INSIDE ▼ David Cohn becomes mayor PAGE 1B Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 • Vol. 15 • No. 8
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Sun sets on solar farm proposal by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MONROE – Union County commissioners denied a request Feb. 21 from Blue Star Solar to rezone nearly 600 acres to build a solar farm three miles south of Mineral Springs. County staff and the planning board recommended approving the project because the use wouldn’t impact noise,
light or traffic levels on neighboring properties. It wouldn’t hurt property values either, according to staff. Commissioners voted to deny the proposal by a 4-1 vote despite the applicant offering a bond to decommission the site as an additional condition. David Williams was the dissenting vote. He told colleagues he struggled with his decision.
“I think when you look at possible alternative uses of the site, I think the proposed use makes a lot of sense,” Williams said.” There’s a good deal of business personal property that will be taxed by the county. None of this development will be an impact to our roads or Union County Public Schools.” He encouraged Richard Helms to withdraw his motion
to deny the plan to give staff more time to evaluate bonds related to the project. Helms did not budge from his motion. N.C. Rep. Mark Brody spoke against the project during the Feb. 7 public hearing. He thought the solar farm industry was overly subsidized and the project wouldn’t reach its 40-year life cycle. He also questioned the costs of decommissioning the site.
Shiny new hospital An inside look at Atirum Health Union West, 3A
Lawmakers draw up new voting districts, 4A
Memory Gala ABOVE: Ginger Burns (left) and Tammy Williams in the pharmacy. BOTTOM LEFT: The healing garden. BOTTOM RIGHT: Kim Underwood educates in the maternity center.Photos courtesy of Atrium Health
Fancy art International Banksy exhibit arrives, 2B
Skateboarders ask Indian Trail for park
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increase in popularity since skateboarding became an Olympic sport last year. “It’s much more than just a sport or hobby,” McMackin said. “It can also be a lifestyle.” McMackin cited a 2020 study from the University of Southern California that showed how skateboarding can improve mental health, community and diversity. It could attract more young people in town or maybe even a skateboard shop. McMackin said the closest skateparks are 20 to 30 minutes away, including Waxhaw Sk8 Park and Charlotte’s Grayson and Renaissance
skateparks. The lack of a nearby park may prompt youth to skate in uncontrolled environments like the street, McMackin said. The pair talked with Waxhaw Parks and Recreation Director Dena Sabinske about how Waxhaw operates its park. Mayor Pro Tem Todd Barber said the town has about $1.8 million left in park bond funding as well as some spare property. Barber directed the duo to get with Parks and Recreation Director Hayden Kramer to come up with some practical ways to get the ball rolling. Council members Tom Amburgey
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Wingate launches biology concentration focusing on agriculture and food systems
New maps
INDIAN TRAIL – Porter Ridge High School graduates Sam McMackin and Wyatt Austin have warmed up Indian Trail leaders to the idea of adding a skateboard park to the town’s recreation lineup. The pair appeared before the town council Feb. 7 to request members add a skateboard park to their capital projects list. “Our vision for this skatepark is to have a safe, positive and free place for anyone to go and do what they love in Indian Trail,” Austin said. “As enthusiasts, we couldn’t agree with that more.” McMackin said there’s been an
Williams
Feeding Union's economy
Jackson gets a bobblehead, 4B
Fundraiser to take on Alzheimer's, 1B
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and Crystal Buchaluk were also supportive. Amburgey commended them for having the confidence to present the idea to the council. He’d like to open the park to bikes, too. “In a day and age when everyone is behind a computer all the time, I think something that encourages our youth to get out is a good idea,” Buchaluk said. Austin thanked Town Clerk Kathy McQueen for accepting their emails and getting them in touch with the right people. He also credited the late Mayor Michael Alvarez for his support of the project.
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WINGATE – Wingate University is surrounded by some of the most fertile land in North Carolina. In fact, Union County is one of the top agricultural producers in the state, ranking fourth overall in the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture. In tandem with that, nearly 10% of Union County, and almost 17% of nearby Anson County, is described as “food insecure.” It makes sense, then, that Wingate is starting an agriculture and food systems concentration within the biology major. “We produce so much food here in Union County, but we still have a high amount of food insecurity,” said Dr. Erika Niland, chair of the university’s biology department. “It’s just the right time. Sort of the perfect storm of everything is here to go ahead and do it.” The university will admit 10 students each fall into the program, which will consist of a combination of biology, chemistry, agriculture and business courses, in addition to the standard general education requirements. A coordinator will be hired to oversee the concentration, which will feature a course in agroecology, an internship and a capstone course, in addition to biology and chemistry classes. On the business side, students will take courses in economics, marketing, entrepreneurship, law and other topics. The new concentration will appeal to a variety of students: those who want to study biology but have decided not to pursue health sciences, children of local farmers who need business education, students interested in working for nonprofits associated with food insecurity, students who are eyeing a career in agriculture but don’t want to attend a large land-grant institution, and others. The program will emphasize experiential learning, especially when students do their internships and capstone projects. Since Wingate doesn’t have a working farm to serve as a lab, the University is forging partnerships with farms, nonprofits and other businesses and organizations in the community. “It’s going to be more of a high-impact program, so there’s going to be a lot of experiential components to it,” Niland said. “That’s where the community comes in. Internships and that senior project would essentially allow the student to give back to the community to some degree, but see FOOD, Page 5A