“3 things happening in NC” is Cardinal & Pine’s weekly guide to the people, storylines, and events driving the news this week in North Carolina. Here’s what you’ll find this week:
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members aim to vote chair out amid state investigation
- Pressure builds on UNC officials to address racist incidents
- Fly-Fishing festival celebrates western NC’s resilience in lead-up to Helene’s anniversary
If you haven’t been paying attention to the drama surrounding the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Board of Education during this past summer vacation—and now bleeding into the school year—it’s been a doozy.
I better give you some background before we launch into what’s expected to happen this week.
CMS Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill returned to her duties just a couple weeks before the school year started in the last week of August, having been placed on temporary leave by the CMS Board of Education (BOE) as they investigated her for reasons that have yet to be fully hashed out.
On Aug. 11, the board unanimously voted to keep Hill on after the investigation found no wrongdoing. Last week, it became apparent that Hill wasn’t vacationing or twiddling her thumbs during her leave.
On Sept. 16, she sent a 14-page letter to BOE members followed by more than 200 pages of documentation to back up her allegations of attempted extortion by the Board of Education and its chair, Stephanie Sneed, as reported by WSOC.
And that’s where we stand going into this week’s board meeting, where some members had already been calling to relieve Sneed of her leadership role. It’s one of our 3 Things Happening in NC this week.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members aim to vote chair out amid state investigation
News broke on Sept. 11 that three Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education members had moved for a vote to remove Chair Stephanie Sneed from her leadership position on the board at its next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22, according to reporting by WBTV.
At the time, Sneed was quoted by WBTV as telling an anonymous source she was being subjected to “unlawful targeting, bullying, discrimination, harassment and retaliation.” But developments since that story broke might make it harder for Sneed to convince her colleagues and constituents that she’s the victim.
The three board members who oppose Sneed—Cynthia Stone, Lenora Shipp, and Dr. Monty Witherspoon—appeared to be reacting to the fruitless investigation that the board launched into CMS Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill in June.
The board members said in a joint email that they “don’t feel comfortable with the board’s current leadership and feel that a change must be made to preserve a positive reputation,” according to WBTV.
On Sept. 16, Hill provided the most context yet for why she was investigated, releasing hundreds of pages of documents that she says prove she had been subject to an extortion campaign by Sneed.
The problems reportedly stemmed from Hill’s decision not to renew a lucrative contract for one of Sneed’s close friends, as reported by WSOC, along with other alleged financial improprieties.
Hill was reportedly told that, if she resigned, plans to launch an investigation into her own actions this summer would not be announced, an ultimatum that she called extortion.
Following Hill’s revelations, Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather announced that he had asked the NC State Bureau of Investigations to “initiate a criminal investigation into alleged financial irregularities within transactions involving Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.”
The CMS BOE will meet on Tuesday, Sept. 22, with members expected to vote on whether to keep Sneed on as chairperson. They may do so during a closed session that’s been called for 4 p.m., preceding the regular meeting at 6 p.m.
Pressure builds on UNC officials to address racist incidents
US Rep. Valerie Foushee (NC-04) will be hoping for a response from officials at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill this week after sending a letter to Chancellor Lee Roberts on Friday demanding answers following two instances of racially motivated harassment on campus in late August.
As described in a Sept. 18 release from the congresswoman, with links to reporting from the Daily Tar Heel, members of the UNC Taiwanese Student Association and other Taiwanese students were reportedly racially harassed by a group of white men making monkey gestures during a campus tour led by the student organization on Aug. 29.
Then on Aug. 31, a man reportedly entered a watch party hosted by several Black student organizations and made racially charged threats while brandishing an aerosol can and a lighter.
“Meetings in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event such as this are a good start, but just that,” Foushee wrote. “With that in mind, I sincerely ask that you and the University be as proactive as possible with student engagement to ensure that students of color feel safe on campus moving forward.”
“We all share the same beliefs and responsibility that UNC should be a place of learning without fear of violence and where respect for others is a core value,” the Congresswoman continued. “I look forward to hearing from you on this and appreciate your continued attention to this matter.”
Here’s what Congresswoman Foushee is asking Chancellor Roberts:
- Why did it take 17 minutes for UNC campus police to arrive at the scene on August 31st, and what might be done to ensure faster response times moving forward?
- When large events take place on campus, particularly ones that are unaffiliated with the University, are there protocols in place to ensure campus police maintain their usual staffing levels elsewhere on campus?
- What are the concrete steps your administration is taking to ensure that a better and more robust alert system will be in place to notify students of dangers on campus?
- How is your administration working to make sure students, particularly students of color, feel safe on campus?
- Are there any plans in place to empower and/or educate students so they know how to best maintain their own safety in the event of a threat of violence when UNC campus police are not yet present?
Read Foushee’s letter to UNC here.
Fly-Fishing festival celebrates western NC’s resilience in lead-up to Helene’s anniversary
Launched in 2025 to raise money for and celebrate the resiliency of the French Broad River community one year after Hurricane Helene devastated the entire basin, the RISE Fly-Fishing Festival returns this weekend for its second year.
Under a theme of “RISE Together,” organizers hope to add to the greater awareness, advocacy, and connection that were catalyzed by the disaster that Helene brought to western North Carolina.
The fest will include activities for novices and experts alike, including casting and fly-tying competitions, kid-friendly programming, raffles, an artist market, and gear pop-ups by Davidson River Outfitters, Hunter Banks, and Headwaters Outfitters.
A portion of proceeds from RISE will go to local conservation nonprofit RiverLink, which promotes the environmental and economic vitality of the French Broad River and its watershed, according to a release.
In the wake of Helene, the organization responded by creating a Recovery, Resilience + Planning Division to ensure the watershed’s rivers and streams were and continue to be represented in all aspects of the region’s comeback.
Wrong Way River Lodge & Cabins will host the festivities, located at 9 Midnight Drive in Asheville. Visit the website for more info.
