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INSIDE ▼ Hilary Duff among upcoming concerts
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PAGE 2B Friday, February 20, 2026 • Vol. 26 • No. 7
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Matthews Area Chamber celebrates business leaders MATTHEWS – The Matthews Area Chamber of Commerce recognized several standouts in the business community during its annual Awards Luncheon on Feb. 11 at Christ Covenant Church.
CottageCare Charlotte earned Business of the Year. The home cleaning service operates out of Crown Point Executive Drive in Charlotte. The company thanked the chamber, staff, clients and community for the achievement. “Being named the 2025 Business of the Year by the Matthews Area Chamber of Commerce is a reflection of the trust you’ve placed in us, and we don’t take that lightly,” the company posted on Facebook. Ames Street Marketplace won the Rising Star Award, given to an impactful business
that has opened within the last three years. The venue is home to Carolina Beer Temple and other businesses. Rob Jacik, president and owner of Carolina Beer Temple, opened the small business marketplace last year. “We were recognized for our outstanding events (inside and outside the chamber), our charitable contributions and for being a great place for small businesses to get their start,” Jacik shared on Facebook. “Fellow chamber members, Trailside Games and Hobbies, The Back Corner Matthews and CannaBuddy were all recognized as part of this award.” The Matthews Free Medical Clinic won Nonprofit of the Year. The health clinic has been providing health care to low-income and uninsured residents of Mecklenburg and Union counties for many years.
“This recognition belongs to our dedicated volunteers, compassionate staff, generous supporters and community partners who make our mission possible every single day,” the nonprofit shared on Facebook. “Together, we are expanding access to quality healthcare for our neighbors who need it most.” The Matthews Police Department won the Community Impact Award. “The members of our C.O.R.E. Unit were recognized for the dozens of events and programs they facilitate annually in the Matthews community, which is vital to continuing to build and maintain those invaluable relationships with the citizens we serve,” the police department posted on Facebook. The chamber also recognized individuals in the business community: • Ambassador of the Year: Chuck Moore,
Ames Street Marketplace won the chamber’s Rising Star Award for its business model, programming and giving back. CMG file photo
NorthGroup Real Estate. • Volunteer of the Year: Jessi Rubenstein, Edward Jones Financial Advisor. • Woman of the Year: Kristin Wiedenhoeft, The Pentagon Group Insurance Agency.
Novant Health Foundation
distributes Valentine’s Day flowers
Love letters found in attic reveal a Southern romance CHARLOTTE – Author Catherine Metzger unveils a 1920s romance preserved in more than 700 letters discovered in her family’s attic.
The Novant Health Foundation supports patients and healthcare team members through moments of compassion, gratitude and community connection.
Photos courtesy of Novant Health
WINSTON-SALEM – Novant Health Foundation recently distributed 30,000 bouquets of flowers, generously donated by Food Lion, to hospital patients and Novant Health team members across the Carolinas.
“We are grateful to Food Lion for partnering with Novant Health Foundation to help us share the love this Valentine’s Day,” said
Kim Henderson, Novant Health executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “This thoughtful donation is a meaningful way to show appreciation for our patients and team members across the Carolinas.” The flowers are intended to brighten hospital environments for patients and recognize the dedication of team members who care for patients
every day. “To us, taking care of the neighbors in our communities transcends beyond our stores,” said Chris Dove, vice president, produce and floral category management at Food Lion. “We hope this donation brings joy and uplifts both the patients and Novant Health team members who receive them.”
