The NCDOT Just Approved A New Bridge To Gaston County

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The NCDOT Just Approved A New Bridge To Gaston County

The Wilkinson Blvd’s World War One Memorial contrete bridge over the Catawba River, first built in 1926, is finally about to be replaced after almost 100 years in operation.

“In some surprisingly good news from Raleigh, the NCDOT has fully funded a replacement bridge on Wilkinson Boulevard over the Catawba River. The NCGA created a “high cost, high impact” fund that will be used to build two 3-lane bridges on Wilkinson. The project is scheduled to begin in 2022, although NCDOT is working to expedite it,” according to a statement from Belmont City Councilman Richard Turner. “This had been a candidate project for the (GCLMPO) Gaston Cleveland Lincoln Metropolitan Planning Organization for some time and one I have advocated for during my service on the MPO.”

When asked about the construction of the highly anticipated new bridge that would extend West Blvd. into Gaston County, Turner commented, “The Catawba Crossings bridge had to be removed from the candidate project list as the D.O.T asked for a feasibility study to be done the day of our MPO meeting. The addition of the feasibility study stalled the progression of this project. It is still on the long-range plan and could be reconsidered as soon as 2021.”

The Wilkinson Blvd. bridge over the Catawba was first built using a $50 million “Good Roads” bond, issued by Governor Cameron Morrison in 1921. Morrison tasked State Highway Commission director William Cook Wilkinson with its construction.

When Wilkinson Blvd first opened in 1926, it became the first four-lane paved highway in North Carolina’s history. It was so impressive at the time that it was given the nickname “The South’s finest highway.”

Wilkinson Blvd. served as Charlotte’s western “front door” until the 1960s, when I-85 was built.

Stewart Sets Career Record and Cam Runs For 70 Yards in Epic Win Against The Vikings

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Stewart Sets Career Record and Cam Runs For 70 Yards in Epic Win Against The Vikings

Yesterday the Panthers pulled off what might be a season-changing win against one of the best teams in the league.

The fact that we led for most of the game, and ended with a score of 31-24 against a Vikings team that just came off eight straight wins shows incredible promise for our playoff hopes.

Jonathan Steward had one of his best games of the season, running for a total of 103 yards and 3 touchdowns and breaking a 10-year career record for the most touchdowns in a single game.

He set the pace early in the first quarter with the biggest breakaway of the game for 60 yards;

Cam Newton was also in top form for most of the game with some incredible pocket moves;

and some even bigger breakaways;

Cam ran for a total of 70 yards and passed for 137 yards with 1 touchdown.

The Panthers will be hosting the Green Bay Packers (7-6) next Sunday afternoon at 1pm – with Aaron Rogers anticipated to return from his injury, it’s turning out to be one of the most anticipated games of the season. Ticket prices are now starting at $91.75 each.

Charlotte Is Now Ranked The 10th Least Pet-Friendly City in America

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Charlotte Is Now Ranked The 10th Least Pet-Friendly City in America

no-dogs-in-charlotte-breweriesIn spite of Charlotte’s multiple dog bars, dog spas, and dog parks, we’re still lacking way behind most other cities when it comes to pet amenities, veterinary costs, animal shelters, and walkability.

With National Homeless Animals Day approaching, WalletHub decided to take an in-depth look at 2017’s Most Pet-Friendly Cities in America.

Analysts compared the creature-friendliness of the 100 largest cities across 21 key metrics. The data set ranges from minimum pet-care provider rate per visit to pet businesses per capita to walkability.

Here’s how Charlotte stacked up in each category (1=Most Pet-Friendly; 50=Avg.):

  • 89th – Veterinary Care Costs
  • 41st – Veterinarians per Capita
  • 28th – Pet Businesses per Capita
  • 51st – % of Pet-Friendly Hotels
  • 44th – Dog Parks per Capita
  • 98th – Walk Score
  • 82nd – Animal Shelters per Capita
  • 47th – Pet Caretakers per Capita

The Queen City was ranked #91 out of 100, just behind Reno, NV (#86), Jersey City (#87), Detroit (#88), Norfolk, VA (#89), and Milwaukee, WI (#91). To add insult to injury, Charlotte was also recently ranked among the worst cities in America for postal worker dog attacks.

Here’s where every large city in the country lands in terms of pet friendliness;

You can read the full report here on WalletHub.com

What do you think Charlotte should do first to improve the lives of its pet owners?

Piedmont Natural Gas Named a Most Trusted Utility Brand

Charlotte Stories
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Piedmont Natural Gas Named a Most Trusted Utility Brand

via Siemens

Piedmont Natural Gas has been designated most trusted utility brand among residential customers, according to a new report based on surveys of customers of the nation’s 129 largest utilities.

The Cogent Reports 2017 Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement: Residential study ranks utilities based on their relationships with residential customers. Among the factors measured are operational satisfaction, product experience, and brand trust.

Piedmont’s score on Cogent’s Brand Trust Index placed it second among all natural gas utilities nationwide and also second among all utilities. Piedmont also placed second in Cogent’s 2015 study.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as the nation’s second most trusted utility brand for the second time in only three years,” said Frank Yoho, executive vice president and president of natural gas operations for Duke Energy. “We strive to earn our customers’ trust every day by maintaining a safe and reliable distribution system, providing excellent customer service and being a good community partner. We are pleased to know that our customers are aware of these initiatives and value our relationship.”

