Truist invests $5.3 million in UNC Charlotte to launch Truist Institute for Student Success

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Truist invests $5.3 million in UNC Charlotte to launch Truist Institute for Student Success

Truist Financial Corporation and UNC Charlotte are partnering to support student success and workforce development for the Charlotte region and beyond. Through a $5.3 million investment by the bank, the University will launch the Truist Institute for Student Success.

“We are grateful to Truist for their investment in our University and recognition of the transformative power of a Charlotte education,” said Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. “Together, we are offering life-changing experiences and furnishing students with the tools and knowledge necessary to build successful, meaningful lives and careers.”

UNC Charlotte StudentsThe University recently launched a 10-year strategic plan, “Shaping What’s Next,” that emphasizes the importance of educational opportunity and excellence; top-tier research and creative discovery; positive impact on the community – locally and globally; and equity and engagement.

“Truist’s partnership with UNC Charlotte on education, research and career development opportunities for the University’s students is a clear manifestation of our purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities,” said Bill Rogers, chairman and chief executive officer of Truist Financial Corporation. “We’re honored to work with Chancellor Gaber and the entire UNC Charlotte community to foster a pipeline of globally competitive leaders, and in doing so, enrich the community in Charlotte and enhance workforce development in North Carolina and beyond.”

The Truist Institute for Student Success focuses on three primary areas:

Scholarships, Experiential Learning and Leadership Development

  • The Truist Scholars Program will provide historically excluded students with demonstrated financial need a four-year renewable scholarship, helping make the goal of a college education more attainable and affordable.
  • The Truist Student Accelerator Program is uniquely designed to offer undergraduate and graduate students with demonstrated financial need full tuition and fees and a guaranteed internship with the bank, providing practical, applied experience to enhance classroom instruction. Additionally, they will establish the Truist Innovation Center in the PORTAL building to provide creative collaboration space for program participants, Truist team members and University faculty and staff.
  • The Truist Leadership Development Experience will support opportunities for students in the Forty-Niner Intensive Transition Program, designed to help first-generation and historically excluded students have a successful acclimation to college life while developing skills to help them become leaders in their communities.

Research and Discovery

  • The Truist Business Innovation and Research Program will fund year-long research projects for teams of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students that will be presented during a yearly symposium to share their gained knowledge with others. This investment supports the scholarly mission of the University and will help address challenges facing the business community.
  • Truist will also sponsor two data science conferences at the University. The Analytics Frontiers Conference and the Women in Data Science Conference will bring the brightest minds from different industries and academia to Charlotte to collaborate and share ideas around cutting-edge research and the future of the field.

Charlotte Athletics and Student-Athlete Support

  • As the official bank of Charlotte Athletics, Truist will support Charlotte’s student-athletes, ensuring they have the resources to thrive on and off the field. This includes the sponsorship of the United in GOLD program, which provides mental health, financial literacy, career readiness and mentoring services to members of Charlotte 49ers athletics teams.

Sneak Peek: CLT’s Brand New Airport Overlook – Breathtaking Views and a Touching Memorial

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Sneak Peek: CLT’s Brand New Airport Overlook – Breathtaking Views and a Touching Memorial
via cltairport.com
view from the last overlook

The Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has just unveiled new renderings of their ambitious new Airport Overlook facility.

The last iteration of the overlook was closed in October of ’22 (the 5th design since first opening in 1937). A temporary Overlook opened in its place at the intersection of Old Dowd Road and Airport Overlook Drive.

The massive new Overlook will be situated on the airport property, just west of the previous location off Marshall Drive. In addition to retaining the breathtaking views that have drawn visitors for decades, the new Overlook will also feature a dedicated memorial for USAir Flight 1016, commemorating the tragic accident that occurred in 1994.

via cltairport.com

Construction of the new Overlook is contingent on approval from the Charlotte City Council, with work expected to commence in late summer or early fall. The anticipated opening date is slated for late spring or early summer 2024. As the project advances, it is possible that costs and construction-related details may change. The latest updates will be available on the airport’s official website, ensuring that the public remains well-informed about the progress of this eagerly awaited addition to CLT.

What do you think about Charlotte’s new overlook? 

