 9

Fraud• Marshalls, 2530 Matthews Township

Pkwy.: Fraud – $300 in U.S. currency stolen by confidence games/trickery. Jan. 9

• 9600 block of East Independence Bou-levard: Using/uttering forged instrument; obtaining money/property by false pretense. Jan. 11

Vandalism/Hit-and-Run• Certified Collision, 708 W. Charles St.:

$8,200 damage to multiple vehicles in van-dalism incident. Jan. 11

Other• Microtel Inn, 1603 Matthews-Mint Hill

Road: Communicating threats. Jan. 6• 5100 block of Morningwood Drive:

Unauthorized use of motor vehicle. Jan. 8• Fullwood Express, 11229 E. Indepen-

dence Blvd., suite 4: Simple physical assault. Jan. 9

The following people were arrested in Mint Hill between Jan. 6 and 12, accord-ing to the Mint Hill Police Department.

• James Francis Perrone V, Inner loop of Interstate 485: Possession of drug para-phernalia. Jan. 7

• Johnnie Hazel Miller III, 5200 block of Wilgrove-Mint Hill Road: Possession of a Schedule I substance; drug violations – equipment/paraphernalia. Jan. 8

(see Crime Blotter on page 11)

Vacation Stop? Yes, we o�er that, too.

Page 8: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Page 8 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

News

Sundays at 1 p.m. and Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m.

“We live in an era where we can do anything,” said Babcock, who has played bridge since he was a teen.

Babcock played for years and, ulti-mately, became a bridge director after passing an open-book test, but he says he had to have “on-the-job training.”

“The director’s job is easy until three minutes before the game and three minutes after, where you have to make quick decisions,” he said while hustling around the room, col-lecting and replacing new boards for players.

As director, Babcock serves as the catalyst of the game, ensuring the rounds progress smoothly. Even with the added effort, the director wouldn’t trade the position for the world.

“The best reason to be a bridge director is it’s nice to be able to get up in the morning and have some-thing to do,” he said.

Babcock often coordinates part-nerships, which are necessary to play the game, and even steps in as a player himself when needed. He said this task helps new players be com-fortable joining the program.

Wesley Chapel resident Lee Monks and South Park resident Alan Mah-nheimer have played together as a Babcock-created partnership. Mah-nheimer met Babcock through the Charlotte Bridge Club website and

asked him to find Mahnheimer a partner. He has attended games ever since.

“It’s an intellectual game,” Mah-nheimer said. “It’s like chess with card counting.”

Monks had retired and was looking for something to fill his time.

“When I retired, I thought I would go crazy, but then I found senior (citizen) softball and bridge,” Monk said. “Bridge is a stimulating game.”

Babcock said anyone is welcome to participate in the program, but a newbie to the game would have to learn the ropes.

“It’s not like you can go somewhere and learn this,” said the director, adding large bridge clubs sometimes offer instructional programs. “You acquire it from people who’ve done it.”

However, Babcock said the Mat-thews club is a “gentle” club and is less competitive, unlike large clubs, which he hopes will prevent people from becoming intimidated. He hopes to continue encouraging more people to join the program, as he’s already recruited more players from other area clubs, and he’s thrilled with the program’s growth since its inception.

Babcock posts all results online at www.mabcbridge.org/mabc950/ClubResults-NC/Charlotte6/Game_Index.cgi for players to track mas-ter points and for residents to track upcoming games. Contact him at 704-975-8814 or [email protected] for more information or to help find partners.

Bridge(continued from page 1)

A growing group of mostly senior citizens share in the game of Bridge each week at the Crews Rec Center’s newest club. Courtney Schultz/MMHW photo

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Page 10 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

News

Annecy 2206 Annecy Drive Dec. 18 $202,500 Belle Meade 10608 Knox Ave. Dec. 18 $258,000 Brandywine 2117 Brandywine Drive Dec. 12 $104,000 Brightmoor 1205 Driftway Pt Point Dec. 22 $180,0002630 Carriage Crossing Drive Dec. 19 $242,0003109 Terra Glen Court Dec. 17 $227,0002733 Edgebrook Circle Dec. 9 $229,900 Castle Cliff 8602 Castle Cliff Drive Dec. 29 $205,000 Chesney Glen 108 Chesney Glen Drive Dec. 1 $240,000 Deerfield Creek 4035 Fawn Hill Road Dec. 17 $585,000 Franklin Meadows 3720 Franklin Meadows Drive Dec. 1 $324,920 Glen Devon 319 Mattridge Road Dec. 5 $365,000 Glenwood Manor 3509 Fortis Lane Dec. 2 $121,000 Greygate 918 Cithara Drive Dec. 8 $338,000801 Cithara Drive Dec. 5 $295,000 Grove Hall 7914 Grove Hall Ave. Dec. 22 $297,9227822 Grove Hall Ave. Dec. 19 $228,000

Habersham 4519 Hounds Run Drive Dec. 31 $115,0004508 Doves Nest Court Dec. 19 $126,000 Idlewood 13811 Idle Drive Dec. 30 $144,000 Matthews Ridge 7024 Saranac Lane Dec. 29 $218,0007218 Corduroy Court Dec. 12 $225,000 Oakcroft 14408 Buckton Lane Dec. 11 $217,500 Pebble Run 4612 Pebble Run Drive Dec. 30 $447,000 Pine Forest 301 Deer Creek Drive Dec. 2 $161,000 Providence Hills 3235 Savannah Hills Drive Dec. 10 $399,0003318 Providence Hills Drive Dec. 4 $395,0003304 Danhill Place Dec. 1 $462,000 Saddlebrook 3211 Winding Trail Dec. 22 $132,000 Sardis Forest 9532 Hinson Drive Dec. 19 $174,000 Savannah Hills 3557 Cameron Creek Drive Dec. 17 $325,000 Somersby 346 Longbridge Drive Dec. 5 $220,000 Southminster Woods 112 Lakenheath Lane Dec. 31 $320,000 Southwoods 2919 Firewood Drive Dec. 2 $171,000

The Heathers 13502 Kintyre Court Dec. 3 $175,000 Thornblade 1825 Weddington Road Dec. 8 $189,900 Williams Crossing 2605 Windsor Chase Drive Dec. 31 $185,0002611 Windsor Chase Drive Dec. 15 $200,000 Windrow Estates 13926 Double Girth Court Dec. 19 $210,00013021 Saddletree Court Dec. 15 $115,00014116 Mill House Drive Dec. 9 $109,5002221 Citation Court Dec. 8 $188,000 Wood Hollow 1227 Lightwood Drive Dec. 18 $149,000

Applegate8726 Goldfields Drive Dec. 12 $149,092 Arlington Forest 14808 Brighton Place Dec. 23 $144,000 Birnam Woods 8800 Touchstone Lane Dec. 30 $104,0009100 Touchstone Lane Dec. 16 $133,000 Brighton Park 6335 Hove Road Dec. 10 $215,0005918 Phyliss Lane Dec. 9 $220,0004405 Patriots Hill Road Dec. 2 $265,000 Chestnut Lake 7108 Lea Wood Lane Dec. 16 $114,9007222 Lea Wood Lane Dec. 5 $80,500

Fairfield Park 8357 Barncliff Road Dec. 19 $39,000 Farmwood 7411 Timber Ridge Drive Dec. 16 $185,0005432 Birchhill Road Dec. 12 $125,000 Forestbrook 4100 Cherrybrook Drive Dec. 15 $250,000 Heatherwood 6301 Montezuma Trail Dec. 15 $98,000 Heathfield 6618 Heath Glen Drive Dec. 18 $275,000 Holly Hills 6414 Big Oak Lane Dec. 30 $90,000 Iveystone 9110 St Michaels Lane Dec. 30 $45,000 Lawyers Station 7305 Iron Horse Court Dec. 22 $113,000 Marlwood Acres 1320 Marlwood Circle Dec. 15 $362,000 Martin Lakes 8001 Glencannon Drive Dec. 18 $127,000 Meadows of Mint Hill 12016 Canter Drive Dec. 5 $340,000 Mintworth Village 9507 Mintworth Ave. Dec. 12 $127,0009425 Macquarie Lane Dec. 5 $125,000 Oakbridge At Waterleaf 14914 Bagley Lane Dec. 5 $300,000

