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INSIDE ▼ Police pull over 12-year-old driver
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PAGE 3A Friday, February 27, 2026 • Vol. 26 • No. 8
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Aircraft overturns at Monroe airport MONROE – A single-engine piston aircraft with three people on board overturned while landing Feb. 23. The aircraft ended up about 200 to 300 feet from the runway at Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport.
All three occupants were transported to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Airport staff immediately responded and alerted city police and fire personnel, who arrived quickly to assist the airport and passengers. The Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport runway was closed until Federal Aviation Administration investigators could inspect the crash site.
The overturned aircraft ended up 200 to 300 feet from the runway at Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport on Feb. 23.
Photo courtesy of City of Monroe
CULINARY DROPOUT
CRTPO awards over EXPANDING FOOTPRINT $25M for 16 projects, 2 in Matthews CHARLOTTE – Culinary Dropout has signed a lease at The Bowl in Ballantyne and will open this fall.
Arizona-based Fox Restaurant Concepts and restaurateur Sam Fox created the brand, which focuses on great food, inventive cocktails and live music. There is currently a location at 1120 South Tryon St. The upcoming two-story space will be located at 15220 Bowl St. On the first level, a dedicated stage will make space for live music, along with a large indoor bar with a frontrow seat to the open kitchen, a private dining room and patio seating. The top floor boasts a rooftop patio and indoor-outdoor bar. The menu will include shareable appetizers like the Soft Pretzels and Provolone Fondue, BBQ Pork Belly Nachos and Whipped Feta & Tahini Dip served with fresh pomegranate, a house-made apricot preserve and grilled ciabatta. Entrées include the Crispy Chicken Katsu sandwich, piled high with napa slaw and a spicy miso aioli; the Turkey Pastrami served on a freshly baked pretzel bun; and the 36-Hour Pork Ribs. Culinary Dropout’s beverage program offers a lineup of local beer, curated wines and handcrafted cocktails. Signature cocktails include: • Giddy Up Espresso Martini with vodka, Café Borghetti espresso liqueur, Spanish vanilla and cinnamon-spiced cold brew. • Abandoned Cadillac with Patrón tequila, Grand Marnier, pomegranate redux and tart lime. • Full Moon Party with lemongrass-soaked Tanqueray, velvet falernum, Thai basil leaf and English cucumber. On the web: culinarydropout.com
MATTHEWS – The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization approved funding allocations totaling $25,857,972 for several projects on Feb. 18.
Some of the entrées on the menu at the South Tryon Street restaurant include 36-Hour Pork Ribs, Beer Battered Fish & Chips, Fried Chicken, Korean Style Ribeye Cap, Ma...The Meatloaf, Mongolian Short Rib, Roasted Salmon, Spicy Rigatoni, Spicy Vegan Curry and Steak Frites. Photo courtesy of Culinary Dropout
Monroe Police Department arrests two men in shooting case MONROE – The Monroe Police Department has arrested two people Feb. 23 in connection with a shooting into an occupied home Dec. 10, 2025, in the 400 block of West Sunset Drive.
Police arrested Amaury Bowman Andrew Bowman, 18, of Wingate, and Bryce Jy'mir Covington, 19, of Wingate, on charges of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling. They were booked into the Union County Detention Center.
“At the Monroe Police Department, we don’t give up on cases – no matter how long they take,” Police Chief Rhett Bolen said. “Our detectives remain committed to pursuing every lead, every available resource and ensuring ac- Covington countability. Time does not diminish our dedication to victims or our responsibility to the community.” Officers responded to a 911 call on Dec. 10, 2025, reporting gunfire into an occupied
residence. Officers determined the home had been struck by at least 10 bullets. Multiple individuals, including young children and older adults, were inside at the time but no one was injured. Detectives identified the suspects after determining that two people opened fire on the home from the baseball fields at Sunset Park before fleeing the area on foot. Investigators used technology, including license plate readers, to assist in identifying and locating the suspects. The Union County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service assisted with the case.
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This discretionary project funding will support 16 projects across 10 jurisdictions in Iredell, Mecklenburg, and Union counties. The Town of Matthews was awarded two grants: • To help realign the intersection of Hargett Road at Sam Newell Road, which will help make driving through the area less awkward, especially as children get dropped off at and picked up from Crown Point Elementary School. • To add a 10-foot sidepath along a stretch of Monroe Road, from Bojangles to the Family Dollar Distribution Center. This will fill in a sidewalk gap along the busy highway, helping pedestrians better navigate the terrain. As the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Charlotte urban area, CRTPO oversees long-range transportation planning and ensures that Federal Highway Administration transportation funds are allocated and spent appropriately. CRTPO allocates federal discretionary funds to help jurisdictions implement transportation projects, programs and studies that may otherwise lack funding. Projects awarded in Charlotte, Matthews and Union County towns are as follows: • Centralina Regional Council: Best practices using the Metrolina CommunityViz Model – $44,960 • Charlotte: I-277 Rail Trail Pedestrian Bridge (East Morehead Street Brooklyn Village Station) – $2,549,395 • Matthews: Hargett Road and Sam Newell Road intersection improvements – $1,019,199 • Matthews: Monroe Road Sidewalk (Gander Cove Lane - Matthews/Charlotte town limits) – $1,042,337 • Mecklenburg County: Irwin Creek Greenway (Crestridge Drive - Yorkmont Road) – $2,553,050 • Monroe: Circle Drive Shared Use Path (Franklin Street - Sunset Drive) – $1,713,287 • Waxhaw: Kensington Dr Improvements (Providence Road - Connells Point Avenue) – $374,175 • Wesley Chapel: New Town Road and Billy Howey Road intersection improvements – $935,427 On the web: crtpo.org