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INSIDE ▼ Primrose School opens Waxhaw location
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Senior living is getting better than ever about 35 minutes south of Charlotte at Park Pointe Village.
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PAGE 3A Friday, June 5, 2026 • Vol. 26 • No. 22
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Nonprofit picks up 24 bags of trash INDIAN TRAIL – Volunteers from the North Carolina chapter of Dr. Shri Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Pratishthan recently came together for a Adopt-A-Highway cleanup drive on Union Highway between Lawyers Road and N.C. 218. In collaboration with the N.C. Department of Transportation, 10 volunteers collected 360 pounds of waste, filling 24 large
bags along a 5.2-mile stretch. Founded with the mission of fostering environmental consciousness, DSNDP’s motto, “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” meaning “The world is one family,” reflects its global commitment to a cleaner planet. This philosophy, along with the leadership of Dr. Shri Appasaheb Dharmadhikari and Dr. Shri Sachindada Dharmadhikari, drives the organization’s work
toward a cleaner and greener future. To date, DSNDP’s efforts have engaged more than 4,529 volunteers nationwide, removing nearly 68,145 pounds of waste from public spaces. In North Carolina, volunteers have contributed more than 865 hours of service, collecting about 8,085 pounds of trash through multiple events. On the web: dsndp.com
Since launching its nationwide efforts in 2022, DSNDP has carried out numerous successful AdoptA-Highway, river, park and greenway cleanup events across North Carolina, including Union County. Photo courtesy of DSNDP
City adopts budget with no tax hike
Union Academy showed through its pop tabs collection drive that small habits add up over time. Photos courtesy of Union Academy
Union Academy collects 1M pop tabs MONROE – Union Academy collected one million pop tabs to date, which is the equivalent of 1,000 pounds of recycled aluminum, to support the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. The school community collected 329.85 pounds during the current school year alone. To honor this achievement, Hunter Hughes, community engagement specialist for the Ronald McDonald House, recently visited the campus to present a certificate of appreciation to UA staff members alongside the student-led Character Crew. The pop tab collection program helps fund the operations of the Ronald McDonald House, which provides housing, meals
and comfort to families of seriously ill children receiving medical treatment. Union Academy’s cumulative donations have funded 10 nights of lodging for a family, allowing them to stay steps away from their child’s hospital bedside free of charge. For the Union Academy community, this mission is personal. In 2016, UA student Colby Holmes was hospitalized with an unexpected illness, and his family found comfort at the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte. In a full-circle moment, Colby’s sister, Aubry, was given a blanket during their stay that had been put together by UA students as part of another service project to
benefit Ronald McDonald House. “Our core values at Union Academy center heavily on character and community service,” said Amy Yermack, head of school. “It is rewarding for our students, staff and families to see firsthand how the efforts put into service
are truly appreciated, needed and life-changing for families going through their hardest moments.” Union Academy plans to continue its pop tab collection in the coming school years and invites the community to save their aluminum tabs to help support the cause.
MONROE – The Monroe City Council voted unanimously May 26 to adopt a 2026-27 annual budget that holds the property tax rate steady and funds capital needs without adding new debt. The General Fund budget is $72 million and the total budget of General Fund and Enterprise Funds is $231 million; a slight decrease over prior years’ budgets. City Manager Mark Watson described his recommendation as a maintenance budget focused on preserving and improving the quality of services that residents depend upon without placing new financial burdens on taxpayers. This is a budget with no new taxes, no new debt and no new positions, while still fully funding public safety and every core service the city provides. Key Priorities ▪ Investing in Firefighters: The budget addresses fire department compensation, placing the Monroe Fire Department at a competitive position for recruiting and retaining experienced firefighters. ▪ Streets and Infrastructure: The budget fully funds the council’s priority of expanding Monroe’s street paving and resurfacing program, representing a commitment of more than $20 million over four years, funded through a combination of General Fund appropriations and Powell Bill revenues. ▪ Permitting and Business Services: The budget continues a council priority of investments in permitting operations to provide faster service to residents, developers and businesses. ▪ Investing in Employees: Every qualifying full-time city employee will see a 3% cost-of-living pay increase under the new budget. The city is also expanding its 401k contribution, moving from a 3% base with a 2% optional match to a flat 5% contribution for all full-time employees regardless of whether they contribute themselves. Employee health see BUDGET, Page 3A
Waxhaw student wins scholarship to study abroad LEXINGTON, V.A. – Washington and Lee University senior Darby Burgett has earned a Boren Scholarship. Burgett, of Waxhaw, majors in environmental studies and minors in law, justice and society, and poverty and human capability studies. With the Boren Scholarship, she will study Indonesian with the Southeast Asian Flagship Languages Initiative, spending this summer at the University of Wisconsin’s Southeast
Asian Studies Summer Institute before studying at the State University of Malang in Indonesia in the fall. “This opportunity is a recognition of my commitment to public service and will allow me to develop a linguistic and regional specialization that will inform my future graduate studies and career in the federal government,” said Burgett, who attended the Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute at
Princeton University in 2025. “It is a culmination of my four years at W&L, a result of my extensive time abroad, as well as my professional and academic experiences. It can also be attributed to my family and the faculty and staff who have supported me, both with this application and during my time at W&L.” Studying abroad has been a cornerstone of Burgett’s W&L experience. She credits these experiences with
“fundamentally altering how [she views] the world.” She spent a semester studying in Australia and interning in Singapore, a semester as a visiting student at Korea University, and Spring Terms in South Korea, Sweden, Denmark and Zimbabwe. Burgett is the vice president of partnership and outreach for the Student Environmental Action League and president of the W&L Climate Alliance.
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Education has taken Waxhaw resident Darby Burgett all over the world. She'll head to Indonesia next. Photo courtesy of Washington and Lee University