Fire chief recognizes Mint Hill pioneer By John Phillips Contributor
Paul Edward Campbell was born April 3, 1944, and he passed away at 81 years of age in Greenville, N.C., on Jan. 31. Paul was a longtime member of the Mint Hill Volunteer Fire Department, and he served as chief from 1978 to 1998, as well as being a longtime employee of the Town of Mint Hill. Paul was a simple man who was a natural leader for the fire department all through the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and he taught many of us not only about the technical side of firefighting but also about how to be a servant to the people. He was a living example of what a servant leader should be. Paul's fire service career began in 1961 when he joined the Mint Hill Volunteer Fire Department, though there were reports that he was hanging around there before he was 18 and before he could legally become a member for quite some time. He became a captain in that fire department in 1973. In 1976, he was employed by the Town of Mint Hill as the one-man band public works department, or as it was called then, the streets department. As the need for emergency services grew, the town officials allowed Paul to drop his shovel or get off the tractor and go respond to people's urgent needs for help during working hours. One of Paul's most significant achievements for the area was in 1980, when he was leading the fire department to lower the area's ISO fire insurance rating from a class 9 to a class 6, a change that reduced the fire insurance premiums for
property owners all across the 39-square-mile fire district. This was accomplished by strategically installing dry hydrants, which are PVC drafting connections into local ponds, lakes, and streams to supply water for fire scenes in areas that do not have a municipal water system or pressurized hydrants. Then he coordinated with other nearby fire departments to be dispatched to come and help haul that water in the case of a structure fire. At the time, it was really the only fire department in North Carolina that had achieved that low of a rating without a municipal water system. He also helped establish the department's emergency ambulance transport service in 1974, and he led that group's transition from basic level care to paramedic level care. That organization served this area for 45 years. Paul's ability to lead on the fly in the face of a disaster was tested when Hurricane Hugo devastated the area in 1989. He led crews to rescue residents and clear roads even as the hurricane was passing through. Paul led the fire department to be a temporary emergency operations center for the town during that natural disaster. The town hall at the time did not have emergency generator power, but the fire department did. So Paul set up an area at the fire station for the Town of Mint Hill operations to continue while electrical power was out in the area for weeks. Then Paul organized the fire station as a shelter for weeks after the storm, providing fresh water and lodging, and with the help of the fire department ladies’ auxiliary, served three hot meals a day for any citizens in need, as well as for the firefighters, their families, local workers, and even the National Guard. If you needed a
place to sleep, it was provided. If you were there at mealtime, there was a seat for you at the table. Later, Paul and his wife Sherry became North Carolina-certified EMT instructors, training and certifying many people in pre-hospital emergency medicine. In his later years with the Town of Mint Hill, as the need for emergency services continued to skyrocket, Paul served as director of emergency services for the Town of Mint Hill, and that department expanded its roster of paid firefighters, EMTs and paramedics. This eventually led to the Mint Hill Municipal Fire Department that we serve from today. Paul was fair but expected your best effort if you worked for him. He was equally comfortable talking with politicians, businessmen and ditch diggers alike, although I think he would rather spend time with the ditch diggers, just to be honest about it. The Mint Hill Fire Department as we know it today owes so much to Paul's leadership. He taught us to never be satisfied with the status quo, but to keep innovating with new technologies and pathways to enable us to do our job better, and to never leave behind that public servant mindset that we still try to instill in our members today. So with that, I'll say thank you, Chief Paul. Rest in peace. We've got it from here. Thank you. John Phillips serves as chief of the Mint Hill Fire Department. He shared these remarks during the public comment portion of the Feb. 12 town board meeting.
“Malcolm and Ida: A Love Story in Letters” is an intimate chronicle of d e v o t i o n , Catherine Metzger resilience and everyday life in the early 20th-century South. When Malcolm Kyzer, principal of Cochran High School in Georgia, hired Ida Reynolds as a schoolteacher, he could never have predicted the turn his life would take. Their connection drew unwanted attention. With the disapproval of a superior, both suddenly found themselves without jobs. Before they went their separate ways in search of work, Malcolm and Ida made a promise to marry and began a long-distance courtship. They wrote about the ordinary details of daily life as well as their deepest fears and dreams, revealing how love endured in an era shaped by strict societal norms and limited opportunities. “Getting to know my grandparents as young adults was definitely an emotional discovery,” Metzger said. Having never had the chance to meet her grandmother, Metzger explains that “these correspondences have now given her a place in my memory.” Through the process of transcribing more than 700 letters, Metzger uncovered a story of two people deeply in love and shaped by the time they lived in. Among the most moving discoveries were letters intentionally saved for future grandchildren. “When I read that moment of foreshadowing, leaving the letters for grandchildren she would never meet, I knew their story needed to be shared,” Metzger said. Published by Warren Publishing, “Malcolm and Ida: A Love Story in Letters” can be ordered on warrenpublishing. net as well as bookshop.org, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.