After watching all the devastation from Hurricane Harvey online and on TV, Charlotte’s own John Gallagher decided to risk everything to travel into the heart of the storm to help.
John started his journey by buying a brand new boat from Bass Pro Shops, when he told them he was going to use it to rescue flood victims, they gave him a 40% discount;
One his way down to Houston, he loaded up with supplies with the help of dozens of generous people along the way;
Here’s one of John’s first rescues in the Houston area;
Once his boat fills up, he has to drop everyone off at a shelter before returning to rescue more people;
John said that due to the overwhelming number of boats, the military is now turning away people traveling to the flooded areas with new boats. He also mentioned there is a significant need for volunteers at the rescue shelters, and for “bless bags” with all the essentials a flood victim might need:
If you’d like to come down to help, please download the FEMA app and drive to one of the blue dots where you can volunteer at one of the shelters.
Yelp Charlotte recently put together it’s list of the top 50 places to eat in Charlotte, and having to been to most of them, I gotta say, it’s pretty solid.
To create this list, Yelp ranked local, non-chain businesses throughout the greater Charlotte region based on the number of reviews on their website, and on each restaurant’s overall star rating.
According to Yelp users and Charlotte foodies, these are the top 50 places to eat in the Queen City:
This past April, President Trump signed a new law that would let states deny funding to abortion providers including Planned Parenthood. The law essentially reversed President Obama’s rule that explicitly stopped states from denying federal funds to clinics providing abortion services.
South Carolina’s Governor Henry McMaster took advantage of the change by issuing Executive Order 2017-15 earlier this week – essentially prohibiting public funds from going to any agency that engages in abortion related services.
According to the official press release; “Governor McMaster has directed state agencies to cease providing state or local funds, whether via grant, contract, state-administered federal funds, or any other form, to any physician or professional medical practice affiliated with an abortion clinic and operating concurrently with – and in the same physical, geographic location or footprint as – an abortion clinic.”
The governor also directed the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to research and distribute lists of all qualified non-abortion women’s health and family planning providers operating within a twenty-five mile radius of all abortion clinics throughout the state.
“There are a variety of agencies, clinics, and medical entities in South Carolina that receive taxpayer funding to offer important women’s health and family planning services without performing abortions,” said Governor McMaster. “Taxpayer dollars must not directly or indirectly subsidize abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.”
North Carolina Governor Cooper has just declared a temporary state of emergency for the state of North Carolina after Hurricane Harvey shut down major gas pipelines coming out of Texas.
The temporary state of emergency was declared through Executive Order No. 19, which essentially waved the cap on maximum hours of service restrictions for fuel vehicles traveling in and through North Carolina – helping to maintain a steady supply of gas to our state.
“Hurricane Harvey’s damage to refineries in Texas and Louisiana could ripple throughout the southeast, causing gasoline shortages and rising prices,” Governor Cooper commented. “I’m taking action to make it easier to get gasoline into our state so North Carolinians who need gas can get it.”
The Governor’s Executive Order also helps support disaster response efforts by making it easier for vehicles transporting emergency relief supplies to travel through North Carolina.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those suffering from Harvey and its aftermath, and North Carolina is doing everything we can to help,” said Governor Cooper. “This executive order will help essential supplies get to flood victims as soon as possible, while also keeping fuel flowing here in North Carolina.”
The executive order also mandates a price gouging law against overcharging for the next 45 days.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein released a statement saying that his office will heavily pursue claims of price gouging in the state.
“If you see suspiciously high gas prices, it could mean that gas stations are taking advantage of their customers,” noted Attorney General Stein. “I want to know about it. My top priority is protecting North Carolinians – including their wallets. Taking advantage of people during a weather crisis would be unacceptable, and I will hold any offenders accountable.”
If you spot any gas price gouging in our state, you can report it to our Josh Stein’s office by visiting ncdoj.gov or calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
If you spot gouging in South Carolina, you can report it to their Attorney General’s office at 1-800-351-4889.
