Angry Panthers Fans Raising Funds to Fly “Fire Shula” Aerial Banner During Game

Steve
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Angry Panthers Fans Raising Funds to Fly “Fire Shula” Aerial Banner During Game

A growing number of Panthers fans are blaming offensive coordinator Mike Shula for the team’s issues.

Earlier this week fans started an online petition to try to get Shula fired (which currently has 2,200+ signatures) – now they’re taking things to a whole new level.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has just been launched to raise enough money to fly a banner over Bank of America stadium during a Panthers’ game with something along the lines of “Fire Mike Shula” written on it.

The campaign states that it “is for an aerial banner company that will do a 1 hour flight for us with a banner of up to 40 characters. So total flight time of an hour at the stadium and downtown. They will fly over the stadium 1 hour prior to game time and over downtown Charlotte. The total cost is a flat $1700.”

The fundraising campaign states that they will be using airsign.com to print and fly the banner.

They’ve already raised over $1,300 toward the $1,700 goal, if you’d like to contribute click here.

Charlotte Business Owner Just Won The ‘Franchisee of The Year Award’ in Washington DC

Steve
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Charlotte Business Owner Just Won The ‘Franchisee of The Year Award’ in Washington DC

A Charlotte business owner has just one the International Franchise Association (IFA)’s ‘Franchisee of The Year Award’ – given out each year to one of their 13,000+ franchisee members.

James “Jim” Echols, who owns 2 Edible Arrangements stores in Charlotte, was announced the winner earlier this month at the IFA’s annual Franchisee of the Year Awards dinner in Washington DC.

He was initially nominated for the award by the Edible Arrangements® corporate team for his outstanding commitment to the company and his WOW-worthy performance in his stores, consistently going above and beyond expectations.

“Jim is the ideal franchisee and I’m honored that he is part of the Edible Arrangements franchise network,” commented Tariq Farid, founder and CEO of Edible Arrangements, “Jim is a fantastic representation of Edible’s values. He constantly looks for ways to WOW our customers and it shows with his strong brand engagement and outstanding sales performance.”

Jim Echols, second from left, was honored as an IFA Franchisee of the Year.

Echols has also been recognized for his focus on giving back to his community; he was one of the many Edible® franchisees who donated to Hurricane Harvey relief. Echols has also used his store as an opportunity to contribute to the Ronald McDonald house, children’s hospitals, the YMCA, and local charities.

“One of the things we do on a weekly basis is supply fruit salad to a soup kitchen near our store,” said Echols. “We cut the excess fruit and donate it to the kitchen. We encourage staff to participate in activities, and enjoy helping those in our community.”

Congratulations Jim – keep up the good work! 

North Carolina Is Now 1 of 3 Finalists For Toyota and Mazda’s New $1.6 Billion Joint Facility

Charlotte Stories
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North Carolina Is Now 1 of 3 Finalists For Toyota and Mazda’s New $1.6 Billion Joint Facility

It’s now being reported that North Carolina is one of the top finalists for a massive new auto facility.

The competition to land the $1.6 billion dual Toyota-Mazda plant is down to 3 southeastern states, according to AutomotiveNews.com

Mark Peterson, president Intersect Illinois, said his sources tell him Illinois is not among the finalists, but that three southern states are. “In this case, the three states I am told are still in the running are all right-to-work states,” Peterson said.

We reported back in August that Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. will be joining forces to build one of America’s largest production facilities, capable of producing 300,000 new vehicles every year (mostly electric). The new plant will cost an estimated $1.6 billion and would employ over 4,000 people.

Pregnant Woman and Unborn Child Mark 74th and 75th Homicides of 2017 in Charlotte

Steve
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Pregnant Woman and Unborn Child Mark 74th and 75th Homicides of 2017 in Charlotte

On October 19th, police found the deceased body of a woman beside Dobys Bridge Road in Fort Mill.

After an autopsy, investigators discovered that she was pregnant and had been killed somewhere else before being dumped beside the country road just south of I-485.

