[Good News Friday is Cardinal & Pine’s weekly roundup of positive news stories from around NC. For past editions, tap here.]
Below, we’ve got a rescued baby fawn, an historic gift at Fayetteville State University, and a glow-up for the Carolina Panthers’ stadium in Charlotte, but first:
Back in 2022, while I was doing research for a podcast on the history of the Catawba River, I knew there was one man I simply had to talk to: Russell “Rusty” Rozzelle.
If the human body is 50-60% water, Rusty’s body was somewhere around 75%. When I met with him, he was serving as the water quality manager for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services, still going strong with the agency for more than four decades. His career had nearly reached half a century before he passed away last year.
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Rozzelle is also a descendant of the family that ran Rozzelle’s Ferry across the Catawba River in northwest Mecklenburg County off and on from 1790 to 1923 — the namesake of Rozzelle’s Ferry Road, which currently runs from Five Points in the Historic West End to Fred Alexander Boulevard in northwest Charlotte.
Sitting in his office in the Mecklenburg County Land Use and Environmental Services Agency (LUESA) building back in 2021, Rozzelle proudly showed off photos of his descendants on their ferry. This week, Mecklenburg County paid tribute to Rozzelle’s legacy by renaming the LUESA building the Russell S. Rozzelle Office Building.
I could go on about the impact Rozzelle left on our waterways here in Mecklenburg County, but I’ll leave you with this link to the press release from this week’s renaming ceremony, which includes a video about his contributions to the county. In the meantime, let’s look into some other feel-good news stories from the week on Good News Friday.
Fayetteville State University receives historic $6.5 million donation
Fayetteville State University (FSU) Chancellor Darrell T. Allison announced a $6.5-million commitment from Anonymous Trust during a special campus rally on Monday, the largest gift in the school’s history.
The money will help fund tuition, housing, and meals for students enrolled in the university’s 30-60-90 Free Summer School Program, making Monday’s event a great time for Allison to announce that FSU had seen an “unprecedented” summer enrollment peak of 4,827 students this year.
“This investment allows Fayetteville State to build upon a model that has already demonstrated measurable value for our students,” Allison said at Monday’s event. “We have a responsibility to use these resources wisely, continue improving student outcomes, and ensure that more Broncos have a clear path to completing their degrees in four years or less.”
The 30-60-90 initiative is based on the academic milestones that students must reach to remain on pace for graduation: 30 credit hours for sophomore standing, 60 for junior standing, 90 for senior standing, and 120 for degree completion.
“The 30-60-90 Summer School Initiative is more than a summer school program,” said Shun Robertson, senior vice president for Strategy and Policy at the UNC System. “It is a proven student success strategy that helps students maintain academic momentum, reduce time to degree, minimize debt, and stay on the path to graduation.”
Anonymous Trust is a community-focused organization that works to elevate and empower rural, under-resourced, and marginalized communities across eastern North Carolina by investing in grassroots organizations and helping fund larger institutions to drive systemic change.
The Carolina Panthers’ stadium is getting a glow-up
A slate of Carolina Panthers legends were in the house at their old stomping grounds on Thursday night for a preview of the major upgrades coming to Bank of America Stadium by the end of the decade.
Tepper Sports & Entertainment, which owns the stadium, the Carolina Panthers, and Charlotte FC, released new renderings Thursday that give the clearest look yet at upgrades that will impact “every inch of the stadium,” according to a release from the company.
The upgrades will include expanded indoor-outdoor gathering spaces across all levels, a new social patio on the 500 level with sweeping views of Uptown Charlotte, larger scoreboards and displays, upgraded seating options, and tech improvements.
Additional improvements will include expanded retail, food, and beverage options; increased restroom capacity; and flexible event spaces.
Approved by Charlotte City Council in summer 2024, with the city committing $650 million to the project, all work is expected to be finished by 2030. Thursday’s release emphasized that construction remains on schedule, with certain interior elements expected to roll out in 2027.
Check out a slideshow of the new renderings here.
Teen reunites with rescued fawn in Sanford
A 16-year-old girl reunited with a fawn this week months after rescuing it from the side of the road.
Lexi Taylor saw the deer struggling in a ditch on a rainy Memorial Day and brought it to Holly’s Nest Animal Rescue in Sanford, where it’s been recovering over the last two months alongside about a dozen other fawns.
The team at Holly’s Nest brought Taylor back on Monday to see the fawn, which she recognized immediately despite its growth thanks to a marking on its leg.
“She’s a little bit bigger now. I noticed that was her, because when I got her, there’s like a spot on her leg that didn’t have hair and it was like white around it, and she still has it,” Taylor told WNCN.
Check out the full feel-good story on WNCN, including video of Taylor reuniting with the fawn and tips from experts on what to do if you find yourself in the same situation.
