Afternoon Observer | Speeding, impairment suspected in fatal Eastover wreck + Two Charlotte employers now require masks
Good afternoon, Charlotte. Kristen here, hoping your Monday is going smoothly. Are you itching to explore the great outdoors? Good news for hikers on a budget — some National Park Service sites will waive entrance fees on two days in August. “Each of the fee-free days celebrates or commemorates a significant event,” Margaret Everson, counselor to the secretary, said in a December news release. Will you take advantage of the offer and check out a park? Let me know.
Now, let’s talk about today’s headlines:
1. Speeding, impairment suspected in fatal wreck in Eastover, CMPD says
Two died and two others were injured in a wreck in Charlotte’s Eastover neighborhood early Sunday, police said.
The details:
- At 2:27 a.m., Charlotte-Mecklenburg police responded to a report of a vehicle striking a tree and catching fire on Colville Road.
- A Mercedes station wagon and its four occupants were found at the scene.
- Police say the vehicle was driving on Colville when it lost control and struck the curb to the right several times. It then ran off the road to the right and struck brick steps and a tree before catching fire.
- Excessive speed is suspected, as well as impairment, police say.
Robert McElveen Walker, the driver, and Henry Huntley Melvin, the left-rear passenger, were identified Monday as the deceased.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Pressley at 704-432-2169, Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or visit the Crime Stoppers website at charlottecrimestoppers.com/.
This is a developing story. The Observer’s Jonathan Limehouse will keep you updated.
2. Two major Charlotte employers begin requiring masks
Two of Charlotte’s biggest employers are now requiring all employees to wear masks — regardless of vaccination status.
Starting Monday, if you work for Lowe’s or Duke Energy, you’re now required to wear a mask when indoors.
The development follows updated mask guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local and state health officials. A delta variant-inflicted COVID spike led the CDC to recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks in public spaces indoors.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper last week encouraged residents to follow those guidelines — and to get vaccinated.
“After months of low numbers, our trends are turning sharply in the wrong direction,” he said. “I want to be clear about why: Unvaccinated people are driving this resurgence and getting themselves and other people sick.”
The Observer’s Hannah Smoot has the rest of the details here.
3. Sub shop with marijuana theme, full bar makes its NC debut
A marijuana-themed sub shop offering a full bar will debut in the North Carolina market with at least three locations in Charlotte, the Observer’s Catherine Muccigrosso reports.
The first Charlotte Cheba Hut will open next spring, said Michael Doney, who is opening the restaurants with fellow Charlotteans Michael Hopkins and Tim Webster. The trio learned about Cheba Hut during a trip to Denver, where they enjoyed the food and were impressed by the deli having a full bar.
No, Cheba Hut doesn’t actually serve weed. But the slogans and product names make weed references.
The local owners are aiming to open the fast-casual restaurant on ... wait for it ... April 20. It’ll be in a new building on Rozelles Ferry Road, near the Five Points intersection in historic West End. The other two restaurants will be located close to uptown, although those locations have not yet been determined.
Each Charlotte location will hire about 30 full- and part-time employees.
4. NC town calls itself a ‘Bee City’ but HOA says backyard hives must go
How would you feel if your neighbor were keeping bees in the backyard? For Dawn Reid, some of her neighbors love it. Others hate it.
Reid lives in a designated Bee City, Matthews, NC, but a recent conflict with a neighbor has led her neighborhood’s HOA to threaten to get rid of her three backyard beehives.
Reid invested in the hives three years ago after attending bee school through the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association. She says a part of the reason she did that was for her garden, since bees help pollinate fruits and vegetables — enough to make up a third of the food we eat, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture website.
Before she bought the hives, she said she talked to her neighbors about it. At first, there were no problems, but later on, new neighbors moved in and filed a complaint. Now, Reid’s HOA says her beehives violates neighborhood rules.
Learn more about the buzz with the Observer’s Susie Webb.
5. Charlotte hurdler will race for gold. She has an entire NFL team on her side
She’s going for the gold — and she’s from Charlotte. Hurdler Anna Cockrell is one race away from an Olympic medal. As the Observer’s Matthew Stephens reports, when she competes for it Tuesday night, she’ll have an entire NFL team cheering her on.
The details:
- Cockrell attended Providence Day.
- She finished second in the second women’s 400-meter hurdles semifinal Monday morning with a time of 54.17 seconds.
- That finish propelled her to the medal event at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
- She’s the younger sister of Bucs defensive back Ross Cockrell, who played with the Panthers for the 2019 season. Ross and his teammates had a watch party Monday for Anna’s event.
For more about Cockrell, revisit our previous reporting about her journey with depression and almost quitting the sport.
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This story was originally published August 2, 2021 at 3:56 PM.