This morning, a joint task force between Charlotte and Fort Mill police departments arrested 28-year-old Mahmood Amjad Bhatti and charged him with the double murder of Natalie Merrick and her unborn child.

Bhatti and Merrick were dating and living in a townhouse together on Via Romano Dr. in Charlotte, where they already had 1 other child together.

Merrick’s death marks the 74th, and her unborn child marks the 75th homicide of 2017.

CMPD is asking anyone with information about this incident to call 704-432-TIPS, or Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

 

Food Lion Testing Their First Ever “To-Go” Grocery Pick Up Service at Their Dilworth Location

Steve
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Food Lion Testing Their First Ever “To-Go” Grocery Pick Up Service at Their Dilworth Location

Food Lion has just launched their first pilot “Food Lion To-Go” shopping experience at their Dilworth location on Park Rd.

They are using the Instacart delivery app to coordinate orders, which will allow customers to order and pick up their groceries in as little as an hour, according to their press release.

“At Food Lion, our goal is to provide access to fresh, quality and affordable groceries, how you want them and when you want them, whether it’s in your store or bringing the store to you digitally,” said Mitch Hendrix, store manager at the Park Road location. “Food Lion To-Go is the next step in offering ease and convenience to our customers, and we’re proud to pilot this service here in Charlotte.”

To use the new service, Charlotte shoppers can go to www.foodlion.com/togo, fill their virtual cart and choose a one hour pick-up window (within one hour, within two hours, or some scheduled time in the future) and check out.

Customers can then park in designated ‘To-Go’ parking spots during their pick-up time slot and an employee will bring their groceries out to their car.

The new ‘To-Go’ service is now available seven days per week from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Carolina Place Mall Will Be Holding Massive Job Fair This Coming Saturday

Charlotte Stories
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Carolina Place Mall Will Be Holding Massive Job Fair This Coming Saturday

The Carolina Place Mall just started gearing up for the busiest shopping season of the year.

They will be holding a massive holiday job fair this coming Saturday afternoon (Oct. 28th) 1 PM – 6 PM on the lower level of the mall, according to their press release.

The following retailers will be hiring:

American Eagle Outfitters
Amy’s Hallmark
Belk
Charley’s Philly Steaks
Charlotte Russe
Children’s Place
Dillard’s
Doc Popcorn
ERMC/Andy Frain
Francesca’s
Forever XXI
Gymboree
Hot Topic
Icing/Claire’s
Kay Jewelers
NYS Collections
Pandora
Payless Shoes
Sbarro Pizza
Rack Room Shoes
Sears
Shoe Dept/Encore
Things Remembered
Torrid
Vans

Mall officials recommend that interested candidates bring multiple resumes and dress to impress.

If you’d like more information, you can contact Carolina Place Mall Management at 704-542-4111.

New Poll Shows Charlotte’s Mayoral Race Virtually Tied At 41% to 40%

Steve
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New Poll Shows Charlotte’s Mayoral Race Virtually Tied At 41% to 40%

Spectrum News and SurveyUSA just released the results of a new poll in Charlotte’s mayoral race.

They found that both candidates are virtually tied, with Lyles showing a slight lead at 41% and Smith at 40%.

▪ Smith has 85% of the Republican vote and 12% of the Democrat vote

▪ Lyles has 71% of the Democratic vote and 6% of the Republican vote

▪ Men favor Smith at 52% to 28%, and Women favor Lyles at 48% to 33%.

▪ Smith is leading the Millenial vote (ages 18 to 34) with 51% to 21%.

▪ White voters favor Smith at 53% to 27% and Black voters favor Lyles at 55% to 24%.

Early voting started last week and will continue through election day on November 7th.

If you aren’t sure who to vote for yet, check out Ballotpedia.org’s pages on Smith and Lyles for more info on the candidates.

Here’s a recent debate produced by Fox Charlotte;

PBS Charlotte also recently released several debate segments on transportation:

leadership style:

police and protests:

and taxes:

Please go vote! 