Last night the Carolina Panthers faced off against the Pitsburg Steelers in their last Preseason game of 2017. We were just 9 seconds away from a 10-14 victory, but the Steeler’s managed to squeeze in one last touchdown on their final drive to win the game with a final score of 17-14.
If it’s any consolation, the fourth preseason game is traditionally regarded as the least important game of the season. Most of our starters, including Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey stayed on the bench the entire game.
Cam, however, was able to find other ways to entertain himself while off the field;
The Panthers’ second-team dominated most of the first half. Panthers cornerback Teddy Williams blitzed in the first quarter to pressure Steelers quarterback Landry Jones, who then threw a jump ball. David Mayo came down with the interception, and soon Fozzy Whittaker punched it in on a short run for a 7-0 lead. Toward the end of the second quarter, Joe Webb launched a bomber to Kaelin Clay for a huge catch that set up a touchdown for Damiere Byrd, giving the Panthers the lead going into halftime.
Cameron Artis-Payne also had an incredible night, finishing with 51 yards on eight carries.
Although Joe Webb did show a mostly strong performance, it’s unlikely he’ll replace Derek Anderson as our second string, giving the fact that he threw two interceptions, including the terrible decision early in the second half to set Pittsburgh up deep in Carolina territory that resulted in our loss.
The Panthers will now have a lot of decisions to make as Cut Day is this coming Saturday when the team will have to trim the roster from 90 to 53.
They’ll then fly off to San Francisco for our season opener on Sept. 10.
Yesterday afternoon, a man in Surf City, NC performed one of the most daring escapes the small town has ever seen.
According to Wilmington’s WWAY, 20-year-old Zachary Kingsbury was stopped by police at around 4:15 pm yesterday afternoon during a routine traffic stop. When police noticed a controlled substance in the car, Zachary started running.
He ran to the ocean, dove in, and began swimming away. Police then employed a long-range drone to track him in the ocean, but after 60 minutes in the air, the drone ran out of batteries, and Zachary continued to swim.
This video from the drone shows just how far out he was;
“After 60 minutes of flight time, Kingsbury was over 4,000 feet offshore and visual contact was lost. At that point, the operation became a rescue operation,” according to a statement from the Surf City Police.
At about 7:45 p.m., North Topsail Beach Police arrested Zachary after he finally swam ashore at the Wicker Avenue beach access in North Topsail Beach – about 2 1/2 miles down the beach from where he first jumped in 3 hours earlier.
He has since been charged with resisting arrest, obstructing an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine, and possession of marijuana of up to a half an ounce, according to the Surf City Police.
Girls as young as 13-years-old can now receive birth control online without their parent’s consent through a new smart phone app called ‘Nurx‘.
Once the smartphone app is downloaded, a girl fills out a quick patient survey, then talks to a state-licensed doctor about their medical history, mostly through instant messages on the app. If approved, the birth control can then either be mailed to the patient or picked up a local pharmacy.
The new app has been causing controversy ever since it was launched last month.
Nurx is dangerous, because it provides another way for children under the age of 18 to obtain contraceptives without the knowledge or consent of their parents. In North Carolina, contraceptives can only be administered by obtaining a prescription from a licensed physician, so Nurx must utilize telemedicine (the practice of doctors seeing patients online through teleconferencing). Legislation passed this year (HB 283) [that] requires the state to study how to regulate telemedicine, and NC Values Coalition will certainly be advocating for legislators to prohibit the use of telemedicine by minors to obtain contraception.
According to Nurx, as long as their patients are healthy, they should be able to receive birth control. The company said it doesn’t have a problem treating teens without parents knowing.
Amidst all the construction of the Charlotte Douglas Airport’s historic $2.5 billion renovation, it’s flight and passenger numbers have continued to rise.
They’ve increased to such a level, that the airport is now officially ranked as the 5th busiest airport in the world.