Old Oaks 4306 Claybury Court Dec. 5 $115,000 Olde Stonegate 8502 Olde Stonegate Lane Dec. 29 $294,000 Olde Sycamore 10505 Persimmon Creek Dec. 10 $265,000Drive Pleasant Valley 10311 Annie Oakley Trail Dec. 30 $284,700 Ravenscroft 4909 Sela Court Dec. 23 $217,7804916 Sela Court Dec. 12 $263,000 Rolling Oaks 5110 Rolling Oak Lane Dec. 16 $98,000 Shelburne 2600 Weathersford Road Dec. 12 $281,000 Summerwood 10832 Meg Meadow Drive Dec. 23 $343,26011009 Sorrel Ridge Drive Dec. 12 $500,744 The Oaks At Oxfordshire 6509 Loyola Court Dec. 5 $299,000 Timber Creek 9624 Buckskin Lane Dec. 24 $124,0009612 Central Drive Dec. 11 $85,000 Versage 7016 Woodbridge Valley Dec. 12 $237,500Circle 7519 Kuck Road Dec. 4 $172,000 Woodbury 9309 Cotton Gum Road Dec. 30 $157,00013204 Great Laurel Road Dec. 18 $190,549

28105

A breAkdown of recent home sAles Dec. 2014 Dec. 2013 Dec. 2012

Homes Sold 84 67 45Average Sales Price $216,478 $221,450 $261, 277

Address dAtesold

sAleprice Address dAte

soldsAleprice Address dAte

soldsAleprice Address dAte

soldsAleprice

28227

Editor’s note: Information provided by the Charlotte Regional Realtor Association and www.sales.carolinahome.com

Home Sales in Matthews and Mint Hill

Address dAtesold

sAleprice

Page 11: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 11www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

News

• Antonio Vargas-Gonzales, 9200 block of Shackleford Terrace: Driving while impaired. Jan. 9

• Jesus Manuel Gonzales, 1200 block of Idlewild Road: Possession of a Schedule VI substance. Jan. 9

• Samuel Robertson Brown, 7700 block of Whitmire Lane: Simple possession of a Schedule VI substance; possession of drug paraphernalia. Jan. 9

• Malachi Forrest Sams, 9800 block of Idlewild Road: Warrant for arrest (drug viola-tions). Jan. 10

• Michael Clinton Mills, 4900 block of Margaret Wallace Road: Simple possession of marijuana. Jan. 10

• Jason Alan Williams, 2600 block of Shelburne Place: Assault on a female. Jan. 11

The following crimes were reported in Mint Hill between Jan. 6 and 12, accord-ing to the Mint Hill Police Department.

Property Theft• 5700 block of Gatekeeper Lane: $500 in

copper wire stolen. Jan. 6• 5900 block of Oak Drive: Stolen auto-

mobile recovered. Jan. 6• 11100 block of Pine Grove Avenue:

Checkbook, Social Security card and prepaid debit card stolen. Jan. 7

• 9800 block of Idlewild Road: $500 semi-automatic pistol stolen. Jan. 9

• Food Lion, 3609 Matthews-Mint Hill Road: $35 wallet, credit cards and driver’s license taken from the victim’s purse. Jan. 12

Home/Business Break-Ins• 12500 block of Hashanli Place:

Power tool kit, oscillating tool, toolbox and

miscellaneous tools, worth $667 total, stolen when storage container broken into, causing $10 damage to padlock. Jan. 8

Drugs• 11200 block of Lawyers Road: Posses-

sion of a Schedule I substance; drug viola-tions – equipment/paraphernalia. Jan. 8

• 13000 block of Bain School Road: Pos-session of heroin. Jan. 11

Fraud• 9400 block of Peckham Rye Road:

Blackmail/extortion. Jan. 7• 9700 bock of Tufts Drive: Obtaining

money/property by calling victim and claim-ing to be Internal Revenue Service agent. Jan. 8

• 6700 block of Wilgrove-Mint Hill Road: Victim’s credit card used to make unauthor-ized purchases. Jan. 8

• Shell Gas Station, 9201 Lawyers Road: Victim’s debit card used without permission. Jan. 9

• 9600 block of Stoney Glen Drive: Vic-tim’s information fraudulently used to obtain an apartment. Jan. 9

Vehicle Break-In• Mint Hill Urgent Care, 10545 Blair

Road: $200 Tom Tom GPS stolen from vehicle. Jan. 9

Vandalism/Hit-and-Run• 5900 block of Oak Drive: $250 in dam-

age to vehicle tires. Jan. 11

Other• 11600 block of Albemarle Road: Speed-

ing to elude; careless and reckless driving; speeding. Jan. 6

• 13500 block of Idlefield Lane: Simple physical assault. Jan. 11

opens its doors in Matthews and brings new jobs and opportunities for our citizens,” Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor said in a news release. “But, with families and businesses increasingly relying on wireless communica-tions and services, I’m particularly pleased to welcome AT&T to the neighborhood. We’re a growing, dynamic community, and this new store shows AT&T is committed to investing here.”

The site, located at 1909 Matthews Town-ship Pkwy., is about 1,500 square feet and is owned and operated by Noble Commu-nications. The new store also created four jobs and is managed by McKenzie Price, the release said.

Coffee with a Cop program returning

MINT HILL – The Mint Hill Police Department will host a Coffee with a Cop event on Feb. 3, a Tuesday, at 9 a.m. at the Brighton Park Harris Teeter’s Starbucks.

The program gives area residents a chance

to meet local law enforcement officers and discuss questions and concerns in an infor-mal setting.

The Starbucks is located inside Harris Tee-ter, at 7036 Brighton Park Drive.

Town to place speed hump on Sadie Drive

MATTHEWS – The Matthews Board of Commissioners voted during its Monday, Jan. 12, meeting to approve adding a speed hump at the 400 block of Sadie Drive.

Residents on Sadie Drive have been peti-tioning the town for a speed hump placement and have presented a petition with signa-tures from 66 percent of the residents in the affected area.

The location met the minimum require-ments for a speed hump based on traffic and speed counts, according to a memo from Ralph Messera, director of public works for Matthews.

The project will cost the town approxi-mately $300, all of which will be used to pur-chase asphalt for the hump, Messera said at the meeting.

News Briefs(continued from page 6)

Crime Blotter(continued from page 7)

Call (704) 849-2261 or e-mail [email protected]

Circulation: 25,000Readership: 54,675

Circulation: 17,000Readership: 38,475

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Jan. 30April 24July 24Oct. 2

CONTENT FOCUSED ISSUES

Health&Wellness2015

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trends in healthcare, powerful feature-stories of courageous battles and efforts of local organizations to raise awareness for the many great causes and needs in our

community.

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Page 12 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Call (704) 849-2261 or e-mail [email protected]

Circulation: 25,000Readership: 54,675

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Education

MINT HILL – Rocky River High School students took on a challenge dur-ing the school’s College Application Week this year to create their own college, and students in technology education teacher Natosha Burgess-Rodriguez’s multimedia and webpage design class took the school-wide project to the next level.

Third block classes were challenged to create their own college, including a mas-cot, application and academic planning.

“It was an effort that was created as an initiative to gain this awareness within the student body for the opportunities for col-lege in general,” Burgess-Rodriguez said. “Then, also the whole structure behind the college life like the mascot and everything that goes into applying to the college, such as admissions.”

Burgess-Rodriguez felt the project tied in with the multimedia class because the objective of the class is to convey messages to a target audience – the same thing the class chose to do with the challenge.

“For the concepts that we learned in class that when we’re creating whatever projects we’re creating for the client, there is this sense of unity with the products that we’re creating,” Burgess-Rodriguez said.

The multimedia class broke into different

departments, including academic plan-ning and communications and marketing to create their school: Computer, Arts and Design (C.A.D.) Technical University.

“Everybody had to work together (to cre-ate the brand),” said freshman Juasemai Dolo, who headed the academic planning “department.” “You have to work together and make sure everybody understands everything.”

Students ultimately produced a commer-cial, website, brochures, flyer and applica-tion, all containing information about their university. Judges visited each classroom’s display to view the classes’ universities and to learn about the “schools.” Students dec-orated the classrooms and presented an open-house-style presentation.

Burgess-Rodriguez’s class branded its technical university as “the university of choice,” according to the commercial stu-dents created.

“The school is for technology and mul-timedia and stuff like that. Since this is a multimedia class and webpage, we used what we learned in class to make the col-lege,” said senior Creston Cummings, who headed the marketing and communication group and filmed and edited the commer-cial, as well as took pictures for the project’s website, presentation and commercial.

After the students saw all the details that went into creating a university, they

were required reach a consensus on those details.

Senior Harriet Agbozo, who oversaw the organizational structure of the project, wanted to ensure that the school her class created was a four-year university because she plans to pursue a four-year institution after she graduates.

Burgess-Rodriguez’s class ultimately did not win the challenge, but enjoyed the competition and the work they put into it.

“We won within ourselves, for the experi-ence,” Burgess-Rodriguez said. “They were still able to gain that experience, including myself.”

