In light of the history that was made last week with the repeal of Amendment One, Creative Loafing's creative director Melissa Oyler shares how she chose this week's cover image.

During the latter part of the week, our newsroom was alert with anticipation. We knew we were on the brink of a historic moment: The possible repeal of Amendment One was big news, and we needed to tell this story in a big way.

But like the rest of North Carolina, we had to play the waiting game for the judge's verdict. In the meantime, we talked about possible options for this week's cover. Do we go with something symbolic or something journalistic?

CHARLOTTE — Chris Ferrell, CEO of SouthComm, Inc. announced today that the company had reached an agreement with Charles Womack of Womack Newspapers, Inc. to acquire the assets of Creative Loafing Charlotte. Womack is the founder and publisher of YES! Weekly, the alternative newsweekly based in Greensboro, North Carolina. SouthComm will continue to own and operate its Creative Loafing papers in Atlanta and Tampa.

“Charles has had a long interest in the Creative Loafing paper in Charlotte and has a successful track record of running a similar paper in the Triad. I think the publication will have a bright future under his watch,” said Ferrell.

The announcement was shared with staff today.

“To say I am excited about this deal would be an understatement,” said Womack. “I have been a reader and huge fan of Creative Loafing for many, many years. The paper has a strong, recognizable brand and serves one of the fastest growing cities in the country. I sincerely want to thank Chris Ferrell for working through this deal with me and I look forward to learning the in’s and out’s of the Charlotte market from the Loafing crew.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the month. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

After three years with Creative Loafing Charlotte - and 15 years in the newspaper industry - publisher Wendy Goldstein announced her retirement today.

"It's been a hell of a ride and I loved every minute of it," Goldstein said. "Now it's time to pursue relaxation - well, for as long as I can stand to relax. It's been my privilege to work with an incredibly talented team of individuals at Creative Loafing Charlotte, as well as with the corporate staff of SouthComm."

Goldstein came to Creative Loafing in 2010 from the Charlotte Observer, where she served as classified advertising manager, and prior to that, retail sales manager. During her tenure at CL, Goldstein managed the editorial and business operations of the newspaper; she also oversaw the launch of Creative Loafing's deals program CL Deals as well as the implementation of a digital advertising program.

Chris Ferrell, CEO of SouthComm, Creative Loafing's parent company, said Goldstein will be missed. "Wendy has done a heroic job of navigating Creative Loafing through the dramatic changes in the business of local media over the last few years. We were fortunate to have a publisher with Wendy's energy and dedication to the paper as well as to the city of Charlotte. I wish her well in her retirement."

Congratulations go out to our resident "Boomer With Attitude" John Grooms. He placed first in the 2013 AAN Awards in the Political Column category (for circulation under 50,000).

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Here are the three entries of Boomer With Attitude that won him the gold medal. Winners were chosen by judges at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.

"How Obamacare saved my life"
The Affordable Care Act - aka "Obamacare" - saved my life. Yes, this is for real. It happened last year. If not for the ACA, I would either be dead and buried or in so much medical debt I would never get out from under it. I thought long and hard before writing about this. But after seeing the crazy things members of the GOP said about Obamacare at their convention and hearing their mantra, "Are you better off than you were four years ago," I decided to go public about my experience with Obama's supposedly evil, socialistic government takeover of health care.
Read more HERE.

A couple of weeks ago, our editor in chief Mark Kemp put out a video asking our readers: "Do you want Soundboard back in print?"

The response to CL taking the concert listings out of the paper and making them an online-only feature was overwhelming. While some people trashed our decision — and CL — others offered some well thought-out, sensible points. We had no choice but to rethink the move.

And so, Creative Loafing's Soundboard section returns to the paper this week. Check out Mark's explanation below.

In addition, we're keeping our promise to revamp Soundboard on the Web and make that just as accessible as the print edition. On Thursday, check out the Music section for a one-click link to see all of the concerts and shows happening this weekend.

Since we launched the new look of Creative Loafing a few weeks ago, we have been inundated with phone calls, emails, tweets and Facebook posts about the move of the concert listings — better known as Soundboard — from the print edition to online only. Many of the responses we've heard have come from people in the music industry — venue owners, musicians, DJs, etc.

Our editor in chief Mark Kemp, however, wants to hear from our regular readers — the everyday fan of all things Charlotte, if you will: Do you want Soundboard back in print? Check out this video of the boss himself.

You can respond by emailing us at backtalk@creativeloafing.com or simply just leave us a comment below.

After all is said and done, we're family once again. SouthComm, Inc., the parent company of Creative Loafing Charlotte, the Nashville Scene, Kansas City's Pitch and Louisville's LEO Weekly, announced today that it purchased Creative Loafing Atlanta and the D.C.-based Washington City Paper.

