Marino's is no more

While in the middle of a 7-on-1 street hockey game this afternoon (I think I won), I heard from a neighbor that Marino's has closed up shop in Waxhaw. They went to get dinner a day or two ago only to find the place emptied out.

This is bad news for me because I loved their Philly cheese steaks and was a big fan of their family nights, where on Tuesday nights up to three kids ate for free with each paying adult. Best family night in Waxhaw bar none. In fact, my family ate Marino's more than any other restaurant in Waxhaw thanks in part to my beloved cheese steaks.

I knew their Lancaster Highway location near Dunkin' Donuts had closed long ago but never suspected the end was near for their original Waxhaw location.

I guess I'll have to find another place to get a good cheese steak. Needless to say, I'm a little bummed out.

Fiesta Band phoning it in?

I drove by the Fiesta Band last night while returning a Redbox movie. It was the first time I'd driven by in the 7.00p-9.00p window in quite some time and they seemed to be a far cry from the Fiesta Band of yore.

The music wasn't particularly loud; no one was really dancing; and on my return trip, no "Eeyys!" when I honked. Rather lackluster given past experiences with them.

That all being said, my kids got a kick out of the Stormtrooper wearing the helmet sans the rest of the uniform. It's the simple pleasures in life...

Board backtracks

Per an Enquirer-Journal article, it appears Waxhaw's board of commissioners has reversed course and will now be discussing filling Brian Haug's empty seat. Per Lacey Hampton:

Waxhaw’s board of commissioners voted to suspend the rules for filling former commissioner Brian Haug’s seat Tuesday.

Doing this reversed the previous meeting’s vote to not discuss filling the seat for six months.

Tuesday’s decision allowed for the opening up of discussions about filling the seat.

Commissioner Erin Kirkpatrick brought up the motion to suspend the rules to give the board a chance to further discuss the issue.

The about face is surely due to the criticism of their earlier decision to delay discussion of filling the seat for six months, mentioned here and here.

It seems a little strange to write this article and go so far as to touch upon the "about turn" by the board (or certain members of it) in the headline without touching upon the reasons for it.

I've been voting for Waxhaw

Where?

In this Reader's Digest contest I posted about weeks ago, of course. Waxhaw is currently ranked #258, having recently passed comparatively huge Pittsburgh, home of the only professional football team worth caring about. Who by the way are going to the Super Bowl again in a couple weeks.

I think I'm one of the very few people in Waxhaw participating in the voting as I and ..err.. my family are responsible for the majority of these votes ourselves.

There's only 11 days left in this contest, so jump on my back Waxhaw as we shoot for the stars and 230th place.

County DA two-step

Have you tried keeping up with the district attorneys in the county? I normally don't pay particular attention to county politics, but I caught snippets of this in the paper, so looked a little into the chain of events.

Mecklenburg County Assistant District Attorney Marsha Goodenow was fired by Mecklenburg District Attorney Peter Gilchrist on November shortly before he left office. No explanation was given.

About nine days later, Union County District Attorney hired her as an assistant district attorney in Union County.

Because she went from fired to hired in such a short time frame, the state changed the classification of the move from an "involuntary separation" to a "transfer," essentially meaning no explanation of her firing will be forthcoming. Per an Enquirer-Journal article:

Because the hire happened so nearly after the firing, the N.C. administrative office of the courts replaced the “involuntary separation” label with that of a “transfer.”

“If there had been a break, two actions would have been processed: A voluntary separation and a reinstatement,” according to Patti Brooks, human resources compensation manager for the N.C. court system.

All court employees work for the state, not the individual districts, so any court worker could transfer to any district in North Carolina.

Because the action is now listed as a transfer, the public is prohibited from seeing her personnel file, including why Gilchrist fired her.

If that is not interesting enough, only a month after running for re-election, District Attorney John Snyder resigned. In this WFAE article, Snyder essentially acknowledges that he hired ADA Goodenow at best after he was offered a position in the private sector. I'm not sure why former DA Snyder felt the need to fill a position when he was on the way out the door.

