This weekend Charlotte welcomes a legendary name upscale southern comfort food in the reinvented Queen City Quarter (formerly Epicenter).

Kitchen + Kocktails by Kevin Kelley is opening their 4th location in the heart of Uptown Charlotte. K+K’s menu features 50+ combinations of elevated Southern Comfort dishes, including their best-selling Southern Fried Hot Honey Chicken, Surf & Turf featuring fire-grilled Caribbean Jerk Lamb Chops and freshly prepared Lobster Tail, Southern Fried Catfish, Shrimp + Grits, and more.

As for their cocktail program, uniquely crafted drinks feature top-shelf spirits including D’usse, Cointreau, and Whistle Pig. Popular cocktails include the Peach D’usse Frozen, a peach flavored frozen cocktail topped with a shot of D’usse, and the True Flame, a fiery tableside presentation featuring Don Q Puerto Rican rum.

The brand has quickly become recognized by its interior design. The space features marble top bars, LED signage, as well as the iconic “K+K Rose Wall”.

Kitchen + Kocktails Charlotte is the latest venture from Dallas-based Kevin Kelley Concepts. Following his success as an attorney in Dallas, Kevin Kelley spent time living in Paris, the world’s leading culinary destination. He realized how much he missed the food that reminded him of home while overseas. Upon returning to the U.S., developed a new culinary concept. The first Kitchen + Kocktails first opened in Dallas in 2020, followed by Chicago in 2021, and Washington D.C. in 2023.

“We are beyond excited to bring Kitchen + Kocktails to the Queen City,” said Kelley. “I’ve always enjoyed connecting with people I’ve met from Charlotte over the years and am deeply humbled for the opportunity to join the city’s culinary community and deliver America’s greatest comfort food. Get ready!”

For more information you can visit kitchenkocktailsusa.com.

Charlotte-based Belk Inc. has just announce plans to open their first NC outlet store inside the Northlake Mall.

They now plan on splitting their two-story location. The upper level will convert into a separate “Belk Outlet,” while the first level remains open during the conversion.

The retail chain plans to open the new Northlake Mall outlet this September.

“We’re excited to bring the Belk Outlet shopping experience to our hometown customers,” said Belk CEO Don Hendricks in a press release. “This is a fantastic opportunity for customers to shop a large range of designer and high-end national brands at additional savings. Customers across our footprint are loving the Belk Outlet offerings, so we’re looking forward to adding this new location.”

Based in Charlotte, Belk opened its first outlet in 2023 in Greeneville, Tenn., and has since added 16 more locations in surrounding states.

Norfolk Southern and the City of Charlotte have just made an agreement for the O-Line to be used for the CATS Red Line.

For the past 20 years there’s been an ongoing stalemate between Norfolk who owns the tracks (the O-line) and Charlotte who wants to use the tracks (red line commuter rail).

The proposed Red Line project includes 10 stations where people can park and ride. The 25-mile track will run through Charlotte Gateway Station, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville.

.@nscorp spokesperson on Red Line talks: “We remain committed to balancing the interests of the communities we serve with the needs of our valued freight customers. We are engaged with the City of Charlotte on possible opportunities with this project.” https://t.co/2O33yugK2M

— Erik Spanberg (@CBJspanberg) May 30, 2024

This new agreement could rebuild trust with north Mecklenburg communities, promised passenger light rail over two decades ago.

Securing the O-Line rights could pave the way for a grander transit plan proposed by Charlotte leaders. A sales tax referendum was planned for 2023, but it passed without a vote or clear answers.

With this new agreement between Norfolk and Charlotte, we might finally see the sales tax pushed through and the Red Line finally move closer toward reality.

Charlotte’s Sullenberger Aviation Museum will have its grand opening on Saturday.

Retired Capt. Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger attended a preview event last night for select members of the media, surviving passengers of Flight 1549, and city leaders.

A flight from New York to Charlotte lost both engines due to bird strikes. Sullenberger landed the plane in the Hudson River, saving everyone on board.

The fully immersive “Miracle on the Hudson” exhibit will include salvaged passenger and crew items like beverage carts, life preservers and luggage. The museum also features a full theatrical experience taking visitors through the journey of Flight 1549, from takeoff to landing in the Hudson.

