Mallard Creek junior Mikal Hill, who committed to South Carolina before his sophomore year, is the 2010 All-Observer player of the year ... The Observer annually names all-star teams for its entire 125-school coverage area in North and South Carolina (All-Observer) plus area teams in Mecklenburg County (All-Mecklenburg) and its coverage area outside Mecklenburg (All-Region) ... Hill is also player of the year in Mecklenburg County ... A 5-foot-10 shortstop, Hill hit .566 with seven home runs, 39
In North Carolina's last statewide runoff, in 2008, fewer than 2 percent of voters went to the polls ... Turnout in Mecklenburg County was so low - half of 1 percent - that each vote cost taxpayers $121 ... Now a fraction of N.C. voters will return to the polls on June 22 to nominate candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and other races. The elections will cost as much as $5 million ... Are they worth it? ... "It seems to me it's pretty hard to justify runoffs given the very low voter
S.C. lawmakers voted Wednesday to formally rebuke Gov. Mark Sanford, again sparing him from impeachment over secret trips to see his Argentine mistress and his use of state planes ... The House Judiciary Committee unanimously agreed to censure the Republican governor for bringing "ridicule, dishonor, disgrace and shame" to the state. The scathing reprimand has no practical effect on Sanford's ability to govern for the 13 months that remain in his term, but legislators insisted they were not
Mecklenburg County commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts said Wednesday that colleague Bill James should apologize for using a slur during an exchange with another board member, and said she may ask commissioners whether to take any further action ... The incident occurred Tuesday during a meeting in which a majority of commissioners agreed to offer domestic-partner benefits to county workers in same-sex relationships starting in 2011 ... Toward the end of an emotional, two-hour debate on the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Parent University is launching second-semester registration, as officials celebrate a $250,000 donation that will keep the classes going for the foreseeable future ... The classes for parents, designed to guide them in helping their kids learn, debuted in fall 2008 as part of Superintendent Peter Gorman's push to get families more involved in schools. Almost 3,500 parents have taken classes this fall, and the district is now taking online sign-ups for winter/spring
Jo Anne Byerly said Friday she will retire as Kannapolis City Schools superintendent at the end of the current academic year, after 33 years with the school system ... Byerly, who has headed the school system since 2001, said she is leaving the position to have more personal time ... “I love this school system, and I'll always be a part of it,” said Byerly, who was hired in Kannapolis in 1976 as a teacher at Fred L. Wilson Elementary School. “But after almost 40 years in education, I feel
Ever wanted to race through the streets of uptown Charlotte? An MTV show called "Nitro Circus," about extreme stunts, did and it's making some waves and leading to some policy changes with city leaders. The episode is called "Southern Discomfort." It starts off with video of race cars taking tight curves, flying over pavement, even trading paint. But if you look close, you can see the two cars are racing through the streets of uptown Charlotte ... We showed the video to students at UNC Charlotte
As the Southern Christmas Show kicked off its 42nd season this week, early returns are leaving merchants optimistic - but still wary of the economy beyond the red, green and glitter-bedecked hub of holiday spirit ... "A lot of exhibitors came into this show a little apprehensive about what it was going to be like, and I think they're finding their sales are as good or better than last year," said David Zimmerman, president of Southern Shows, producers of the event, which opened Wednesday.
People who care about education face a tough choice Tuesday: A local panel will discuss equity in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, while a nationally known educator will talk about morality in education ... WFAE radio is hosting a public conversation titled "CMS: The Quest for Equity" at 7 p.m. Tuesday at ImaginOn, 300 E. Seventh St. Panelists will be CMS chief academic officer Ann Clark; Lindalyn Kakadelis, a former CMS board member who is director of the conservative N.C. Education Alliance;