CMS Issues Statement About Recent Discussions of Arming Teachers

Steve
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CMS Issues Statement About Recent Discussions of Arming Teachers

With hundreds of students planning on walking out of school today in protest of recent gun violence, and several NC schools placing armed volunteers in Elementary Schools, CMS has just issued a statement in hopes of calming some of the fears.

Their statement specifically addresses the recently suggested arming of teachers in classrooms to protect students from gun violence.

It reads:

CMS joins districts and teachers in North Carolina and across the nation in strong opposition to arming teachers in classrooms.

The voices of the vast majority of educators, families and law enforcement officials have been heard – teachers do not want to be armed, parents and students do not want guns in their classrooms and police officers do not want more guns on school campuses.

CMS has strengthened security measures in schools across the district and will make further recommendations to increase safety and security through the upcoming budget process.

What do you think about CMS’s statement and today’s walk-out?

What more do you think should be done to protect our students?

Stratifyd Opening New Headquarters in Uptown Charlotte

Charlotte Stories
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Stratifyd Opening New Headquarters in Uptown Charlotte

Stratifyd, a technology company that provides AI-powered data analytics solutions to enterprise companies, has relocated their company headquarters to The Foundry at 619 S Cedar St., Charlotte, NC 28202. This relocation is a result of the company’s rapid growth and expansion. The new location provides over 7,500 square feet of office space for over 40 software developers, researchers, and sales and marketing professionals.

“We’re very excited about the move,” said Derek Wang, Stratifyd’s Founder & CEO. “Our company grew rapidly in 2017 and will continue to grow rapidly in 2018. We needed space to accommodate this growth.”

Stratifyd nearly doubled the number of employees, doubled the customer base, and tripled revenue in 2017. The company recently raised over $7 million in Series A funding, which has accelerated product development, increased opportunities and partnerships, and enabled Stratifyd to expand the research team. This funding has enabled the company to push the boundaries of AI capabilities in enterprise analytics. Stratifyd has a strong research foundation as the company was founded by data scientists from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

“True research teams are rare at tech startups,” said Wang, “but they serve as powerful key differentiators by replicating the conditions that unlock greater innovation at colleges and universities.”

Wang started the company in 2015 with Li Yu, PhD, VP of Visualization, and Thomas Kraft, VP of Engineering. Wang earned a PhD in Computer Science from UNCC and was named the Associate Director of the Charlotte Visualization Center at UNCC, which applies interactive visualization and analytics to solve problems in science, engineering, medicine, business, design, and the arts.

Stratifyd’s leadership team grew in 2017 with Brad Fleeman, the VP of Global Sales, joining the company from CA Technologies, Kevin O’Dell, the VP of Solutions, joining from Cloudera, Sterling Scott, the Director of Marketing, joining from MapAnything, and Cara Walters, the Director of Creative, also joining from MapAnything.

The company also hired Catherine Guo, the VP of Operations, to lead the company’s global expansion.

Stratifyd is an active and engaged member of the Charlotte tech startup community. The company participated in PitchBreakfast at uptown Charlotte’s Packard Place in 2015 and has since won the Charlotte Area Technology Collaborative (CATC) Blue Diamond Award for Business Value in Analytics and Big Data and the AvidXchange Innovation Award at StartCharlotte LIVE! 2017.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be Thursday, April 19th, 2018 at The Foundry, 619 S Cedar St., Charlotte, NC 28202 from 5 to 7pm. Stratifyd will host the event in collaboration with the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. Charlotte Chamber President and CEO Bob Morgan will speak at the event.

Marcus Lemonis from ‘The Profit’ Opening 3 New Outdoor Stores in The Charlotte Area

Steve
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Marcus Lemonis from ‘The Profit’ Opening 3 New Outdoor Stores in The Charlotte Area

The Charlotte area is about to get 3 brand new sporting good stores…kind of.

Last March, Gander Mountain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and one month later, Marcus Lemonis, the star of CNBC’s hit show ‘The Profit’, purchased the entire company and all of its assets and stores.