The technology teacher hopes the proj-ect helped students develop knowledge

and skills they can utilize as they pursue their own real-life education and career.

“I was hoping what we worked on is something they can use in the real world,” Burgess-Rodriguez said. “I hope they gained some knowledge to take out into the real world.”

She also hopes the project demonstrated how a single class can be important to a student’s entire academic experience and can help create well-rounded students.

“Multimedia is an elective, and students often don’t take electives seriously,” Bur-gess-Rodriguez said. “This (project) taught them that electives could give them a skill set for later. It encourages them to take each class seriously.”

Rocky River students create multimedia college in school-wide challengeby Courtney Schultz

[email protected]

(From left) Rocky River technology education teacher Natosha Burgess-Rodriguez and stu-dent leaders senior Harriet Agbozo, freshman Juasemai Dolo and senior Creston Cummings created a multifaceted university in their multimedia and webpage design class. Courtney Schultz/MMHW photo

Page 13: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 13www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Education

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Education News & Notes

Mint Hill Middle to go under the seaMINT HILL – Mint Hill Middle School

will perform its musical production of “The Little Mermaid” at the end of this month for the public.

Performances will be on Jan. 29, 30 and 31, Thursday through Saturday, at 7 p.m. each night in the Mint Hill Middle cafete-ria.

Tickets will cost $7, and concessions will be sold at intermission for $1 each. DVDs also will be sold for $15. Call 980-343-5439 for more information.

Mint Hill Middle School is located at 11501 Idlewild Road in Mint Hill.

Crestdale to offer first Fit for Life classMATTHEWS – Crestdale Middle

School will offer its first Fit for Life class in the Crestdale Fit Lab during the second semester for eighth-grade students.

Students have received an application in their homerooms, and applications must be submitted by Thursday, Jan. 15.

The goal of the class is to help students live a healthy lifestyle with the skills, values and knowledge of physical fitness, accord-ing to the school’s newsletter.

Students also will use Total Gyms, sta-tionary bikes, bocce balls, steps and exer-cise bands. The class will be offered as an elective in addition to the required health/physical education class.

Contact Jennifer Thompson at [email protected] for more informa-tion.

Matthews Elementary to host multicultural fair

MATTHEWS – Matthews Elementary School will host its annual Multicultural Fair on Feb. 19, a Thursday, from 6 to 8 p.m., as an opportunity for families to share their cultural heritage with the Mat-thews Elementary community.

The fair will consist of cultural displays

and performances. Each student/family will have an opportunity to create a display in the school’s cafeteria or a musical/dance presentation in the school’s gym, accord-ing to the school newsletter.

The displays will include the name of the country, language spoken, maps, national flag, cultural artifacts, handicrafts, pho-tos, costumes, customs and/or music. The school is asking families to focus on the nationality being represented, and religion and food are not to be included.

Participants may share their customs, occupations, stories of immigration, items on display, cultural games, crafts, favorite cultural stories and anything of cultural interest.

Families can sign up for a booth at www.surveymonkey.com/s/57JY8XM.

Matthews Elementary PTO to host inaugural Bingo Night

MATTHEWS – The Matthews Elemen-tary School PTO will host its first annual Family Bingo Night on Friday, Jan. 30.

Food trucks from Maki Taco and Cheese to the Mac will be available from 5 to 8 p.m. to give families a chance to grab a bite before the festivities. Prices at the food truck will range from $5 to $10.

Families can attend two game sessions that night, with one from 6 to 7 p.m. and another from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. Matthews Elementary teachers will sell bingo cards, at three cards for $1, in the game room.

Prizes for game winners will be avail-able, and there will be a free raffle entry for each family in attendance.

This is not a drop-off event, the school wrote in its newsletter, and parents and guardians are responsible for their stu-dents and siblings.

The PTO also needs more CMS-approved volunteers for the bingo night. Volunteers can sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0f4faaaa29a46-mesbingo.

Contact 980-343-3940 for more infor-mation about bingo night. Matthews Ele-mentary is located at 200 McDowell Ave.

Carmel Christians School’s National Honor Society (NHS) members volunteered at Beds for Kids at the beginning of their Christmas break, which included sorting donations, cleaning and assembling furniture and pairing warehouse equipment, according to a news release. This is the second year that the NHS members have volunteered with the organization, which helps families in the community. Photo courtesy of Carmel Christian School

(see Education Notes on page 14)

Page 14: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Page 14 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Education

MATTHEWS – Students and fac-ulty at Matthews Elementary School will help local families stay warm during cold days through the school’s annual coat drive.

The school will collect new or gently-used coats of all sizes during the drive, which runs Jan. 19 to 30 and will benefit the Matthews HELP Center.

The Matthews HELP Center serves an average of more than 430 families from the Matthews com-munity each month by providing financial crisis assistance, food items through its pantry and other items through Backporch Treasures Thrift Boutique.

Matthews Elementary chose to support the HELP Center because the nonprofit directly assists Mat-thews families including some stu-dents from Matthews Elementary, according to Ashley Brown, the school’s counselor and coat drive organizer.

“It would be really great to stock them up,” Brown said. “We’ve done that before through the canned food drive (the school held last fall).”

The school has collected coats for

at least the past four years, Brown said, and previously donated to Steve’s Coats for Kids, but wanted to make a direct impact in the Mat-thews community this year.

“I like to help kids make a differ-ence in their communities and make an impact, and show them they can make a huge impact and may not realize it,” she said.

This year’s coat drive is sponsored by the Character Ambassadors of Matthews Elementary, who created advertising for the drive and will manage the collection.

Students from the school’s third-, fourth- and fifth-grade classes who exhibit strong character traits are chosen to serve as character ambas-sadors and help carry out charitable drives within the school and moti-vate their respective classrooms to give to the drives.

Brown feels the drive helps make the Matthews Elementary commu-nity aware of the needs, while also inspiring students to give back.

“I don’t think that people have real-ized the needs have changed in our own community because we tend to think it’s happening ‘over there,’ but it’s happening right here,” she said, adding the Matthews Elementary

community has been “generous” when the school has hosted various drives. “I think that (the drive) helps (the students) to be more grateful for what they have and do what they can, and see that kids can make a difference in their community.”

She also hopes students realize they can make a difference without spending money – they can help by simply outgrowing an item.

Matthews Elementary hopes the drive helps alleviate needs in the community and shows how indi-viduals in the community can sup-port one another, as the school feels that’s what Matthews is all about.

Anonymous donors already donated coats to the drive last Thurs-day, when temperatures dropped below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

“(That) cold morning is the perfect example of why we are doing a coat drive,” Jennifer Myers, a secretary at Matthews Elementary, said in an email.

People can donate coats and other cold-weather clothing to the school, located at 200 E. McDowell St., through Jan. 30.

Call 980-343-3940 for more infor-mation about how to contribute to the drive.

Matthews Elementary helps the community bundle upby Courtney Schultz

[email protected] Latin classes available for home-schoolers in Matthews

MATTHEWS – Sherri Madden, a Latin teacher who caters to home-school students, will offer ele-mentary, middle and high school Latin classes on Tuesdays in Matthews.

Registration is now open for students in kin-dergarten to 12th grade. Middle and high school students also can join the NC Junior Classical League.

Email Madden at [email protected] for more information.

Young Actors’ Symposium coming this weekend

The second annual Actors’ Symposium will take place on Saturday, Jan. 17, and Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Northwest School of the Arts, located at 1415 Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte, for area students.

Many workshops and classes will be offered, including documentary film making, film editing and special effects makeup, among others.

Film and theater professionals from New York and Los Angeles will attend. Tara Rubin, New York casting director, will be a keynote speaker on Sat-urday evening. Rubin cast Eva Noblezada, a Char-lotte teen and graduate of Northwest School of the Arts, in the revival of “Miss Saigon” now playing in London.

Registration is open, and classes are filling up. Visit www.nwsatag.com to register.

Education Notes(continued from page 13)

SALES REP POSITIONS AVAILABLE

Carolina Weekly Newspaper Groupis looking for additional sales reps for our growing group of award-winning community newspapers.

The ideal candidate will be highly motivated, able to meet deadlines and have excellent communica-tion skills. Advertising sales experience preferred; strong outside sales experience required. We offer salary plus commission, cell phone, paid vacation

and a great territory.

E-mail your resumé to [email protected]

No phone calls, please.

STAFF WRITERS WANTED

Carolina Weekly Newspaper Group has open positions in the newsroom. The group publishes the South Charlotte Weekly, Union County Weekly, Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly, and The Pineville Pilot from our south Charlotte newsroom.

