Charlotte Nonprofits Are Shifting Their Focus Toward Uniting The City in 2018

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Many nonprofits in Charlotte have been shifting their focus away from awareness campaigns and internal fundraisers and toward community social events. Charlotte is the perfect city for the shift as so many people are from out of town and are always looking for a new way to socialize and meet new people.

In 2018 there will be 5 major non-profit festivals that will focus on bringing Charlotteans together, with the added benefit of building awareness and raising money for amazing causes.

Events such as University City Wine Fest and Charlotte Kids Fest raise money for education and literacy programs for the Library Foundation.

RescuedMe has formed South End Hops Fest as an annual fundraiser to save dogs and place them in loving homes.

JoedanceFilm Festival partners with Levine Children’s Hospital in an effort to raise funds and awareness of rare pediatric cancers.

Classroom Central produces South End Wine Fest. Every dollar raised turns into $7 of school supplies that go to the children in Charlotte.

Be a part of the positive change happening in your city!

‘American Pickers’ is Coming To South Carolina – Asking For Leads

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The hit History Channel show “American Pickers” is planning a visit to the Palmetto State to search for a truckload of forgotten treasures.

Hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz and their entire film crew will be digging through old barns and garages all around South Carolina this February.

The show has just sent out a press release asking for people who have an abundance of old treasures, who would consider selling them, and who would want to be on national TV.

They are only interested in private collections – not stores, auctions, businesses or anything else that might be generally open to the public.

If you or someone you know would be interested in selling some of their lost treasures, send your name, number, location and description of the items along with photos to americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 1-855-OLD-RUST.

Charlotte Was Ranked As Having The 4th Fastest Growing Economy in America

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uptown-charlotte-from-office-xsmallAfter analyzing the aggregated data from major economic and workforce development organizations, Forbes recently released their ranking of the fastest-growing big cities in America.

They measured growth by the percentage change in employment between the annual average of 2015 and 2016.

Charlotte is now officially the 4th fastest growing big city in America, beating out Raleigh (#7), Riverside, CA (#6), and Salt Lake City (#5), and ranking just behind Nashville (#3), Orlando (#2), and Grand Rapids (#1).

According to Forbes, our total change in employment between 2015 and 2016 was +3.7%, and our current Civilian Labor Force (May 2017) is 1,309,079.

Keep up the good work Charlotte!

10 Worst Charlotte Restaurant Health Scores in December

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Even though Charlotte’s restaurant selection continues to grow, so does our population, and some restaurants are taking advantage of this growing customer base by letting their health standards slide.

Some of the most common reasons for low scores were food handlers not washing their hands properly, contaminated food containers, and improper food temperatures (many restaurants are starting to use infrared thermometers to avoid this). You can see exactly what the inspectors look for on this blank copy of an inspection report.

These are the top 10 worst currently standing inspection scores in Mecklenburg County (some restaurants scored lower in December but were reinspected with higher scores before January 6th):

#10 Muscles Sports Bar & Grill

2228 Beatties Ford Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 90 (A) on 12/20/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed raw eggs stored above cheese & condiments in bev. refrige.
  • Observed raw pork chops w/ smoked sausage (r.t.e.) & raw shrimp & chops above hot dogs & bologna.
  • Observed no date labeling & items stored longer than 4 & 7 days, respectively.

#9 Duckworth’s Grill

4435 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 90 (A) on 12/11/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed employee drink stored on prep top surface.
  • Observed ice bucket stored in handsink in back of facility and active food prep happening in the handsink at the bar.
  • Observed extensive sticker residue on containers throughout facility.
  • Observed open package of commercially packaged ham with no date label and potatoes cooled from the previous night with no date label.

#8 Charlotte Cafe

Baby beef liver with onions! #charlottecafe #babybeefliver #frenchfries

A post shared by Caroline Braga (@carol.itsmylife) on

4127 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 90 (A) on 12/7/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed soiled dishes stacked in the handsink adjacent to the three comp sink.
  • Observed container stored as clean with visible debris build up.
  • Observed rice in hot hold measuring at 97F.
  • Observed chicken soup and lettuce in walk in cooler with no date marking label.

#7 Bangkok Ocha

7629 Pineville Matthews Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 90 (A) on 12/7/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed employee water being stored on shelving over food preparation area and flip top unit.
  • Observed employee cracking eggs wearing gloves then proceed with food preparation touching ready to eat foods such as peppers, bean sprouts etc.
  • Observed food employee cutting mushrooms and touching bare handed. Product was going to be cut and stored for use during lunch service.
  • Observed eggs and bean sprouts kept on time not marked with begin/end time.

