Summer officially arrives in Charlotte tomorrow evening at the Solstice. Scientists are now predicting this summer could be the hottest ever due to climate change and an El Niño weather cycle.

Forecasters expect a blazing start for the Queen City, with heat index temps expected to hit 100 over the weekend. Much of the eastern United States will swelter under a “heat dome” currently affecting the Midwest.

While dehydration is a known danger of heat waves, researchers highlight an underestimated risk: extreme heat preventing the body from cooling off. This can lead to organ failure and death when the body can no longer regulate its temperature.

The elderly, young children, and anyone who suffers from heat sensitivity, respiratory conditions, or heart or lung disease should limit their time outside.

If you’re planning on spending an extended amount of time outside this summer, make sure you wear breathable clothes and consider getting a small fan, personal air conditioner, or evaporative cooling towel.

Stay safe out there!

The US State Department (DoS) just announced plans to open a new full-service passport office in Charlotte – meaning we’ll no longer have to drive to Atlanta to get first-time passports, renewals, or expedited processing. This new facility will also significantly reduce wait times for all other passport services.

In a press release, the DoS noted, “In Fiscal Year 2023, the Department of State issued over 24 million passport books and cards – more than ever before.  To better serve the growing number of Americans seeking U.S. passports, the Department is taking steps to establish six new passport agencies.  These offices – which will open in Salt Lake City, UT; Kansas City, MO; Orlando, FL; Charlotte, NC; San Antonio, TX; and Cincinnati, OH – reflect our commitment to provide prompt customer services to more Americans closer to where they live.”

This addition is part of a nationwide expansion in cities with the busiest airports and will bring the total number of passport facilities in America to 35.

Services the new offices will provide:

• Regular Service: First-time passports and renewals.
• Lost/Stolen Passport Replacement.
• Fast-Track Service: Passports within 14 days for an additional fee.
• Same-Day Issuance: Possibility of receiving a passport on the application day.

To apply for a passport in the new office, you’ll need:

• Completed application form
• Proof of U.S. citizenship (original/certified copy)
• Photocopy of proof of citizenship
• Valid ID and photocopy
• Recent color passport photo

Additional documents are required for children under 16.

More details are available on the DoS’s website here.

The SouthPark Mall just announced that ZARA will become its newest retailer, with the store set to open in 2026.

This will be ZARA’s first location in North Carolina, addressing the long-standing demand from local fans. The nearest ZARA to Charlotte is currently in Atlanta.

ZARA, a trendy Spanish retailer, is known for its fashionable clothing and accessories. The addition of ZARA highlights SouthPark Mall’s commitment to offering its customers access to the latest global fashion trends and top-tier retail experiences.

With the recent addition of controversial brand Balenciaga and now ZARA, SouthPark Mall is slowly evolving into the Southeast’s most high-end shopping destination.

2 separate earthquakes just struck North Carolina today around the town of Sparta (about 90 minutes north of Charlotte).

According to the USGS, the first quake struck at 12:41 am this morning with a magnitude of 2.3 and the second struck a few miles south of it with the same magnitude at 1:16 AM.

Last week, a 2.2 magnitude earthquake just struck the Rock Hill area.

The quake hit at exactly 4:02:37 am with a 2.8 km depth and an exact epicenter of 34.922°N 80.966°W:

Earthquakes have been increasing in frequency around the Charlotte region over the past few years. Last year, we experienced the largest earthquake in over 100 years when a 5.1 magnitude quake hit Sparta, NC, and since then, dozens of aftershocks have continued to rattle our state.

According to USGS.gov, “Moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two.”

Did you feel any of the recent quakes? 

Burt Reynolds’ stunning North Carolina mountain retreat just hit the market for $2,950,000.

This three-story home, located at 1210 King Gap Road, features four bedrooms, five bathrooms, and sits on 0.9 acres. Built in 1972, the home was designed by renowned architect Jim Fox, known for his unique homes inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s principles of organic architecture.