These positions will be responsible for writing content for three weekly papers and one monthly paper in the Charlotte region. The right candidates should be prepared to write eight to 10 arti-cles a week, take photos, copyedit and participate in weekly bud-get meetings to give input on story ideas from our editors. These positions will cover a variety of topics, ranging from government coverage to feature writing. The candidates should be versed in AP style; comfortable working mornings, evenings and week-ends; and have experience covering community news. Candidates should submit their resume, cover letter, references and three to five published articles.

Candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, list of references and a portfolio showing their recent work to Alain Lillie at [email protected].

REQUIREMENTS

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Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 15www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

(Monthly section)2nd Issue of the Month

Whether it’s branding, listings, open houses, or mortgage rates and offers, our monthly Home Sales section is a perfect fit. In the second issue of every month, each newspaper publishes home sales for its coverage area. Space is very limited, so don’t miss out and call to reserve your space today for this monthly section dedicated to your industry … home sales.

(Monthly section)1st Issue of the Month

South Charlotte Weekly’s popular Culinary Corner is published the first issue of every month and written by Charles Jenkin, a South Charlotte resident and host of WBT’s This Show is Cookin’. Culinary Corner is one of the best-read sections in South Charlotte Weekly and generates a plethora of reader feedback each month.

(Content-focused Issues)As the largest newspaper group covering southern Mecklenburg and

Union counties, there’s no better medium to get your message in front of our 120,000 verified and affluent readers than by advertising in 4 of our most popular issues of the year.

Each of our 2015 Health & Wellness issues will be packed with hyper-local stories covering the latest trends in healthcare, powerful feature-stories of courageous battles and efforts of local organizations to raise awareness for the many great causes and needs in our community.

Issue dates: January 30 April 24 July 31 October 2 (Content-focused sections)

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Issue date: February 6 and 20 March 6 and 20 April 3 and 17

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Summer Camp Guide

Back to School

Culinary Corner

Home Sales(Content-focused issue)

It’s back to the books and basics with advertisements in our must-have back-to-school issues. Featuring the latest college guidance tips, school system updates and education trends, our two back-to-school issues are resources you won’t want to miss.

Issue date: August 14

(Bi-monthly section)2nd & 4th Issues of the Month

When it comes to reaching the performing arts crowd, this must-read section delivers the best reader demographics in the Charlotte market. From local performances to the national stage, we’ve got the arts community covered.

Arts & Entertainment

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Our informative guide is your best yearlong resource for the hottest performances in the Charlotte area. With summaries of the year’s must-see theater, dance and music performances, our Performing Arts Preview is a must for every Queen City cultural arts enthusiast.

Issue date: September 25 South Charlotte, Union County and Matthews-Mint Hill 55,000 circulation

For advertising please call 704-849-2261 or e-mail [email protected].

EDITORIALCALENDAR2015

Page 16: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Page 16 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Faith

salesman is busy, so we go out to lunch. Ed announces, “I’ll pay. I don’t want you to pay for everything.” I’m think-ing, “Who is paying for the gas?” They return to dealer No. 2, but the price is higher, so we go home. Mileage to date: 140.

Day Three: We return to the deal-ership to pick up the Mustang. There are more negotiations on price for the F-150, and now they are close to reach-ing an agreement, but there’s one prob-lem: “What color do you want – the red truck on the lot or the blue truck that has to be transported from another deal-ership?” I started humming the “Jeop-ardy” theme song while Ed considered the color options in front of him. In fact, I hummed three verses and added a chorus using finger puppets – still no color selection. Being a wonderful father who’s trying to empower his chil-dren to be adults, I yell, “Buy the red one. I like red.” But it’s New Year’s Eve, and the dealership closed 30 minutes before. Mileage to date: 210.

Day Four: It’s New Year’s Day. We decide CarMax will give us a bet-ter trade-in on the Mustang than the Ford dealership, so we drive there. Yes, another 35 miles. CarMax says, “You pay us, and we’ll take it off your hands.” It’s that bad. We return back to the Ford dealership, sheepishly smiling and

saying, “We’ll take the red truck.” Are we at the end of the story? No, but you knew that. Mileage to date: 245. Gas expenses: don’t ask.

You’re thinking Ed bought a nice F-150 pickup truck like your grand-father had. That would make sense. No, this is the Marciano family. They can create drama just from buying a vehicle. This may be an F-150, but it’s a crew cab – yes, the four-door pickup truck crew cab. Do you know who buys four-door crew cab pickup trucks? Peo-ple with three or more kids. How many kids does Ed have? None. He has no kids, no dog and no wife. It’s just him. But wait, there’s more. It has the “off-road package.” His idea of “off-roading” is the dirt driveway where he lives. Total miles driven to purchase the truck: 280. Who paid for that gas? The same one who paid for Ed’s college.

Am I complaining? Not on your life. It was one of the best Christmases I have ever had. As a parent, it’s what we do.

I’ll be back in two weeks. Until then, live well my friend.

Rev. Tony Marciano is the Executive Director of the Charlotte Rescue Mis-sion. He is available to speak to your group. Find more information at www.charlotterescuemission.org.

Real Helpfor Real Living

How I spent my Christmas vacation

REV. TONy MARCIANO

by Rev. Tony Marciano [email protected]

This is my “how I spent my Christ-mas vacation” essay.

Day One (Dec. 26): My son, Ed, announces he needs to rent a truck to get away and wants to go to the local Ford dealership to do that. We don’t go to the one that’s three miles away; instead, we drive to a dealership 35 miles away. Why in the world would you call the cellphone number of the Ford owner when you can drive that far to find out they don’t rent trucks?

Ed is convinced he wants an F-250 diesel dual-wheeled truck. Does he own

a boat? No. An RV? No. A golf cart with trailer? No. Does he have any kind of trailer? No. He just likes the torque of a diesel. His eyes dance when he says, “Diesel.” For $10,000, Ford will happily help you empty your wallet so your eyes can sparkle with all the diesel torque you want.

Ed’s sister, Maria, convinces her brother that the F-250 ride was too rough. He agreed – no F-250. He even gives up on the diesel and settles on an F-150 Eco boost. The dealership loans him a truck, and off he goes for two days.

Day Two: Ed returns with the bor-rowed truck. We drive another 35 miles to the dealership and thank them for allowing us to use it. Then, they show him another truck and haggle over price. His Mustang is in their body shop and isn’t ready to be picked up, so we leave to go to another Ford dealership. The

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Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 17www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Brunswick stew and bake sale to benefit Matthews UMC Youth Choir

MATTHEWS – The Matthews United Methodist Church Youth Choir will host a Brunswick stew and bake sale on Jan. 24, a Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Proceeds will help the youth choir offset the costs of its summer tour. The Godspell Junior Youth Choir Tour will have youth choir mem-bers travel to churches throughout the South-east, as the youth provide hands-on mission support in the various towns where they per-form, according to a news release.

Tickets for the sale cost $10 per quart of stew and can be purchased on the day of the event, while supplies last. Call 704-847-6261 or visit www.matthewsumc.org for more information.

Matthews UMC is located at 801 S. Trade St.

Spring youth baseball registration to open Jan. 17 at Idlewild Baptist

MINT HILL – Registration for spring 2015 youth baseball and softball at Idlewild Baptist Church will open Saturday, Jan. 17, and run through Feb. 28, a Wednesday.

The church offers a tee-ball program for chil-dren 5 and 6 years old and baseball and softball teams for children 7 years old and older. Cost to participate is $70 for tee-ball and $90 for softball and baseball, and a portion of the regis-tration fees will benefit the New Song Mission Nicaragua Sports Ministry.

The church will host on-site registration events on Feb. 7 and 14, both Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. Uniform samples will be available during the on-site registration sessions to assist with sizing the players. Par-ents also can register their children online at www.idlewildbaptist.org beginning Jan. 17.

Team practices should begin around March 7. Call 704-847-6565 for more information.

Idlewild Baptist is located at 12701 Idlewild Road.

‘Journey Through Church History’ class coming to Carmel Baptist

MATTHEWS – Carmel Baptist Church will offer a “Journey Through Church History” class in partnership with Gordon-Conwell

Theological Seminary beginning Wednesday, Jan. 21.

The class will meet Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. in the worship center every week through April 22. Registration and details are available online at www.carmelbaptist.org/event/675966-2015-01-21-journey-through-church-history/.

Carmel Baptist is located at 1145 Pineville-Matthews Road.

St. Luke Catholic to host orientation for new parishioners

MINT HILL – St. Luke Catholic Church will host a parish orientation on Saturday, Jan. 17, after the 5 p.m. Mass in the church’s family life center.

All new parishioners are encouraged to attend. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Father Paul Gary, the church’s senior pas-tor; receive information about the parish and its ministries; and take a facility tour. Snacks will be served during the event. Find more information at www.stlukechurch.net, or call 704-545-1224.

