A fire that may have started with candles left burning destroyed a home on Brinkley Street in old Cornelius early Sunday. The house at 21117 Brinkley Street, a couple of blocks off Catawba Avenue, was completely in flames when firefighters arrived just after 6 a.m. Story and photos on CorneliusNews.net.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools’ first student-assignment lottery application period for next year will end on Monday, Feb. 13 at 10 p.m. The student-assignment lottery is an online process, with applications accepted on the CMS website daily from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Read the full story

Pretty, a new beauty and skin care boutique on Main Street Davidson, will hold a formal grand-opening this Saturday, Feb. 11. Meanwhile, Lake Norman Miniature Golf, off Statesville Road in Cornelius, plans to reopen this weekend. And here’s a note for landlords: Davidson College is looking to build its list of rental housing for students. Read the full story

625 South St. is the site of the planned Friends Meetinghouse.

After nearly two years of planning, the Davidson Friends Meeting will break ground this Sunday, Feb. 12, on an addition to a home it owns on South Street that is to become its first permanent meetinghouse. The ceremony will be at noon at 625 South St., next to Davidson Elementary School.

The $350,000 to $400,000 project will include a renovation of the existing house and a 2,300-square-foot addition, which will provide space for weekly worship services. The group currently meets nearby at Calvary Presbyterian Church, and will remain there until the new meetinghouse is ready, possibly by the end of summer, member Rebecca Ruhlen said Thursday.

The Davidson Friends Meeting was founded in 1989 by six people with ties to Davidson College, including three professors. They met regularly at the college’s Carolina Inn, on North Main Street. They now have 20 or more at weekly services and about 40 members, and have begun seeking a new home.

Architect's view of the planned renovation, which includes a two-story meeting area at rear.

In 2007, the Quakers acquired the property at 625 South St., including a small house that it has used for children’s classes and committee meetings.

“We’ve been using the house, but it’s too small for our Sunday morning meetings for worship,” Ms. Ruhlen said. So they planned the addition.

The meetinghouse was designed by Davidson architect Paul B. Clark and will be built by Meridian DesignBuild and T/A England Custom Builders. See plans and other details about the new meetinghouse on the Friends’ website.

WANT TO GO?

Sunday’s groundbreaking will be at noon at 625 South St. Meanwhile, the Quakers welcome all to join in worship and to experience Quaker community on Sundays at 9:45 a.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 605 South St., Davidson. More information is available at davidson.quaker.org or by calling 704-895-8404.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Feb. 3, 2010, “Workshop Feb. 18 on Quakers’ plans for South St. site”

Jan. 14, 2010, “Friends meeting moves”

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Consultants working on the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project said Wednesday they’ll revise a key section of the financing plan to ease the potential burden on small businesses and property owners along the rail line.

They’re talking about two major changes in the $452 million plan: 1) reducing the assessments on properties that house small businesses; and 2) delaying assessments until the rail line is actually running. Consultants are planning other revisions as well:  On Wednesday, they also said that owners who rent out detached single-family homes in residential neighborhoods won’t have to pay the assessments. Read the full story

U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick, R-Charlotte, said Tuesday she won’t seek re-election in the reconfigured ninth Congressional district. The district will now stretch from Union County north to south Iredell and includes Davidson and Cornelius. At least one candidate – Republican county commissioner and former sheriff Jim Pendergraph – has already thrown a hat into ring. See our Election 2012 Page

New full professors, from left: Rick Gay, Dan Aldrich, Gayle Kaufman, Mario Belloni, Vivien Dietz.

Five Davidson College faculty members have hit a big milestone – promotion to full professor. The college announced last week that trustees approved the new rank for historians Daniel W. Aldridge III and Vivien E. Dietz, physics Prof. Mario Belloni, Education Prof. Rick Gay and sociologist Gayle Kaufman.

Full professor is the college’s top rank and recognizes faculty for achievements in teaching, professional activity, and college/community service. New professors typically begin at the rank of assistant professor. They can be granted tenure and promoted to associate professor after a sixth-year review. They become eligible for full-professor honors after another review and seven more years.

Here are biographies of the new full professors: Read the full story

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

It’s a busy week for meetings about the proposed Red Line Regional Rail Project. Mooresville’s Red Line Review Committee meets Tuesday morning. And what could turn out to be dueling meetings are scheduled Wednesday at Cornelius Town Hall – one with an anti-rail expert from the Cato Institute and another featuring a panel discussion with large property owners who support the project. Meanwhile, owners of property in downtown Davidson along the rail line have been invited to a Wednesday afternoon meeting explaining how the proposed financing would work. Read the full story