Charlotte Police Officer Who Shot and Killed Keith Lamont Scott Will Not Face Any Charges

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Charlotte Police Officer Who Shot and Killed Keith Lamont Scott Will Not Face Any Charges

keith-lamont-scott-shooter-not-facing-any-chargesCharlotte’s District Attorney Andrew Murray announced on Wednesday morning that CMPD officer Brentley Vinson will not face any charges after shooting and killing Keith Lamont Scott back in September.

Murray remarked that the evidence he examined showed that:

– Scott stepped out of his vehicle with a gun in his hand.
– He ignored at least 10 commands to drop it.
– One bullet was found in the chamber of his gun, with the safety was off.
– Scott’s DNA was found on the grip and ammunition slide.
– Officer Vinson’s gun had four bullets missing.
– Guns from the other officers on the scene had not been fired.

Murray also remarked that he ran the evidence by 15 other veteran prosecutors and they all concurred with his recommendation that there was insufficient evidence to charge Officer Vinson in the case.

The full body cam and dash cam videos of the shooting can be watched here.

The initial shooting in September was followed by 2 days of rioting, and 7 more days of peaceful protesting on Old Concord Rd., and in Uptown Charlotte.

After the verdict was announced this morning, a local group called the “Charlotte Uprising” announced their intentions to protest around CMPD headquarters in Uptown Charlotte tonight at 6:45pm.

The City of Charlotte released the following statement:

“We recognize that for some members of our community, this news will be met with different reactions. No matter where you stand on the issue, the events surrounding the Scott shooting have forever changed our community, and we intend to learn from and build a stronger Charlotte because of it. The city is committed to continuing its work with the community to preserve safety, trust and accountability.”

The CMPD also released a statement where they detail the additional measures that will be put in place due to the tragic death of Keith Lamont Scott, including; more body cams, increased transparancy, and more 3rd party investigations.

This North Carolina Town Rejected A Solar Farm For Fear It Would ‘Suck Up The Sun’s Energy’

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This North Carolina Town Rejected A Solar Farm For Fear It Would ‘Suck Up The Sun’s Energy’

solar_farm_north_carolinaThe city council of a small town in North Carolina just rejected the rezoning plans for a new solar farm after for fears that it would grow cancer, kill plants, and suck up all the energy from the sun.

A local resident of Northampton County passionately protested at this week’s Woodland Town Council meeting, saying that the farm would “suck up all the energy from the sun and businesses would not come to Woodland.”

Another local resident and retired science teacher said that the proposed solar ranch could hinder photosynthesis in the area and stop plants from growing, and protested that no one could tell her solar panels didn’t cause cancer.

Many more locals expressed concern that the new solar farm would negatively effect the price of their homes.

Strata Solar Company representative Brent Niemann assured everyone at the meeting that the only sunlight that would be used by the panels would be that which fell directly on the panels. “The panels don’t draw additional sunlight,” he commented.

In spite of all the facts that were stated, the Woodland Town Council decided to turn down the proposal, and then later voted to put a moratorium on all future solar farms in the county.

Do you agree with the counsel? Do you think solar power should be stopped?

Historic Nonstop Flight From Charlotte to Cuba Just Took Off

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Historic Nonstop Flight From Charlotte to Cuba Just Took Off
Flickr via Hailey Toft
Flickr via Hailey Toft

History has just been made this morning at Charlotte Douglas International Airport when American Airlines passenger flight 801 departed the Queen City for Havana, Cuba.

The Airbus 319 took off at 8:50am and arrives in Havana at 11:18am.

Here’s a video of the water solute the Charlotte Fire Department gave to the historic flight:

U.S. carriers were given permission to fly to the communist country after President Obama lifted our 58 year long embargo with Cuba.

American Airlines will now be offering 1 nonstop flight each day to Havana, but in order to go, you’ll need a visa, as well as fall into one of the following categories:

• Family visits
• Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments and certain intergovernmental organizations
• Journalistic activities
• Professional research or professional meetings
• Educational activities and people-to-people exchanges
• Religious activities
• Public performance, clinics, workshops, athletic or other competitions and exhibitions
• Support for the Cuban people
• Humanitarian projects
• Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
• Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials
• Travel related to certain authorized export transactions

Today’s historic public passenger flight out of the Charlotte Douglas Airport comes about 3 months after the first commercial flight in over 50 years between the United States and Cuba landed in the central city of Santa Clara, with Charlotte’s former mayor and current US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx among the passengers:

Round trip tickets from Charlotte to Havana, Cuba are now cost around $1,500, to book a flight or a hotel in Cuba click here.