St. Luke Catholic is located at 13700 Law-yers Road.

St. John Neumann volunteers aid Operation Santa’s Helpers

CHARLOTTE – A number of families and individuals from St. John Neumann Catholic Church recently participated in the annual Operation Santa’s Helpers program in Char-lotte.

Operation Santa offered more than 800 chil-dren, representing more than 300 area families in need, an opportunity to receive an early Christmas through donations of food, clothing and presents.

Bob Bowler, founder of annual Charlotte-area Special Olympics summer program Camp SOAR, also launched Operation Santa’s Help-ers.

Father Pat Hoare, senior pastor of St. John Neumann, led a group of volunteers from the church that included members of the church youth group, Knights of Columbus, Colum-bian Squires and more, the release said.

St. John Neumann Catholic is located at 8451 Idlewild Road in Charlotte, just outside of Mint Hill.

Send faith news items to [email protected]. Announcements should be sent two weeks in advance.

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

faith & Religion News & Notes

Faith

Steve (left) and 5-year-old Augie Houser, of St. John Neumann Catholic, recently volunteered with Operation Santa’s Helpers. Photo courtesy of Al Tinson

Make your special o�er

FRONT PAGENEWS

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News Briefs .........................6

Crime Scene .......................12

Education ...........................23

Arts .............................

......26

Crossword/Calendar ..........28

Movies ..............................2

9

Sports .............................

..31

Service Directory ................35

Inside ...

Remember ‘Schoolhouse Rock’?

‘Anonymous’:To see or not

to see?

PAGE 26

PAGE 29

USA WEEKEND inside!

our pets!

Sher

a D

ieth

/MM

HW

phot

os

Area pets and their ‘parents’ braved chilly conditions Satur-

day morning, Oct. 29, for Matthews Presbyterian Church’s

annual Blessing of the Animals ceremony. Senior pastor Rev.

Bill Pederson led the ceremony, which drew dogs and cats to

the church parking lot, some wrapped in blankets. The church

also collected pet food and supplies to donate to the Humane

Society of Charlotte.

Matthews Presbyterian Church

welcomes pets for annual service

(Above) Bassett hounds Roscoe, 9, and Max, 11;

Karen Novak and her daughter, Carolyn, 7, of

Matthews, brought their 4-year-old yellow Labrador

Molly.

The owners of a shuttered medical-

waste incinerator in Matthews are suing

the town.

MNC Holdings filed a lawsuit in

Mecklenburg County Superior Court

on Oct. 27 claiming the town’s zoning

rules won’t allow the company to make

necessary changes to the site to comply

with new federal Environmental Protec-

tion Agency rules.

The suit comes about five months

after the company sent a letter to Meck-

lenburg County Air Quality saying its

incinerator “ceased operations” in Mat-

thews May 6 and was in the process

of “decommissioning” the site at 3250

Campus Ridge Road, formerly known

as BMWNC and owned by Cincinnati-

based Healthcare Waste Solutions. A

letter from company CEO Joseph May-

ernik in March said closing and selling

the facility is one option the company

was considering after a January ruling

by the N.C. Environmental Commis-

sion forced incinerators to comply with

stricter federal air quality guidelines

well before the state-adopted deadline

of July 1, 2013. Necessary upgrades

to the Matthews incinerator were esti-

mated at $2 million to $5 million.

Incinerator company sues Matthews

Suit: Town’s code won’t

allow business to comply

with new federal rulesby

[email protected]

(see on page 7)

Kids: prepare to cast

your vote!

PAGE 23

Meet Matthews,

school board

candidates

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8

Election time is here again.

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voters in Matthews and

Mint Hill will make decisions in races for Mat-

thews commission, Mint Hill mayor and com-

mission and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board

of Education. Matthews Mayor Jim Taylor is run-

ning unopposed.

This week, we’ll offer a look at the candidates

in Matthews and school board. If you missed

information about Mint Hill candidates, pub-

lished in last’s week’s issue, go online to www.

matthewsminthillweekly.com.

(see on page 7)

The Geeks are coming!

PAGE 3

8 AREA LOCATIONS!

HUNGRYHOWIES.COMFIND YOURS AT

$7LARGEPIZZA

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STICKY NOTES

Page 18: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Page 18 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Calendar

Jan.15

Call (704) 849-2261 or e-mail [email protected]

Jan. 30April 24July 24Oct. 2

Health&Wellness2015

CONTENT FOCUSED ISSUES

Circulation: 25,000Readership: 54,675

Circulation: 17,000Readership: 38,475

Circulation: 13,000Readership: 26,325

As the largest newspaper group covering southern Mecklenburg and Union counties, there’s no better medium to get your message in front of our 120,000 verified and affluent readers than by advertising in 4 of our most popular issues of the year.

Each of our 2015 Health & Wellness issues will be packed with hyper-local stories covering the latest trends in healthcare, powerful feature-stories of courageous battles and efforts of local organizations to raise awareness for the many great causes and needs in our community.

1.15.15Thursday

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.Lunch & Learn for Nonprofits

JAJ Nonprofit Resource will host a Lunch & Learn event for area nonprofits. The event’s theme, “Nonprofit

Taxes – Getting Ready to Submit Your 990,” will help organizations prepare for the tax season. Cost to attend

is $15, which covers lunch and handouts. Find more information at www.jajnonprofitresource.com/events, or

call 704-560-9202.

Casa Rita’s, 9727 E. Independence Blvd., Matthews

1.15.15Thursday6 p.m.

Mint Hill Chamber’s Business After Hours

The Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce will host a Business After Hours event at Bull Moose Guns. The event will include appetizers, networking

opportunities and more. Find more information at www.minthillchamberofcommerce.com or www.bullmooseguns.

com.

Bull Moose Guns, 11205 Lawyers Road, suite C, Mint Hill

1.15.15 & 1.16.15Thursday and Friday

6 p.m.High School Musical On Stage

auditions

All area middle and high school students are invited to audition for Spotlight Performing Arts Academy’s upcoming production, “High School Musical On Stage.” Auditions are on a first-come, first-served basis, and students should arrive prepared to sing 16 bars of a song and do a cold reading from the script. Everyone who auditions will receive a role in the

show – the audition determines in which role a student will be cast.Show dates and times are April 24, a Friday, at 7 p.m., and April 25, a Saturday, at 2 and 7 p.m. The fee to participate is $100. Find a

full rehearsal schedule and download an audition application at www.spotlightacademyonline.com/auditions_.html.

Spotlight Performing Arts Academy, 7714 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill

1.17.15Saturday

10:30 a.m.Prolific Pens – Mint Hill Writers Group

Adults who are writers of all skill levels are invited to visit the Mint Hill Library to join the Prolific Pens, a group for Mint Hill writers. Meetings

allow members to write, meet other local amateur writers and exchange ideas. Find more information and register online at www.cmlibrary.org/

programs/programListing.asp.

Mint Hill Library, 6840 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill

1.20.15Tuesday6 p.m.

Teen Art Club

Teenagers are invited to visit the Mint Hill Library for its Teen Art Club. During the club meeting, teen artists will exercise their creativity

and learn new skills in a group setting. Participants also will explore different media and techniques and create art to enhance the library.

Find more information and register online at www.cmlibrary.org/programs/programListing.asp.

Mint Hill Library, 6840 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill

1.22.15Thursday

5 to 7 p.m.Business After Hours

The Matthews Chamber of Commerce will host a Business After Hours event at the newly renovated Carolina Cinemas Charlotte. The event will include networking, beverages and appetizers. Find more

information at www.matthewschamber.org.

Carolina Cinemas Charlotte, 9630 Monroe Road, Charlotte

Send your events to [email protected]

SPORTS WRITER WANTEDCarolina Weekly Newspaper Group is looking for a dedicated, enthusiastic community journalist to cover high school sports in Mecklenburg and Union counties.

The right candidate should:

high school sports

Mint Hill or Union County.

REQUIREMENTS

Candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, list of references and a portfolio showing their recent work to Alain Lillie at [email protected].

Page 19: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 19www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Missed Paper?

Calendar

1.23.15Friday2 p.m.

Learn, Connect, Play: Gaming

Teens are invited to recruit their friends to visit the Matthews library and play video games while also developing literacy, critical thinking and teamwork skills. Find more information and register online at www.cmlibrary.org/programs/programListing.asp.

Matthews Library, 230 Matthews Station St., Matthews

1.27.15Tuesday6 p.m.

Weight Loss Seminar

The Novant Health Matthews Medical Center will host a free seminar, “Surgical Solutions for Weight Loss.”