CMPD Giving Away Free Locks To Hyundai and Kia Owners After TikTok Challenge Results In Wave of Thefts

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CMPD Giving Away Free Locks To Hyundai and Kia Owners After TikTok Challenge Results In Wave of Thefts

CMPD is about to host their second steering wheel lock giveaway this weekend after an overwhelmingly positive response to their first one.

The locks are being given away in response to a viral TikTok trend that challenges teens to steal 2010-2021 Kia and Hyundai vehicles using a USB cord.

According to the CMPD, you must be a resident of Mecklenburg County and have the vehicle registration of a 2011 to 2021 Hyundai or Kia with a key start ignition.

This coming Saturday’s event will be drive-through and first come first serve.

North Carolina Ranks #10 for the Most Endangered Animals in the US

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North Carolina Ranks #10 for the Most Endangered Animals in the US

Using data from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Environmental Conservation Online System, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 states in the nation with the most endangered animals.

Animals are considered endangered by the IUCN when its population has declined between 50 and 70 percent, measured over 10 years or three generations of the species. Habitat loss, disease or predation, and other natural or man-made factors also play a role.

North Carolina ranks #10 for the most endangered animals with 24 species currently listed, including; spruce-fir moss spider, red-cockaded woodpecker, roseate tern, Appalachian elktoe, carolina heelsplitter, dwarf wedgemussel, james spinymussel, littlewing pearlymussel, tar river spinymussel, cape fear shiner, Carolina madtom, roanoke logperch, Saint Francis’ satyr butterfly, rock gnome lichen, Carolina northern flying squirrel, gray bat, Indiana bat, Virginia big-eared bat, red wolf, hawksbill sea turtle, kemp’s ridley sea turtle, and the leatherback sea turtle.

Charlotte Ranks 3rd in NC and 27th Nationwide as the Most Coveted Renting Spot in April

Charlotte Stories
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Charlotte Ranks 3rd in NC and 27th Nationwide as the Most Coveted Renting Spot in April

Charlotte is now one of the top cities on renters’ radar, ranking 3rd in North Carolina and 27th nationwide for its popularity among apartment seekers, according to a new report by RentCafe. 

The city climbed 10 positions in the ranking since last month, emerging as a newcomer on their list of most desired cities.

The ranking takes into account the available apartments each month in a city, as well as how many renters search for rentals there now compared to the same month of the previous year. We also factored in the number of saved personalized searches and properties added to favorites to measure renters’ intent.  

Here’s what pushed Charlotte so high in the ranking:

  • Renters favorited three times more Charlotte apartments compared to last April, which translates into a staggering 226% increase.

  • This impressive performance propelled the city to the 12th position among the most in-demand cities in the South.

  • In April, renters found Charlotte more appealing than Greensboro, Cary or Winston-Salem, which came in 35th, 36th and 62th, respectively.

  • Nationwide, Atlanta tops the list of the most in-demand cities by renters in April, as apartment hunters added twice as many listings to their favorites lists compared to this time last year. Kansas City, MO, and Albuquerque, NM, came in second and third, respectively, according to RentCafe.com’s listings activity data. They moved up 18 spots and 27 spots, respectively, since last month.

MISSING: summary MISSING: current-rows.
Change in Rank vs. Last Month
1 Atlanta, GA
65.25
 + 1
2 Kansas City, MO
64.83
 + 27
3 Albuquerque, NM
63.46
 + 19
4 Detroit, MI
63.14
 + 84
5 Manhattan, NY
63.11
 0
6 Denver, CO
61.46
 + 6
7 Arlington, VA
60.58
 – 4
8 Memphis, TN
60.33
 – 7
9 Orlando, FL
60.0
 – 5
10 Durham, NC
59.36
 + 23
11 Minneapolis, MN
58.75
 + 25
12 Cincinnati, OH
58.68
 – 6
13 Philadelphia, PA
58.67
 – 5
14 Long Beach, CA
58.39
 + 60
15 Bronx, NY
58.0
 – 2
16 Chicago, IL
57.93
 – 9
17 Portland, OR
57.61
 – 7
18 Raleigh, NC
57.47
 + 8
19 Boston, MA
56.83
 – 10
20 Nashville, TN
56.63
 – 4
21 Wichita, KS
56.12
 + 7
22 Richmond, VA
55.77
 + 22
23 Birmingham, AL
54.76
 + 20
24 Milwaukee, WI
54.75
 + 29
25 Fort Lauderdale, FL
54.59
 – 5
26 Washington, D.C.
54.3
 – 12
27 Charlotte, NC
54.22
 + 10
28 Jersey City, NJ
53.4
 – 11
29 Virginia Beach, VA
53.25
 + 34
30 Indianapolis, IN
52.99
 + 1

Tornado Forms Over Lake Norman – Tears Up 7 Miles of Iredell County Over The Weekend

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Tornado Forms Over Lake Norman – Tears Up 7 Miles of Iredell County Over The Weekend

The National Weather Service have now confirmed that an tornado officially touched down in Iredell County on Saturday.

