🌱 CATS Suspending Rail Service + Program Fixes Healthy School Lunches

Hi all! I'm here with your fresh copy of the Charlotte Daily, filled with everything you need to know about what's going on locally. Including updates on:

• CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger explains how inflation will affect your wallet.
• Child First program will build strong, nurturing caregiver-child relationships.
• The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will temporarily suspend rail service.

But first, today's weather:

Plenty of sunshine. High: 74 Low: 46.

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Here are the top 7 stories today in Charlotte:

1. Inflation will affect your wallet. "The government released its latest inflation report Thursday, leaving many wondering what it all means and how they could be impacted. It can all be confusing, so what do we do? Let’s make sense of it all with a little help from an expert. CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger joined us on QC Morning to talk about the report, the important implications for our wallets, and the Federal Reserve," WBTV reports. (WBTV)
2. "Children's Home Society is now offering the new and innovative Child First program in Mecklenburg County to build strong, nurturing caregiver-child relationships. Child First is an evidence-based, intensive, early childhood model that identifies children at the earliest possible time to both prevent and decrease emotional and behavioral problems, developmental and learning problems, and abuse and neglect. … Child First supports young children (age zero through five) and their families in the home," PR Newswire reports. (PR Newswire)
3. Monica Dakunchak, a local personal trainer, is offering classes in Spanish! She wants to fill the gap for bilingual trainers in North Carolina as she helps others on their journey to better health. "Dakunchak has been a bilingual personal trainer at the Harris YMCA in Charlotte for eight years. She is originally from Venezuela,"Spectrum News reports. (Spectrum News)
4. "The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said a man is accused of shooting the side of a CATS bus, bruising a passenger's shoulder when he did so. Officers said it happened just before 11 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 11 along Ellington Street near Billingsley Road. CMPD said 34-year-old Scott Randolph Mayfield exited the bus before taking a pistol out. He then fired the gun, hitting the bus. Police said the bullet's impact bruised a passenger's shoulder, but the passenger was not struck by the bullet itself," WCNC reports. (WCNC.com)
5. "The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) will temporarily suspend rail service, including the LYNX Blue Line and CityLYNX Gold Line, on October 15 and October 16 to conduct preventative and routine maintenance. To ensure reliability of the rail infrastructure, CATS maintenance crews will perform necessary repairs of the rail infrastructure including track work, track bed, signal crossing and signal system work throughout the weekend," City of Charlotte Government reports. (charlottenc.gov)
6. "Overlooked small business owners are questioning a "game-changing" set of paydays the City of Charlotte awarded to a relatively new talent coach during the pandemic without giving others an equal shot. In response to WCNC Charlotte's reporting, the mayor is now asking the city manager to get involved. A WCNC Charlotte investigation found the city has relied on a business called Evolyoution, owned by Tori Stevens, for coaching and team building since early 2020. Public records identified $417,000 worth of work purchased by the city in smaller increments over the course of more than two-and-a-half years," WCNC reports. (WCNC.com)
7. School lunches in the USA are known for not being the healthiest but a new program based in North Carolina is working to fix that problem. "The new program will benefit local farmers statewide and give kids healthier options at school...A new grant will allow the North Carolina Department of Agriculture to buy locally grown produce from farmers in the state. That food can then be distributed to schools all across North Carolina," WCNC reports. (WCNC.com)

Today in Charlotte:

• Weekend Live Music and Food Trucks at Blue Blaze Brewing (12:00 p.m.)
• Sara Kelly performance at Cedarwood Country Club (5:30 p.m.)
• Florencia & the Feeling at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery (6:00 p.m.)
• JAZZ ROOM presents Itai Kriss & Telavana at Belk Theater (6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.)
• The "Where Should We Vegan?" Dinner Tour at Camp North End (6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.)
• Speed Date | Fancy a Go? | Charlotte Singles Event at All American Pub (7:00 p.m.)
• SouthEast Tango Festival 2022 at Queen City Dance (7:00 p.m.)
• Jim Breuer Live show at The Comedy Zone (7:00 p.m.)
• Noel and Maria at Middle C Jazz (7:00 p.m.)
• Overcomer Tour: Mann's Family Concert and Comedy Show featuring David and Tamela Mann at Grady Cole Center (7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.)
• Charlotte Ballet: Fall Works at Knight Theater (7:30 p.m.)
• Latin night with Tumbao Havana at El Puro Cuban Restaurant (7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• The clock is ticking on your chance to apply for the. #ArtPopCLT 2023 Cities Program Open Call! Applications close this Sunday (Oct. 16)!⁠ ⁠ We’re so excited to welcome 20 new artists into the Cities Program Class of 2023. (ArtPop Street Gallery via Instagram)
• Congratulations to Lakeetha Blakeney, the Paige Johnston Thomas Directing Assistantship recipient. She will assist directors Adam Burke, Anjalee Deshpande Hutchison, and Alicia Tafoya in three upcoming shows this season. (Children's Theatre of Charlotte via Facebook)
• Folk music meets classical and opera at An Evening with Rhiannon Giddens! The MacArthur Genius Grant recipient joins the Charlotte Symphony for our annual Gala Concert, Nov. 5 at Belk Theater. Get tickets >> bit.ly/csorhiannon (Charlotte Symphony via Facebook)
• Our Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras' season is in full swing! Our conductors and staff are so excited to see what amazing things our young musicians will accomplish this year as our orchestras continue to grow. (Charlotte Symphony via Facebook)
• October is #NationalBookMonth! Literacy most often begins to decrease at age 8 or 3rd grade because that is the age that students use reading to advance their learning. More books equal more opportunity. #LetsReadTogether (Classroom Central via Facebook)
• Our October newsletter has gone purple in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month! In this edition of DA Merriweather's monthly newsletter, learn about the need for a family justice center in our community. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg District Attorney's Office via Facebook)
• We're still feeling great about last week's kickoff to the Impact 704 Academy. We still have two more sessions in this FREE series supported by Southminster and held at Camp North End. (Sustain Charlotte via Facebook)
• My name is Zoe! I want to offer my babysitting and pet sitting services to you or anyone you may know! I can offer references for both children and pets. (Nextdoor)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! See you all tomorrow morning for another update.

— Alexis Goring

About me: My name is Alexis A. Goring. I'm an East Coast Girl with a pulse for people, news and feature stories! I've worked as a freelance writer/editor/proofreader in the media industry for 15 years. I'm also a published author, experienced blogger, and founder of Writer at Heart Editorial Services. Visit my website for more details about me and my work. Here's the link: https://alexisagoring.jimdofree.com.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Charlotte Daily? Contact me at charlotte@patch.com