Popular NoDa mural painted over + Convicted mayor makes city council bid
Happy Friday, Charlotte! It’s Hannah Lang, subbing in for Kristen once more.
Hope you’ve got some plans to enjoy the lovely weather this weekend. If not, Charlotte Five has some ideas for you here. You could stop by Smelly Cat Coffee House & Roastery, for example, which just reopened this week. I’ve never been, but if I spend any more time at The Giddy Goat in Plaza Midwood, they’re going to start charging me rent — so, perhaps it’s time to explore new options.
Here’s the news you need to know this Friday afternoon:
1. ‘Big punch in the gut’: Popular NoDa mural mistakenly covered up in red paint
Osiris Rain’s phone started “blowing up” Tuesday afternoon, though he didn’t know why. Then he received a video showing red paint being splattered over one of the Charlotte muralist’s most popular pieces.
His now-covered “Bloom” mural, at the corner of North Davidson and 35th streets — and what used to be a piece symbolizing NoDa’s growth — has become a solid red wall.
The mural leasing company hired local painters, who mistakenly covered it up on Tuesday, Rain said.
“It’s a shock that someone could make such a mistake,” said Teresa Hernández, whose shop is in the same building as Rain’s mural.
Breaking news reporter Jonathan Limehouse has all the details on the mural mix-up here.
2. Patrick Cannon, ex-Charlotte mayor who took bribes, running for City Council
Patrick Cannon, the former Charlotte mayor convicted in 2014 of accepting more than $50,000 in bribes, is returning to politics with a bid for Charlotte City Council.
It’s been a little over five years since Cannon, a Democrat, was released from prison. On Friday, he filed to run for an at-large seat on City Council.
Cannon pleaded guilty to one count of honest services wire fraud after he accepted bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as investors. As The Charlotte Observer reported at the time of his conviction:
- “The bureaucratic-sounding charge — honest services wire fraud — belies the seriousness of Cannon’s crime. The (then) 47-year-old Democrat acknowledged taking bribes and other gifts in exchange for using his political influence to help those who paid him.”
“A chance for redemption is all I can ask for,” Cannon wrote in a Friday statement after filing to run.
Observer politics reporter Will Wright has the details here. Not familiar with the scandal? Will and deputy managing editor Anna Douglass explain it all in this timeline.
3. Water main break in Plaza Midwood leaves residents, a popular restaurant without water
A water main break has left some Plaza Midwood residents without water Friday, including popular restaurant. The key details:
- The break happened in the 1300 block of Central Avenue, near Lamar Avenue.
- It could take at least four hours to make repairs, Charlotte Water said in a tweet at 9 a.m.
- One lane is closed for an “emergency water pipe repair,” according to the tweet.
Burger joint Moo & Brew, located in the same area where the break occurred, was forced to close until further notice.
Reporter Jonathan Limehouse has the latest updates here.
4. What is ‘Test to Treat’? Biden reveals plan for free COVID testing and treatment program
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Joe Biden said his administration is launching a program to get COVID antiviral treatments immediately to people who test positive for the virus.
In the new “Test to Treat” initiative, “people can get tested at a pharmacy, and if they’re positive, receive antiviral pills on the spot at no cost,” Biden said. Hundreds of one-stop sites will open across the country this month, according to White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients.
If you’re wondering:
- how the program will work
- how effective the pills are or
- where to find Test to Treat sites in Charlotte....
... service journalism reporter Evan Moore has got you covered with all the answers here.
The pandemic is waning in Charlotte. The 7-day average number of cases for Mecklenburg County was about 2,407 as of yesterday — that’s down from nearly 40,000 in late January. And of course, the county’s indoor mask mandate ended Feb. 26.
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This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 4:11 PM.