Charlotte Teen Has Just Been Added To FBI’s Most Wanted List Along w/ $100,000 Reward

Steve
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Charlotte Teen Has Just Been Added To FBI’s Most Wanted List Along w/ $100,000 Reward

The FBI has just added 18-year-old Alejandro Castillo to America’s “Most Wanted” list.

A $100,000 reward is now being offered for any information that might lead to the arrest of the Charlotte teen.

Alejandro is wanted in connection with the 2016 murder of his former girlfriend, 23-year-old Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le, who he met while working in a Charlotte restaurant, according to the FBI.

“A joint investigation by the FBI and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) revealed that Castillo owed the victim money—approximately $1,000. Text messages between Castillo and the victim showed they agreed to meet in Charlotte on August 9, 2016, so he could repay the loan.”

The FBI also released this video, which includes surveillance footage of what looks like Alejandro crossing the border into Mexico:

If you have any information about Alejandro’s whereabouts, you can call Charlotte’s FBI division at (704) 672-6100, or the national FBI headquarters at (202) 324-3000.

 

Last Night’s Extreme Storms Caused Tornadoes in Hickory and Flooding in Boone

Steve
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Last Night’s Extreme Storms Caused Tornadoes in Hickory and Flooding in Boone

Yesterday afternoon the majority of North and South Carolina was placed under a tornado watch as severe thunderstorms quickly formed.

Charlotte experienced some extreme winds and heavy rains, but the hardest hit areas seem to be between Hickory and Boone where tornadoes and flash flooding caused millions of dollars of damage and left thousands without power this morning.

In this video you can see trees being ripped apart in Hickory, NC by the extreme winds;

The Hickory airport experienced some of the worst damage from the storm, with planes and cars tossed around and 2 hangers ripped apart;

The extreme weather also toppled hundreds of trees throughout the Hickory region;

Highland School Apartments

A post shared by Jamie Fox (@jamie.fox.71216141) on

While tornadoes and extreme winds were destroying many parts of Hickory, NC, heavy rains were causing flooding in the mountains.

Here’s a video of the beginning of the flash flooding on the campus of App State in Boone, NC;

By the time the rains stopped, many areas of the city were under water;

#flashflood #boonenc

A post shared by Matthew Vollenweider (@matthewvollenweider) on

According to Duke Energy’s outage map, there are still over 78,000 people around the greater Charlotte region affected by power outages from last night’s storms;

Did you experience any damage or power outages from last night’s storms?

Little Big Burger Is Giving Away 600 Free Burgers For Their Grand Opening in Charlotte

Steve
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Little Big Burger Is Giving Away 600 Free Burgers For Their Grand Opening in Charlotte

Chanticleer Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOTR) has officially announced the grand opening of Charlotte’s first Little Big Burger.

The iconic Portland burger joint is opening their first East Coast location in Charlotte’s Prosperity Village Square just off Interstate 485.

They’ll be celebrating their grand opening by giving free burgers to the first 600 customers this coming Thursday, Oct. 26th.

Rich Adams, President and Chief Operating Officer of American Burger Company, the parent company of LBB, commented, “We are excited to launch our first little big burger outside of the Portland market. I am confident that Charlotteans will soon be raving about the quality of our burgers, truffle fries, and root beer floats.”

The restaurant held a soft opening this past Saturday and has already received over a dozen 5-star reviews;

I stopped by this afternoon for my own preview of the new restaurant.

Their menu was refreshingly simple;

and the atmosphere was welcoming and open, with the vibe of a classic Carolina burger joint;

They even hired local graffiti artists Matt Hooker and Matt Moore to hand-paint 2 of the walls;

I ordered the little big cheeseburger with blue cheese and a side of truffle fries – the burger was fresh and juicy, and the fries were extra crispy with a uniquely addicting truffle flavor;

Check them out for yourself this coming Thursday, October 26th from 11am until they run out of burgers.

If you’re one of the first 600 people in the door – your burger’s free!

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