Stories written by Mark PellinAn award-winning journalist and former editor of The Rhinoceros Times in Charlotte, Pellin has been called everything from a misguided troglodyte to a professional agitator. He prefers the label of a realist, the guy in the crowd telling everybody that not only doesn’t the emperor have any clothes; he’s trying to steal ours.
Pellin has covered the Char-Meck scene for the better part of two decades, earning his fair share of fans and more than a few critics who wish he’d move to Nome, Alaska, and be eaten by wild bears.
When he’s not writing, he stays busy enjoying time with his wife and two kids. When he can break away for some R&R, he likes to fly fish (even if he doesn’t catch anything) and camp (even if it rains).
Love him or hate him, you have to at least give credit and kudos to frequent House Guest columnist and WBT guest show host Wayne Powers for always stepping up to speak his mind. I just got a chance to watch tape from Monday night’s city council meeting, where Powers was in full swing, taking […]
July 28, 2011 | Posted in Char-Meck Beat,City Beat,Mark Pellin | Read More »
Who votes for these people? Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) argued at a news conference with the Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus that the United States does not currently have a budget crisis. “That’s the real crisis – the unemployment, not the deficit. We don’t have a deficit problem right now. In the long term, we […]
July 28, 2011 | Posted in House Blends,Mark Pellin,National | Read More »
Jeezums – I leave town for a few days of fun and sun at the beach and all kinds of bat guano crazy breaks loose. Where to start? How about with our esteemed city council and mayor, which for weeks have been gnashing teeth over the out-of-control and unaccountable bureaucracy at the Charlotte Regional Visitors […]
July 27, 2011 | Posted in Char-Meck Beat,City Beat,CMS Beat,County Beat,Mark Pellin | Read More »
No worries if you don’t see any posts from me over the next couple few days: I haven’t been hack-jacked by uptown’s Manicure Mafia, at least not yet; just heading to the coast for some sanity-gathering R&R, leaving the starship under the skillful watch of Commander Hine. Cheers –
July 21, 2011 | Posted in Mark Pellin | Read More »
Mayor Anthony Foxx tells the uptown paper that he’s still pushing for the ouster of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority chief Tim Newman, and cites as a reason inflated attendance projections for the NASCAR Hall of Fame that the tourism booster group rolled out to help land the racing museum in the Queen City. I wasn’t […]
July 20, 2011 | Posted in Char-Meck Beat,City Beat,Mark Pellin | Read More »
It’s so hot … … uptown’s Disco Chicken laid a fried egg. …. corn growing out in Union County is popping on the stalks. … geese at Freedom Park come in “original recipe” and “extra crispy.” … people are actually paying admission to get into the NASCAR HOF because it has A/C. … Quail Hollow […]
July 19, 2011 | Posted in Mark Pellin | Read More »

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has struggled to collect nearly $1 million in unpaid lunch bills from the last two years, as district officials have scrambled for money to salvage popular pre-kindergarten programs, retain front-line educators, and keep classroom sizes manageable. Out of 27,233 cases where students have stacked up unpaid meal bills, CMS has managed to close […]
July 19, 2011 | Posted in CMS Beat,House Specials,Mark Pellin | Read More »
Send us a youtube clip of your favorite tunes or vids (editor@pundithouse.com) and we’ll work them into the rotation:
July 16, 2011 | Posted in Mark Pellin | Read More »
As part of the board of commissioners’ discussion Tuesday night to approve spending $156.4 million on capital projects, Commissioner Vilma Leake, a Democrat, offered this nugget of wisdom about paying for school construction as it related to the board’s decision to delay funding for Stumptown Elementary, a move that drew fire from folks living in […]
July 14, 2011 | Posted in Char-Meck Beat,County Beat,Mark Pellin | Read More »
At least in California, where the highest-paid state employee last year was a prison surgeon who was previously fired for alleged incompetence and “has not been allowed to treat an inmate for six years because medical supervisors don’t trust his clinical skills.” He has, officials say, a history of mental illness. So now the prison […]
July 14, 2011 | Posted in House Blends,Mark Pellin,National | Read More »