Feb. 8, 2026 Another update about changes at the Forum. Earlier articles are from Sept. 9, Sept. 26, Nov. 13, and Nov. 18. Saturday night I inadvertently caused a part of the Forum website to go offline. Within 6 hours, techs had the website problem mostly fixed, but I have not been. An ... Continue Reading →
Education a key part of West Side’s history
Feb 6, 2026 As a 15-year-old, Dorothy Counts endured days of ridicule, shunning and concern for her family so she could desegregate Charlotte's Harding High School in September 1957. That act did not spring out of nothing. It followed legal preparations. And it stood on the firm foundation of the ... Continue Reading →
NC Local News Lab Fund grant to support livestream
Nov. 18, 2025 The video below is an excerpt from the Forum's Nov. 18 meeting. Facilitator Steve Johnston shared the work under way to ensure the continuation of communications and livestreaming elements of Forum meetings. No changes in the Forum's structure or leadership are involved. "As I ... Continue Reading →
Facilitators convene to assess the Forum’s future
Sept. 9, 2025 The Belmont Center conference room was eerily quiet for a Tuesday morning. It was primary election day, one of the few Tuesdays when the Forum's facilitators could sleep in or jog off to a quiet park. But coffee was brewing, and an agenda was on the table. As facilitators trickled ... Continue Reading →
Facilitators comment on Forum, their roles & Sarah Stevenson
Jan. 21, 2025 Forum facilitators this morning sat down at the presenters' table. and offered their reflections on why they volunteer reliably at the Forum, what their particular focus is in sustaining the group, and what it means to them. Some have been at the forum only a few years. One has been ... Continue Reading →
Open Forum
Oct. 24, 2023 It was a small crowd that attended or listened to this morning's Forum. But a wide variety of issues were aired. If there was news made, it might have been that a last-minute inform-the-voters effort is under way to shore up support for the school bonds. The District 6 City Council ... Continue Reading →