Gov. Bev Perdue recently appointed Trey Robison to be the county district attorney, perhaps putting a coda on this awfully strange story.

Michael Gordon charged with involuntary manslaughter

Just saw this evening that Michael Gordon, owner of the pit bulls that killed Makayla Woodard, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. Per a Charlotte Observer article:

The owner of two pit bulls that mauled and killed a 5-year-old Waxhaw kindergartner two weeks ago was charged with involuntary manslaughter today.

Michael Brandon Gordon, 23, has been charged in connection with the death of Makayla Woodard.

I don't think this is particularly surprising; I wonder if it will last through a trial or plea.

Dairy Barn takeout

A couple weekends ago, my wife went out for groceries and came back with BBQ takeout from the Dairy Barn. This was my first experience with anything other than ice cream from the Dairy Barn, so I figured it's worth mentioning.

She brought home a pound of BBQ, buns, slaw, and four brownies. She was told typically the brownies are heated and served with ice cream, but I believe my wife passed on the ice cream since it was a takeout order. It all cost around $20 if I'm not mistaken, a fair price to feed a family.

As for the BBQ, I'm no connoisseur, but it seemed to be of the eastern North Carolina vinegar variety. I thought it was pretty good, but I don't think it matched the BBQ that I tasted up at Lexington BBQ many years ago.

The slaw was fine, but I'm not a big fan of slaw in the first place. Even if I "like" a slaw, I rarely eat more than a couple bites, enough to try while also claiming I ate some vegetables. That's how I roll.

The brownies were a hit with the kids. I picked last and therefore ended up with the smallest brownie, but since I stuffed all the extra BBQ onto a rather large sandwich, I was in no position to eat a larger brownie and honestly should've forgone the one I ate.

As far as comparing it to other local BBQ, I prefer 521 BBQ, but this seems a wholly different style of BBQ. If there are any BBQ aficionados out there who can explain the differences between the two, I'd appreciate it.

Looking back at this post, it's clear I could never pass myself off as a food critic since everything was either "pretty good, "fine," or "good."

Union County Weekly letters

Last week's issue of the Union County Weekly featured a bevy of letters expressing disappointment with the decisions of Commissioner Diller, Commissioner Kirkpatrick, and Mayor Gardner to vote to hold off filling former Commissioner's Haug's seat. This issue was touched upon previously by me on two occasions.

Links to the letters to the editor are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. I didn't see any supporting their decision, but I

Here's a snippet of one so you get the gist of the complaints:

I am stunned and disgusted with Waxhaw Commissioners Kirkpatrick and Diller as well as the mayor. Their actions during Monday’s meeting were reprehensible. First, they voted to keep Brian Haug’s empty commissioner seat open. Then they voted to not bring the issue up for another six months. The statute says a vacancy that occurs in an elective office of a city shall be filled by appointment of the city council. Kirkpatrick and Diller and Mayor Gardner (that’s right everyone, she now has voting power) completely disregarded the intent of the law by voting to keep the vacant seat open. That’s at least six months of the Kirkpatrick-Diller-Mayor Gardner show.

Stay tuned for next week's issue, when I suspect there will some sort of response from those supporting the decision.

Scouting for Food

Waxhaw Pack 53, sponsored by Waxhaw UMC, will be participating in the Scouting for Food drive the next two weekends, targeting a handful of local neighborhoods.

This Saturday, scouts will walk the Alma Village, The Oaks, Champion Forest, and Magnolia Ridge neighborhoods dropping off bags to be filled with any non-perishable goods you'd like to donate.

The following Saturday, scouts will be back after 9.00am to pick up whatever you were able to spare. All donated food will be handed over to Waxhaw UMC to dole out as they think best. If you find a bag on your door this Saturday, please consider donating what you can.

Of note, the district Scouting for Food event will probably take place a month after this, so it's probable other neighborhoods will be targeted by other local scouts in the near future, so consider supporting those food drives as well.

Storefront's latest

The Storefront Theatre's latest showing -- "Stories My Grandmother Told Me" -- kicks off on Saturday. For more details on the showings, see John Anderson's article in the Charlotte Observer here or get it directly from the Storefront Theatre website. Hint: Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.