With a total of 543,944 takeoffs and landings last year, we now see more daily flights than Houston, London, Paris, and even JFK in NYC.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International is still ranked as the world’s busiest airport, according to ACI, with 882,497 takeoffs and landings last year. Chicago O’Hare ranked second, Dallas/Fort Worth is third, LA is 4th, and Beijing is 5th.
Charlotte’s ranking is slightly less impressive if you only look at passenger numbers, in which case it ranks ninth nationwide and 27th in the world.
Matthews Alive is back this weekend to the support of local non-profit organizations through music, arts and community involvement. It will start this Friday at 6pm and end Monday at 5pm.
Entry is free, but ride tickets cost $1 each or 20 for $15, and there will be plenty of food and arts and crafts to buy.
The Labor Day Parade starts Saturday morning at 10:30am.
The Inaugural East Side Block Music Festival on Charlotte’s lower East Side this coming Saturday afternoon from noon – 5pm. The festival is an outdoor event being held on the grounds of the Albemarle Road Recreation Center (baseball field). This uplifting event includes entertainment featuring local talent, food & merchandise vendors.
The USNWC is the place to enjoy the long holiday weekend at the Labor Day Celebration. The Labor Day 5k and 15k trail race will kick off the festivities Sunday morning, followed by a day of outdoor adventure, yoga, deep water solo climbing competition, and live music. Be sure to stick around after the sun goes down for their popular Labor Day fireworks show.
Since the city of Charlotte’s Native American beginnings, the city has always been a crossroads for culture and trade. Crossroads is an original dance and cirque work celebrating the creativity and growth that occurs when diverse paths intersect.
Each performance of “Crossroads” will be a variety of dance and fitness classes as well as pre-show performances. Food trucks and local breweries will be present throughout the afternoon and evening.
Friday, September 1st
5pm – 6pm: Free Dance Class
6pm -7:30pm: Pre-Show Performances
8pm: Crossroads
Saturday, September 2nd and Sunday, September 3rd
3pm – 6pm: Free Dance Class
6pm -7:30pm: Pre-Show Performances
8pm: Crossroads
Live action battles will take place in the front lawn of the Latta home. Saturday will feature two battles including The Battle of Charlottestown at 12:00 noon, and the Battle of the Bees at 3:00pm. Sunday one battle at 2:00pm will take place, all other demonstrations are ongoing all weekend.
The reenactment takes place at Historic Latta Plantation located at the very back of the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve at 5225 Sample Rd. Huntersville, NC 28078.
The winner of 30 NASCAR Cup Series races, including the 2016 Daytona 500, has opened up his new 30,000 square-foot Lake Norman castle for a private tour.
Denny Hamlin’s Cornelius home sits on a private Lake Norman peninsula. He started construction in late 2016 and just put the finishing touches on the state-of-the-art complex.
photo via Griffin360photo via Griffin360
He spared no expense, including a full-size indoor basketball court, helicopter pad, two-lane bowling alley, golf and racing simulators, elevator, and an IMAX home theater.
photo via Griffin360photo via Griffin360photo via Griffin360
His entire home is integrated through an advanced ELAN Entertainment & Control System, giving him complete control of his lighting, door locks, surveillance system, music, TVs (24 60” TVs, and an 88” curved-screen TV), jacuzzis, and bowling alley from anywhere in the world via his smartphone.
“Interactive interiors did a phenomenal job to quickly and efficiently install ELAN into the home,” said Ted Thompson, President of Thompson Custom Home Builder. “Sometimes, programmers work for months on end when implementing a smart home infrastructure of this size and magnitude. But the installation process and the system configuration was totally seamless.”
photo via Griffin360
In addition to some of the most advanced home-tech in the world, his stunning lake estate is also loaded with luxurious finishes, brilliant design, and world-class artisanship.
“Denny wanted the overall design aesthetic to be clean, simple and contemporary,” commented interior designer Scott Carpenter. “In addition to the unique architectural and design elements we incorporated, we also played with technology to achieve our goal. We installed custom-built LED lighting strips across many of the home’s moldings, especially for the home’s art gallery wall.”
photo via Griffin360photo via Griffin360photo via Griffin360