Afternoon Observer | Gas struggles persist + Deputy urinating outside NC funeral home caught on tape
Hi, Charlotte! Happy Monday. This is Kristen. Ever wanted to stroll around the manicured gardens of the Fourth Ward? Now’s your chance. From noon-4 p.m. on May 22-23, you can absorb the sounds of uptown life and the tranquil views of curated yards with The Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward tour. There will be food and drink samples along the way, both at the residences and the restaurants of the neighborhood. Learn more about the tour here with CharlotteFive.
Now, let’s talk about today’s headlines:
1. Finding gas remains a struggle for Charlotte-area drivers
As the work week begins, Charlotte-area drivers can still expect to struggle trying to find gas — and to pay more for gas when they do find it.
What’s happening?
As of Monday morning, about 57% of NC gas stations are out of fuel, GasBuddy.com energy analyst Patrick De Haan tweeted, which is down from 68% on Saturday morning.
De Haan also reports that weekly gas price jumps “have been sizable.” North Carolina had a 20-cent increase week over week.
In Charlotte, gas prices continue to increase, as the average price for regular fuel hit $2.93 Monday morning, 22 cents higher than a week ago.
Learn more here with the Observer’s Jonathan Limehouse.
2. Elizabeth City councilman: footage shows deputy urinating outside funeral home
An Elizabeth City councilman says he has footage of what looks like a deputy urinating on his funeral home property. He says they came to his business on both Friday and Saturday nights to urinate while in sight of the surveillance camera, as reported by the News & Observer’s Josh Shaffer and Martha Quillin. The councilman, Gabriel Adkins, considers the move retaliation for his outspoken views about Andrew Brown Jr.’s shooting death last month.
Brown was shot and killed April 21 when Pasquotank County deputies arrived at his Elizabeth City home to serve search and arrest warrants.
“Since this case with Andrew Brown, I’ve been out protesting,” Adkins told The News & Observer on Monday. “I really feel like they are retaliating back against me. Maybe they didn’t know I had surveillance, but it’s a funeral home.”
3. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library wants to get rid of late fines
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library intends to soon stop fining patrons for overdue books, as reported by the Observer’s Alison Kuznitz. The move would help make the library more equitable and more accessible to Mecklenburg’s underserved populations.
The details:
The measure from Charlotte’s library system follows a national trend toward supporting vulnerable library patrons.
The plan is waiting for approval from county commissioners and would allow would allow tens of thousands in Mecklenburg to reclaim library privileges.
Currently, if a patron’s overdue balance exceeds $10, their library card will be revoked. Without a library card, they can’t use the computers or other tech at the library. Spokeswoman Ann Stawski says communities with the highest percentage of lost privileges are clustered in Mecklenburg’s poorer neighborhoods.
“If those fees accrue and they’re not able to pay, a lot of people will just stop coming to the library,” Stawski said. “It’s really important that we get people back....The library is a public facility. We’re not in the business of gaining profits, and this eliminates barriers.”
4. Today’s news about COVID in NC
For the first time in months, nearly all ZIP codes in and around Charlotte saw a decrease in COVID case rates, according to data released by Mecklenburg County Public Health. All ZIP codes have fewer than 400 new cases per 100,000 residents. Two ZIP codes saw no change in case rate, and none showed increases. Learn more with the Observer’s Alison Kuznitz and Devna Bose.
For some people with long-haul COVID, the side effects linger long after the acute sickness has passed. “My memory is just like a person with dementia. It’s like I’m falling into dementia. I have a grandson who’ll be turning 14. I want to make sure that I remember him. I worry about forgetting him,” Perdensal Springs of Charlotte says of the illness.
Are you vaccinated? You’re no longer required to wear a mask in Target stores, the retail chain announced Monday. It joins Walmart, Costco and Trader Joe’s in the decision to lift mask requirements for vaccinated individuals.
In 2020, many NC correctional officers left their jobs as COVID hit prisons hard. Learn more here.
Find the rest of our coronavirus coverage here.
5. The Hornets lost all their games last week. What’s next?
The Hornets are in a sticky situation. They needed to win one of five games last week to nab a playoff spot. But what happened? As the Observer’s Rick Bonnell writes, “They lost them all. So now the Hornets either beat the Indiana Pacers on the road or the season is over.”
Some factors that may have led to this, according to Bonnell:
The Hornets’ shooting hasn’t been good compared to other teams. They were 30th in 3-point percentage (29.6%) and 29th in field-goal percentage (41.4%).
Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges have been out.
Usually-good shooters have been slipping.
We’ll see what happens at the Hornets’ Tuesday game against the Pacers, which will air at 6:30 p.m. on TNT.
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