Top Stories for March 27, 2024

silhouette of little girl holding parent hand at sunset

Mecklenburg County provides this weekly rundown of top stories from the Board of County Commissioners meetings and the Public Information Department’s newsroom. The Board met on Tuesday, March 26. The agenda is available online and the meeting can be viewed at MeckTV. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for April 2 at 6 p.m. 

1. Law Enforcement in Mecklenburg: The Board of County Commissioners received its annual update on law enforcement in the County’s unincorporated areas. Service for those areas, also known as extra-territorial jurisdictions (ETJs), is provided through agreements with the City of Charlotte and the Towns of Cornelius, Huntersville, and Pineville. Leaders from each police department shared data on patrol responses, crime statistics, and a summary of activity in their respective ETJs during the past year. Police services within the six towns of Mecklenburg County are provided by their respective departments. 
 
Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department also presented his 2023 End-of-Year report to the Board. For CMPD, overall crime was up 14%, with 15,343 arrests (up 12%), and 3,432 illegal guns removed from the street (up 10%).  

2. Pinwheels for the Children: The Board has proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, and this week the many partners of the Mecklenburg Child Abuse Prevention Team will host a kickoff event. It will take place Thursday, March 28 at 10 a.m. in the lobby of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 East 4th St., Charlotte, NC 28202. The event will launch the month's activities with remarks from leaders who work to prevent child abuse and a pinwheel planting at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse. The pinwheel is a symbol of child abuse and neglect prevention. Learn more about April’s activities by the Child Abuse Prevention Team at Meck4Kids.org. 

3. Reimagining Latta Place: Residents are invited to a community event and panel discussion for the historic Latta Place project. It will take place on Saturday, April 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at David B. Waymer Recreation and Senior Center in Huntersville. The event will recognize the history of the project and allow residents to provide input. Latta Place is a historic home within the Latta Nature Preserve, where the original owner enslaved 34 men, women and children. Since its closure in 2021, Mecklenburg County has embarked on a thoughtful and community-driven process to create a new chapter in Latta Place’s history. 

4. Lawn and Garden: Spring is here officially, so it’s time to get outside, get your hands dirty, and spruce up the yard. Mecklenburg County can help your garden grow. The County offers yard waste disposal to residents at all full-service centers. The centers accept items such as leaves, grass clippings, limbs, and more (no plastic bags, please). If you want to spread a little mulch in the flower beds, the County offers a wide variety of mulch and compost for sale. Visit WipeOutWaste.MeckNC.gov to learn more.  

5. Happy Easter! Mecklenburg County offices and services will be closed on Friday, March 29, for the Good Friday holiday.