Mary Hill Gaston Flagler

My momma would not buy me white go-go boots in the fifth grade. She said they were a fad that would fade. Of course she was right – about that, and so much else.

As Mother’s Day approaches on May 13, here’s a tribute to the perfect mom for me: Mary Hill Gaston Flagler of Gastonia. Read the full story

Davidson’s mayor responds to concerns about Carolinas HealthCare System’s announcement of plans for a mental health hospital in east Davidson. (May 9, 2012, “Carolinas HealthCare to build psych hospital on NC 73″

By JOHN WOODS

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to some questions and comments concerning the recent Carolinas Healthcare System announcement of plans to develop a behavioral health hospital in Davidson. Read the full story

"La, la, la" (Anna Prushinski photo)

I had a dream that Dodger was running free in Richardson Stadium at Davidson College, which is against the rules. I was crawling across the rubbery track, doing a breathlessly dreamy slo-mo “fail” at getting to him. He dashed merrily about the artificial turf field, paying no mind to the authoritative benchmarks of the gridiron, nor to me. La, la, la! he went, happy. “Doooddggerrr!” I went, unhappy.

Rather than burden ourselves here with tortured interpretations, I posit the dream as archetype: Spirited soul instinctively running free, gleefully heedless (happy) of the synthetic culture of benchmarks we construct with our increasingly compulsive content manipulation and the resultant aggravation of inbred psycho-social neuroses (unhappy). Read the full story

Former mayoral candidate Vince Winegardner recently emailed Town Board members and other town officials to propose a new way of paying for the annual subsidy to MI-Connection Communications System – the local communications network the town owns with Mooresville. There are many questions about how it might work and whether it’s even legal. Here’s his proposal.

To the editor:

MI Connection is no longer a funny joke about questionable decision making by a few. The debt is a serious threat to Davidson’s ability to fund its legitimate needs. In FY 2011 it was a $1.9 million subsidy, in FY 2012 it is a $2.4 million subsidy, and in FY 2013 it is expected to be approximately $2.4 million. These numbers represent about 24% of the budget and overshadow every town decision. The citizens continue to patiently wait for the situation to resolve itself but this non-governmental expense is unlikely to be addressed by the current leadership. Read the full story

Jocelyn Albright Desmond

The recent death of Davidson resident and W.A. Hough High School student Jocelyn Albright Desmond has given many of us cause to reflect – about teenage life, cyber bullying and suicide. Her loss is still a painful wound for both family and friends. Today her parents, Alan and Jaletta Desmond, are sharing their thoughts and feelings in a pair of letters published below.

Jocelyn, 17, died March 15. She was a Hough High junior, active in her church and at school, where she loved track and singing. But there were things the Desmonds did not know about their daughter until after her death. They reflected on both her life and death in letters read by friends at a March 17 funeral service, within a few days of her passing. Read the full story

Bill Thunberg

By BILL THUNBERG
Lake Norman Transportation Commission

Recent discussion of the Red Line Regional Rail Project has been intense – and so has the dissemination of misinformation about the project. This discussion is the result of the Red Line Task Force’s referral of a draft business and finance plan for review by the communities along the line.

Public discussion of the project has included a considerable amount of very thoughtful input and intense questioning, as was intended. Unfortunately, this regional conversation has been seen by those opposed to transit and the transit tax as a surrogate target for the failed effort to repeal the transit tax. Transit is a part of the transportation plan for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region, and rail is a part of the transit and transportation systems designed to serve this region. Read the full story

To the Editor:

The recent rejection of the mental health hospital in Huntersville was troubling to me. (See March 6, 2012, “Huntersville board rejects mental health hospital, 4-2.”) It seems that many people just do not understand the actual safety procedures that would be in place and/or the myths about those diagnosed with a mental disorder and in need of hospitalization are still alive and well. It appears the “not in my backyard” argument has won out over the actual reality and ramifications of such a facility.

The stigma attached to mental illness has defeated our responsibility to raise awareness of mental illness and help make sure that there is a place where the thousands of people in the lake Norman region who struggle with mental illness can find help if needed. Read the full story

John Woods

John Woods is chair of the Metropolitan Transit Commission’s Red Line Task Force and mayor of Davidson.

By JOHN WOODS

Everyone, please take a deep breath! There has been a great deal of discussion, and misinformation, regarding the Red Line Regional Rail Project, and I would like to set the record straight on several issues.

Let’s first remember that we are not debating whether to implement the Red Line. We are instead working together on how and when to bring this project to life. Our communities have twice voted in support of transit, and our citizens continue to voice their support for bringing passenger rail to the North Corridor. So now we are doing the hard work: Figuring out the details of how to fund this initiative and make it a reality. Read the full story