A particularly interesting companion is the sponsored workshop that goes along with the performance. Entitled "The Gift of Memoir: Writing Personal and Family Stories," it costs $60 (includes a ticket to the play) and runs from 10.00am - 3.30pm on Saturday. Per the Storefront Theatre's website:

Award-winning writer and teacher, Maureen Ryan Griffin will conduct a writing workshop: The Gift of Memoir: Writing Personal and Family Stories for The Storefront Theatre. If you are interested in preserving your own tales of adventure, transition, love, loss, and triumph, as well as lovely everyday moments from times past or the present, come learn specific tools and techniques to retrieve and record them.

This sounds pretty interesting to me, but alas I will be participating in the Scouting for Food fundraiser occurring that day, so will be unable to attend. But it definitely looks worth checking out.

Hayes Carll on Tonight Show

I caught Hayes Carll performing the apparent title track from his upcoming album "KMAG YOYO" on The Tonight Show last night. I pre-ordered the album bundle (complete with LP, patch, tee shirt, etc.) months ago directly from his site.

Pretty good based on my one listen, musically in the same vein of Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues."

If there any Carll fans in Waxhaw, sorry for the lack of notice. I hope the one or two of you out there can quickly forgive me.

UPDATE 1/25: Here's a link to video of the performance on NBC's official site. Not sure how long it'll be available.

New Waxhaw Gazette

John has released the new issue of the Waxhaw Gazette. This issue deals entirely with the recent death of Makayla Woodard, concentrating on pit bulls in general. Link to the article that comprises this issue is here.

He provides a number of interesting statistics about the percentage of dog attacks perpetrated by pit bulls, but one statistic that I would've liked to see is the percentage of pit bulls that actually are involved in attacks. This would seem difficult, if not impossible, to ascertain.

The fact that pit bulls are involved in such a large majority of dog attacks is pretty damning. However, if only a small percentage of pit bulls cause these problems, it would seem talk of banning the breed, forced sterilization, and government licensing would be a somewhat extreme response.

Board creates panel

People elect board. Board creates panel. Is this the democratic process of Waxhaw in a nutshell? Maybe, but not in this case.

Per a Charlotte Observer article, the town board created a panel to "to study how best to deal with stray or potentially dangerous dogs." It went on to say:

Commissioners established a group that includes police, a veterinarian, residents and pet advocates, asking the committee to determine what powers the town has to control pet behavior.

I emailed the always helpful town manager Mike McLaurin to get a roster of this panel only to find out that the article is not quite accurate, which shouldn't be particularly shocking for anyone who's been reading post-tragedy articles. Mike said:

The Town did not appoint a committee. I went back and checked the tape. The news media did not report it correctly. Essentially what I requested was that the staff take a comprehensive look at animal control issues and regulations. Staff would consist of the Police, Town Attorney, myself etc. There was a question about consulting with people like a vet. etc. I explained that we would likely consult with outside resources as needed.

The Observer article also contends the following:

Waxhaw had an animal control officer in training before last Wednesday's fatal mauling of 5-year-old kindergarten student Makayla Woodward, and the officer is expected to go on duty within a month or two, town officials say.

In response to a query, Mike stated earlier in the week that he didn't think training of the new animal control officer had begun despite media reports to the contrary.

Town board delays filling Haug's empty seat

Accurate: the town board has delayed discussion of filling Brian Haug's empty town commissioner seat for another six months.

More accurate: Mayor Daune Gardner, Commissioner Brett Diller, and Commissioner Erin Kirkpatrick have delayed discussion of filling Brian Haug's empty town commissioner seat for another six months.

The Enquirer-Journal has the story courtesy of the hard-working Lacey Hampton (you'll need a free registration to view the article):

A former Waxhaw commissioner protested the town board’s decision to delay filling his seat.

The board voted Monday to not discuss filling former commissioner Brian Haug’s seat for six months. The decision came after multiple debates and discussions about what should be done.

...