While filming the movie “Deliverance” in nearby Rabun County in 1972, Burt Reynolds fell in love with this area and the home, leading to its purchase and subsequent enhancements. Reynolds once expressed his admiration for the property, stating, “I own about fourteen houses. Whenever I am asked which one is my favorite, without a moment’s hesitation I always say my house in the mountains.”

From the moment you arrive at the courtyard, Jim Fox’s distinctive style is unmistakable. The welcoming foyer offers multiple entrances to the main level, lower level, and upper level. The heart of the home features a kitchen, sunken living area, and dining spaces that capture breathtaking long-distance mountain views.

The current owners have enhanced the outdoor living experience with a terrace boasting a large stone fireplace, an in-ground heated plunge pool/hot tub, and waterfall, a serving bar, and both sitting and dining areas.

The upper-level primary suite, accessible via a separate entrance, offers stunning views of the mountains and gardens. Two additional bedrooms are situated on another upper level. The lower levels include a bedroom suite, a pool table room, an office, a wine cellar, and a unique stone bathroom built by Loni for Burt.

Jim Fox’s design philosophy shines through in this remarkable home, incorporating majestic mountain views, cascading waterfalls, and rocky hillsides.

You can find out more information, schedule a tour, or submit an offer here.

Discovery Place in Uptown Charlotte is launching a new exhibit this week featuring some of the biggest creatures to ever walk our planet. The exhibit will showcase dinosaur bones infused with cutting-edge technology in a large-scale interactive exhibition.

Visitors can meet 16 fully articulated specimens from the Southern Hemisphere, brought to life like never before. Highlights include:

• Giganotosaurus, perhaps the largest land predator ever.
• Suchomimus, a spinosaur measuring 33 feet long and weighing over 6,600 pounds.
• Amargasaurus from Argentina, an herbivore with a distinctive row of double spines.
• Eoraptor, a bipedal dinosaur with both serrated and flat teeth.
• Rapetosaurus, which may have been up to 60 feet long as an adult.

The new exhibit will also feature a ‘Discovering Dinosaurs’ section for children. This area allows kids to explore the incredible wildlife that roamed the Earth millions of years ago through playful learning. They can find out about flying, swimming, and stomping animals that thrived during prehistoric times.

Visitors will imagine what dinosaurs might have looked and sounded like, learn where they lived and how they adapted, and compare these prehistoric beasts to their modern relatives.

Where: Discovery Place Science | 301 N Tryon Street

When: Opens Friday, June 21 – Sunday, September 8| Entrance included with Museum General Admission and free for Members

Hendrick Automotive Group and local business leader Rick Hendrick have donated 23 acres to Central Piedmont Community College. The property, adjacent to the college’s Levine Campus in Matthews, will be used for a new first responder training center.

Central Piedmont plans to build the center in phases, with the first phase opening in 2027 and phase two in 2028. The facility will include law enforcement, fire and rescue, EMS, forensics, detention, and telecommunicator training spaces.

“This generous gift will allow the college to realize its vision of building a first responder training facility in southeast Mecklenburg County, where none currently exists. The college appreciates its long-running partnership with the Hendrick family and Hendrick Automotive Group,” said CPCC President Kandi Deitemeyer.

Outdoor training areas will feature a scenario training village and an emergency driving range. Indoor facilities will house a firing range and specialized fire and rescue equipment.

This donation marks the latest milestone in a longstanding relationship between Central Piedmont and the Hendrick family. The college opened the Joe Hendrick Center for Automotive Technology at the Levine Campus in 2006.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is monitoring a massive low pressure system in the Atlantic heading toward the Carolinas.

The 40 mph LP system is currently located several hundred miles east of the Bahamas. It’s associated with a surface trough and an upper-level low-pressure area. Environmental conditions could favor some development over the next few days as it moves westward or west-northwestward.

The system is expected to approach the southeastern U.S. coast by Thursday or Friday. If it forms it will be named ‘Alberto’ and it will become the first official storm of 2024’s hurricane season.