Ferrell spoke with staff in Atlanta and Washington D.C. and said the he doesn't expect any immediate editorial changes at the papers. He also plans to examine each market for potential niche publications.

SouthComm, Inc., purchased CL Charlotte back in October of 2011 along with CL Tampa. At that time, CL Atlanta and Washington City Paper were sister papers.

Perhaps you're addicted to your Twitter or Facebook feeds and you've heard that Creative Loafing has been sold. It's true, my friends. But it's good news, not bad.

As of about three hours ago, CL Charlotte was acquired by SouthComm, Inc. — the parent company of three other award-winning alternative weeklies, the Nashville Scene, Kansas City Pitch and Louisville’s LEO Weekly.

What this means for readers and users of CL Charlotte — as well as the Tampa-based edition — is that we will no longer be part of the Atlanta flagship Creative Loafing or its more recent acquisitions, Washington City Paper and Chicago Reader.

Recall that in 2008 the original owners of Creative Loafing Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The following year, Creative Loafing Inc., which had been owned by the same family since 1972, was sold to its largest creditor, Atalaya Capital Management. Atalaya has controlled CL since that time.

What this recent acquisition means to us is that a real media company will again own the Charlotte Creative Loafing. What it means to you is that you can continue counting on CL to bring you the best, edgiest and most usable news in the Charlotte area.

SouthComm’s other properties indicate that the company is interested in quality community journalism. The company’s owner and CEO, Chris Ferrell, began acquiring a series of community-based publications after serving as publisher of the Nashville Scene from 2005 to 2007. As a Nashville city councilman, he was an advocate for issues including the city’s affordable housing initiative and anti-discrimination ordinance. SouthComm bought CL Charlotte, Ferrell said in an interview earlier today, for its trusted name in community-interest journalism and arts and entertainment coverage.

“Creative Loafing is well read and well loved in Charlotte, and I’m excited to be part of building on that legacy,” Ferrell said. “CL readers can continue to look forward to the best coverage of culture, music, and entertainment, as well as the investigative journalism that readers have come to expect over the years.”

(CHARLOTTE, May 5, 2011) — Wendy Goldstein, associate publisher of Creative Loafing Charlotte has been named Publisher, CL Inc. CEO Marty Petty announced today.

Goldstein will have responsibility for all editorial and business operations of CL Charlotte, the Carolinas’ largest city weekly; reaching a total local audience of more than 236,000 each week and unmatched as Charlotte’s leading source of information about the arts, entertainment, dining, and city life.

“Wendy is a fierce competitor and innovative business leader, and we’re delighted to recognize the work she’s done since joining the CL Charlotte team last July,” Petty said. “With more than a decade of experience in local media and more than 30 years in the business, Wendy has already developed important partnerships that leverage CL Charlotte’s powerful brand for advertisers and readers. And there’s more to come.”

“I could not be more honored by the opportunity to lead this amazing team in its work to build CL Charlotte’s influence on behalf of our readers and business partners,” Goldstein said. “Bottom line, if you live, work or play in Charlotte, CL Charlotte is the essential source.”

Goldstein, who will report to Petty, came to CL Charlotte in July of 2010 from McClatchy’s Charlotte Observer, where she served as Classified Advertising Manager, responsible for automotive and real estate advertising.  Prior to that position, Goldstein was Retail Advertising Sales Manager for the Observer and Interactive Account Executive with Charlotte.com, the Observer’s website.

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ABOUT CL CHARLOTTE:  Creative Loafing Charlotte and its website, www.clclt.com, are Charlotte’s leading sources of information about life in the Carolinas’ largest city. The newspaper was founded in 1987 and reaches a total audience of more than 236,000. It is owned by CL Inc.

ABOUT CL Inc.:  CL Inc. owns five of America’s leading city weeklies — Creative Loafing Charlotte, the Chicago Reader, Creative Loafing Atlanta, the Washington City Paper, and Creative Loafing Tampa. Its holdings also include websites associated with those newspaper properties, the Straight Dope (straightdope.com) and the Digital Advertising Network.

Call us winners! This weekend, Creative Loafing took home three 2010 North Carolina Press Association Awards.

Congratulations goes to Senior Editor/Arts Editor/Film Critic Matt Brunson for his second place award for headline writing; Brunson was honored based his ability to craft snarky and sharp headlines like: "Hairy Plodder" (regarding the film The Wolfman) and "Suffer a Jett" (which teased a review of The Runaways).

Congratulations also goes to columnist John Grooms, author of the weekly Boomer With Attitude and daily blog posts on the CLog, for his second place award for lighter columns (like "Neighborhood Heroine Patrol") and his third place award for serious columns (for pieces such as "Fully Human").

The N.C. Press Association hosts its statewide editorial competition on an annual basis. Newspapers are judged in six different divisions depending on circulation. Creative Loafing thanks the association for recognizing the great work cranked out by our staff each and every day.