So long, sweet summertime: Here are The Observer’s best photos for August
By The Pham
A fan of Real Madrid cheers after their second goal in the first half during the match against Chelsea at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ
mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Students are back at school which signals summer is drawing to a close.
That also means football is back.
Changing seasons did not stop The Charlotte Observer and The Herald’s visual journalists from capturing fascinating images.
They included everything from the first day of school, Real Madrid v. Chelsea FC game, braving the weather to covering Tropical Storm Debby which caused hundreds of flights delayed, Cirque Du Soleil’s CORTEO, to Ballantyne Ridge High School football team, which played its first game in August.
Every day visual journalists bear witness to the people in our communities and their stories. Some images are pleasant, while others are painful and heart-wrenching to produce.
Our mission is to document truthfully, fairly and with compassion.
Ballantyne Ridge lineman Farris Ghannam leads the team onto the field before the start of their first game against Fort Mill on Friday, August 23, 2024. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Johnson C. Smith running back Jaquarius Crouch runs through a drill during in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Providence Day offensive lineman David Sanders is perhaps the best high school football player in America. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
A power line fell on Freedom Drive near Charlotte’s Woodford Green neighborhood as Tropical Storm Debby drenched Charlotte on Thursday. Aug. 8, 2024 KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
A car stalls in a flooded area at the intersection of Ogden Road and Heckle Blvd. Thursday as Debby dumps inches of rain. TRACY KIMBALL tkimball@heraldonline.com
Travelers wait at Baggage claim C inside the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on August 5, 2024. The airport is facing many delays and cancellations due to Hurricane Debby’s landfall in Florida. PRESTON JENKINS pjenkins@charlotteobserver.com
Teshelle Sandwick was grossly overcharged for gas at a 7-Eleven on North Tryon Street in Charlotte. Sandwick eventually reported the incident to the state inspector, who went to the 7-Eleven station and ordered the store to close the pump, according to the director of the Weights and Measures Division of the NC Dept. of Agriculture. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Idlewild Elementary School Principal Trish Stewart smiles at studetns as they walk down the hall during the first day of school on Monday, August 26, 2024. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
A boy runs through the rain Thursday at River Trail Elementary school. Thursday was the first day of school for the Fort Mill and Rock Hill school districts despite Debby dumping inches of rain into the area. TRACY KIMBALL tkimball@heraldonline.com
School staff at Fort Mill’s River Trail Elementary School try to stay dry as they help kids out of cars on the first day of school. The district held school despite hurricane Debby soaking the area. TRACY KIMBALL TRACY KIMBALL
Chelsea’s goalie Filip Jorgensen, right, watches as the ball enters the net as Real Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez scores a second goal during the match at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Fans huddle for autographs after the Real Madrid v. Chelsea game at the Bank of America stadium on August 6, 2024. PRESTON JENKINS pjenkins@charlotteobserver.com PRESTON JENKINS pjenkins@charlotteobserver.com
Luka Modric falls as he loses control of the ball during the Real Madrid v. Chelsea FC game at the Bank of America stadium on August 6, 2024. Real Madrid won the “friendly,” 2-1, before more than 62,000 fans. PRESTON JENKINS pjenkins@charlotteobserver.com PRESTON JENKINS pjenkins@charlotteobserver.com
A fan of Real Madrid cheers after their second goal in the first half during the match against Chelsea at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com MELISSA MELVIN-RODRIGUEZ mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Stephanie Waltman-Ortega rehearses her performance at Cirque Du Soleil’s CORTEO show rehersal on August 1, 2024 at the Bojangles Coliseum. PRESTON JENKINS pjenkins@charlotteobserver.com
Green Day performs at the PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, August 26, 2024. KHADEJEH NIKOUYEH Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com
Hazel Doherty, right, is silhouetted on the blind of a window with questions audience members will be asked to consider during an immersive play on gentrification. QC Family Tree’s Big Blue House in Charlotte, NC will be hosting the upcoming play. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Lighting strikes near the Charlotte skyline on July 25, 2024. PRESTON JENKINS pjenkins@charlotteobserver.com