People who attend the seminar can learn if they are a candidate for surgical weight loss and which

bariatric surgery might be best for them. Registration is required. Call 704-384-CARE for more information

or to register.

Community Room A & B, Matthews Medical Center, 1500 Matthews Township Pkwy., Matthews

1.29.15Thursday

4:30 p.m.Fun with “The Snow Queen”

Children 3 to 8 years old can learn about the classic Hans Christian Anderson story, “The Snow Queen,”

and explore through games, crafts and activities with Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts.

Find more information and register online at www.cmlibrary.org/programs/programListing.asp.

Matthews Library, 230 Matthews Station St., Matthews

1.29.15Thursday

5 to 7 p.m.Annual January After Hours

at Beantown Tavern

Representatives from local businesses and nonprofits are invited to attend the Matthews Chamber of

Commerce’s Business After Hours at Beantown Tavern in downtown Matthews. There is no cost to attend the event, but attendees are encouraged to RSVP

to 704-847-3649. Find more information at www.matthewschamber.org.

Beantown Tavern, 130 Matthews Station St., Matthews

1.30.15 Friday

1:30 to 3:45 p.m.An Afternoon With Henry Fonda: “12 Angry Men”

The Matthews Library will host another “page to screen” experience this month. The event will feature a presentation on the life and works of Henry Fonda, the star of the Academy-Award winning 1957 movie “12

Angry Men.” Participants can view the movie, and refreshments will be served after the

presentation. Participants can register at www.cmlibrary.org;

however, registration is limited. Contact Rosanna Losee at 704-416-5000 or rlosee@cmlibrary.

org for more information.

Community Room, Matthews Library, 230 Matthews Station St., Matthews

2.3.15Tuesday

6:30 and 7:30 p.m.Maternity center tours

The Novant Health Matthews Medical Center is offering two free tours of its maternity center to expectant mothers and one support person. The tour includes the family maternity center’s labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum areas. Policies on visiting, security and more will be discussed. One-hour sessions will be held at

6:30 and 7:30 p.m., and tourists should meet in the main lobby of Matthews Medical Center. Registration is required. Call 704-384-4949 for

more information or to register.

Matthews Medical Center, 1500 Matthews Township Pkwy., Matthews

Ongoing through 2.28.15Tuesday through Saturday

2 to 9 p.m.Chris Austin Fine Art

Photography

On Tuesdays through Saturdays, renowned Charlotte skyline photographer Chris Austin has certified some of his prints for a winter exhibit. Austin’s works are well known in the Charlotte area and include his limited edition “Rainbow

over Charlotte” and one of his newest releases, “Canyon Light.”

Attendees must be 21 years old or older, and admission is free.

Grape’s Wine Bar, 2233 Matthews Township Pkwy., suite G, Matthews

Page 20: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Page 20 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Sports

1. ANTHONy RATLiFF-WiLLiAMS, BuTLeR

Just as we expected at the start of the season, Ratliff-Williams was unstoppable this year. The dual-threat quarterback completed 61 percent of passes for 1,783 yards and 25 touchdowns

while adding another 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns on his feet. It’s no wonder the North Carolina commit was named the Southwestern 4A Offensive Player of the Year.

2. eLiJAH DeveAux, CHARLOTTe CHRiSTiAN

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound running back backed up his record-breaking perfor-mance last season, finishing the season with 1,876 yards and 22 touchdowns, lead-ing the Knights dominat-

ing ground game. Deveaux blazed a trail of destruction over Knights opponents and the Duke commit will undoubtedly do it again next year.

3. BRiAN CHAFFiN, CHARLOTTe CHRiSTiAN

A rare four-year starter for the Knights’ program, Chaf-fin went out this year in style. The Stanford recruit fin-ished his high school cam-paign as an all-state pick and Under Armour All-American

ranked the No. 2 center in the nation, helping the Knights repeat as state champs.

4. JAReT ANDeRSON, CHARLOTTe CATHOLiC

Anderson wasted no time making a name for himself in his first year of varsity football and keeping the Cougars on the top of the Class 4A competitive scene. The junior running back

rushed for 2,067 yards, scored 32 touchdowns and averaged 35 yards per kickoff return this season on his way to becoming the offensive MVP in the Class 4A championship game.

5. JAiRe ALexANDeR, ROCky RiveRThere wasn’t much the 5-foot-11, 170-

pound Alexander couldn’t do this season. At defensive back, Alexander had 36 tackles and four interceptions but he was a playmaker on

the other side of the ball as well, with 76 catches for 1,220 yards and 20 touchdowns at wide receiver. The Louisville commit finished the season as the Southwestern 4A Defen-sive Player of the Year.

6. MASON veAL, ARDRey keLLThe 6-foot-5, 290-pound

tackle finished his high school career as a two-time all-conference pick and Shrine Bowl selection. The immovable Veal helped the Knights record a 9-3 record.

Known as one of the best tackles in the state, he’ll continue his football career at North Carolina.

7. DANieL JONeS, CHARLOTTe LATiNJones did it all this year.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound quarterback passed for a whopping 2,949 yards and 43 touchdowns. As impres-sive as that is, he also ran for 778 yards and 10 scores

while setting single-season school records for total yards, passing yards and passing touch-downs. He’ll continue his football career at Duke.

8. PHiLiP WALTON, CHARLOTTe CHRiSTiAN

It was impossible not to notice the 6-foot-7, 260-pound Walton lining up on the Charlotte Christian offensive line this season and opening holes for run-ning back Deveaux. The

N.C. State commit finished as an all-state selection and helped the Knights repeat as state champs.

9. STePHeN GRiFFiN, SOuTH MeCkThe University of Tennes-

see-bound defensive back was a key playmaker all over the field this season for the Sabers. Griffin, the So. Meck 8 Defensive Player of the Year, had 80 tackles on

the season and 400 yards from his spot at receiver.

10. keLviN HOPkiNS, iNDePeNDeNCeHopkins was the heart and soul of the

Patriots high-powered offense that finished the season with an unblemished conference

record. The senior Army commit and dual-threat quarterback finished the year with 1,811 passing yards for 23 touchdowns and another 533 yards and nine TDs on the ground, making him an

easy choice for all-conference.

11. BeNNy LeMAy, BuTLeRLeMay, a junior, didn’t

disappoint this year. He already has an offer from the Charlotte 49ers and it’s easy to see why after rushing for 1,490 yards and 23 touch-downs on 190 carries. The

6-foot, 195-pound workhorse is in line for a huge senior season with the Bulldogs.

12. RyAN MiLLeR, CHARLOTTe CATHOLiC

After starting two years at quarterback, Miller made a switch and played all over the field this season as a wide receiver, running back and tight end. The all-around athlete flourished, helping

lead the Cougars to the state championship game. He finished the season with 414 rush-ing yards on 48 carries for seven TDs and 586 receiving yards for six touchdowns, while also spending time at cornerback.

13. TWAzANGA MuGALA, ARDRey keLLMugala became a back-

to-back all-conference pick after setting a school record for sacks in a season (16). The 6-foot-4 lineman fin-ished the year with 109 tackles and 38 for a loss.

He’ll continue his football career at Purdue University.

14. ADONiS ALexANDeR, iNDePeNDeNCeJust as anticipated, Alex-

ander was a huge factor in the Patriots dominating run this season. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety finished the season with 62 tackles and was named to the all-

state team. The speedy Virginia Tech commit was big in the return game as well.

15. WiLL SAPyTA, ARDRey keLLThe 6-foot-1, 200-pound Sapyta might have

started the season as a relatively unknown linebacker but he certainly didn’t finish that way.

Sapyta led the Matthews-Mint Hill area with 143 tackles and added six sacks on his way to becoming an all-conference selection.

16. CHRiSTiAN DixON, BuTLeRDixon, a sophomore, is on

track to be Butler’s next big star. The 6-foot, 200-pound middle linebacker recorded a team-high 109 tackles with two sacks and two intercep-tions. The sky is the limit for

the up-and-coming Dixon.

17. ALex BARROW, BuTLeRThe dangerous Barrow had

no problem repeating as the Bulldogs’ leading receiver. The Charlotte 49er commit hauled in 45 catches for 820 yards and 11 scores on his way to becom-ing an all-conference selection.

18. CALeB yORk, PROviDeNCeYork, the Panthers’ dual-

threat quarterback, passed for 1,740 yards and 13 TDs last season. This year, the senior upped even that impressive performance, passing for 2,016 yards and 20 touch-

downs while adding 707 yards and nine scores on his feet, despite breaking his arm mid-season.

