OVERVIEW
The trials and tribulations of 2020 have exposed our community's strengths and weaknesses. Over the next year, we'll examine it all through our new series Rebuilding Charlotte. WFAE will look at both challenges and opportunities as families, businesses and institutions struggle to recover from the pandemic. In our first installment, reporter David Boraks talks to Charlotteans about the challenges ahead.
IN THIS SERIES
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Community theaters in Charlotte had a rough year in 2021. Theatre Charlotte was damaged by a fire, Three Bone Theatre lost its home in uptown's Spirit Square, and the pandemic continued to disrupt plans and challenge local theater producers.
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Earlier this year we talked with Clifton Freshwater, who is part owner and chef at Freshwaters Restaurant and Bar in uptown Charlotte, to find out how his business was doing during the coronavirus pandemic. We check back in with him at the close of 2021.
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While the COVID-19 pandemic dealt an economic blow to many, some were inspired to start businesses. According to data from the United States Census Bureau, nearly 900,000 more businesses were launched in 2020 than the year before.
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The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library had to adapt to the pandemic by pivoting to virtual and curbside services, and now the library system is rebuilding its Main Library uptown. CEO and Chief Librarian Marcellus Turner talks about plans for construction of the new branch and weathering the pandemic.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools looks to teachers, families, volunteers and community groups to help students make up ground lost during a mostly-remote pandemic year.
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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders say lives were at stake when they held back on in-person school last year. But some researchers say schools were safe.
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During the 2020-2021 school year, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students spent most of the year learning online. Students in neighboring districts spent more time in the classroom. When test scores were released, CMS students usually had far larger drops.
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Just 7% of jobs added last month were retail positions. The president of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association says he's concerned about how stores around the Charlotte region will handle the holiday shopping season.
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Food pantries say donations are down as food prices surge, all while demand remains elevated. Among the items in short supply: peanut butter, green beans, cereal and turkey.
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Medic, Mecklenburg County's emergency medical services agency, recently shifted how it answers some Charlotte 911 calls because of staff shortages and other problems at the agency. But some firefighters are worried that the new policy is bad for their department—and, ultimately, for the public.
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Soon, parents will be able to get their children between the ages of 5 and 11 vaccinated against COVID-19. A Novant Health pediatrician talks about how the vaccine rollout will work and lauds the safety and effectiveness of the shot.
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Students are back in Charlotte-area schools but educators say shortages of teachers, bus drivers and substitutes make it tough to return to normal. As exhaustion sets in, administrators seek creative staffing solutions.
RELATED PODCAST: STILL HERE
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RELATED CHARLOTTE TALKS EPISODES
- The Pandemic Hit Charlotte Restaurants Hard. How Are They Doing Now?
- A Look At Charlotte-Mecklenburg's Housing And Homelessness Plan
- The Future Of Traveling After COVID-19
- Road For NC's Post-COVID Economic Recovery Bright But Bumpy
- With Vaccines In Arms And Popcorn In Hand, Summer Movie Season Is Here