Following is a letter to parents from the head of one our local PTAs, Debra Cassidy at Bailey Middle School. It comes as the Mecklenburg County Commission considers its proposed 2013-14 budget, including school funding. The county commission meets Thursday night.

This time of year always brings much discussion and distress as budget decisions are made regarding funding for our schools. Not only do we have the local issues of CMS requesting approval of their budget from County Commissioners, but we also have the State Legislature making budget decisions as well. Read the full story

The Mecklenburg Union Metropolitan Planning Organization voted unanimously Wednesday night to add the N.C. DOT’s proposed I-77 widening project to the region’s long-range transportation plan and priority list. The vote was uneventful, but the meeting wasn’t, as toll opponents packed a meeting room in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center continuing their fight against the widening project. Read the full story

Rising water surrounded a picnic table at Jetton Park in Cornelius Tuesday. (David Boraks/CorneliusNews.net)

Updated 6:27pm
By DAVID BORAKS
CorneliusNews.net

After several days of heavy rain, water levels around Lake Norman are above normal, prompting warnings this week from officials who manage safety on the lake. Duke Energy said it is boosting flows at its dams in the Catawba River basin, and urging lakeside residents to beware of flooding in low-lying areas.

The National Weather Service reported Tuesday morning that some residents along the river were being evacuated, especially in the area between Lake Norman and Mountain Island Lake.  Fire officials said Tuesday night that about 40 homes in the Riverside community in northwest Charlotte were evacuated.

Meanwhile, the Lake Norman Marine Commission is asking boaters to avoid big wakes near shore. Read the full story

Updated 4:30pm
There was no disagreement in the N.C. House of Representatives Wednesday: Mecklenburg County needs to correct its flawed 2011 property revaluation. In a unanimous (116-0) afternoon vote, legislators approved House Bill 200, which requires the county to re-do its most recent assessments.
Read the full story

CMS drawing shows an addition for grades 6-8 at the south end of the school, where mobile classrooms currently sit.

By DAVID BORAKS
CorneliusNews.net

CHARLOTTE - The Charlotte Mecklenburg school board on Tuesday adopted a $293.9 million capital improvement plan, which includes four new schools, three replacement schools and multiple renovations and conversions. The plan still needs approval from the Mecklenburg County Commission, which holds the final say on financing and priorities.

CMS’s plan includes two major projects in north Mecklenburg: a $7 million addition that would convert Davidson Elementary into a K-8 school and a new $28.4 million school on the site of the aging Alexander Middle School in Huntersville. Read the full story

The Hugh Torance House & Store on Gilead Road in Huntersville, one of Mecklenburg County’s few surviving 18th century structures, will have an open house this Sunday, April 14, from 3 to 5pm. Visitors will have a chance to tour the building, which is North Carolina’s oldest standing store. See more in THE GUIDE»

Click to see a presentation outlining the trail plans.

The towns of Mooresville, Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, the City of Charlotte, and Iredell and Mecklenburg counties will host a series of community meetings beginning Tuesday night offering details about the proposed $30 million Red Line Trail, which would run from Mooresville to Charlotte.

The 30-mile trail will provide a regional corridor for bicycle and pedestrian transportation roughly paralleling the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project. Read the full story

Library hours, click to enlarge.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is expanding  hours beginning today (Monday, April 1) at its 12 community branches, including those in Cornelius and Davidson.

Community branches still will be closed Thursdays and Sundays. But they’re now open Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10am-8pm; and Fridays and Saturdays 10am-5pm. Read the full story