Afternoon Observer | RSVP for live conversation with CMS Superintendent + Mayor says she can’t issue mask mandate

It’s Tuesday, Charlotte. Kristen here with an announcement for all you stargazers out there. Meteors will fill the sky early Wednesday in what NASA calls “the biggest” such cosmic event of the year. Peak viewing time is midnight to dawn, but some meteors could be seen after 10 p.m. “It’s likely to be one of our most impressive skywatching opportunities for a while,” NASA scientists said. Learn more here with the Observer’s Joe Marusak.

Let’s talk about today’s headlines:

1. RSVP: A live conversation with CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston

Students and teachers of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are heading back to class Wednesday Aug. 25, and you likely have questions about how everything will work amid a resurgence of COVID cases.

To answer some of the questions you have about in-person learning during a pandemic, we’re hosting a live panel. CMS Superintendent Earnest Winston will join Observer reporter Anna Maria Della Costa for a live virtual event at 10:45 on Aug. 12 to discuss student safety and what families can expect this school year. You’re encouraged to submit questions for our panelists before the event.

Click here to reserve your spot and submit your questions. We’ll see you there!

2. Charlotte mayor says she can’t issue a mask mandate to slow delta variant spread

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Tuesday she supports Charlotteans wearing masks to slow COVID’s spread, calling it the second-best tool after vaccination. But in a virtual news conference, she said she does not have the power to “mandate a mask requirement for the city of Charlotte.”

“We should be wearing our masks. That’s what I believe, but there are also people that don’t believe that and they may not support it,” Lyles said. “My family, we all wear masks... And what I want for my family, I want for the people in Charlotte.”

In contrast, the UNC School of Government said mayors of towns and cities can move forward with coronavirus restrictions in an emergency order, impose curfews and reduce the size of mass gatherings, the Observer reported last year.

Lyles said she hopes Charlotte residents understand “this is a difficult time” as COVID cases surge once again.

Learn more with the Observer’s Alison Kuznitz.

3. NC approves key step for Mecklenburg to drop Cardinal, add new managed care provider

Mecklenburg County is officially transitioning its managed care from Cardinal Innovations Healthcare to Alliance Health in mid-December, County Manager Dena Diorio announced in an email Friday that was shared with the Observer Tuesday.

To catch you up:

• The county has leveled accusations of faulty handling of emergency placements for abandoned or neglected children against Cardinal since before the pandemic hit.
• County administrators say Cardinal failed to provide adequate or timely access to services for individuals with developmental disabilities and substance abuse problems.

• Cardinal developed a plan with the state to improve problems, Mecklenburg leaders said they did not see “desired outcomes for improvement.”

The exact transition date for Mecklenburg has yet to be detailed. The Observer’s Alison Kuznitz has the rest of the details here.

4. Longtime Charlotte-area barbecue joint is closing

Longtime barbecue chain Sonny’s BBQ is closing its Charlotte-area restaurant after nearly two decades as reported by the Observer’s Catherine Muccigrosso.

The details:

• Sonny’s BBQ will permanently close on Aug. 16 after 19 years in Mooresville, the company confirmed Tuesday.
• This closing follows the closing of a Tyvola Road location 4 months ago after 4 decades in operation.
• “The franchise owner decided to permanently close this location effective Monday,” Sonny’s BBQ corporate office in Florida said in a statement to the Observer about the Mooresville location.

“My foodie heart is broken today... After many years of supporting Sonny’s BBQ Mooresville I just learned they are closing for good ... Sad sad day!” one person, who said they use to drive 50 minutes to Mooresville for the restaurant, posted to the company’s Facebook page.

As the Observer has previously reported, Charlotte has lost other decades-old staples in recent months — including Mr. K’s Soft Ice Cream, Price’s Chicken Coop and Zack’s Burgers.

5. Charlotte high-rise, once home to LGBTQ+ businesses, gets historic landmark status

The Ervin/Varnadore building off Independence Boulevard in east Charlotte, built in 1964 and standing seven stories high, is now a historic landmark. It was most recently home to offices for LGBTQ+ groups and businesses, and was Charlotte’s “first skyscraper east of downtown ... placing the structure on the decade-old Independence Boulevard, a crosstown corridor designed for better access to the city’s suburbs,” according to the historic landmark ordinance.

A quick history lesson with the Observer’s Alison Kuznitz:

• The structure bears the name of Charles Ervin, one of the most prolific developers in the region by 1958.
• His firm, the Ervin Company, has a complicated history.
• Many of the neighborhoods built by the firm refused Black homeowners due to deed restrictions, the Observer previously reported.
• The building was renamed in 1992 for Jim Varnadore, whose real-estate firm occupied two stories of the tower.

Charlotte City Council members unanimously voted on the designation Monday night.

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This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 4:38 PM.