A Tale of Two Stories: Fight at Butler vs. East Meck Game Friday; Announcement of Project LIFT to Aid West Charlotte Monday

If you ever wanted to understand the complexities that make up the public school system today, just look at the two largest headlines coming out of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools right now. And perhaps the way in which we share these stories says more about us than the events.

On Friday night, a fight broke out at the Butler High School versus East Mecklenburg High School basketball game. Allegedly, two parents and their daughter attacked a school resource officer, who is paid to keep the peace at events such as this. A camera crew from WCNC NewsChannel 36 (Charlotte's NBC affiliate) was at the game recording footage for the night's sports coverage, and ended up getting the entire brawl on tape. The video, which is embedded below, has gone viral, popping up on websites and newscasts across the country for the last three days.

Fast forward to Monday morning, and a group of Charlotte business and philanthropic leaders, known as the CMS Investment Study Group, unveiled a five-year, $55 million plan to help improve performance at West Charlotte High School and the seven elementary and middle schools that feed into it. West Charlotte High has a 51 percent graduation rate. Repeat: Almost half of West Charlotte's students aren't graduating. Titled Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment For Transformation), this new effort will "focus on enhanced teacher and school leadership quality, more time spent on task (including extended day, out of school time, and pre-kindergarten programs), access to technology, and policy changes that will allow school leadership more freedom." A news video of the announcement is embedded below as well. Click here to read the press release announcing Project L.I.F.T.

It's a tale of two stories. One gave Charlotte a black eye. The other gave Charlotte one more reason to be admired by other cities. I wonder if Monday's story will spread like wild fire across the Internet like Friday's did. Probably not. Instead of people not wanting to look away from the train wreck, I hope the community will soon take seriously this collision course we're on with a future filled with large, uneducated segments of the population. Like the behavior in the fight video, it starts at home.

Hats off to the Charlotte corporations and foundations that have already made hefty pledges to Project L.I.F.T., totaling $40.5 million so far:

• Belk Foundation: $1 million
• Foundation For The Carolinas: $2 million
• Wells Fargo Foundation: $2.5 million
• Duke Energy Foundation: $5 million
• Bank of America Charitable Foundation: $10 million
• C.D. Spangler Foundation: $10 million
• The Leon Levine Foundation: $10 million

Click here if you would like to contribute to the cause.

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Knicks Are NBA's Most Valuable Team, LeBron Catapults Heat to 7th, Bobcats Rank 25th

Forbes recently released its annual list of the NBA's Most Valuable Teams. The headlines jumping out from the list are that the New York Knicks have overtaken the Los Angeles Lakers for the number one spot, valued at $655 million and $643 million, respectively, and that LeBron James taking his talents to South Beach has given his new team the Miami Heat the largest increase and his former team the Cleveland Cavaliers the largest decrease. The Heat are now in seventh place, valued at $425 million, up by 17 percent from last year. The Cavaliers are valued at $355 million, a whopping 26 percent drop in one year, essentially having lost one-fourth of their value. Guess we know why Dan Gilbert was so angry last summer--he knew his pockets would soon get a lot lighter.

The Charlotte Bobcats rank about where they usually are on the list, at 25th with a value of $281 million. That's a 1 percent increase from last year and that's even more of a positive when you consider that 11 of the NBA's 30 franchises saw their values decline. Coming in slightly short of being a statistical tie with the Bobcats is Charlotte's former team, the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets are ranked 26th, valued at $280 million, and saw a 5 percent increase.

Team owner Michael Jordan speaking at the Bobcats Town Hall Meeting last fall. Photo from Bobcats.com.

The Bobcats' value of $281 million is only a little more than the $275 million Michael Jordan reportedly purchased the team for last year. But it should be noted that in describing how it determines team values, Forbes states that "our valuations sometimes differ from the amount teams have recently sold for. Our estimations are based on the team’s current economics (unless ground has been broken for a new building) and do not include the value of real estate." If you consider real estate regarding the Bobcats, the city of Charlotte owns Time Warner Cable Arena, which opened in Uptown in 2005, but the team operates and maintains the building and receives most of the revenue. This is why professional sports franchises usually covet publicly financed arenas and stadiums, though it can often be a tough sell to the public and politicians, which is why the Hornets left Charlotte, when the city wouldn't build them a new arena in the early 2000s.

I predict the Bobcats' value will increase by more when next year's list comes out. The franchise seems to be on the upswing in securing corporate sponsorships, such as its announcement earlier this month that the team had added Duke Energy as a new sponsor. Many analysts attribute Jordan's star power--number 23 still lights up a room and you'd be surprised how many CEOs want to be next to him.

For the complete list of NBA team values, according to Forbes, click here.

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Win a Trip to the 2011 CIAA Tournament

Since tens of thousands of people will visit Charlotte the last week in February/first week in March for this year's CIAA Tournament, the opportunity to win an all-expense paid trip to the festivities should be desired by many. The CIAA has announced that Lowe's, one of its major sponsors, is hosting live radio broadcasts at select store locations where you can register for the chance to win the top prize. Free travel and hotel accommodations could make this your best CIAA experience ever.

