Top Stories for Nov. 15, 2023
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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 met on Tuesday, Nov. 14. The agenda is available here or view the meeting at Watch.MeckNC.gov. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.
1. The Community Speaks: The Board of County Commissioners heard highlights of results from the 2023 Community Survey. When asked the most important issue facing the County today, 36% of respondents said affordable housing, the highest result since the question was first asked in 2017. Twenty-one percent said overdevelopment and infrastructure. Nineteen percent indicated crime is the most important issue. The 2023 Community Survey is a random sample of more than 1,000 households across Mecklenburg County and asks about residents’ perceptions on various aspects of County operations and important issues facing the community.
2. Calling 911: The Board heard an update on changes implemented earlier this year to Medic’s response configuration. Medic, Mecklenburg County’s EMS agency, has studied how it responds to emergency calls with the goal of ensuring it is responding with the right resource to the right patient in the right amount of right time. Medic says it has seen no adverse impact to patient outcomes; improved resource alignment; a reduction of lights and sirens responses; a reduction in traffic accidents, and a reduction in first responder volume. Medic has also seen no significant change in the number of patients who are pronounced dead or cannot be resuscitated at the scene.
3. A Child’s Life Is a Story Just Beginning: November is National Adoption Awareness Month. This week, Mecklenburg County will celebrate National Adoption Day with children who have been adopted in the past year and their families Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. The celebration will be held Saturday, Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse, 832 East Fourth Street in Charlotte. N.C. Courts will recognize 34 youth who have received decrees between October 2022 and October 2023. With more than 440 children in custody, Mecklenburg County is always recruiting for families to provide a permanent home. To learn more about fostering or adopting a child, click here or call 704-336-KIDS (5437).
4. Helping the Homeless: The Board has proclaimed November as Homeless Awareness Month. In recognition of the month, the Homeless Services Network of Charlotte-Mecklenburg will host a vigil to honor those in the homeless community who have passed away this year. For many of those who have died, it’s the only remembrance of their life. The vigil will be held Thursday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m., at the Homeless Resource Center, 618 N. College Street in Charlotte.
5. Grand Greenway Opening: Park and Recreation and its partners will celebrate the opening of a new greenway extension between Lower McAlpine Creek Greenway and Ballantyne Corporate Place. It will take place Thursday, Nov. 16 at 11 a.m., at the greenway entrance next to Rushmore Five at 13856 Ballantyne Corporate Place in Charlotte. The extension links more than 20 miles of walking paths and bike lanes. The joint greenway project by Northwood Office and Mecklenburg County is part of Ballantyne Reimagined, Northwood’s effort to create a more walkable, mixed-use community.