The vote to not bring up reconsideration for filling the seat for six months was a 3-2 vote with Gardener and commissioners Erin Kirkpatrick and Brett Diller voting in favor of it.

Not filling the empty seat could lead to Gardner, Kirkpatrick and Diller having the majority vote most of the time, Haug said.

I've emailed the commissioners regarding the vote to see if they can clarify their reasoning. I personally don't see how waiting to discuss filling the seat for another six months benefits the town of Waxhaw.

From my layman's perspective, the decision to leave the position unfilled for at least six months means Mayor Gardner will transition from a non-voting member of the board to the potential tie-breaking vote on the board. Based on this week's ruling, she will have this role for a minimum of six months to approximately a year when the spot could be filled via election.

Is it irony that Mayor Gardner essentially served as the tie-breaking vote to extend her ability to be the tie-breaking vote?

Another visit to Maxwell's

Last Saturday, my wife was working and I didn't feel like cooking so I fought hard to convince the kids to let me take them to Maxwell's Tavern (and not McDonald's) for dinner. It was a tough haul, but I finally won my youngest over.

We arrived about 5.30ish; I was thinking it was early enough to avoid much of a delay in getting seated. Had it been later, I would never have attempted because I am not one who enjoys waiting to get seated at restaurants.

Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for Maxwell's), this was not the case. While waiting in line to put my name in, a party of three who came in shortly after us just walked up and put their name in. They literally were seated within a minute while my party of three waited. Following his lead (while also silently cursing them), I put in our name hoping to score one of the two empty tables right in front of the door.

Unfortunately for me again, these tables were combined and given to a larger party that came in after me as well. While I somewhat understand this, it didn't please me. We ultimately ended up waiting another 15-20 minutes to get seated.

After finally getting seated, everything (atmosphere and service) was fine for us, but probably not those still waiting. (Some seemed like they were waiting for most of our dinner.) As for our dinner, we were particularly fond of the Wisconsin Cheddar soup; if you like cheese and soup, you can't go wrong.

My small recommendations:

* For the hungry, if you don't like waiting, either go early or late, especially on busy weekends. Or consider take-out.

* For Maxwell's, if there's a way for the hostesses to come out from behind the box to take names of incoming customers as they arrive, that would be a good way to minimize the surliness level of certain customers.

Waxhaw gossip apparently alive & well

Lori Bee has recently put up a couple posts on her rarely updated Waxhaw blog. For reasons unbeknownst to me, she had none on the Steelers big win over the Ravens. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but not all Waxhaw-blogging Steelers fans were as remiss.

But back to the topic at hand: Lori has one post on the recent tragedy and another referencing some mysterious gossip that's supposedly been making the rounds. Since I've heard nary a whisper on the aforementioned gossip, I probably shouldn't even bring this up since it reflects poorly on how connected I am in town. It's not the ideal way for me to convince you all I've got the finger on the pulse of Waxhaw.

On the flip side, it does reflect kindly on me since it illustrates I do not in fact associate with shady town gossips, like other Waxhaw bloggers who should remain nameless.

More on animal control officer

The Charlotte Observer is one of the earlier news organizations to discuss the fact that Waxhaw at one point had an animal control officer. A snippet from the article, which is definitely worth checking out.

For years, the dog leash law in this small town has gone largely unenforced. Officials halted animal control service because there weren't enough complaints.

What is left unsaid is that it was ultimately a cost-cutting measure by the town. I'm not saying it would've prevented this tragedy, but it is what it is.

I'm not an expert on the population growth of Waxhaw, but around the time the former animal control officer was let go, growth in Waxhaw was booming or expected to boom. Shortly after signing the papers on our house, I remember reading an Observer article talking about expected population growth in Union County towns. And Waxhaw by far was expecting the most of any town in the county.

I want to say it gave a figure of approximately 10000 new homes, but that seems ludicrous to me, so don't quote me on that. It was high enough to make me wonder how much longer that Waxhaw might be the quaint little town it seemed to be at that time. (As a side note, I will say the housing slowdown and recession have surely put a damper on whatever figure was quoted in the article, with incomplete or failing developments as illustration.)