#6 Mr. Tokyo Japanese Restaurant 

Sweet potato sushi for lunch 😍 #vegan #vegansofig #whatveganseat

A post shared by Sarah Elizabeth (@sarahlovespotatoes) on

8334 Pineville Matthews Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 87.50 (B) on 12/20/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed open employee beverage stored on prep table.
  • Observed employee touch face but not wash hands.
  • Observed an employee touch garbage can but not wash hands.
  • Observed single-service container stored in handwashing sink.
  • Observed no disposable towels provided at hand washing sink.
  • Observed raw box of poultry stored in contact of container of raw beef.
  • Observed raw fish stored above ready to eat crab meat and sauces at sushi area.
  • Observed raw chicken and beef stored in flip top prep unit over vegetable and ready to eat foods in kitchen.
  • Observed several lids stored as clean but soiled with food debris.
  • Observed rice leftover from night before and incorrect label.

#5 Irie Vibes Restaurant 

Ox Tail, Rice and beans🙌🏾🇯🇲😋😋

A post shared by Pinky💋 (@prettyladypink09) on

2729 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 86.5 (B) on 12/14/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed food 2 employees re-contaminate hands by closing faucet without using a barrier.
  • Observed no soap at any hand sink in kitchen, nor in bathrooms.
  • Observed cooled mac & cheese, rise and chicken at 45F or below not covered in walk in cooler.
  • Observed shelves above items collecting debris.
  • Observed food intended for donation stored above establishment food.
  • Observed rise stored on prep table cooling, rice was prepared a few minutes before 12pm. Rise was stored on prep table. Rice temped at 110F at 2:30 pm.
  • Observed all food in facility not dated.
  • Observed sanitizer bottle, and windex stored above food, and utensils.

#4 Ivey’s Hotel Lounge

127 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 86 (B) on 12/21/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed no certified food protection manager onsite.
  • Observed no papertowels present at bar hand sink (repeat violation).
  • Observed no parasite destruction letter onsite for raw smoked salmon.
  • Observed plate of raw salmon being stored on the top shelf on top of other ready-to-eat foods.
  • Observed cleaning needed in the kitchen and bar ice machine.
  • Observed melons, soy milk, milk, half and half, and boiled eggs holding above 45F on buffet.
  • Observed milk, brie cheese, half and half, and soy milk without date labels.
  • Observed facility using TPHC without written procedures (repeat violation).
  • Observed no consumer advisory for raw salmon on buffet (repeat vilation).

#3 Levant Meditteranean Cuisine

501 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 84 (B) on 12/29/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Upon arrival, observed employee eating while sitting on a stool with food on the cutting board of the prep unit.
  • Observed employee don gloves with no handwash.
  • Observed employee finish handling raw beef kabobs, and then rinse hands in 3-comp sink (without washing).
  • Observed employee make beef kabobs and mix them with beef kabobs that were already in the container. Container was not washed, rinsed, and sanitized before being used for a new batch of food.
  • Observed many dishes remaining greasy, and stored as clean.
  • Observed can opener blade with heavy build up.
  • Observed heavy amount of food debris on vegetable dicers/cutters, stored as clean.
  • Observed pink build up on ice machine shield.
  • Observed employee wash dishes and not sanitize before allowing to air dry.
  • Observed blanched fries and blanched cubed potatoes stored in bowls on counter. Items were below 135F.
  • Observed items in prep cooler, that employee stated were from yesterday, with no date mark.
  • Observed some items in walk in with no date mark.
  • Observed bottle with teal liquid in it and no label.
  • Observed canister of scrubbing bubbles stored over top of sugar, and grains.

#2 Supermercado El Mariachi 

6301 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 83.5 (B) on 12/12/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed open employee bottle drink stored in meat market display case touching onions.
  • Observed stack of boxes of raw chicken leaning over rack with RTE salsas.
  • Observed several buckets of raw meats in meat walk in cooler and freezer and pan of tamales in walk in freezer stored un-covered not protected.
  • Observed very large pot of carnitas at 80 degrees in meat market with no temperature control. Meat market worker said it was partially reheated 4 hrs ago and left out at room temperature to be reheated further.
  • Observed a number of foods prepared or opened yesterday not date marked including: deli ham, several salsas, tamales, fried egg, soups, and beans.
  • Observed spray bottle of chlorine sanitizer too strong, reading above 200 ppm bleaching test strip.

#1 Newks Eatery

New favorite place. Shrimp and avocado salad – yum.