Marcus will now be relaunching the brand under a new name, ‘Gander Outdoors’, including 3 Charlotte area stores in Mooresville (236 Norman Station Blvd.), Gastonia (3704 E Franklin Blvd), and Monroe (3151 W Hwy 74).

According to their press release, the new stores will be opening mid-March to early-April and will bring more than 170 jobs to the area.

“It was important to me to bring the Gander Outdoors back to the wonderful community of Charlotte because the employees were top notch and the store was a great performer serving the outdoor enthusiast community,” said Marcus Lemonis. “In addition to the Charlotte locations, we are currently pursuing other locations for reopening and expansion and expect to announce additional locations and markets in the coming weeks.”

Individuals interested in applying for a position with Gander Outdoors can find out more info at ganderoutdoors.com

9 Charlotte Area Schools Participating In National School Walk Out This Week

Steve
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9 Charlotte Area Schools Participating In National School Walk Out This Week

This coming Wednesday, at least 2,545 schools across the nation, and at least 9 schools around the Charlotte area will be participating in the national #Enough National School Workout.

The 17-minute walkout seeks to remember the lives of the 17 people killed at Stoneman Douglas and press lawmakers to specifically support the following legislation items;
  • Banning Assault Weapons & High Capacity Magazines / S. 2095
  • Expanding Background Checks to All Gun Sales / S 2009
  • Passing Gun Violence Restraining Order Law / H.R. 2598 /  S. 1212
  • Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act / S.1856 / H.R. 1556

According to the organizer EMPOWER, “We demand that Congress enact an immediate resolution declaring gun violence a public health crisis and dedicating federal funding to research solutions and implement violence intervention programs. We demand Congress recognize all forms of gun violence, including violence committed by police.”  

The following 9 Charlotte area are listed on the organizer’s website as participants in the walkout;

– Mooresville Senior High School (Mooresville)
– Lake Norman Charter School (Huntersville)
– Bradley Middle School (Huntersville)
– Whitewater Middle School (Charlotte)
– East Meck High School (Charlotte)
– Nation Ford High School (Fort Mill)
– Community House Middle School (Charlotte)
– Ardrey Kell High School (Charlotte)
– Cuthbertson High School (Waxhaw)
– Parkwood Middle School (Monroe)

What are your thoughts on the upcoming walkout? 

Rock Hill Is Building The Region’s First Full-Scale Wakeboarding Park

Steve
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Rock Hill Is Building The Region’s First Full-Scale Wakeboarding Park

The Charlotte region’s first wakeboarding park is now being constructed in Rock Hill. SouthTown Wake Park will consist of 1 massive central lake with a towered cable system to pull riders across the water and over jumps, grind rails, and other features.

The entire project will total 25.66 acres, with 16.8 acres of water features on an old farmstead off East Rambo Rd, about 25 miles south of Charlotte;

The park is being constructed by the global engineering and construction firm SESITEC;

The primary towers have now been installed as the park moves toward completion and their grand opening, set for May 5th, 2018;

Wakeboard 'park' constitution in my town 

What are your thoughts on the new development?

Here Are The 6 Games Charlotte Will Be Hosting For 2018 NCAA March Madness

Steve
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Here Are The 6 Games Charlotte Will Be Hosting For 2018 NCAA March Madness

After weeks of speculation surrounding the potential March Madness field, the brackets for the 2018 NCAA Tournament have finally been released. The bracket includes a relatively balanced number of shocking surprises and predictable matchups.

It seems the most powerful to least powerful regions of the bracket goes Midwest, West, South and East. The easiest path to the final four appears to have been given to Villanova, and the Wildcats will likely have one of the hardest paths.

Here is the complete March Madness bracket (click for larger view);

Charlotte will be hosting a total of 6 games, including;

First Round First session

Spectrum Center, March 16th @ 12:15pm (buy tickets here)

Texas A&M vs Providence

North Carolina vs Lipscomb

First Round Second session

Spectrum Center, March 16th @ 6:50pm (buy tickets here)

Creighton vs Kansas State

Virginia vs UMBC

Second Round

Spectrum Center, March 18th TBD (buy tickets here)

Winners of first round

Winners of second round

Who do you think will make it to the final four? 

