🌱 City Considers Restructuring + Virtual Valentines For Sick Kids

Hello all. It's me, Alexis Goring, your host of the Charlotte Patch newsletter — here to explain everything that's fit to print about what's happening in the community today. Today's issue includes updates on:

• Levine Children’s Hospital requests Valentine’s Day cards for patients.
• Charlotte leaders will consider restructuring city government.
• A 15-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed while visiting a home in east Charlotte.

But first, today's weather:

Times of clouds and sun. High: 66 Low: 46.

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Here are the top five stories today in Charlotte:

1. Levine Children’s Hospital is spreading love on this holiday. It is "inviting the community to help make Valentine’s Day extra special for patients at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital by sending them a virtual card! It’s free and takes less than a minute. It can be a silly poem, clever joke, words of encouragement, or anything else. Employees at the hospital will handpick a patient to deliver the virtual cards," WCCB Charlotte reports. (WCCB Charlotte)
2. "Religious leaders and environmentalists agree on their advice for faith groups in Charlotte, a place where congregations have shaped people, roads, universities and hospitals for more than 200 years. Educate yourself and build a community to take care of this place, they say, because it’s a sacred gift. The good news is that many congregations already have programs underway. Charlotte is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. The Rev. Amy Brooks Paradise, GreenFaith’s organizer for North Carolina, says it’s especially important to bring together people of all faiths to focus on the environment," WFAE reports. (WFAE)
3. "A 15-year-old boy was accidentally shot and killed on Sunday while visiting a home in east Charlotte, according to a family member. Police said the shooting happened at about 4 p.m. at a home on the 9800 block of Coriander Court. Officers found the boy with a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead on the scene by Medic," WBTW reports. (WBTW)
4. "The City of Charlotte will soon have money to help crack down on speeders. North Carolina is providing the city with tens of thousands of dollars to help crack down on the speedsters. Charlotte City Council intends to spend $50,000 on five new radar guns and a seat belt convincer, a simulator that demonstrates the importance of wearing a seat belt even on low-speed rides," WSOC Charlotte reports. (WSOC Charlotte)
5. "The Charlotte City Council is set to vote on changing its form of government during Monday night’s meeting. That includes how long the mayor and council members serve, as well as adding a district. It’s an idea that’s come together over the last couple of years and council members are expected to approve putting the restructuring to a public vote. The plan would be to put a referendum on the November ballot that would lengthen the terms for mayor and city council from two years to four," WBTV reports. (WBTV)

Today in Charlotte:

• Outdoor Classroom: Courtships in Nature at McDowell Nature Preserve (3:00 p.m.)
• Feed the Streets: Love Day Edition at beSocial Charlotte (6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)
• Galentine's Night Terrarium Workshop at PlantHouse (6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)
• Famous Love Letters Dinner Event at Dot Dot Dot in Myer's Park (7:00 p.m.)
• Valentine's Day with Shaun Jones at the Comedy Zone (7:00 p.m.)
• Sai The Violinist Valentine's Day Show at Sophia's Lounge (7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
• Riverdance performance at Belk Theater (7:30 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• NoDa Brewing Company and Cheerwine partner to release Cheerwine Ale (WCNC.com)
• NC bill would legalize 'Happy Hour' drink specials (WCNC.com)
• Carrie Underwood Introduces A New Family Member With Heart-Melting Photos (iHeart)
• Get your tickets, MerleFest is coming! (WCNC.com)
• 14 Charlotte North Carolina Restaurants With Open Last Minute ... (kiss951.com)
• These Are The Most Affordable North Carolina Cities For Valentine's ... (kiss951.com)
• Say “I Love You” with a gift from Davidson Wine (WCNC.com)
• Charlotte Area Job Openings: See The Latest (Charlotte Patch)
• Is the US going into a recession? (WCNC)
• New Opportunity Fund Cycle Opens, Up to $30,000 Available to Artists and Creative Groups (City of Charlotte Government)
• Welcome, Asher, to the Charlotte Fire family! Asher is a 5-month-old Aussiedoodle and will be part of the Charlotte Fire K-9 program. Asher is a therapy dog, and his biggest job will be working with our team...(Charlotte Fire Department, Charlotte NC via Facebook)
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: "Thank you, CMS school counselors, for helping our students #DreamBig!" (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools via Facebook)
• On Sunday, Feb. 19 at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., join the dancers of Charlotte Ballet II at our Center for Dance for a moving performance "As we Journey Through," choreographed by Ashley Lindsey! Our dancers have been working...(Charlotte Ballet via Facebook)
• Thank you to these local groups for spreading love to our families with some Valentine's Day surprises! We received a generous donation of stuffed animals from Red Moon Marketing...(Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte via Facebook)
• #BlackHistoryMonth spotlight: William Grant Still, known as The Dean of African American Composers, was a composer, arranger, conductor, and pioneer of early 20th-century classical music. Learn more >>bit.ly/csoblogstill (Charlotte Symphony via Facebook)
• This week in the #CMLibrary BE Interview Series, we interview Johnny Walker, a commercial Real Estate Broker. Find out about his road to success and get some great advice about how to become a successful business owner. (Charlotte Mecklenburg Library via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Singing Valentines (February 14)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Tuesday! I'll see you around.

— 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at charlotte@patch.com