Duke Energy ranked among the bottom half of the list for trust among electric companies.

Click here to see the full ranking.

State-Wide Silver Alert Issued For Missing Concord Teenager

Steve
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State-Wide Silver Alert Issued For Missing Concord Teenager

A North Carolina Silver alert has just been issued for a Concord teenager.

Police are now asking the public to be on the lookout for 15-year-old Precious Maxwell, who is believed to be suffering from dementia or some other cognitive impairment, according to the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons.

Maxwell was last seen on Roberta Road in Concord, NC, wearing a burgundy long sleeve shirt with Gastonia in white letters, pink pajama pants and white slip-on shoes.

She’s described as being a black female, who’s about 5-foot-3, and weighs 140 pounds, with long brown and black hair and brown eyes.

If you have any information about Maxwell’s whereabouts, please call the Concord Police at 704-920-5000.

Charlotte’s Second Oldest Movie Theater is About To Shut Down

Steve
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Charlotte’s Second Oldest Movie Theater is About To Shut Down

The second oldest movie theater in Charlotte is about to close its doors.

The Regal Cinemas Park Terrace will be closing its doors for good next weekend – its last day of operation will be Sunday, December 17th, according to a manager.

The historic cinema first opened in 1964 as the Park Terrace Theater (25 years after Charlotte’s first cinema opened – Dilworth Theater). Consolidated Theatres spent $2 million on renovating the theater in 1996, doubling its number of screens from 3 to 6. Regal then bought the theater from Consolidated in 2008.

Sometimes life is just too flippin' pretty. @parkroadcenter #charlottesgotalot

A post shared by QueenCharlotte'sPimentoCheese (@qccheeseroyale) on

The theater is one of South Charlotte’s most recognizable landmark, and the cornerstone of the Park Road Shopping Center…it will certainly be missed…

What’s your favorite memory from Park Terrace?

Mecklenburg County Just Released Ransom Note They Received From Hackers

Charlotte Stories
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Mecklenburg County Just Released Ransom Note They Received From Hackers

Yesterday afternoon, Mecklenburg County released the ransom note they received after their computer systems were hacked by a malicious worm after an employee clicked on a suspicious link in an email.

The following is the letter that Mecklenburg County received from the hackers (including spelling errors):

All your files have been encrypted due to a security problemwith your PC. If you want to restore them, write us to the email support: [redacted] or [redacted] write this ID in the title of your message
In case of no answer in 24 hours write us to these e-mails support: [redacted] or [redacted]
You have to pay for decryption in Bitcoins. The price dependson how fast you write to us. After payment we will send you thedecryption tool that will decrypt all your files.
Free decryption as guarantee
Before paying you can send us up to 3 files for freedecryption. The total size of files must be less than 10Mb (nonarchives), and files should not contain valuable information.
(databases, backups, large excel sheets, etc.)
How to obtain Bitcoins
The easiest way to buy bitcoins is LocalBitcoins site. Youhave to register, click ‘Buy bitcoins’, and select the seller bypayment method and price.
https://localbitcoins.com/buy_bitcoins
Also you can find other places to buy Bitcoins and beginnersguide here:
http://www.coindesk.com/information/how-can-i-buy-bitcoints/
Attention!
Do not rename encrypted files.
Do not try to decrypt your data using third party software, it may cause permanent data loss.
Decryption of your files with the help of third parties maycause increased price (the add their fee to our) or you can becomea victim of a scam.
{{IDENTIFIER}}
Your ID: [redacted]

After working with a 3rd party tech firm, the county determined that their backup file were all safe and that they would move forward with rebuilding their system internally instead of paying the ransom.

“I am confident that our backup data is secure and we have the resources to fix this situation ourselves,” said Mecklenburg County Manager Dena R. Diorio. “It will take time, but with patience and hard work, all of our systems will be back up and running as soon as possible.”

The county will be prioritizing the rebuilding of their affected systems, with those affecting Health and Human Services, the Court system and Land Use and Environmental Services given first priority.

All County offices continue to operate with normal hours and have implemented alternative processes where necessary.

The county is asking customers to call county departments ahead of time to check on their services.

Cabarrus County Sees Highest Tourism Numbers In The State At Over $400 Million

Charlotte Stories
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Cabarrus County Sees Highest Tourism Numbers In The State At Over $400 Million

concord mills tourismVisitors to the now nationally recognized Cabarrus County spent an unprecedented $400.3 million last year, which is up 7.6% over 2015 numbers, making it the largest increase in the state.

Lodging was the biggest winner with a full 12% increase over last year. Total tourism spending has more than doubled in Cabarrus since the 2002, when the total was put at $173 million.

The data was discovered on the Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties study.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMax Dragway, and Concord Mills (North Carolina’s largest tourist attraction, with over 20 million visitors each year), make Bruton Smith Blvd. one of the most traveled on roads in the state.

