20
02 – 202
24
INSIDE ▼ Officers seize fentanyl and meth in drug investigations PAGE 3A Friday, July 31, 2026 • Vol. 26 • No. 30
6
thecharlotteweekly.com/ucweekly
@ucweekly
Physicians expand to Union CHARLOTTE - Tryon Medical Partners has expanded into Union County with a new office in Waxhaw. Practice leaders celebrated its first Union County location with a ribbon-cutting July 28 and a $2,500 donation to the Downtown Waxhaw Association. The 4,800-square-foot office is located at 1621 South Providence Road, Suite 370. “Tryon is so fortunate to have patients from all over the Charlotte region who sometimes travel great distances to stay connected to their care teams,” said Dr. Robert Brownlee, president of Tryon Medical Partners. “We are humbled by their commitment to
our practice and hope that opening this office will serve them and many new patients in the Union County area.” Tryon Medical Partners Waxhaw will offer internal medicine services, led by Dr. Luis Bendezu, an internal medicine physician who has cared for patients since 1995. He provides primary care with clinical interests including preventive medicine, hypertension, cholesterol management and chronic disease care. Bendezu is supported by advanced care practitioner Sydney Foley. Both are accepting new patients. “Our goals for growth are ambitious because the demand
for Tryon’s unique care model is there,” said Lindsay Muns, CEO of Tryon Management Group, the team that provides administrative and operational support for Tryon Medical Partners. “Primary care is just the beginning of what we envision for Union County. We’re excited to bring Tryon’s exceptional care closer to home for our neighbors here.” Since last fall, the organization has added a primary care sports medicine subspecialty, Mohs surgery for patients with skin cancer, as well as enhanced gynecological services like EmpowerRF and Mona Lisa Touch. On the web: tryonmed.com
Brandi Stroud, Bernard Arthur, Dr. Luis Bendezu, Melissa Linker, Dr. Robert Brownlee, Lindsay Muns, Susanna Wedra, Pam Micosky and Daniel Farris celebrate the opening of a new Tryon Medical Partners office in Waxhaw. Photo courtesy of Tryon Medical Partners
Stay the course Charlotte med spa opens in Waxhaw
WHAT'S INSIDE:
By the Numbers Audit shows the cost of elections, 3A
ASSA ABLOY raised $106,243, which was the second-highest amount for a 24 Hours of Booty fundraising team. More than 900 people registered for the charity cycling and walking event. 24 Hours of Booty has raised more than $33 million since its inception in 2002. Photos courtesy of 24 Foundation
24 Hours of Booty raises $1.6M Dinner Theater Classic board game comes to life, 1B
Pages of Wisdom Overcoming being the new kid at school, 3B
CHARLOTTE – 24 Foundation has raised more than $1.6 million to date through this year’s 24 Hours of Booty. The charity cycling and walking event helps support cancer survivorship and patient navigation programs. The fundraiser brought together more than 900 registered participants and 85 teams from 22 states and three countries who cycled, walked, ran or rucked July 24 and 25 through Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood. Hundreds of volunteers supported the event.
“Celebrating the 25th edition of 24 Hours of Booty was a powerful reminder of what this community can accomplish together,” said Katherine Murphy, executive director of 24 Foundation. “Every rider, walker, runner, rucker, volunteer, cancer survivor, donor and supporter played a role in helping ensure cancer patients and survivors have access to the navigation and supportive oncology programs and services they need during see BOOTY, 3A
Monroe returns to Stage 1 water conservation restrictions MONROE – The City of Monroe reduced its water conservation measures from Stage 2 Mandatory Conservation to Stage 1 Voluntary Conservation on July 27. Recent rainfall has improved water levels across the city’s reservoirs. Water supply conditions include: • Lake Twitty has reached full pool and began flowing over the dam.
• Lake Lee is close to full pool, with water now spilling through the boards at the top of the dam. • Lake Monroe is more than seven feet below full pool but continues to recover. • The city will continue pumping the large quarry to maintain the full pool level of Lake Lee. The large quarry pump and pipe will remain in place through September. The
city is reviewing possibilities for its long-term use. With the increased water supply, the city is able to ease mandatory restrictions, though residents and businesses are still encouraged to limit outdoor watering to the early morning and late afternoon. “The recent rainfall has provided a welcome improvement to our water supply,” City Manager Mark
Watson said. “While we are pleased to return to voluntary conservation measures, we encourage everyone to continue using water responsibly. Our community’s conservation efforts, combined with these improved conditions, have helped strengthen our water system, and we remain focused on long-term water reliability.” On the web: monroenc. org/2026drought.
CHARLOTTE – Plumped has opened a second location at 216D W. North Main St. in Waxhaw. The Charlotte-based med spa invested more than $600,000 in the new 2,480-square-foot location, which used to house a hair salon. The Waxhaw location opened July 27 after nearly eight months of remodeling. A grand opening celebration is planned for Aug. 13. Plumped will maintain its headquarters on West Morehead Street in Charlotte. “Opening in Waxhaw marks an important step in Plumped’s growth and brings our services closer to clients across South Charlotte,” founder Kristin Cabeda said. “We built this practice by pairing technical precision with individualized care, and this expansion gives us the capacity to help more people achieve their aesthetic and lifestyle goals while maintaining that standard.” The med spa will also launch its new wellness and longevity division designed to support medically supervised weight management, peptide therapy, vitamin injections, IV nutrient therapy and advanced laboratory testing. The Waxhaw location will offer many of the same advanced aesthetic treatments available at Plumped’s Charlotte location, including radiofrequency treatments, injectables, chemical peels and microneedling. Before founding Plumped, Cabeda was the lead injector at a Charlotte med spa and worked as a physician assistant. She has previously worked in cardiology and critical care medicine. “We are particularly excited about adding new services to our already extensive offerings,” Cabeda said. “By combining advanced laboratory testing with physician-supervised weight management, peptide therapy, vitamin injections and IV nutrient therapy, the wellness and longevity division will provide patients with additional personalized pathways to improving their health, energy and overall well-being.” On the web: plumpedclt.com