“The Sullenberger Aviation Museum has for more than a decade played a crucial role in preserving the history of one of our country’s most iconic aviation events representing the indomitable human spirit and an unyielding dedication to passenger safety,” said Sullenberger Aviation Museum President Stephen Saucier. “But our reimagined ’Miracle on the Hudson’ exhibit isn’t just recounting the past; it’s a catalyst for the future. The Sullenberger Aviation Museum aims to ignite the dreams of aspiring aviators, engineers and innovators who will inherit and perpetuate Capt. Sullenberger’s legacy of excellence, heroism and courage.”

Other notable aircraft that have also moved into the museum’s Main Gallery include a replica of Orville and Wilbur Wright’s original Wright Flyer plane; a Vietnam-era F-4S Phantom II; one of only two existing Skystreak planes used to test breaking the sound barrier; and a TV-1, America’s first operational jet fighter.

Each aircraft’s exhibit will feature a tablet installed with immersive augmented reality (AR) technology where guests can piece together each aircraft’s unique journey.

Regular admission to Charlotte’s newest museum is $24 for adults; $20 for seniors, veterans, military, and educators; and $18 for students (ages 5 to 17). Members and children under five are always free.

Tickets can be purchased here: sullenbergeraviation.org/buy-tickets.

A massive X 1.4-class solar flare erupted yesterday and has already started causing radio blackouts across the US and Western Europe. This powerful event originated from the same sunspot responsible for the stunning northern lights display on May 10th.

The sunspot the flare came from, now named AR3697, was previously identified as AR3664 during the May 10th storm. This sunspot released a series of coronal mass ejections that collided with Earth, triggering a geomagnetic storm. It ultimately sparked auroras visible in all 50 U.S. states and even Mexico.

The current NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center forecast is relatively modest, however, we saw that same modesty given days before the May 10th storm.

Back on May 8th, NOAA predicted a G1-G2 storm for May 9th – May 11th:

WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G2 Predicted
Highest Storm Level Predicted by Day:
May 09: None (Below G1) May 10: G1 (Minor) May 11: G2 (Moderate)
Issue Time: 2024 May 08 1603 UTChttps://t.co/ZbtuNtIFJC

— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 8, 2024

Last night, NOAA issued a very similar alert, albeit slightly larger for this weekend’s May 30th – June 1st solar flare storm:

WATCH: Geomagnetic Storm Category G2 Predicted
Highest Storm Level Predicted by Day:
May 30: None (Below G1) May 31: G2 (Moderate) Jun 01: G2 (Moderate)
Issue Time: 2024 May 29 2126 UTChttps://t.co/ZbtuNtIFJC

— NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 29, 2024

The new storm is being generated by a sweeping “long-duration X1.45-flare”.

Region 3697 (old Region 3664) is at it again! A long-duration X1.45-flare and a nearly Earth-directed #solarstorm launch today. We may be grazed by the shockwave of this storm in a couple of days. Radio operators on the dayside are feeling this R3-level #Radioblackout for sure! pic.twitter.com/vNONHvktuZ

— Dr. Tamitha Skov (@TamithaSkov) May 29, 2024

If the storm increases in strength on its approach to earth, there is a small possibility of seeing northern lights in the Carolinas once again.

If you want to get your own shots of the aurora, you’ll need a long-exposure camera. Go to a very dark place where you have an unobstructed view toward the northern sky. The best place would be a remote mountain with north-facing views.

You can find the dark spots in your area using the official light pollution map here.

Happy aurora hunting!

As we head into Pride Month, Airbnb just released new data related to Millennial and Gen Z Pride travelers worldwide.

Over the past five years, the company saw 300% surge in nights booked by travelers heading to pride festivals around the world.

Key Pride 2024 Findings:

• Generation Comparison:  Below is a list of cities that have seen the highest percentage of nights booked on Airbnb by Gen Z and Millennials during Pride celebration weekends across the US and Canada. It includes a mix of surprising and unexpected Prides combined with some of North America’s most iconic Pride celebrations:

• • Gen Z: 

• • • Salt Lake City, UT 
    • Charlotte, NC 
    • Cleveland, OH 
    • Orlando, FL
    • Miami, FL
    • New York City, NY
    • San Juan, Puerto Rico 
    • West Hollywood, CA –
    • Richmond, VA
    • Minneapolis, US 

• • Millennials:

• • • Vancouver, Canada 
    • Phoenix, AZ 
    • Toronto, Canada 
    • San Diego, CA 
    • Big Sky, MT
    • San Francisco, CA 
    • Portland, OR 
    • Saint Paul, MN 
    • Washington, D.C. 
    • Dallas, TX 

Ross just announced plans to build a massive 330 acre $450 million national distribution hub in North Carolina. The company will invest in the City of Randleman, located about an hour northeast of Charlotte, creating 852 jobs.

