Local

First Night 2014 deemed an overwhelming success

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — First Night Charlotte was a ringing success and had an estimated 12,500 people in attendance to celebrate the New Year, according to Charlotte Center City Partners.

Organizers said the move to Romare Bearden Park went smoothly and was well received by attendees.

Among those in attendance were City Manager Ron Carlee, Mayor Pro Tem Michael Barnes, CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe, CFD Chief Jon Hannan and Director of Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Jim Garges.

CharMeck 311 extended their hours of operation until 1 a.m. New Year's Day and call volume was light, approximately 10 percent less than New Year's Eve 2012.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department's operations plan for New Year's Eve was coordinated from the CMPD command center and successfully implemented. There were no reported significant events that occurred in the uptown area.

Police arrested five adults uptown -- four were charged with intoxication and disruptive and one was charged with trespassing. Officers arrested three juveniles, two were cited for curfew violations and the other was charged with disorderly conduct and assault on an officer. That officer was not seriously hurt, according to police.

Paramedics responded to 13 calls during the New Year's festivities and ended up taking 10 people to area hospitals with minor injuries.

LYNX Blue Line ridership numbers showed that 19,734 riders were served -- a 26 percent increase in ridership over a regular Tuesday night.