Top Stories for Aug. 9

Close-up of a hummingbird

Mecklenburg County provides this weekly rundown of top stories from the Board of County Commissioners meetings and from the Public Information Department’s newsroom. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m. The agenda will be available here. View the meeting at Watch.MeckNC.gov.
 

1. Summer Surge: Public Health is advising residents of a COVID-19 surge this summer. Emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and wastewater evidence of the virus that causes COVID-19 have all increased since early July. Health leaders believe waning immunity, travel, and more time indoors due to record-breaking heat are likely causing the surge. Public Health recommends staying home and taking an at-home test if you feel sick. Keep up with local COVID-19 data to decide what safety precautions to take. 

2. Looking After the Children: At its regular meeting this month, the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed August as Child Support Awareness Month. First proclaimed by the White House in 1995, Child Support Awareness Month highlights the importance of child support as a sustainable means of financial support and well-being for many of our nation’s children. Mecklenburg County has operated a Child Support Enforcement Department since July 2010. The County has approximately 64,515 children and custodial parents who receive more than $49 million in child support annually, through the efforts of the County’s child support professionals.

3. Celebrating Equality: The Women’s Advisory Board of Mecklenburg County will celebrate Women’s Equality Day at an event this weekend. Participants will honor the progress made toward gender equality and recognize the valuable contributions of women in Mecklenburg County. The event will take place Saturday, Aug. 12, at 11 a.m. at the Valerie C. Woodard Center, 3205 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, N.C. 28208. Residents can learn more and sign-up here to attend.

4. Urban League Honors: Mecklenburg County Manager Dena R. Diorio was presented with the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award by the Urban League of Central Carolinas. The award is a tribute to the influential civil rights leader, and honors those who demonstrate leadership and support for the Black community through community service and investment. Also receiving the award this year was D. Steve Boland, Bank of America chief administrative officer. Previous recipients include Eugene Woods, U.S. Representative Alma Adams, Malcomb Coley, and Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown.

5. Hummingbird Week! Mecklenburg County nature centers will celebrate the hummingbird next week. Join Park and Recreation Aug. 14-20 for a variety of events across the County to learn more about hummingbirds and appreciate their graceful beauty. We'll have gardening tips, scavenger hunts, walks, story time and more. Hummingbird Week includes an art contest with voting on residents’ work at Reedy Creek Nature Center. The winner will be announced on Aug. 20 at 3 p.m. Learn a bit more about a bitty bird at Mecklenburg County's blog.