150 Buildings Razed, 3 People Dead, and 14,000+ Evacuated in Historic Gatlinburg Fires

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150 Buildings Razed, 3 People Dead, and 14,000+ Evacuated in Historic Gatlinburg Fires

gatlinburg-burned-to-the-groundHundreds of homes and businesses around the Gatlinburg region have now been burned to the ground after intense wildfire flames mixed with high-speed winds to create a raging mountain inferno.

Officials now estimate that over 14,000 residents have already been evacuated from the area and 3 people have been confirmed dead.

“This is a fire for the history books, the likes of this has never been seen here. But the worst is definitely over with.” Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller said at a morning news conference.

Over 200 firefighters from across Tennessee and North Carolina continue to douse the flames, and the Tennessee Army National Guard is still dumping water on the flames via helicopter, with at least three additional Blackhawk helicopters waiting for deployment.

Last night, Twitter user ‘Chris Brown’ uploaded this video during the evacuation (graphic language):

HEARTBREAKING news out of the Great Smoky Mountains: We do know that several nearby businesses have been destroyed, including some very close neighbors. We ask for your deepest prayers for Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, and for all of Sevier County, Tennessee. Pray especially for those who are fighting this terrible fire, and please pray for those who have lost their life’s work. The people of those mountains are the salt of the earth and they are as tough as they come. "If you're a person of prayer, we could use your prayers,". PICTURE: Hot spots still burning at Riverhouse Motorlodge that my brother and his family stayed there last week. 😳 #knoxnews #family #prayers #KNSWatchfulEye #Gatlinburg #Gatlinburgfire #oahu #aloha #mahalo #pigeonforge #prayforgatlinburg #memories Pray for @windy17 @aa_tenn_vols @survivor_gaia and their families/friends/pets. Hugs!

A photo posted by Betsy (@pabrmb) on

One of the region’s most popular retreats, the 763-room Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa which has more than 100 buildings, is now one of the most significant losses so far from the fire – now that virtually every building has been burned to the ground:

#praying 🙏🏼for #tennessee #gatlinburg the #animals #indianreservation #everyone

A photo posted by Tammy Redd📷 (@tammylynnredd) on

Here is some of the aftermath of the fires:

NC Based Golden Corral Now Buying Up Bankrupt Ryan’s and Old Country Buffet Locations

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NC Based Golden Corral Now Buying Up Bankrupt Ryan’s and Old Country Buffet Locations
photo via flickr
photo via flickr

Buffet giant Buffets LLC (parent company of Ryan’s, Old Country Buffet and HomeTown Buffet) just went bankrupt, and North Carolina’s Golden Corral is starting to buy up its old competitor’s locations across the country.

The Golden Corral has already signed deals to move into two locations in the Minneapolis metro area, and they’re currently negotiating on taking over abandoned buffet sites in Temple City, California, and Milford, Connecticut, Tyler, Texas; Florence, Alabama; Decatur, Alabama; and Owensboro, Kentucky.

They said that about 30 to 40% of the 170 Buffet LLC sites across the country might fit Golden Corral’s criteria.

The company now hopes to reopen each of their new locations by the end of 2016 or early 2017, according to Restaurant News.

Raleigh-based Golden Corral is the country’s largest buffet chain with 484 current locations, according to Nation’s Restaurant News Top 100 data, with $1.7 billion in system-wide sales.

They are now hiring at many of their new locations. You can now browse new job openings here.

Charlotte City Council Just Approved $94 Million Phase 2 Of Uptown’s Street Car Gold Line

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Charlotte City Council Just Approved $94 Million Phase 2 Of Uptown’s Street Car Gold Line

charlotte-streetcar-expansionCharlotte’s City Council just voted almost unanimously to approve the new $94 million Gold Line expansion to the west of Uptown.

Phase 2 of the CityLYNX Gold Line Streetcar project was approved by an 8-2 margin after a lenthy discussion as to the pros and cons of spending $94 million for a new street car line – and after the evidence of the current street car’s sub-par usage was examined.

The new Gold Line extension will include a 2.5 mile west extension toward Johnson C. Smith University.

Here’s a video of the current street car in actions:

Last night, the City Council also approved the purchase of six new hybrid streetcars and spare parts for up to $40 million. The new cars will add on-board batteries that will allow them to operate off-wire from the Gold Line’s system.

