Happy Thanksgiving, and a heartfelt thanks today to all who make DavidsonNews.net possible: Our readers, advertisers and financial supporters, as well as our staff and contributors. All of you have played a role in making this site a model for local news on the web.

Experts studying the evolution of local news have been watching DavidsonNews.net, and they say we’re as far along as anyone else around the country in developing a sustainable model for community news. At a Washington, D.C., conference last month, one speaker noted there are only about a dozen sites nationwide that have reached the point we’ve reached. As Davidsonians, we’re all partners in this. Read the full story

By GLENN BURKINS
Qcitymetro.com


I have often imagined the horror of being accused of a crime I didn’t commit, hauled into court while the real perpetrator goes free, out there somewhere smiling.

I watched that scenario play out Tuesday night at the school board meeting.

One by one for nearly four hours, more than 100 angry parents and residents – the majority of them black – rose to accuse the collective school board of insensitivity, incompetence or worst – outright racism. Read the full story

By JALETTA ALBRIGHT DESMOND

I usually dread Halloween. I find dressing up to be a drag, and I resent the brightly colored packages of potential cavities and calories that invade my home.

But my friend loves it. She loves the creativity it releases in her at the thrift store and sitting at her sewing machine — and she has an attic packed with fabulous costumes to prove it. She also has fond childhood memories Read the full story

Jenny Langford of Davidson sent the following letter to school officials about changes at Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, including a proposal to close Davidson IB Middle School and move the IB program to Alexander Middle School. She agreed to let DavidsonNews.net republish the letter.

To Dr. Peter Gorman and CMS Board Members,

I do thank you all for serving our children at this tough time for our NC, and general US, Public Schools. I am a product of public education, and a strong supporter of a healthy public system. I am writing about some of the proposed changes for the next school calendar year here in Mecklenburg County. Specifically I speak to you about Davidson IB Middle School, Read the full story

DavidsonNews.net has been online for 3 years and 10 months, and by now many of you are used to finding town news on an independent local website. That’s a great thing, though sites like DavidsonNews.net are hardly the norm in most towns and neighborhoods across the U.S. As DavidsonNews.net evolves, we’re continuing to win national recognition, and we remain a model others are watching closely. After attending a conference of local news publishers in Chicago recently, I’m more optimistic than ever about the future of local news.

Read the full story

By SUZANNE W. CHURCHILL

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board may close Davidson IB Middle School—the highest performing middle school in CMS, an “NC school of excellence,” and one of the top magnet middle schools in the nation, according to Magnet Schools of America. Last year, the school’s Future City Team won a national engineering competition, earning them a visit to the White House and a meeting with the president. This is the kind of academic success we’re shooting for, yet officials want to kill it. It’s too expensive, they say, suggesting that we can’t afford this kind of success. I say we can’t afford to lose it.

Read the full story

To the Editor:
We are working on our Silver Award for Girl Scouts. Our platform is Breast Cancer Awareness & Support. We are looking for volunteers to help us make knitted/crocheted caps for women undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

We would be happy to supply the yarn or you can certainly donate from your stash. We can supply patterns if you need one, but feel free to choose whatever pattern you are comfortable with. Just please make sure the yarn is SOFT for their delicate heads .

We will take as many as you would like to make – 1 or 10 … and we will pick them up from you. Please complete by Thanksgiving. Thanks so much for your time!

Grace Guarino & Hannah Pollock
Girl Scout Troop 965

If you have questions or to get yarn, please call Grace’s mom, Lisa, at 704-651-6202.

The writer reflects on the meaning of the Sept. 9 Rosh Hashanah holiday for himself and his Lake Norman Jewish Congregation. This weekend brings Yom Kippur, the second of the Jewish High Holidays. Find a schedule of events in our Sept. 7 article.

Rabbi Michael Shields

By RABBI MICHAEL SHIELDS

Rosh Hashanah is about renewal and progress, both personally and communally. In Hebrew, tichadesh means to renew oneself and kadima means forward or onward. As a rabbi, I feel renewed each day because of the interactions with my congregants and I hope they feel renewed by being part of the congregation. I pray that each of us can move forward in positive ways in the year to come.

Read the full story