 

US Open Fat Bike Championship Coming To North Carolina

Steve
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US Open Fat Bike Championship Coming To North Carolina

This coming weekend, the US Open Fat Bike Championship will be descending on Wrightsville Beach during an exciting weekend of pedal-pounding action.

“Fat bike beach racing in the one-mile oval format is an exciting sport for both athletes and spectators,” said Shawn Spencer, race chairman. “The number of entries, the fitness level of the athletes, and the crowd size on the beach has improved every year. In 2017, racers from seven states participated.”

The 4th annual US Open Fat Bike Beach Championship will be held March 16-18, 2018, in Wrightsville Beach, with activities and races based at host hotel Blockade Runner Beach Resort. There is no admission charge for spectators.

“Fat bike racing, especially in the elite division, requires incredible conditioning and stamina,” said Spencer. “We’re seeing CrossFit and triathletes use fat bikes as an alternative method to stay in shape. Pedaling for miles on a fat bike in soft sand at the beach is exuberantly painful.”

Here’s a video from last year’s fat bike championship at Wrightsville Beach;

For more information or to register to compete in this year’s championship click here.

Charlotte Checkers Goalie Just Became The 13th In History To Score A Goal (Video)

Steve
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Charlotte Checkers Goalie Just Became The 13th In History To Score A Goal (Video)

Yesterday evening during Charlotte Checkers last game against the Hartford Wolfpack, we witnessed history in the making.

Late in the third period, with the Checkers up by 5-2, the Wolfpack decided to pull their goalie to put one extra offensive player on the ice, less than a minute later, Checkers goalie Alex Nedeljkovic became the 13th goalie in league history to score a goal.

“I was ecstatic. When I saw it was going in I jumped and I was throwing my hands in the air. I was like a little kid again,” Nedeljkovic commented.

Here are 3 different angles of the now legendary shot;

Charlotte would go on to win last night’s game with a score of 7-3.

Nedeljkovic was a second-round draft pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014 and has spent most of his professional career playing for the AHL’s Checkers. This season he has appeared in 42 games for the Checkers and had a .903 save percentage heading into last night’s game.

The Checkers are now ranked 4th in their devision with 35 wins, 24 losses, and 14 more games to play in the season.

Way to go Checkers!

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Is Building A Massive New Facility In Cornelius

Steve
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Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Is Building A Massive New Facility In Cornelius

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Charlotte’s biggest craft beer maker, is moving forward with their massive new facility next to Lake Norman. They’ve now confirmed a construction start time of early 2019, with a grand opening expected by the end of the year.

The brewery’s new 51,000 square-foot facility will be located at 20401 Zion Ave., in Cornelius, NC, the location of the old MacLean Curtis facility, which moved up to Mooresville last year.

olde-mecklenburg-brewery-moving-to-lake-norman

Their second Lake Norman area location will feature a full restaurant, biergarten, and a 17-barrel brewery.

Total cost projections of the new facility are around $10 million, with $3 million already spent on purchasing the 24-acre site.

How do you feel about OMB moving to Cornelius? 

Charlotte Might See The Last Snowfall Of The Season This Weekend

Steve
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Charlotte Might See The Last Snowfall Of The Season This Weekend

It looks like the Charlotte region might be getting some snow this weekend.

The National Weather Service is showing at least a 22% chance of snowfall in Charlotte Saturday night into Sunday morning;

Charlotte meteorologist Brad Panovich gives a more in-depth look at the cold air system that will be building this weekend, and when and where snow will likely fall Sunday and Monday.

“The track of the storm is still key. Depending on the track that’ll be key to how much snow we could actually end up getting or if we get any snow at all,” Panovich commented. “The highest probability is obviously in the mountains with 60 to 70% chance of seeing one inch of snow.”

Be sure to have some de-icing salt handy for Sunday night – especially if the sidewalks and roads are wet when the sunset, as it will stay below 32 degrees through the night.

According to the Weather Channel, this weekend’s snowfall will likely be the last of the season, as tempuratures are expected to slowly warm up over the next 10 days and will likely stay there through the end of March and into April;

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