JCSU virtual-reality project to showcase Black neighborhoods torn apart by urban renewal
Using grants totaling $307,000, researchers at the school will use computer technology to reconstruct the former Brooklyn and Greenville neighborhoods.
With aid from computers and historic documents, JCSU researchers will use historic photos such as this to stitch together two Charlotte communities long vanished. (Photo: Courtesy of JCSU)
April 5, 2021
Seventy-three-year-old Arthur Griffin Jr. remembers growing up in the Brooklyn community long before urban renewal razed the historic Black area in uptown Charlotte.
“We felt safe,” Griffin said. “We felt like we belonged.”
Now thanks to work underway at Johnson C. Smith University, Griffin soon may get to revisit the lost neighborhood of his youth, but only in a virtual reality.
Greg Phipps sworn in, fills vacated Charlotte City Council At-Large seat
City Council selects Greg Phipps to fill at-large seat By WBTV Web Staff | February 1, 2021 at 8:32 PM EST - Updated February 2 at 3:28 PM
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Greg Phipps, the former District 4 representative of Charlotte City Council, was sworn in Tuesday for the at-large seat vacated by longtime city councilmember James âSmuggieâ Mitchell.
Mitchell resigned on Jan. 11, and during Mondayâs city council meeting, Phipps was voted in.
The swearing-in took place in Charlotte Mayor Vi Lylesâ office at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center and the oath of office was administered by Mayor Lyles in the presence of City Clerk Stephanie Kelly. Council Member Phippsâ wife, Lemair Phipps, stood by his side for the oath of office.
Loaves & Fishes
During the coronavirus pandemic, Loaves & Fishes delivers food to homebound clients. The organization needs volunteer delivery drivers and food packagers.
Under regular circumstances, the holidays are tough financially for many families. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has only made things worse as many families across our region face evictions, lost wages, temporary or permanent job loss, and more.
According to 2-1-1 services data in North Carolina, from Nov. 10 to Dec. 10 requests for rental assistance have increased 64% over the same timeframe last year. Food pantry assistance has been requested 28% more and requests for utilities have increased 72%. People were already struggling before the pandemic, said Kathryn Firmin-Sellers, the chief impact officer of United Way of Central Carolinas. There were already housing cost burdens, meaning they were spending 30 or 50% or more of their income on rent and housing costs. The pandemic has just exacerbated that. T