First Drip
First Drip (7/16/15): Two Charlotte Confederate monuments vandalized
PostedByRyan Pitkin
on Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 10:28 AM
Two Confederate monuments were vandalized in Charlotte yesterday. The word racist was spray-painted on a memorial in Uptown and, shortly after, another monument near Memorial Stadium was found to be defaced with concrete. A city cemetery custodian said the Uptown monument will have to be removed so the spray paint can be sand-blasted off.
At a luncheon during All Star events this week in Cincinnati, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred stated he is open to the idea of expanding the league for the first time since 1998, and mentioned Charlotte specifically as a city that could get a team. The Charlotte Knights, the AAA team for the Chicago White Sox, are in the midst of their second season at a new Uptown baseball stadium.
The installation of parking meters in front of popular South End businesses has caused consternation among residents and business owners. The meters, placed along Camden Road on June 22, were put there in preparation for two projects set to open in September, including 50,000 square feet of retail space, 50,000 square feet of office space and 420 residents. Among business owners who have spoken out against the meters are the owners of Price's Chicken Coop, who say the meters ruin the convenience of parking just in front of the restaurant.
A 16-year-old girl has been charged with murder in a Cherry-neighborhood stabbing that happened early Wednesday morning. Police said Deanna Watson killed Omar Dunbar, her mother's boyfriend, but neighbors told reporters the girl was defending her mom from the man. Police had reportedly been to the house on three consecutive nights for domestic violence calls. There were four children under the age of 13 in the home at the time of the stabbing.
A pair of "parklets" were installed this week in front of Brevard Court, near BB&T Ballpark, in an attempt to add social areas to congested parts of the city. The wooden structures include benches and bars that allow passersby to eat lunch or just sit and relax. Residents and businesses can also apply for permits to sell things from the parklets. The parklets were built on parking spots on the road, which has some critics concerned.