19. zACk GiLBeRT, SOuTH MeCkThe 6-foot-2, 245 pound

Gilbert was an opposing coordinators nightmare. The all-conference defensive end recorded seven sacks and 50 tackles. Just a junior, Gilbert already has offers from North

Carolina, Pittsburgh, Florida and the Charlotte 49ers among others.

20. CLAy NORRiS, MyeRS PARkNorris, an all-conference

selection in the competitive Southwestern 4A, completed 58 percent of passes this sea-son for 2,128 yards and 17 touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound quarterback com-

mitted to Georgetown over offers from Stetson, Gardner-Webb and a preferred walk-on spot at Wake Forest.

treasure20 toMatthews–Mint Hill Weekly’s

Page 21: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 21www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Sports

Butler, Independence swimmers compete at inaugural Providence Day Invitational

Butler and Independence’s swim teams competed at the inaugural Providence Day Invitational, held Jan. 10 at Mecklenburg Aquatic Club.

Both Marvin Ridge teams won the meet. Butler girls finished in fourth place with 90 points. Independence girls finished sixth with 56 points. The Bulldogs’ boys team finished in third place with 104 points. Independence boys finished sixth with 58 points.

First-place finishes for the Bulldog boys team included Payton Graham in the 50-yard freestyle (24.19) and Austin Spaeth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.56). The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Spaeth, David Safir, Nathaneal Gunson and Michael Schoen finished in second (1:39.87). The 200-yard medley relay team of Graham, Safir, Gunson and Spaeth placed second (1:49.81) and Gunson took third in the 200-yard free (1:57.02).

In girls’ events, Butler’s Eliza Gunson took third place in the 200-yard freestyle (2:11.15).

Butler’s 200-yard relay team of Gunson, Laura Schoen, Jaime Mull and SheArye Bowels finished in second with a time of 1:49.09.

The inaugural meet, which will become an annual event, was sponsored by BSN Sports.

Charlotte Latin’s quarterback commits to Duke

Charlotte Latin quarterback Daniel Jones announced last week he would continue his football career at Duke University. Jones was previously committed to Princeton.

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Jones chose the Blue Devils over Princ-eton, Harvard and Wake For-est. He will pay his own way dur-ing the fall 2015 semester before being added to the scholarship

roster in spring 2016. Jones led the Hawks to back-to-back North

Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Asso-ciation state championship appearances. He passed for 2,949 yards and 43 TDs and added another 778 yards and 10 scores on the ground.

Jones will leave Charlotte Latin holding records for total yards, total passing yards and passing touchdowns.

Butler continues winning streak

Butler blasted Porter Ridge with a 76-58 win on Jan. 9 to continue its 13-game win-ning streak and improve to 15-2 on the sea-son.

Junior guard Raequan Scott has been a big factor in the Bulldogs performances of late, scoring a team-high 22 points against Porter Ridge and 29 points on Jan. 6 against Rocky River.

Scott is averaging 22 points and four assists on the season and has the Bulldogs off to a 5-0 start in Southwestern 4A conference play. He’s currently 35 points away from reach-ing the 1,000-point mark.

Butler hosts Independence on Jan. 20.

sports shortsby Hannah Chronis

[email protected]

Girls Basketball Player of the Week: Sarah Billiard, Covenant Day

Billiard didn’t bow under pressure but instead hit the game-winning free throw to give the Lions a 37-36 upset win over Charlotte Christian for the first time in school history on Jan. 13. She finished the game with 11 points.

Boys Basketball Player of the Week: Cody Miess, Grace Academy

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound forward grabbed a jaw-dropping 19 rebounds on Jan. 13 in a one-point win over York Prep. Miess added eight points and two assists to his impressive performance.

Marvin Ridge boys and girls swim team won the inaugural Providence Day Invitational. Photo courtesy of Mike McCarn

Daniel Jones

Raequan Scott

Page 22: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

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Page 23: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Page 23www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

ACROSS

1 Paintings and statues

4 Carriage driver’s tool

8 Archie Bunker type

13 Rocky peak

14 Vietnam’s capital

16 “… and ___ grow on”

17 Nickname for Willie Mays

19 Square dance group, e.g.

20 Glue brand

21 Chunk of cement, say

23 “… good witch ___ bad witch?”

24 Grammy winner for 2011’s “Someone Like You”

25 Catchphrase for a monkey with its eyes covered

27 Labyrinth

29 Certain vacuum tube

30 Cousin of a chickadee

33 O. Henry’s “The Gift of the ___”

35 Peeves

38 Where Darth Vader might meet Captain Kirk

43 Reebok rival

44 “Fiddling” Roman emperor

45 Up to, briefly

46 Tinker to ___ to Chance (classic double play)

50 Ayn who wrote “Atlas Shrugged”

52 Carole King hit from “Tapestry”

55 Small crown

59 Nothing

60 Armstrong who said “The Eagle has landed”

61 Groups chasing outlaws

62 Wonderland girl

64 Iowa port on the Missouri River

66 Coal and natural gas

67 Artist Matisse68 “Diamonds ___

a Girl’s Best Friend”

69 Unexpected win70 Antidrug cop71 “Fat chance!”

DOWN 1 Befuddled 2 Dahl who wrote

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”

3 “Go ahead, I’m listening”

4 Dazed inquiry 5 “Airplane!” star

Robert 6 Pen filler 7 Coolness under

pressure 8 Little mistake 9 Abbr. at the end

of a co. name10 “You have to

move on!”11 Cheri formerly of

37-Down12 Utterly wreck15 Twiddled one’s

thumbs18 Captain’s place22 Vowel that’s

missing from “dangerously”

25 Lily with bell-shaped flowers

26 Blue-pencil28 Efron of “High

School Musical”30 Cookbook

meas.31 Hospital area

with many IVs32 What happens

when you’re having fun?

34 Quaint hotel36 Japanese pond

fish37 See 11-Down39 ___ bean40 Extremely41 Period in history42 Harmless, as

paint47 Hemingway or

Borgnine

48 Charlotte of “The Facts of Life”

49 Sound of a perfect basketball shot

51 Tiddlywink or Frisbee

52 Big mistake

53 Prepare for a bodybuilding contest, maybe

54 Otherworldly

56 Japanese or Javanese

57 Old-fashioned, yet hip

58 Up to now

61 What cats and some engines do

63 The Indians, on scoreboards

65 Go ___ diet

PUZZLE BY KEVIN CHRISTIAN AND ANDREA CARLA MICHAELS

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS.AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

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H M S B O U N T Y S L I ME Y E O F N E W T T W I N EP L A N T F O O D H A N D MT O L D A C T H A N K I EA V I S Z O O L A N D E RD E N M E N N E N I D E S

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For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550For Release Monday, January 12, 2015

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TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1-800-761-9396 SAPA

Moving Sale: 5627 Gristmill Lane on Saturday, January 17th from 8 am to 3pm.Held inside garage rain or shine. Antiques, moving boxes, packing materials, toys, games, decorations, furniture, books, picture frames. 011615

SHOP AVON 24/7 at your convenience. Go to www.youravon.com/meabel or www.AllBeautyNow.com for direct delivery. Log in and use discount coupon code: WELCOME on 1st order for 20% OFF. For a current Avon Book or to place an order by phone Contact Mary Abel at 704-497-7722. 013015

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P H A R M A C I S T- I N -CHARGE (Charlotte, NC): review phys orders; prep compounds/dispense meds; eval patient med rec/med hist to dispense approp drugs/dosages. Req: Master’s (or foreign equiv. deg.) in Pharmacy, Pharm. Manufacturing, Pharm. Sci., or related + knowledge of dispensing. NC Pharm license required. Send resume/cover letter to RX Care 14 LLC, 7701 Sharon Lakes Road, Suite H, Charlotte, NC 28210. 011615

Drivers: **New Year – New Opportunities** Looking for: Better Pay? Better Home-time? Better Equipment? Better Compensation????? CDL-A 1yr. exp. 877-704-3773. 011615

Atlantic Coast Home Care Agency, Inc. is looking for Certified Nursing Assistants and Personal Care Assistants. If you are interested, please call7 0 4 - 5 4 9 - 5 8 0 0 . 011615

ATTN: Drivers-$2K Sign-on Bonus Love your $55K Job! $2K Sign-on Bonus + Benefits Ave

$1100 Weekly CDL-A Req 1-888-592-4752. www.ad-drivers,com. SAPA

GET PAID WEEKLY!FT and PT mail work from home. For full details visit: www.750weekly.comor call 512-827-0060 (24/7). SAPA

Diesel Truck MechanicSalem Leasing is growing! We are seeking qualified Diesel Truck Mechanics to perform customer vehicle maintenance and repairs in our Pineville, NC shop. Hours: 2nd shiftWe Offer: Great Benefit Package, 401K, Paid Holidays, Vacation & Bonuses: Job Requirements· Minimum three years diesel maintenance experience.· High School Diploma or higher.· Strong customer orientation.· Proven ability to lead work teams.· Basic computer skills.· Good driving record and proven work history.· CDL-A driver license is preferred, but not required.· Must have own tools. Apply online, www.salemleasing.comor visit Salem NationaLease at 900 Crafters Lane. Pineville, NC 28134. 011615

Looking for great pay, local schedule, and excellent benefits? Salem currently seeking local A & B CDL A & B Drivers to join our Charlotte area team. Drop and Hook only. Home EverydayWe Offer: Great Benefit Package, 401K, Paid Holidays, Vacation & Bonuses: Job Requirements: CDL-A or B License Minimum 1 year driving experience. Ask about our New Driver Apprenticeship Program. Walk in applicants welcome weekdays. 4810 Justin Court, Charlotte. 28216 Please APPLY BELOW, or call 800-709-2536 for more information! www.salemleasing.com. 011615

Curves Part Time. Must be Energetic, self motivated and love working with people.. Morning and evening hours a must. Send resume to [email protected]. 102414

Beware of loan fraud.