In 2015, the SEA LIFE Aquarium was added to Concord Mills, drastically increasing its appeal to children and marine lovers of all ages.

The Great Wolf Lodge was also a major player in bringing corporate travelers to the region.
Currently, the Cabarrus County tourism industry directly employs over 4,190 people.

Charlotte Is Now Under A Winter Weather Advisory

Steve
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Charlotte Is Now Under A Winter Weather Advisory

The City of Charlotte has just been placed under a winter weather advisory from Friday night until Saturday at 12pm.

A cold front is now blowing up from Texas, where it already left snow flurries last night in San Antonio, Houston, and Austin;

According to AccuWeather, North Carolina’s Piedmont can expect slippery road conditions and snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches early Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service is requesting the public to call in to report any snow and ice accumulations observed by calling the National Weather Service toll free at 1-800-267-8101. They ask that you leave a message with your observation and the specific location where it occurred.

If you still haven’t bought any extra milk and bread, or a snow shovel, you can have it delivered to your doorstep tonight or tomorrow morning in under 2 hours using Amazon Prime Now.

UPDATE 12/9/2017 9:12am: 

The Charlotte region received a light blanketing of snow last night – here an aerial shot of Lake Norman;

Crews will be out most of this morning clearing off any snow-covered roads;

Charlotte Congressman Gives Surprisingly Negative Response to Net Neutrality

Steve
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Charlotte Congressman Gives Surprisingly Negative Response to Net Neutrality

One of Charlotte’s main congressman, representing North Carolina’s 9th district, just gave a rather surprising response to Net Neutrality.

The FCC is expected to vote next week on a proposal that would repeal Net Neutrality laws and allow wireless companies to slow or block access to certain parts of the internet. Because of next week’s ruling, many people are now writing into their congressmen to ask them to keep the law in place.

Reddit user pastastical just posted the response he received after he writing Charlotte’s congressman about the upcoming Net Neutrality changes;

Thank you for contacting me regarding net neutrality and freedom of the Internet. Your opinions are invaluable to me, and I appreciate you taking the time to share them.

In 2002, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) failed to classify cable internet providers as telecommunications services, and instead classified them as information services. The FCC tried to apply the rules to Verizon as though they were classified as telecommunication providers, and Verizon then took action filing a lawsuit.

On November 21, F.C.C. Chairman Ajit Pai announced a proposal to roll back the overreaching net neutrality regulations implemented by the Obama Administration. Chairman Pai’s plan would require internet service providers to be more transparent in regard to their practices to ensure consumers have the ability to decide which internet service plan they would like to use as opposed to the government imposing an one­size fits all, central regulation on internet service providers. This proposal will be brought to a vote for approval by the full Commission on December 14th.

The internet as we know it has thrived without regulation and government involvement, and I will continue to stand in opposition against any regulations deterring a free market economy. This issue will continue to be debated in Congress and throughout the telecommunications industry. Should legislation dealing with net neutrality come to the House floor for a vote, I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind.

Thanks again for contacting me. Your suggestions are always welcome, and I hope you will continue to share them. Serving as your Congressman is an honor, and if I may ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

Robert Pittenger Member of Congress
RP/cc

Robert Pittenger (Republican) will be sworn into office on January 2013 for North Carolina’s 9th congressional district;

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, net neutrality is “The idea, principle, or requirement that internet service providers should or must treat all internet data as the same regardless of its kind, source, or destination”

A group called ‘Digital Charlotte‘ is actively fighting to keep the laws in place. On their website they talk about why the law is so important, quoting University of Texas professor Prabhudev Konana in saying;

“The cost to access content may go up on services like YouTube, Netflix and Amazon if service providers choose to charge for that traffic. Also, startups who cannot pay the new tolls may find access to their websites slowed down. Content could be censored on certain networks. And competing streaming services could be made slower.”

If you’d like to make your voice heard about Net Neutrality, please reach out to one or more of the following;

Sen. Thom Tillis
Republican, North Carolina
Phone: 202-224-6342
Email: tillis.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me

Sen. Richard Burr
Republican, North Carolina
Phone: 202-224-3154
Email: burr.senate.gov/contact/email

Rep. Alma Adams
Democrat, North Carolina 12th District
Phone: 202-225-1510
Email: adamsforms.house.gov/contact/

Rep. Robert Pittenger 
Republican, North Carolina 9th District
Phone: 202-225-1976
Email: pittenger.house.gov/contact/email-me

Ajit Pai
FCC Commissioner
Email: Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov

Michael O’Rielly
FCC Commissioner
Email: Mike.ORielly@fcc.gov

Brendan Carr
FCC Commissioner
Email: Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov

Mignon Clyburn
FCC Commissioner
Email: Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov

Jessica Rosenworcel
FCC Commissioner
Email: Jessica.Rosenworcel@fcc.gov

FCC Phone Numbers:
Toll-Free Voice: 1-888-CALL FCC (225-5322)
More phone numbers found at www.fcc.gov/about/contact

Submit a filing on the FCC’s website.
Click on either the “+ New Filing / + Express” links to submit a filing expressing your opinion on Net Neutrality.
LINK: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/proceedings?q=name:((17-108))

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