Ross Stores, a $20 billion Fortune 500 company, operates two off-price chains, including Ross and dd’s Discounts. The company will build its ninth distribution center in a 1.7 million-square-foot facility on 330 acres. This facility will support warehousing, fulfillment, and packing operations.

“We are excited about the opportunity to build out a new distribution facility in North Carolina to support our growth initiatives over the long term,” said Ross VP Rob Kummerer in a press release. “We value the collaboration of the many state and local leaders who have been instrumental in bringing these plans to fruition.”

The project in North Carolina will benefit from a Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) awarded to Ross Dress for Less, Inc. The state’s Economic Investment Committee approved the grant earlier today. Over the 12-year term of the grant, the project is estimated to grow the state’s economy by $1.4 billion.

The JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to Ross Stores of up to $7,611,300 over 12 years. State payments will occur only after performance verification by the departments of Commerce and Revenue, ensuring the company meets its job creation and investment targets.

The project’s return on investment for public dollars is 61 percent. This means for every dollar of potential cost to the state, $1.61 in state revenue is generated. JDIG projects result in positive net tax revenue to the state treasury, even after considering the grant’s reimbursement payments to the company.

A massive effort is now underway to eradicate lyngbya, an invasive aquatic plant, from Lake Norman.

Lyngbya has been detected as far north as Lake Norman State Park in Troutman, where it is most dense, and as far south as Duke’s McGuire Nuclear Station in Huntersville. This invasive plant has already spread across approximately 10 acres of Lake Norman.

The NC State Extension is leading the treatment due to its expertise in studying the same algae in Lake Gaston. The treatment plan involves distributing a copper-based underwater algicide via airboat, targeting the lyngbya at a cellular level.

According to the Lake Norman Marine Commission, “The chemical protocol that will be utilized at Lake Norman includes chelated copper based algaecides…these algaecides have a bright blue hue and will be observed in the water directly following applications”

Eradicating lyngbya is estimated to require a four-year treatment program. Legislators in the N.C. General Assembly are working to secure funding for lyngbya treatment in 2025 and beyond. Annual monitoring will continue indefinitely upon completion of the project.

On Friday, June 21, 24 Foundation will launch its inaugural Dam to Dam standup paddleboard race on the waters of the Catawba River.

“Dam to Dam will be an epic experience and cool opportunity to raise funds and awareness for supportive oncology programs and services in our community,” said Spencer Lueders, founder of 24 Foundation and creator of Dam to Dam. “This is a new way to come together for a common goal in making a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer.”

Participants will paddle 24 miles from the Mountain Island Lake Dam to the Lake Wylie Dam. The 11-hour journey will be filled with camaraderie, challenges, and meaningful connections. No paddleboard experience is necessary, but an application is required as the event will be limited to 36 paddlers for its inaugural year. The deadline to apply is Monday, March 11 at 24foundation.org/damtodam. Applicants will be notified by March 18 if they have been chosen to participate.

“The intent of this application process is not to find the best and most experienced paddlers, but ‘why’ you want to participate and what this experience will mean to you and those you are paddling for,” said Lueders. “This experience will transcend individual accomplishments, symbolizing resilience, hope, and solidarity within the cancer community.”

Each paddler selected must commit to raising a minimum of $1,500 by Wednesday, June 19. All gear – a paddleboard, paddle, and personal floatation device – will be provided for each participant. The event will be fully supported with stocked support boats, multiple rest stops, a catered lunch, transportation to the event start, and a post-paddle celebration.

The demand for cancer support services is greater than ever, and 24 Foundation has raised more than $27 million to date. Through its signature fundraiser – 24 Hours of Booty – Superhero Stomp 5K, 10K and Kids Fun Run, 24,000 Meter Row-A-Thon, Bourbon for Booty, and Dam to Dam, 24 Foundation is committed to bringing the community together throughout the year to make an immediate impact on the lives of people affected by cancer.

Added Katherine Murphy, executive director of 24 Foundation, “Whether you are a cancer survivor, caregiver, or someone who wants to make a difference, you are in for something very unique and special with Dam to Dam. This is what we do at 24 Foundation. We want you to be part of it.”