Either way, given the population expectations at the time, I'm not sure removing the animal control officer position was very forward-thinking, whether or not it would've prevented this tragedy. But hindsight is 20/20, I guess.

Dad first, Steelers fan second

It's a little late, but I just finished watching my Steelers defeat those pesky (gnat-like?) Ravens. Watching a Steelers game does not supersede my dad responsibilities so that's why the DVR and I come together after the kids go to bed.

And that's probably for the best given my usual behavior during a heated Steelers game. I'm not necessarily proud of it, but that's who I am. Gets the heart pumping.

For those in Waxhaw who don't understand the Steelers/Ravens rivalry, there's not much better than ending the Ravens season in the playoffs. That's why I stay up into the early hours of the morning watching the highlights of the game I just watched. Nothing beats it.

Union County Animal Control was called

Per this Union County Weekly article, the county's animal control was called regarding the two pit bulls involved, but not because of aggressiveness, but malnourishment. A tidbit:

Two months before two pit bulls killed a 5-year-old girl and seriously injured her grandmother in Waxhaw, a resident of the neighborhood called 911 and then Union County Animal Control to report that one of the pit bulls was malnourished, abused and should be taken from the owners.

An Animal Control official told Cindi McCoy however the agency could do nothing and, rather, warned McCoy she could be charged with a felony for keeping the female pit bull named Daisy on her front porch.

An emaciated Daisy – “she looked like a dead dog walking,” McCoy said – had crossed busy Rehobeth Street and come to McCoy’s front door. McCoy was horrified by Daisy’s condition and worried she would get hit by a car trying to go back to her home at 316 Rehobeth. So she locked Daisy on her front porch at 325 Rehobeth while she called 911 and Animal Control.

This whole article is worth reading, so check it out.

A person close to the investigation

Fox Charlotte has a report with information from an anonymous "person close to the investigation." This could mean someone attached to the police or the DA's office. But it's vague enough to mean anyone who's talked to anyone close to the investigation, which means its vague enough to make this description utterly pointless.

That being said, this report includes a few more details:

* It claims Makayla was bitten more than 200 times.

* Her grandmother, who was injured in the attack, has supposedly been released from the hospital. A sliver of good news in an otherwise dreary case.

* The aforementioned anonymous person states that had Makayla's grandmother been doing a better job watching over Makayla, her death "could have been prevented."

From the Fox Charlotte article:

On Wednesday, the five-year-old was attacked and killed by a neighbor's pit bulls. A person close to the investigation who spoke to FOX Charlotte on the condition of anonymity says the little girl was bitten 200 times. They also say the attack could have been prevented, in part, if Makayla had been better supervised by her great grandmother, Nancy Presson.

"She should have been supervising Makayla. She should not have let her out unsupervised by herself and especially if she knew the pit bulls were next door.”

Per this Charlotte Observer article:

Her 67-year-old grandmother, Nancy Presson, told police she let Makayla outside to play in the snow and heard dogs barking. She went outside to find two dogs attacking the girl and flung herself over Makayla's body to try to protect her, according to a police report.

I'm not sure if there's universal agreement on whether parents should be actively monitoring their children playing in their own yard. I'd estimate it's 50/50 in my neighborhood where five-year old kids are closely monitored when they play, let alone in their own yard. So in my opinion, based on what I've read thus far, I have a slight problem with our "person close to the investigation" placing blame on the grandmother so quickly.

Here's the Fox Charlotte clip for those interested:

Belated December Crime Report

At this point, I believe I've established a pattern of getting my monthly crime reports out late. Since it's now mid-January, it's high time for December's report.

As usual, for more detailed info on the teeming underbelly of Waxhaw crime, see Crime Reports.

Clarifications on early reports

Five-year old Makayla was in her own yard when attacked by her neighbor's pit bulls. WSOC has the story here. This correction is not earth-shattering, but early reports were slightly confused on this topic, so I figured it was worth clarifying.