City leaders have commented that phase 2 of the gold line will be an essential part of the Metropolitan Transit Commission’s 2030 Transit Corridor System Plan for Charlotte’s Central Business District.

Phase 2 of Charlotte’s Gold Line is now expected to be complete by Fall 2020.

Roy Cooper’s Lead Over Governor McCrory Increases To Almost 10,000 Votes Amid Recount

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Roy Cooper’s Lead Over Governor McCrory Increases To Almost 10,000 Votes Amid Recount

nc-governor-raceAccording to the latest figures on the NC State Board of Elections, Roy Cooper’s lead over current Governor Pat McCrory has just increased to 9,558 votes as of Monday evening, which is almost double what it was on Election Day.

The difference is now approaching the 10,000-vote cutoff point, at which point Governor McCrory would not be able to request an official recount.

Last week, the governor asked for a recount, but then said he would withdraw that demand if the state elections board agreed to a hand recount of Durham County votes.

Hostilities have been growing in both the Republican and Democratic camps. Many Republicans continue to accuse the Democrats of rigging the election, while many Democrats have been increasingly accusing the McCrory team of wasting tax-payer money on prolonging the election.

Many Roy Cooper supporters even started protesting outside of the governor mansion last week – going so far as renting a U-Haul truck as a protest prop.

The final outcome of the election is now expected to be determined by the end of this year after all the pending litigation is resolved.

Donald Trump Considering Appointing Charlotte Native As The New U.S. Treasury Secretary

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Donald Trump Considering Appointing Charlotte Native As The New U.S. Treasury Secretary

allison-us-treasury-secretaryDonald Trump has just announced that he is considering John Allison to be the next U.S. Treasury Secretary.

John Allison originally grew up in Charlotte, NC, and in 1987 he became the CEO of BB&T. He grew the company from around $4.5 billion in assets in the 80s to just over $152 billion in total assets. In 2010, he retired from BB&T and became the director of Moelis & Company.

Allison is a major contributor to the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) and assigned Rand’s Atlas Shrugged to all of his senior executives. Calling Atlas Shrugged “the best defense of capitalism ever written”

In September 2012, Allison wrote his first book, The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure, then in October of 2014, he published his second book, The Leadership Crisis and the Free Market Cure.

Bloomberg News recently reported that Allison was a “on a short-list” for President Trump’s appointed for the new US Treasury Secretary job. Steven Mnuchin, an ex-Goldman Sachs Group Inc. associate, as well as David McCormick of Bridgewater Associates LP are also under consideration, according to Bloomberg news.

Who do you think should be the new U.S. Treasure Secretary?

NC Man Awarded $3.25 Million After Serving 24 Years Behind Bars For A Not-Guilty Rape Charge

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NC Man Awarded $3.25 Million After Serving 24 Years Behind Bars For A Not-Guilty Rape Charge

Willie James Grimes releasedWillie James Grimes has just been awarded $3,250,000 after serving 24 years behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit.

The Hickory City Council voted unanimously today to award Grimes with the settlement from a 2014 lawsuit that he filed against the Hickory Police Department and several several Catawba County individuals, according to the Hickory Record.

He was initially arrested in July of 1988 for two counts of first-degree rape and one count of second-degree kidnapping, then was sentenced to life in prison.

Grimes always maintained his innocence throughout his time in prison, and even refused to join programs that would have reduced his sentence, since he would have had to admit guilt.

In April of 2012, the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission found that the fingerprints of the banana peel from the original case matched a different person.

Grimes was then found innocent of all charges against him, and was exonerated on Oct. 5, 2012 at the age of 66, after spending 24 years behind bars.

The city of Hickory will now be required to pay him $2,250,650, and the city’s insurance company, National Casualty, will pay $999,350.

This Week’s Rain May End North Carolina’s Drought and Wildfires

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This Week’s Rain May End North Carolina’s Drought and Wildfires

We finally have rain in the forecast for the coming week – and this time it might actually be substantial enough to put out the wildfires and potentially even stop the drought.

Over the next several days, Weather.com is predicting as much as 1-3” of rain for the North Carolina mountains, and about half as much for the Charlotte region:

charlotte-weather-forcast

Although many of the wild fires in North Carolina are mostly contained, new fires continue to start, and will likely continue to grow if our drought persists (check out our ongoing article about the NC wild fires here).

Let’s hope this week’s rain actually comes, and that the occasional rain shower will return to our region.

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