A post shared by Ally Thrailkill (@allybrooket) on

101 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 83 (B) on 12/8/2017

They had the following critical violations;

  • Observed several employees wash hands and recontaminate hands by turning off faucet with bare hands.
  • Observed container stored in handsink for dish area.
  • Observed no papertowels at kitchen handsink.
  • Observed employee wash dish, remove clean dish from dish machine, and then place dirty dish in dish machine with no handwash and glove change between dirty and clean dishes.
  • Observed dish machine pulling at 0ppm sanitizer.
  • Observed heavy pink and black residue in ice machine.
  • Observed soups reheating in steam table. Soups were placed in warmers at 8am. At 9:15am, soups were below 70F.
  • Observed seared tuna cooling a rate of 0F/min in walk in.
  • Observed that items on round table bar say “refrigerate after opening” on containers.
  • Observed items marked with a 7 day shelf life to actually be held for 8 days according to prep and print label.

As of January 6th, the above scores have not changed, but they can be increased (or decreased) at any time, as soon as they have a re-inspection.

If you’d like to monitor heath scores, or do a quick search for a restaurant you’re about to eat at, check out North Carolina’s health inspection database here.

Steve Smith Donates Thousands To Help Warm The Homeless in Charlotte

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As Charlotte continues to experience one of it’s longest sub-freezing cold snaps in decades, people continue to step up to help many of our homeless neighbors.

One of the latest efforts involves a partnership between Steve Smith and the CMPD.

After the CMPD announced plans to arm officers with warm blankets and sleeping bags for when they come across homeless people freezing on the streets, the Steve Smith Family foundation immidiately responded by donating $2,000 worth of warm items;

CMPD said they want to have at least one sleeping bag or blanket in every patrol car.

You can now drop off any blankets, sleeping bags, and other cold weather items to the CMPD station at 4150 Wilkinson Blvd during normal business hours.

CMPD Just Issued An Arrest Warrant For A Man Who Gives Unsolicited Back Rubs

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CMPD has just issued a warrant for Sherwin Shayegan, aka the “Piggyback Bandit,” after a Florida man reported a shoulder rubbing incident while traveling at the Charlotte Douglas Airport.

After Shayegan made national headlines last week for rubbing the shoulders of a minor, the Charlotte Douglas passenger recognized him and called CMPD to report his account when he had his shoulders uncomfortably rubbed last year.

Shayegan made headlines last Friday when he was arrested at the Newark Liberty International Airport for massaging the back of a teenage boy and then handing the boy an envelope containing cash and an inappropriate note.

According to numerous news reports, the man is also infamous for attending high school athletic events and asking for piggyback rides from the players. He’s now banned from sporting events at high schools in five states.

If you have any additional information about Shayegan, or if you’ve seen, please call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

Historic Cold Snap Breaking Records and Causing Power Outages Across Our State

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As the Charlotte region’s frigid cold snap continues to drag on, we’re seeing snowfall on the beaches, power outages in the mountains, and an increasing number of records being broken.

We’re now in the coldest stretch of weather the Queen City has seen in over 20 years – the last time temperatures stayed below 35 degrees for this long was 1995.

This is also the coldest start to the year in almost 90 years, with this year’s average temperature at 23.6 degrees;

The cold is also causing an increasing number of power outages in many parts of our state.

Last night there were over 4,000 customers in Avery County that were without power. Mountain Electric Cooperative crews worked through the night to try to restore power with wind chills between -5 to -10 degrees.

As of this morning, power is still out in many parts of the county with no estimate on when it might be restored.

The county has opened warming stations at the Burke EMS station on Buckeye Hollow Road for anyone who doesn’t have a non-electric source of heat.

Top 10 Best Events Happening Around Charlotte This Weekend

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The weekend is almost here!

There will be tons of concerts, musicals, puppies, and monster trucks!

Here are the top 10 things happening around the Charlotte region this weekend:

#1 Monster Jam

Monster Jam® is the most action-packed live event on four wheels where world class drivers compete in front of capacity crowds around the globe. Monster Jam features high octane spontaneous entertainment and intense competition, featuring the most recognizable trucks in the world.

Shows will take place 1/5/2018-1/6/2018 on Friday night at 7pm, Saturday afternoon at 1pm, and Saturday night at 7pm.

For more info or tickets click here.

#2 Winter Wonderland Southpark

Winter Wonderland Ice Skating Rink is an open-air holiday experience in Charlotte, North Carolina nestled between SouthPark Mall and Symphony Park. It features a 5,000 square for ice skating rink, a pub and a coffee shop and features live music, special events, guests and activities.

They’ll be open this coming Friday from 3pm-midnight, and Saturday and Sunday from 11am-midnight.

For more info click here.

#3 Chris Lane

Chris Lane will be performing live in Charlotte this coming Friday night at Coyote Joes.

For tickets or more info click here.

