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Friday, May 2, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 18
thecharlotteweekly.com
@southcltweekly
Hugh McColl portrait by Annie Leibovitz on display CHARLOTTE – A new portrait of former Bank of America leader Hugh McColl, taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, is on public view at Mint Museum Randolph.
Leibovitz took the photo on McColl’s Texas ranch. It was commissioned by close friends to honor his 90th birthday in June. In a departure from his business attire, McColl is shown in jeans with a
belt and his favorite belt buckle, a casual black button-up shirt, a jacket he purchased in Scotland in the 1960s, and a black cowboy hat. He stands tall against a windswept landscape beneath drifting clouds. The portrait was unveiled April 26 at the Mint's Coveted Couture Gala. “This is the rare case of an icon photographing an icon,” said Todd Herman, president and CEO of The Mint Museum. “Annie has captured both the
strength and humanity of one of Charlotte’s favorite sons.” The portrait was commissioned specifically for The Mint Museum in celebration of McColl’s milestone birthday and in conjunction with the exhibition “ANNIE LEIBOVITZ / WORK,” on view at Mint Museum Uptown through Aug. 31. The portrait is currently displayed at Mint Museum Randolph and will be moved to Mint Museum Uptown later this summer.
Photographer Annie Leibovitz captured a side of business leader Hugh McColl that a lot of people don’t get to see. McColl views the portrait at Mint Museum Randolph.
Photo courtesy of The Mint Museum.
Charlotte launches car share program at apartment complex
CMS school board approves 2025-26 budget CHARLOTTE – The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education approved the 2025-26 budget for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools at the April 22 meeting by a 5-3 vote.
Mayor Vi Lyles (second from left) and Charlotte City Council Member Marjorie Molina (third from left) took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate a new car share program. Photo courtesy of City of Charlotte
CHARLOTTE – The City of Charlotte celebrated the launch of a new electric vehicle car share program with a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 23 at Peppertree Apartments.
The initiative brings affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable transportation directly to residents in one of the city’s Corridors of Opportunity. Peppertree Apartments, located in the Albemarle Road/Central Avenue Corridor of Opportunity, recently underwent $8 million in renovations to preserve affordability. The complex now features a fleet of shared EVs and charging infrastructure. Residents can reserve and use vehicles for daily errands, medical appointments and commutes without the high cost of car ownership. “This project is a perfect example of what it looks like when we align our values with action,” Mayor Vi Lyles said. “By investing in electric vehicle access in our Corridors of Opportunity, we’re giving families the tools they need to reach better jobs, education and services, while building a more sustainable future for Charlotte.”
Charlotte is one of 13 cities nationwide to receive grant funding through the national community carshare pilot, the Affordable Mobility Platform, also known as AMP. The program is designed to increase transportation access for residents in affordable housing while reducing carbon emissions in underserved communities. “This car share program is a blueprint for climate-smart solutions,” said Heather Bolick, Charlotte’s chief sustainability and resiliency officer. “We’re proud to bring electric mobility to where it’s needed most and to show that clean transportation can be both practical and transformative.” Officials said the project aligns with Charlotte’s Strategic Energy Action Plan, which charts a course to become a low carbon city by 2050. AMP is a program developed and managed by Forth, with support from a coalition of national and local partners including the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition, Ascent Housing, Envision Charlotte and DreamKey Partners. The program will maintain, charge and manage vehicles to ensure longterm usability and affordability.
Mayor Vi Lyles speaks in front of an electric vehicle that is part of the program.
“This is more than a transportation solution, it’s a housing stability solution,” said Rebecca Hefner, director of the Housing & Neighborhood Services Department. “When families have access to dependable, affordable mobility, they’re better positioned to succeed, and our communities grow stronger.” This is the first of four activations for Carolina Carshare. Program expansion will continue through 2025.
Academy Sports + Outdoors opens store in Pineville PINEVILLE – Academy Sports + Outdoors celebrated the grand opening of its first store in Pineville from April 25 to 27.
Throughout the weekend, customers could find deals and giveaways as well as an assortment of sports and outdoor merchandise, inside the 56,000-square-foot store at 9557 South Blvd. Customers can also expect to find an assortment of athletic and casual shoes, sports and outdoors equipment, and clothing from top brands, such as Nike, Adidas, Marucci, Stanley, Carhartt, Titleist, Shimano, YETI, Brooks and Blackstone. Academy also has exclusive, private label brands that cover outdoor apparel and equipment, women’s and men’s apparel, workout attire, fishing equipment, hunting optics and accessories, and outdoor furniture.
Two days before the grand opening, Academy Sports + Outdoors surprised 15 kids with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte with $5,000 to shop in the store.
Photos courtesy of Academy Sports + Outdoors
The new Pineville location is where customers can find equipment for a variety of sports, chairs and coolers, tents and sleeping bags for hiking trips, and everything from
grills to games for the backyard. Academy offers free services such as grill and bike assembly, scope mounting, bore sighting, and line winding/spooling. Customers can
The Jordan Brand also launched instore and online.
also buy hunting and fishing licenses in the store. On the web: academy.com/ Pineville.
The vote came after a Jan. 18 joint meeting with county commissioners, a Feb. 18 budget work session, numerous stakeholder feedback sessions and an April 8 public hearing, where constituents shared their thoughts. T h e b u d g e t re q u e s t s $667,579,849 in operating funds from Mecklenburg County and includes: • A 3% salary increase assumption for all staff, including teachers and classified staff, based on recent state trends. • An average 5% increase in teacher supplements to remain competitive. • Ongoing investments in teacher growth and professional development. • $8.3 million to support the second phase of the Classified Compensation Study, which addresses long-standing pay disparities for classified staff. • $2 million for student devices to ensure they all have access to digital learning tools. The budget aligns with board-created goals, the strategic plan and CMS’s pillars of excellence. As CMS enters the 2025-26 budget year, the district faces the challenge of operating with less funding for critical resources due to the loss of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. “We must make strategic decisions to balance priorities and sustain essential services. I believe this budget does that,” Chair Stephanie Sneed said. “The budget is focused on maintaining services while investing in staff, students and technology which are essential to achieving the board's goals in the areas of reading and math, and ensuring students are on track to being enrolled in higher education, gainfully employed with a livable wage, or enlisted in the armed services.” School board members Melissa Easley, Lisa Cline and Summer Nunn voted against the budget. Each spoke about the need to ask for increased teacher pay. “Teachers should not be priced out of living in the communities that they serve,” Easley said. The approved budget will be shared with county commissioners on May 7.