Yesterday’s Love Wins Charlotte Rally Aimed At Turning Political Fear Into United Love

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Yesterday’s post-election LoveWinsCLT rally surprisingly attacked over 300 people.

Erika Lopez said in a press release that she was very surprised by the turnout. She said that she simply helped some preschool mothers create and launch the event, and everything else seemed to fall into place.

he event seemed to be mostly nonpartisan and apolitical, with speakers urging the group to reach across political, racial, religious and other barriers and overcome fear and anger that has seemingly been dividing us.

Speakers urged everyone to promote diversity and support any people who have been marginalized or looked down on.

The rally was held just outside ourBridge for Kids, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group on Charlotte’s Central Avenue – aimed at supporting immigrant children.

NoDa’s Neighborhood Theater Building Was Sold For $5.6 Million

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charlotte-neighborhood-theaterOne of Charlotte’s most legendary music venues recently sold for $5.6 million to a subsidiary of LCRE Partners.

The sale included the entire building on the corner of 36th and North Davidson, which includes The Neighborhood Theater, Boudreaux’s, the Sanctuary, Salud Beer Shop and FuD at Salud.

Mecklenburg County’s Register of Deeds states that the new owner of the property is ’36 and NODA LLC’, an entity created by LCRE Partners.

The company doesn’t currently have any plans to demolish or significantly alter the building. They plan on unfitting differed maintenance issues for the short term, and will decide the future of the building once the new light rail extension up to University City is completed, according to a statement from LCRE.

NoDa is currently one of the fastest growing areas of our city, with massive new developments changing the entire landscape of the neighborhood, including the Mercury NoDa Apartment complex, and the just-announced ‘NoDa Station‘, a sprawling 5-story mixed-use development.

It would be another huge blow to the local music scene in Charlotte if LCRE did decided to redevelop the Neighborhood Theater, considering we’re already losing The Double Door and Amos Southend – and that the fate of The Milestone still remains uncertain.

Do you think Charlotte should fight to keep our remaining music venues?

2 Panther Players Were Ranked Among The Highest Paid Athletes In The World

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luke-kuechly-cam-newton2 of the Carolina Panthers’ most beloved players, Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly have been ranked among the highest paid athletes in the world, according to Forbes.

Cam Newton came in at number 7 in the world and the number 1 highest paid NFL player, earning a total of $53.1 million.

Luke Kuechly also ranked among the top 50 athletes in the world, coming at number 44, earning $27.1 million.

Forbes’ list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world combines salaries, prize money, endorsements, and all bonuses over the past year.

Cam earned an impressive $12 million alone from endorsements – compared with about $1 million for Luke.

Charlotte area native Stephen Curry (current NBA MVP) also landed on the list at number 69, earning a total of $23.6 million.

A couple NASCAR legends also made the list, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. at number 71 ($23.5 million) and Jimmie Johnson at number 82 ($22.2 million).

Cam Newton Has Launched A New Production Company With The Makers of Top Chef

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cam newton Iconic Saga ProductionsArguably the best quarterback in the NFL has launched a new production company in partnership with Magical Elves (the company behind ‘Top Chef’, ‘Project Runway’, ‘Last Comic Standing’, and dozens of other shows) – the new company will be called ‘Iconic Saga Productions’.

The new company will produce unscripted tv series and short films for a variety of channels and media platforms.

It’s a partnership that’s already proven successful after Cam Newton and Magical Elve’s recent 20-episode Nickelodeon series “All in With Cam Newton,” proved to be a major hit.

When asked about the new production company, Newton remarked, “As soon as we started working on ‘All In’, I knew that Dan and Jane would be the perfect partners. I’m excited to continue building on what we’ve already started, creating new, fun, authentic content for the world to see.”

Magical Elves’ co-owner Jane Lipsitz added, “It became obvious very quickly while shooting ‘All In’ that Cam is a superstar both in front of and behind the camera, and we look forward to showcasing that talent across all platforms.”

In filming his most recent show, “All In with Cam Newton”, Cam commented that he wanted to create a positive message for the next generation.

“It’s really unbelievable, you know I’m a kid at heart, we all know that…I love giving back and just seeing their faces and the energy they give off, which is reciprocated because I’m enjoying that as well.”

First Round-Trip Flights From Charlotte Douglas Airport to Cuba Just Started

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Flickr via Hailey Toft
Flickr via Hailey Toft

The Charlotte Douglas International Airport received final approval to start flying non-stop to Havana, Cuba this past summer and the first round-trip flights just started flying this weekend.

The US Department of Transportation announced that Charlotte was among the 10 cities chosen that will be granted permission to fly non-stop to Cuba’s capitol city of Havana. American Airlines will begin flying out of the Queen City staring this month.

The other 9 cities selected include; Los Angeles, Miami, New York (JFK), Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Fla., Tampa, Fla., Newark, N.J. and Houston, Texas.

This announcement came just hours 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:

“Today’s actions are the result of months of work by airlines, cities, the U.S. government, and many others toward delivering on President Obama’s promise to reengage with Cuba. Transportation has a unique role in this historic initiative and we look forward to the benefits these new services will provide to those eligible for Cuba travel.” Foxx remarked in a statement.