Please check with the better business bureau or consumer protection agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA

SERIOUSLY MOTIVATED PEOPLE needed for expansion in health and wellness industry. Must have high speed internet/phone. Free on line training with continued support. Flex hours.Good income. www.hometosuccess.com 020615

HOUSE CLEANING Your Home Will be Thoroughly Cleaned! Weekly or Bi-Weekly. Experienced and Dependable. References and Free Estimates. Affordable Rates. Call Lelia at (980) 875-9606. 020615

P R O F E S S I O N A L PAINTERS – SHEETROCK – HANDYMAN $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ discounted services all winter long. Always the best prices and service. We have been in the business for 25 years. Our services include painting, sheetrock, repair and installation, popcorn removal and repair, pressure washing, handyman, light plumbing and electrical. Licensed and Insured. All work has a full warranty. Call for your free estimate: 704-240-2258. 030615

We Fix It ServiceSince 1969 – Free EstimatesLicensed/BondedReplace Fogged Window GlassFix Windows to Stay UpRe-open stuck WindowsFor EgressWe Replace all types of Window PartsHighest Rating on Home Advisory704-578-6264

BYTESIZE COMPUTER SERVICES LLC FREE onsite service & FREE consultations. Virus Removal, Computer Hardware and Software repair, Speed up slow Desktop or Laptop Computers, one hour In-Home personalized Computer Training sessions, Repair & Purchasing and Upgrading available. We offer Personable engagements and VERY competitive pricing. 25 Years of Computer Experience.

Call Mark at 704-287- 8827 or visit our website: www. b y t e s i z e c o m p u t e r s e r v i c e s . c o m . References are available. 041714FREE ESTIMATE

NU VISIONS PAINTING By Al Baskins on FB. Let us color your world one room at a time ! Interior / Exterior Painting Commercial / Residential Cabinets / Kitchens / Baths Specializing In Repaints Deck Restorations Pressure Washing Spring Special 10% off with this add Over 30 years experience painting Charlotte Al Baskins , Owner Pineville N.C. 704- 605- 7897 / 704-889- 7479. 122914

MintHill: rooms for rent for seniors 55 & up, all utilities included, internet wifi, washer/ dryer, furnished den/ dining, rent 475/dep. 475, m bedroom 575/

dep 575, call 704-208-7891. 020615

Drum Lessons Available-in my studio or in your home. Ballantyne, South Charlotte, Pineville vicinities. Please call Frank at (704) 449-4080 for more info. 011615

*CASH TODAY* Weíll Buy Any Car (Any Condition) + Free Same-Day Pick Up. Best Cash Offer Guaranteed! Call for FREE Quote 1-888-913-1680 SAPA

AVIATION GRADS WORK WITH JETBLUE, BOEING, NASA AND OTHERS. START HERE WITH HANDS ON TRAINING FOR FAA C E R T I F I C A T I O N . FINANCIAL AID IF QUALIFIED. CALL AVIATION INSTITUTE OF MAINTENANCE 1 - 8 6 6 - 7 2 4 - 5 4 0 3 WWW.FIXJETS.COM. SAPA

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EARN YOUR High School Diploma at home in a few short weeks. Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nationally accredited. Call for free brochure. 1-800-658-1180, extension 82. www.fcahighschool.org SAPA

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Get The Big Deal from DirecTV! Act Now- $19.99/mo. Free 3-Months of HBO, starz, SHOWTIME & CINEMAXFREE GENIE HD/DVR Upgrade! 2014 NFL Sunday Ticket Included with Select Packages. New Customers Only IV Support Holdings LLC- An authorized DirecTV Dealer. Some exclusions apply - Call for details 1-800-413-9179. SAPA

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HELP: LOST DOG, \”Dotty\”, Australian Cattle mix, 7yrs, 35lbs. Lost 8/1/14, Rea Rd. Black/White, black patch right eye. pink/grey collar. Contact Kim 704-763-3661. Her loving family misses her very much!

Cats cradle boarding beautiful 5 star cats only kennel. Huge sun-filled suites, 3 levels, climbing tree. Pickup/delivery. 20% Senior discount. For rates and requirements call 704.771.6052 www.Cat boardingcharlotte.Com. 072514

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To advertise, visit www.carolinaweeklynewspapers.comCarolina Weekly Classifieds Network

ACROSS 1 Sights in marinas 6 Conventioneer’s

ID11 Emergency signal14 Computer screen

array15 Bottled water

with three mountain peaks in its logo

16 Granite State sch.

17 Position of 62-Across

19 “Masters of Sex” channel, in TV listings

20 ___ loss21 Castle defense22 Savory gelatin-

based dish24 & 27 Record-

setting achievement of 62-Across

28 “Am I my brother’s keeper?” speaker

29 Morton product32 Prefix with

bellum

33 In good physical shape

35 Avoid work37 California’s Big

___38 Duration of

62-Across’s 24-/27-Across

42 Necessity for a doctor or taxi driver: Abbr.

43 Bridge44 Before, to the

Bard45 Med. school

course47 Ovine mothers49 Figure (out)52 & 54 Moniker of

62-Across 57 ___ Brown, host

of “Iron Chef America”

58 Pink-slip60 Texter’s “Here’s

what I think”61 Take the gold62 American

athlete born 11/25/1914

66 ___ dye

67 In first place68 Carrots and

turnips, basically69 Conifer with toxic

seeds70 Baker’s supply71 Sacred choral

composition

DOWN 1 Bible book after

Jonah 2 ___ acid 3 Hyundai model

with a musical name

4 Explosive stuff 5 Seattle-to-

Phoenix dir. 6 Enshrouds in a

mist 7 Sports shoe

brand 8 Insects and

seeds, for many birds

9 Guy’s partner10 Have as a

terminus11 Mood suffusing

“Psycho”12 Temporarily not

airing, as a TV show

13 The shower scene in “Psycho,” e.g.

18 D.D.E.’s running mate

23 Paris : Mme. :: Madrid : ___

25 Petty quarrel26 D.D.E. or J.F.K.27 The boards, to

an actor30 Dress style

introduced by Dior

31 Bagel go-with

34 Melville’s first book

36 Language of Iran

38 Complete, as arrangements

39 “Sorry, ask me later”

40 Glimpsed

41 Pick-___ (refreshing drink)

42 Purchasing plan

46 Ruling from a boxing ref

48 Lines to be memorized

50 Faucet51 Jew or Arab53 Relish55 Early moon

lander, for short56 Sleep in a

vertical position?

58 Greek salad component

59 Vows made “for better or worse”

63 Single

64 Sleeve

65 Melted chocolate, e.g.

PUZZLE BY JEFFREY WECHSLER

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS.AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

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F E E S P R E E M O U S EL A X P R I E D C O Z E NA G A R O L L I N G P I N SI L L F A M E T A R SL E T R I P B E T A O P T

O N T H E D O W N L O WC M I S L I D I D L ER O F L Y E S E S P I K EA O N E O R C A E A TF L O O R M I R R O R ST A T A A R E T O U S L E

O S L O A L U M N U SL A U G H I N G G A S O C TA G R E E I N A N E O R EB O N E S C U R D S P E R

The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018

For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550For Release Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Edited by Will Shortz No. 1125Crossword

schools & InstructIon

GaraGe sale

VehIcles for sale

fInancIal

MIscellaneous

help wanted

serVIces

pets

for sale

real estate–rental

busIness opportunItIes

MerchandIse

Page 24: Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Page 24 • Jan. 15 to 21, 2015 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly www.matthewsminthillweekly.com