Local officials may profit from Catawba casino + Charlotte social districts

Happy Monday! Sydney here.

As an East Coaster, there’s nothing I look forward to more than some crisp fall days full of pumpkin picking and apple cider doughnuts.

Apparently, doughnuts may be out of style and apple fritters may be replacing them. While they’re technically close cousins to the well-loved apple cider doughnuts, they may be upstaging the classic round doughnut.

Charlotte Five editor Melissa Oyler looks into this rising dessert sensation.

In more food news, voting is now open for round four of Charlotte Five’s Reader’s Choice for the best ice cream in Charlotte. Cast your vote for your favorite creamery here.

Now, onto today’s news.

1. Former NC local officials may get slices of Catawba casino profits too, document shows

Two former Cleveland County officials could get money for the Catawba Indian Nation’s Two Kings Casino, after being long-time supporters of the project.

Former Cleveland County manager David Dear held a direct stake in Kings Mountain Equipment Supply in 2020, according to the member schedule. While former Cleveland County commissioner Eddie Holbrook was not named as a shareholder, the LLC he was a registered agent for was.

This comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that the brother of a U.S. congressman or an ex-governor’s husband are also projected to profit from the project.

Taylor Batten has more on the story.

2. Drinking in public? Here’s how Charlotte City Council could vote on social districts.

The city of Charlotte is one step closer to being able to implement social districts, or spaces in which people can drink alcohol socially and freely outdoors.

The city will hold a public forum during its council meeting Aug. 15 to hear from residents before voting on the districts the following week.

It’s unclear whether most council members support creating social districts, as some are waiting to hear from the public before taking a public stance. Some council members told The Charlotte Observer they want to add more rules for Charlotte’s social districts, including noise restrictions and proximity to residential areas.

More on that from Genna Contino.

3. Panthers ‘not shopping’ quarterback Sam Darnold, according to multiple league sources

Sam Darnold isn’t going anywhere.

A report surfaced early Monday that the Carolina Panthers may be actively shopping Darnold, but two people with direct knowledge of the situation have told the Charlotte Observer that is not true.

Throughout the Panthers’ training camp, Darnold and Baker Mayfield have been in competition for who will be the starting quarterback. Yet, it seems Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule is in no rush to name a quarterback before the season.

Ellis Williams is following this developing story.

4. Airline refund rules might be changing. How will that impact Charlotte travelers?

There’s nothing worse than showing up to the airport, going through TSA and then having your flight be delayed or even canceled.

While travelers can’t control the weather or a plane’s mechanical issues, the refunding process may be evolving. In a new proposal, the federal Department of Transportation outlines plans to, among other things, more clearly define what kinds of delays constitute a need to issue a refund.

The DOT’s new definitions of what deserves a refund include changes that “affect the departure and/or arrival times by three hours or more for a domestic flight or six hours or more for an international flight” as well as a change in arrival or departure airport.

Mary Ramsey unpacks what that means for Charlotte.

5. Some more stories to read

• Fact check: Can people be infected with monkeypox through airborne transmission?

• One CMPD officer among those who fired in shootout that killed murder suspect, SBI says

• A new British bank is bringing 350 jobs to Charlotte. It’s already actively hiring.

• 1 killed, another injured in I-85 crash that closed some lanes in Charlotte

• More shelter dogs killed in Charlotte as shelter runs low on space, staff

---

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading! If you don’t already, subscribe to the Charlotte Observer here. If you’re already a subscriber (thanks!), download our iOS or Android app to stay connected.

Find more updates at charlotteobserver.com, and follow along on Twitter, Instagram and Tik Tok to see more from us. Enjoy your weekend!

Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can sign up here.