At each broadcast, you’ll also be able to win giveaway items such as CDs, T-shirts, and tickets. Below is the list of Lowe's locations and dates where the broadcasts are scheduled to be held. It appears they chose store locations in states where CIAA schools are located, which makes sense for the fan base. It's interesting that a Charlotte location is listed for each of the dates, though.

Lowe’s Radio Remote Locations:

January 29, 12-2 p.m.
7710 Riverdale Road - New Carrollton, MD 20784
117 William Penn Plaza - Durham, NC 27704
5900 Baltimore National Pike - Baltimore, MD 21228
3625 North Commerce Drive - East Point, GA 30344
1100 Chancellor Park Drive - Charlotte, NC 28213
4551 S. Laburnum Avenue - Henrico, Va 23231
1500 North 50th Street - Philadelphia, PA 19131

February 5, 12-2 p.m.
10440 Campus Way South - Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
700 N. Wesleyan Blvd. - Rocky Mount, NC 27804
8281 Gateway Overlook Drive - Elkridge, MD 21075
7458 Highway 85 - Riverdale, GA 30274
10275 Perimeter Parkway - Charlotte, NC 28216
6425 Mechanicsville Turnpike - Mechanicsville, VA 23111
2106 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard - Philadelphia, PA 19148

February 12, 12-2 p.m.
16301 Heritage Blvd. - Bowie, MD 20716
111 River Oaks Drive - Tarboro, NC 27886
1400 Taylor Avenue - Parkville, MD 21234
5375 Fairington Road - Lithonia, GA 30038
217 Iverson Way - Charlotte, NC 28203
2601 Weir Place - Chester, VA 23831
3800 Aramingo Avenue - Philadelphia, PA 19137

For more details on official CIAA events and contests, visit www.ciaatournament.org.

And of course, don't forget about the list of events and parties taking place while the CIAA Tournament is in town, along with profiles and team coverage I'm compiling at www.charlottemagazine.com/CIAA.

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Have You Spotted 'Homeland'?

I think I might have to drive around Charlotte a little bit this week to see if I can "accidentally" make my way onto the set of a television production. I blogged last month about Homeland when it was holding casting calls, and now the Showtime pilot has been filming for about two weeks in Charlotte and surrounding areas.

Homeland is a TV drama in the works about U.S. Marine Sgt. Scott Brody, played by actor Damian Lewis, who spent eight years as a prisoner of war in Baghdad and was presumed dead. Recently rescued, Brody has returned home. But CIA agent Carrie Anderson, played by Emmy award-winning actress Claire Danes, suspects that he's plotting an attack on America.

Charlotte is reportedly being used to replicate the Virginia/D.C. area, which, you know, is home to top government and military operations and officials. Filming locations include the Mountainbrook neighborhood in south Charlotte, the Ritz-Carlton in Uptown, Carolinas Aviation Museum at the airport, and the now-closed Philip Morris USA plant in Concord. The Philip Morris plant is a cool idea because it's being used as the CIA headquarters during filming. (And you might recall news from a couple of months ago in which an entertainment company proposed turning the vacant plant site into a music and movie studio complex.)

The Homeland Casting Facebook page is a great way to keep up with the progress the film crews have been making. It's also a place to find out about last-minute casting needs if you're wanting to be an extra. Below are some recent photos from Facebook.

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Charlotte Gets Major League Lacrosse. Who Knew?

In news that seems to have flown under the radar, Major League Lacrosse (MLL) announced yesterday that it is adding a team in Charlotte to begin play in 2012. I know this isn't the "2012 announcement" the city has particularly been looking for, but it's welcomed news all the same.

According to MLL commissioner David Gross, the league is granting franchises to Charlotte and Columbus, Ohio. The ten-year-old league, which has gone through much expansion and contraction over the years, currently has six teams: the Boston Cannons, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Toronto Nationals, Long Island Lizards, Denver Outlaws, and Rochester Rattlers. When Charlotte and Columbus begin play in 2012, the teams will play a 14-game schedule, an increase from the current 12-game schedule.

A professional lacrosse team in Charlotte could be a good thing for the city as well as the state. Duke University and the University of North Carolina both traditionally have strong lacrosse programs. Soon with a pro team in the state, those schools could serve as feeders for talented players. In fact, the MLL held its draft yesterday and UNC players were selected 3rd, 7th, and 36th overall, while Duke players went 26th and 46th.

I'm curious as to what Charlotte's lacrosse team mascot will be. What do you suggest? And would they call it Carolina or Charlotte? I also wonder where the team will play. If you want to follow developments with Charlotte's newest professional franchise, a Facebook page (Charlotte MLL 2012) and Twitter account (@CharlotteMLL) have been set up.

Click here to read more about the MLL's expansion.

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