20
02 – 202
5
INSIDE ▼ ABC Store closes for upgrades PAGE 2A Friday, June 20, 2025 • Vol. 25 • No. 25
thecharlotteweekly.com
@southcltweekly
Forum to explore real estate in Charlotte region CHARLOTTE – South Charlotte Partners announced the June SCP Breakfast Club topic: “Exploring the State of Residential Real Estate in the Region.”
Local experts will explore key trends shaping the residential real estate market in south Charlotte. Topics may include housing affordability, supply and
demand challenges, migration patterns, interest rate impacts, innovative housing product, development trends and what’s next for buyers, sellers and builders. The conversation will build on the suburban sense of south Charlotte, with a common thread of overall residential development, and touch on related topics such as transportation and
infrastructure in four jurisdictions: Mecklenburg, Union, York and Lancaster counties. Speakers at the event will include: • Ron Pappas, owner of New Leaf Development and former mayor of Waxhaw (moderator). • Lind Goodman, president of BSI Builder Services. • Jose Luis, District 4 representative of the Lancaster
County Council. • Pat Quinn, managing member of Stillwater Development & Stillwater Engineers. The event will be hosted in a panel format, so participants can share multiple perspectives. Attendees will also have the chance to ask questions and interact with the speakers following the discussion. "Our community is
experiencing a pivotal moment in residential real estate, and this panel will provide important insights into the trends shaping our regional housing market," said Ben Mears, board chair of South Charlotte Partners. "Residents and stakeholders alike will benefit from what is sure to be an engaging conversation." The breakfast will be held
OLDER ADULTS ATTEND
SENIOR EXPO Justin Vick/CMG photos
MATTHEWS – Charlotte Media Group brought dozens of businesses under one roof for a senior expo June 12 at the Levine Senior Center.
The free event allowed older adults to interact with businesses across the Charlotte region that specialize in serving seniors in industries like beauty, health, home repairs, housing, insurance and technology. Nonprofits were also represented thanks to organizations like the Centralina Area Agency on Aging and Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center. The event included brunch and raffle prizes. See more photos at the Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly’s Facebook page (@mmhweekly).
Beavers can be more than just a nuisance By Deb Coates Bledsoe Contributor
Did you know that a beaver is the largest native rodent in North America? It weighs 35 to 50 pounds and has a very large, flat tail that it uses for guidance in the water like a rudder. It can also be a source of communication, slapping its tail on the water to warn of danger. Breanna Walker, an education specialist with the Union County Wildlife Federation, gave a presentation June 11 at Wesley Chapel Village Hall on the “Benefits of Beavers.” “The beavers are not just about destruction,” she said. “They also create wetland ecosystems, which provide a habitat for ducks, amphibians and insect species. They’re architects. Their dams help filter out pollutants and they recharge our groundwater supplies.” Beavers can help control flooding by slowly releasing flood waters, minimizing impact downstream. They also reduce bank erosion, their dams create water for wildlife, create fire resistant
Photos courtesy of Deb Coates Bledsoe
Breanna Walker, an education specialist with the Union County Wildlife Federation, demonstrates the softness of beaver fur and shows the orangeness of their front teeth due to the amount of lead in their teeth.
landscapes, and can provide income for the landowners. These are benefits, however, that the public doesn’t always see. “They just see the trees coming down,” Walker said. “We don’t think about the habitats they’re also creating. We don’t see how they’re helping other wildlife species.” Beavers are herbivores, only eating plants, bark and leaves. They are also crepuscular, which means, like deer, they only come out at
dusk and dawn. Beavers can hold their breath for six to eight minutes, and they can swim up to six miles per hour. They are monogamous, choosing one mate for life. They have on average three to four babies or “kits” per birth cycle. They live in family units, rather than groups or colonies. Once the kits reach 2 years old, they are kicked out of the lodge to go find their own family. Much of the beaver’s day is
Nadia, a 13-year-old eighth-grader said she enjoyed the beaver presentation. She hopes to become a forest ranger one day.
spent building and/or repairing their homes, lodges or dams. The entire family works on these ongoing repairs. On the downside, because beavers are considered a “nuisance species,” they cannot be relocated. If a landowner wants a family of beavers removed from his property, a trapper must capture and destroy the entire family. The youngest member of the Wesley Chapel audience was Nadia, a 13-year-old eighth-grader, who hopes to have a career working with wildlife. Nadia said she enjoyed the presentation and learned a great deal about beavers. “I’ve always liked animals,” she said. “I enjoy learning about the positives and the negatives. I want to do something with animals in the future. Right now, I’m studying what it takes to become a park ranger.” Email Walker at Breanna.walker@unioncountync.gov or call her at 704-324-9228 for more information about beavers and other wildlife questions. Visit ncwildlife.org to learn more about managing a beaver pond.
from 8 to 9:30 a.m. June 26 the AC Hotel Charlotte Ballantyne, 14819 Ballantyne Village Way. Tickets cost $25 in advance and $35 at the door. Register at eventbrite. com. A limited number of networking tables are available. Interested businesses can email scltpartners@gmail. com for details.
Leon Levine Foundation supports workforce development CHARLOTTE – Per Scholas North Carolina is expanding its workforce development programs, creating more no-cost tech training opportunities in underserved communities across the state. The expansion is made possible thanks to a $300,000, three-year grant from The Leon Levine Foundation.
Per Scholas is a nonprofit that advances economic mobility by building sustainable and inclusive tech talent pipelines. The grant will help strengthen Per Scholas’s reach throughout North Carolina, providing workforce training programs in underserved communities to fill tech job vacancies across the state. Per Scholas offers remote courses statewide and in-person courses in Charlotte, with plans to expand in-person classes to Wilmington and the Research Triangle Park. The courses are rigorous, meeting full-time for 13-to-15 weeks. Subjects include IT support, software engineering and cybersecurity. Local companies that have hired Per Scholas graduates include Wells Fargo, Lowe’s, TEK Systems, Charter Communications and Inmar Intelligence. In 2023, more than 300 learners in North Carolina graduated from the program, with estimated first-year wages totaling $9.85 million. "Per Scholas is paving a path to self-sufficiency for hundreds of families across North Carolina," said Tom Lawrence, president and CEO of The Leon Levine Foundation. "Its workforce development training provides new skills that will create financial stability for hardworking Carolinians. We are proud to partner with Per Scholas to ensure even more families will have the same opportunity toward a more prosperous future." Per Scholas courses are offered at no charge to learners. Funding is provided by foundations, corporate support and individual gifts. Along with education in technical professions, learners receive training on soft skills such as communication, collaboration and job interviews. Financial coaches and mental health specialists provide guidance on personal finance, homeownership, mental well-being and combating imposter syndrome. Alumni programming gives graduates the chance to continually improve their skills and advance their careers. “Since our launch in 2020, Per Scholas North Carolina has created opportunities for 700 North Carolinians across our state through no-cost, technical skills training and employer connections.” said Michael Terrell, Per Scholas North Carolina's senior managing director. “With the incredibly generous support of The Leon Levine Foundation, we can develop more opportunities for economic mobility while building the skills of the state's workforce.”