Additionally, if you watch the video contained at the aforementioned link (sorry, I can't figure out how to embed it on my page), there is another interesting clarification by the police. Here's my transcription of what WSOC's reporter said:

Jim Bradley (reporter): Now police here in Waxhaw say that a statement initially made yesterday -- that they had investigated these pit bulls before -- was incorrect; that this was the first time they'd gone to this address because of these dogs.

Earlier statements by the police had claimed they'd visited the house because of these dogs in December. While this doesn't lessen the tragedy or absolve the dogs' owner of responsibility, it does illustrate that there was apparently no pattern of aggressiveness, at least one not yet reported, that would have warranted a visit to Michael Gordon by the town police, who I imagine are acting animal control officers in the event this position is unfilled.

It's worth noting however that at least a couple neighbors have come forward about these dogs frequently getting loose so the dogs apparently have an established a pattern of misbehavior, but no word on if these reports ever reached the police.

Another Waxhaw short film

Another Waxhaw short film, perhaps more adequately described as a music video, was brought to my attention via Facebook. Thanks for sharing, Karen! Without further ado:

Singin' In The Snow

If forced to describe it, I'd say it's not quite as sexy as Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" video and not quite as funny as Weird Al Yankovic's "Fat" video.

Performed by one of the principles of the Waxhaw Fiesta Band with cameos from his apparently rather freewheeling family.

Check it out.

UPDATE 1:06 AM: I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the fact that fame has apparently already corrupted him, if this illustration of him selling out to the man tells you anything. This might be slightly bigger than Bob Dylan shilling for ladies undergarments -- at least locally.

Tragedy in Waxhaw

I'm sure most of you have heard by now about the horrible tragedy that occurred earlier today in Waxhaw. Five-year old Makayla Woodard was killed by two dogs owned by neighbor Michael Gordon; the dogs apparently were able to escape their confinement.

Per a WCNC article:

WAXHAW, N.C. -- Waxhaw police say charges are pending against the owner of two pit bulls that attacked a 5-year-old girl and grandmother, killing the girl.

The attack happened at about 11 a.m. Wednesday at a home on Rehobeth Avenue behind the Captain's Galley restaurant.

...

Police said the dogs belonged to someone in the neighborhood and wandered into the victims' yard. It was not immediately known how the dogs got loose, but police said charges were pending against the dogs' owner.

Makayla's grandmother, Nancy Presson, who tried to save Makayla, was seriously injured in the attacked, but is expected to recover.

The attack occurred around the following location. I've seen varying reports that it occurred at Makayla's house and others that said it occurred at Michael Gordon's house. Either way, the attack occurred around this vicinity, right down the street from the Captain's Galley restaurant:

And this tragedy hits particularly close to home. My neighborhood is close by and my wife saw a news report earlier today where a homeowner in my neighborhood could hear the screams during the attack and called 911. I left for work a mere 15 minutes before the attack; with school out, kids were already out and about.

Police went door-to-door through the neighborhood after the attack, but before the second dog was put down. The flyer they distributed described it as a "Rottweiler mix," but I chalk that up to the fog immediately after the attack considering all news reports I've seen describe the attacking dogs as pitbulls.

Makayla rode the bus to school with my oldest, so she was not unknown to the neighborhood kids. That's a tough lesson for elementary school kids to learn at such a young age.

Here's WBTV's evening report for those interested.

I also watched the WSOC and WBTV reports tonight on the evening news and was struck by a couple things:

1) Apparently Makayla's mother defended the dogs' viciousness (or lack thereof) off-camera to WBTV. Assumign it's accurate, I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with this, since a dog's behavior can change quickly. (When I was a child, our aging dog bit a young girl my mother was babysitting out of the blue, having never exhibited this kind of behavior before. My parents in short order put him down despite our pleas to give him another chance.) But it is a little surprising to hear from a mother so soon after the attack.

2) A number of reports are stating that Waxhaw has no animal control officer. While this is true, I'm quite certain that around the time we moved to town in late 2005, there was in fact an animal control officer in Waxhaw. Around that time, I believe this position was removed, my vague recollection (let me stress vague) being that it was a cost-cutting measure. Anyone have any insight into this?