The @NHC_Atlantic is now designating #Invest91L in the Bay of Campeche due to the developing area of low pressure there.

This is likely to develop into a tropical depression or tropical storm towards the middle of this week.

First name of the season is #Alberto 🌀 pic.twitter.com/ymhruyrcfD

— Juliana Mejia (@julianamwx) June 17, 2024

A massive high-pressure ridge causing a heat wave in the eastern U.S. will help steer the system toward the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, or North Carolina.

Heavy rain could start in Florida late Wednesday and spread north along the Southeast coast on Thursday and Friday. Hurricane Hunters are tentatively scheduled to investigate the system on Tuesday if necessary.

NHS officials are reminding all residents in Atlantic Coast states to be prepared for potential future storms.

In case of a power outage, make sure to have the following emergency items stocked in your home;

• Car charger for cell phones and other devices
• Clean drinking water (recommended 1 gallon per person per day, minimum three days)
• Flashlights 
• Batteries: Extra batteries for all of your devices
• Weather radio/clock
• Non-perishable food
• First aid kit

A TikTok video of a man taking a blow-up doll on a “date” to an upscale SouthPark restaurant is going viral.

Server Tara Bjork captured the unusual scene at Restoration Hardware Rooftop Restaurant, despite knowing filming at work was prohibited.

The video shows a young man, Henry Herrera, struggling to seat the stiff, inflatable doll.

Bjork posted the video to TikTok, where it garnered over 2.5 million views.

@t_bjork No words #fyp #work #workvibes #restauranttok #restaurant #server #serverlife #servertok ♬ original sound – Tbone

Herrera explained the outing was a punishment for losing his fantasy football league. He said he isn’t upset with Bjork or anyone for filming him.

@papichulo2613 Replying to @Jay ♬ MILLION DOLLAR BABY (VHS) – Tommy Richman

Management from the SouthPark Restaurant fired Bjork for filming and posting the video. She said she understood the firing and already has another job lined up.

Silfab Solar is continuing to move forward with their factory in the heart of Fort Mill in spite of being rejected by the York County Board of Zoning Appeals and fierce opposition from Fort Mill residents.

In an interview with The Herald published today, Silfab COO Treff MacDonald said, “We 100% expect that project to deliver on time, which includes product out of this facility end of the year”.

On 5/9/2024, after hearing comments from over 50 residents, the York County Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously to reverse the designation of allowing the Silfab Solar Factory to be built in a light industrial zoned area next to 2 new schools.

Silfab released the following statement after the decision by the board:

“Silfab Solar is disappointed in the York County board of zoning appeals decision of May 9. We are reviewing the community comments from the public forum and are waiting for an official letter of determination. This was not a final determination, and we are exploring the various options that will lead to a resolution.”

Silfab also released a press release dated May 20th (11 days after the council voted against them), in which they state the following (here’s a saved pdf version of the article):

“…Silfab’s main N-type cell manufacturing at its new South Carolina facility.”

“Silfab’s newest factory in South Carolina will soon add 1 gigawatt American-made cell production and another 1.3 gigawatts of module production.”

Fort Mill residents have been protesting the factory primarily due to its use of high quantities of several hazardous chemicals that would come out of a 70-foot-tall “scrubber stack”.

According to South Carolina’s DHEC, these are some of the chemicals that would be used at the new plant:

• Toluene: The plant plans to use 132 gallons per year of Toluene, a DHEC Category 3 pollutant, which is the most hazardous class.
• Hydrogen Fluoride (HF): The plant plans on storing 15,850 gallons of Hydrogen Fluoride in two tanks, with weekly refills. HF is classified as a DHEC Category 3 pollutant.
• Silane: The plant would use a 22,983-pound tank filled with this chemical. Silane is a highly flammable gas that could explode on contact with air.

This is a video of a small amount of Silane combusting when exposed to air:

The plant’s proximity to two new schools off Gold Hill Road raises concerns.

What do you think about Silfab’s proposed factory?