Expedia is also now partnered with over a dozen hotels in Cuba to offer rooms for US citizens (click here to check pricing or book a room). As tentions continue to decrease, it’s likely we’ll continue to see more businesses expanding to the formerly off-limits island nation.

North Carolina Now Offering $10,000 Reward For Any Information About Wildfire Arson

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wildfire-north-carolinaGovernor McCrory just announced that North Carolina will give $10,000 to anyone who can provide information that might lead to the arrest of those responsible for any of the recent wildfires.

“We’re committed to doing all we can to support our firefighters, protect people and property, and find those who may be responsible for any wildfires in North Carolina. Firefighters are making progress but the job is not over. I especially want to thank the volunteers serving as firefighters and those helping to feed, house and support firefighters in communities throughout our state.” commented Governor McCrory.

He gave the announcement during a press conference at the Bat Cave Volunteer Fire Department in Henderson County.

At this point there are now over 2,100 active firefighters combating the fires that have now burned over 46,000 acres and threatened 1,800 buildings throughout our state.

If you’d like more information about the North Carolina wildfires, check out our ongoing North Carolina wildfire article here.

Charlotte’s New Top Golf Location in Steele Creek Is Ahead of Schedule

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top-golf-charlotte-progressAfter Topgolf International Inc. was approved for their new South Charlotte location (their first in the Charlotte region) this past June, they have been progressing on construction at a surprisingly quick pace.

With permitting, zoning, and site approval taken into consideration, they’re now about 50% finished with their new location.

They are now planning on opening in South West Charlotte, across the street from the Whitehall Corporate Center (that place with the giant spinning head fountain) sometime in the summer of 2017:

top-golf-charlotte-location

Topgolf Charlotte will be a futuristic “golf entertainment complex” offering targeted games where players hit ‘microchipped’ balls as close to various targets and special zones as possible. The balls individually record their location before and after they are hit, and give individual scores for each player. They will also feature a full food and drink menu – catering to golfers and non-golfers of all skill levels.

Top Golf Charlotte is now expected to bring 480 new jobs and a $30 million paycheck to Mecklenburg County in taxes over the next 20 years.

The company also stated that if the Whitehall complex proves to be a hit, they will move quickly to build a second location in the North Charlotte/Lake Norman area.

Free Dental Clinic Coming To Charlotte Convention Center – Planning On Treating Over 1,000 People

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charlotte-area-dental-clinicThe North Carolina Missions of Mercy is about to host a massive free dental clinic on Dec. 2-3 to treat over 1,000 people who couldn’t otherwise afford dental treatment.

The organizations is now asking for addional volunteers that may be interested in helping those in need. They need volunteers to both register and direct people through the Charlotte Convention Center, where the event will be held.

There will be 100 dental chairs set up, which will most likely stay full for the entire 12 hours of each day of the event.

There will be over 900 dental professionals – dentists, assistants, hygienists, lab technicians who will be working in rotating shifts. Each participant will receive continuing education credits for volunteering during the event.

If you’d like to volunteer as an assistant, or if you’d like to register for free treatment, ou can visit ncmom-charlotte.com.

Please help spread the word! 

One of Charlotte’s Most Iconic Buildings Was Sold For $284 Million

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one wells fargo building sold 2

North Carolina’s most expensive office building just sold in Uptown Charlotte.

one wells fargo building uptown charlotteOne Wells Fargo Center broke its own record ($245 million in 2013), selling for $284 million to LLC formed by Nevada businessman Dennis Troesh – it now holds the record for the most ever paid for a single office building in our state.

The 1-million-square-foot Class AA building is currently 98% leased, with 70% of the space taken up by Wells Fargo’s second headquarters, and the remainder split between a mix of financial, legal, and real estate firms.

“This transaction demonstrates the strength in the Charlotte economy and the confidence investors have in its continued growth,” commented Will Yowell, CBRE’s vice chairman, in a statement (CBRE was the real estate firm that handled the transaction).

With another wave of office and apartment buildings now being built in Uptown, the future of the Queen City is certainly looking up!

Please share;

Top 5 Most Watched Charlotte Stories Videos So Far This Year

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Even though Charlotte Stories is relatively new in the video world, the growth we’ve seen is incredible. We now have 52 videos on our YouTube Channel with over 670,000 total views.

In cased you missed some over our most popular ones, here are the top 5 most watched Charlotte Stories videos so far this year:

#5 Stopping Racism in Uptown Charlotte

#4 Year-Long Time-Lapse of Uptown Charlotte’s Skyscrapers

#3 Panthers vs Broncos Superbowl Stampede

#2 Ramsey Creek Park Beach – Official Trailer

#1 Mary Ward – 95 Year Old Carolina Panthers Fan

If you’d like to watch more of our videos, check out our Charlotte Stories TV page, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking the following button:

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We’re always looking for new people or local businesses to feature in our videos – if you have any ideas please Email us – Press@CltStories.com