By Collin Cunningham
(CHARLOTTE, NC) Good morning Charlotte, today is Thursday, October 21, and here's what you need to know.
We have the latest on an elementary school student who was tragically struck and killed after stepping off a school bus yesterday in Cabarrus County. Plus, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will be visiting the Queen City for the first time in three months today to speak to parents at a local daycare and a local restaurant has staked a Prohibition-era claim on Charlotte by opening a speakeasy in its basement starting this weekend.
1. Cabarrus County child dies after being struck by vehicle upon exiting school bus
A Cabarrus County elementary school student reportedly died at the Atrium Health Cabarrus Medical Center on Wednesday after he was struck by a vehicle shortly following his school bus drop off at 3:30 p.m. The accident occurred on Mount Pleasant Road North near Mount Olive Road, not far from Mount Pleasant Elementary School, where Cabarrus County School Board Chair Holly Grimsley said the child had just been attending classes.
The district has yet to release the student's name, age or grade level, and that information is unlikely to be made public because the student is a minor. The North Carolina Highway Patrol is looking into the incident while the Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office came out to the scene to help direct traffic. Cabarrus County Schools said a crisis response team would be sent to the elementary this morning to help students.
Other Charlotte-area school news:
- Schools adjust to challenge created by Monday's water main break in Charlotte
- North Charlotte school temporarily locked down after woman shot, killed nearby
2. Gov. Cooper returns to Charlotte today to speak to daycare parents about grants
For the first time since July, NC Gov. Roy Cooper will set feet inside the Queen City today when he delivers a speech to parents at LeafSpring School at Ballantyne. The governor is expected to inform parents at the East Ballantyne daycare center about new grant opportunities that will help keep their children in childcare. Cooper previously announced he would be injecting $805 million from the state's American Rescue Plan Act funds into childcare and early learning programs.
The Child Care Stabilization Grants are intended to help both children and parents in working families meet these new hurdles as the result of the pandemic. Grant applications opened on Oct. 11, and parents will be able to apply through the end of the month.
The visit follows multiple Charlotte daycare closings due to staff shortages over the last month, putting parents who had kids at Calvary Child Development Center and Little Hedgepath Academy in a tight spot. The governor last visited the city to tour a coronavirus vaccination site.
3. 10 seats awaiting butts at Supperland's new speakeasy
North Carolina has always had a complicated relationship with Prohibition, outlawing alcohol sales for a whole decade longer than the majority of other U.S. states. But things appear to be changing: distilleries can now sell bottled liquor on Sundays and an upscale Plaza Midwood steakhouse is opening a reservation-only speakeasy in its basement this weekend.
The existence of Supperland's 10-seat, full-service downstairs bar was first revealed in September, when the public got a view of the basement's floral-wrapped decor and learned that the new room would offer a "spirit experience" including with small plates. Now, Supperland owners Jeff Tonidandel and Jamie Brown are ready to put butts in those chairs starting this weekend, so long as those butts have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have a negative test within 48 hours of their reservation.
It should be noted that this speakeasy experience is an expensive one, intended for groups of two or more and costing $150 per person for a four-course lineup of four drinks and four small bites to pair with each. But perhaps the decor and ambiance will help make it worth the price, as the underground bar is housed in the lower realm of an old church building.
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