#4 Charlotte Symphony Orchestra: Aisslinn Nosky – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons

Flowering spring meadows. Summer rainstorms. Bountiful fall harvests. Winter’s icy chill.
The four virtuosic vignettes of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons capture the essence of the seasons
and paint a brilliant picture evoking the sights, sounds, and feelings of each time of year.

Aisslinn Nosky will be leading the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra this coming Friday and Saturday nights.

For tickets or more info click here.

#5 Petco Adoption Event

 

For more info click here.

#6 Melodime

Melodime is a Virginia-based rock band that blends haunting bittersweet melodies with emotionally rich vocals.

They will be performing live this coming Saturday night at The Neighborhood Theater starting at 8pm.

#7 Armen Boyajian & Joshua Marks

Armen Boyajian (violin) and Joshua Marks (guitar) perform a blend of Hot Club/Django, straight ahead and originals. Come see what the buzz is about at Cafe Monte January 6, 7:00-9:00 pm

Check out more information here.

#8 Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night was the end of the Christmas season for the Backcountry settlers and was celebrated with great revelry. Join us on January 6th from 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm to hear live music, play colonial party games, enjoy hot apple cider, eat Twelfth Night cake, and take a candlelight tour of the Hezekiah Alexander house. One lucky guest will even be crowned the King or Queen of Twelfth Night!

There will be toasting with hard cider, roasting by the bonfire, and general colonial merriment as we invite you to join us for the ultimate party- eighteenth-century style!

This event is free and open to the public.

For more info click here.

#9 Puppy Pop Up Meet and Greet

The Wine Vault will be hosting some of the cutest puppies in the city this weekend.

Hang out with some wriggly, squiggly little snuggle buts on Saturday….. and maybe have a glass of wine and fill out an adoption application…. or just get puppy kisses.

For more info click here.

#10 Euchre Tournament

To kick off the new year, Charlotte Spartans MSUAA will be hosting an Euchre Tournament with a chance to win a $25 Blackfinn Gift Card! The cost to play is FREE, parking is FREE, and the appetizers are FREE!

For more info click here.

If you think other events should be on this list or future lists, let us know – Scott@CharlotteStories.com

There’s An Unclaimed $1 Million Winning Powerball Ticket Somewhere in Charlotte

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There’s now an unclaimed million dollar Powerball ticket somewhere in Charlotte, according to the NC Lottery.

Someone recently purchased a winning Powerball ticket from the 7-Eleven on Sam Roper Drive in North Charlotte for the $460 million Powerball jackpot and matched all 5 white balls in yesterday’s drawing (winning the second-place $1 million prize).

The gas station where the ticket was purchased is near the intersection of I-77 and 485;

Yesterday’s drawing also produced 3 other $50,000 winners who have also yet to claim their prizes, according to the NC Lottery, these were the locations where yesterday’s winning tickets were purchased;

• $1 million ticket: 7 Eleven on Sam Roper Drive in Charlotte (Mecklenburg County)
• $50,000 ticket: Murphy USA on Lincolnton Hwy in Cherryville (Gaston County)
• $50,000 ticket: Speedway on N.C. 16 in Denver (Lincoln County)
• $50,000 ticket: Run-In on Elkin Highway in North Wilkesboro (Wilkes County)

Winners have a total of 180 days from the day the numbers are drawn to claim their prize.

The winning numbers during yesterday’s drawing were 2-18-37-39-42 for the white balls and 12 for the red Powerball. Since no ticket matched all 6 numbers, the grand prize jackpot has now increased to $550 million – the 6th largest jackpot in powerball history.

Man Charged With Over 30 Felonies After Freezing Dogs Rescued From Building

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A Hickory man has just been charged with over 30 felonies in connection to Wednesday morning’s animal cruelty incident.

Hickory Police arrested 37-year-old Daniel Dawarren Pride of Hickory on 33 felony counts of animal cruelty, possession of firearm by felon, possession with intent to sell marijuana, maintain vehicle/dwelling for controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Pride is currently being held on $103,000 bond at the Catawba County Detention Facility, according to a press release.

Yesterday morning Hickory Police responded to 535 7th Ave PL SW in reference to a suspicious vehicle. When the officers arrived, they discovered multiple neglected animals, with some deceased, inside a building on the property.

Pride’s girlfriend said that Daniel was running a legitimate American Bully breeding business out of the rented house in Hickory. She said that he was selling the dogs from $300-$2,500 each and that all of the dogs were registered and properly taken care of.

According to police and local reporters, however, this was far from the truth.

Officers are continuing the investigation at this time.

If you have any additional information about Daniel Pride or his operation, please contact Hickory Police at (828) 328-5551 or Sgt. L. Miller directly at 828-261-2605 or lmiller@hickorync.gov.