One final thought: I've already seen in article comments and Facebook threads the calls to ban certain breeds of dogs. As a former owner of one of the friendliest Dobermans you'd ever meet, I don't particularly like to see knee-jerk reactions like this. In my humble layman's opinion, it's the classic nature vs. nurture debate, with the latter having far more influence on a dog's personality than the former.

Snow Day!

I grudgingly accepted today's snow day and had a blast playing outside with the kids. Numerous snow ball fights (instigated by me), a little sledding (the missus and I tried to build them a ramp) and I even had good time shoveling snow.

We didn't make it out to Harris Teeter hill, but there really was no need.

We'll see what tonight's ice brings.

Miracle of miracles

I actually received my copy of the Waxhaw Exchange yesterday. I just wanted to let everyone know since I questioned its very existence the other day.

Waxhaw Exchange missing as of late

I headed to the library late this week with my youngest to return some books, pick out some others, and score a copy of the Waxhaw Exchange. And of course, once we got involved in picking out books, I forgot all about the Exchange much to my chagrin.

I don't think my copy has been delivered since late November/early December give or take a week. And it's so rare I can get myself to the library or convince my wife to do so that I honestly couldn't say with any certainty that it's still published.

Perhaps I'll get a rare delivery of this strangely elusive paper today. We'll see.

New Waxhaw Gazette means more info on the Main Street Grill

John's got a new Gazette up for those interested.

Of note is a bit more info of the new iteration of the Main Street Grill. Since there doesn't appear to be a direct link, I will quote John:

The Main Street Grill is now open again! Run by Josh & Kati Gaskey and Josh's Parents Don & Shea Gaskey, the restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch 7 AM to 3PM Monday through Friday and Saturday from 8AM through 3PM. Closed on Sunday. I understand the menu has been expanded to include a number of new items. I plan on stopping by in the next week or so and will let you know more in the next issue, so be sure to check back later this month for updates!

So stay tuned to future issues to get a more in-depth review.

As for me, I'm terribly disappointed that they will remain closed for dinner. For us Waxhaw denizens (is there a better way to describe Waxhaw-vilians?) who commute into Charlotte, this means that Saturday lunch is about the only time we could possibly eat there during a regular week. And unfortunately for the Main Street Grill (or me since I like those burgers), I rarely eat lunch out on Saturdays in Waxhaw.

Does anyone have an idea what percentage of Waxhaw's population are in the same boat as me? Head out of town each day to work to return home at dinnertime? I would have to guess the majority. Since both the earlier incarnation of the Main Street Grill and this one are both sticking with breakfast hours, breakfast customers must make dinner customers worth sacrificing.

ps. For John's year in review, go here.

Got our Town Planner calendar

We received a town planner calendar this week. First one we've received although we've been here since 2005, so I imagine this is a new venture. I must say, I am happy to have all the coupons that grace its pages. Off the top of my head, coupons for Rendini's, Southport, and the museum to name a few are scattered throughout.

In fact, the coupons are quite small; they almost seem crammed into place as cutting a coupon from one page is most likely negating another from the opposite side of the page.

Hope the holidays treated you well

I still haven't got back in the swing of things since Christmas. My Christmas lights are finally down

We left town as the snow fell the day after Christmas so we missed what must surely have been the first White Christmas (or day after Christmas) in Waxhaw in quite some time. Unfortunately, the snow added a couple extra hours to an already lengthy drive.

Thanks to the internet, I tried to see if anything moderately interesting was happening in Waxhaw during my absence, but based on the results of my searches, it appears the answer was no.

I will leave you with this interesting side note: did you know that the state of New York actually pays people at the New York Thruway (I-90 toll road) to hand you a ticket? I imagine this has something to do with unions because the whole idea of paying human beings to do nothing more than personally hand over tickets 24 hours a day is mind boggling to me. Pennsylvania has had machines do that for the last 20 years or so, give or take a decade. If this is a symptom of New York state government, I can't imagine they are doing all that well.

I must say it was the only thing besides the $2.40 I paid for a McDonald's sweet tea at the rest stop and $7 in tolls (one way) that blew my mind while in New York.