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NC county leader scolds Union school board + Mecklenburg changes COVID testing rules

Happy Wednesday, everyone. This is Kristen. It’s the first day of fall, so that means it’s time to start thinking about pumpkin picking, right? CharlotteFive’s Melissa Oyler has you covered with 10 of the best pumpkin farms in Charlotte and the surrounding area. Happy autumning, folks!

Now, let’s talk about today’s headlines:

1. ‘Russian roulette with our children.’ NC county leader scolds Union school board

As the Observer previously reported, North Carolina’s top health official threatened the Union County school board with legal action if they did not rescind the decision for thousands of students to return to school when they were supposed to be isolated due to COVID-19 exposure.

Now, as the Observer’s Anna Maria Della Costa reports, school board officials are debating over whether more COVID-19 safety rules are needed.

On Monday, for the first time publicly, school board Chairperson Melissa Merrell detailed what she says state Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen had planned to do if certain pandemic protocols weren’t re-established in Union County Public Schools.

“They had a letter of abatement … they would come in and take over our Union County Public School properties,” Merrell said Monday during a board of county commissioners meeting.

In Union County, the school board’s 8-1 vote Monday to revise its earlier decision seems to have stopped an abatement, but didn’t satisfy the majority of county commissioners — three of five refused to give the school board a vote of confidence Monday.

There’s a lot going on here. Learn more with Della Costa.

2. Mecklenburg changes COVID testing rules

After what officials describe as a “bumpy” rollout of testing protocol, Mecklenburg County will change its COVID testing requirements for unvaccinated employees.

The county doesn’t require vaccination for most employees, unless they work for Mecklenburg County Public Health, as reported by the Observer’s Will Wright. However, weekly testing is required for those aren’t vaccinated. As of last week, more than 350 county employees were suspended for violating the rules.

What’s new?

  • Starting Sunday, employees who are not vaccinated will need to upload a proof of a PCR test once a week. They are only required to show the test results if they are positive.

Of the 350 employees who were suspended, 270 have been taken off the list after correcting testing or vaccination requirements.

3. Today’s business and development dispatch

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is spending billions on its 10-year construction program “Destination CLT,” including its concourse and terminal lobby expansions.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is spending billions on its 10-year construction program “Destination CLT,” including its concourse and terminal lobby expansions.

Concourse expansion, roads and a tower: The latest on these Charlotte airport projects, by Hannah Smoot

  • In May 2015, the airport kicked off its 10-year $2.5 to $3.1 billion construction program, called “Destination CLT.”

  • Here’s an update on some ongoing projects.

NC auto group buys another firm for $700 million, one of largest deals in industry history, by Catherine Muccigrosso

  • Sonic Automotive plans to buy RFJ Auto Partners for $700 million, calling it “one of the largest transactions in automotive retail history.”

  • The deal is expected to be finalized in December.

Find more of our business reporting here.

4. Work starts on major I-77 bridge near Charlotte

Reconstruction of a major bridge over Interstate 77 north of Charlotte started this week. The changes should relieve traffic woes in Huntersville, state and town officials said.

Officials expect few if any daytime closures as crews reconfigure the bridge, NCDOT spokeswoman Jen Thompson said Wednesday.

“All travel lanes will remain open” for the expected several-years’ duration of the work, she said.

The exit leads to U.S. 21 and downtown Huntersville to the east and to Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center to the west.

The bridge is getting a “diverging diamond” interchange design that has cleared traffic elsewhere in the Carolinas over the past decade, as reported by the Observer’s Joe Marusak.

5. Some exclusive reads from Observer reporters

Andrea Smith, chief administrative officer at Bank of America, will retire at the end of the year. She’s been with the bank for more than three decades.
Andrea Smith, chief administrative officer at Bank of America, will retire at the end of the year. She’s been with the bank for more than three decades.

One of Charlotte’s top banking executives is retiring. Here’s what she’ll do next, by Hannah Lang

  • Andrea Smith started her first job at Bank of America more than 30 years ago.

  • Following her recent retirement announcement, Smith, 54, spoke with the Observer about her career, her decision to leave and her experience as a woman in the C-suite.

After 45 years, this reporter is leaving WBTV. But he’s not calling it ‘retirement’, by Théoden Janes

  • WBTV reporter Steve Ohnesorge is moving on from his show in October. But don’t call it retirement — he isn’t using that word.

  • “I still don’t know what I want to do when I grow up. That’s why I didn’t use the word ‘retire,’ because I don’t know what’s coming around the corner. There’s still stuff around the corner that I haven’t been to yet, and I don’t know what it is. But it’s around there — and maybe I’ll find my way there.” says Ohnesorge, who turned 67 on Wednesday.

You can always find more of our exclusive reporting online at charlotteobserver.com.

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