News About Town: More than 11,000 Duke Energy customers were without power Friday morning when a mobile transformer at the East John St Duke Energy substation caught fire. Units from Charlotte, Stallings, Wesley Chapel, Waxhaw, and Matthews fire departments as well as Bakers Volunteer Fire Department, Unionville volunteer fire departments assisted in controlling the flames after the fire was initially reported around 7:30am. The Charlotte Fire Department's Hazmat Response Unit, Foam Unit, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management also responded, due to the mineral oil burning within the transformer. The fire was declared under control at approximately 10:30 am. There were no injuries and Duke Energy is investigating the cause of the fire.
Nancy Reid, circa 1920, image courtesy of the Matthews Heritage Museum
News Around Town: The Reid House at 134 W. John Street is an iconically “Matthews" site and is one of the few surviving structures in Matthews from the Victorian era. Matthews Heritage Museum's exhibit: Rediscovering the Reids depicts two Reid families, joined by the marriage of Ellie Reid Bell and Dr. T. N. Reid. With no known relation between the two Reid families, the museum presents new research that explains who they were and how they came to settle in Matthews. The display introduces Ellie's brother, who built the home, explains the role of one Reid in the incorporation of Matthews, and provides insight into the preceding generations of both families who lived in and around the area.
The exhibit closes June 25, 2022. Open Thursday – Saturday from 10am to 4:30pm. Entry fee: $4 for adults, $2 for children 10 to 17, and Free under 10. The first Saturdays of the month are free.
One Fun Thing: NCWorks and SC Works Career Centers are hosting The Job Fair of the Carolinas, a hybrid job fair, this Thursday, March 24 both online and in-person at the NCWorks Career Center, 8601 McAlpine Park Drive, Suite 110. The centers are working in unison to link the 44,200 unemployed individuals to the 71,498 jobs that are in the Charlotte Metro Area with the goal of meeting job seekers where they are. To attend, register through Eventbrite for the virtual hiring event. Hybrid attendees where attendees will be able to visit booths, provide resumes, and chat with employers online. The in-person portion will be at the NCWorks Career Center, 8601 McAlpine Park Drive, Suite 110, Charlotte on Thursday, March 24, 2022.