According to the NWS, the tornado traveled across the ground, breaking trees and throwing debris for 7.79 miles from northwest of Davidson to east of Mooresville between 7:27 and 7:39 a.m.

The twister initially developed over Lake Norman, causing picnic tables at the Lake Campus of Davidson College to be blown into the water and snapping a large hardwood tree.

As the tornado moved across the county, it snapped numerous tree trunks and large branches, uprooted a poplar tree, and damaged other trees in the process. It continued to cause destruction as it crossed I-77 around 7:30 a.m., blowing down several large, healthy tree branches between Langtree Road and Blackwelder Farm Drive.

The tornado’s path also included a damaged fence and an uprooted tree near Mooresville Middle School before finally dissipating as it moved into Rowan County.

Charlotte Is Among 2023’s Best Large Cities to Start a Business

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Charlotte Is Among 2023’s Best Large Cities to Start a Business

With April 30 kicking off National Small Business Week but many small-business owners still struggling to hire new employees, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best Large Cities to Start a Business.

In order to help aspiring entrepreneurs maximize their chances for long-term prosperity, WalletHub compared 100 U.S. cities across 19 key indicators of startup viability. The data set ranges from the five-year business-survival rate to labor costs to office-space affordability.

Starting a Business in Charlotte (1=Best; 50=Avg.):

  • 9th – Growth in Number of Small Businesses
  • 37th – Cost of Living
  • 14th – Length of Average Workweek (in Hours)
  • 21st – Share of College-Educated Population
  • 4th – Industry Variety

Best Places to Start a Business

Overall Rank  City Total Score  Business Environment  Access to Resources  Business Costs 
1 Orlando, FL 65.34 2 14 26
2 Jacksonville, FL 62.25 6 46 8
3 Miami, FL 60.78 1 58 47
4 Tampa, FL 60.37 5 52 22
5 Durham, NC 60.15 38 5 21
6 Boise, ID 59.48 3 44 51
7 Atlanta, GA 58.79 8 34 35
8 Charlotte, NC 58.30 11 48 32
9 Fort Worth, TX 58.00 9 15 69
10 Austin, TX 56.86 4 18 81
11 Raleigh, NC 56.64 45 8 31
12 Reno, NV 56.47 34 13 49
13 Winston-Salem, NC 56.37 44 64 1
14 Aurora, CO 55.94 14 85 28
15 Colorado Springs, CO 55.93 26 73 17
16 Denver, CO 55.90 19 23 56
17 Nashville, TN 55.74 21 26 54
18 St. Petersburg, FL 55.19 12 95 19
19 Arlington, TX 54.74 16 32 66
20 Dallas, TX 54.11 17 29 65
21 Lubbock, TX 54.10 56 6 50
22 Hialeah, FL 54.01 10 100 23
23 San Bernardino, CA 53.86 20 69 58
24 Oklahoma City, OK 53.53 57 30 7
25 Tulsa, OK 53.36 54 60 4
26 Irving, TX 53.17 24 19 75
27 Scottsdale, AZ 53.10 7 65 77
28 Phoenix, AZ 52.03 25 81 48
29 Laredo, TX 51.78 60 11 46
30 North Las Vegas, NV 51.77 32 86 38
31 Gilbert, AZ 51.67 13 78 76
32 Indianapolis, IN 51.31 58 71 9
33 Stockton, CA 51.28 53 7 68
34 Madison, WI 51.24 72 3 52
35 Chandler, AZ 51.14 15 90 70
36 Henderson, NV 51.03 33 80 57
37 Las Vegas, NV 50.89 48 68 36
38 Mesa, AZ 50.78 30 94 37
39 Irvine, CA 50.50 23 1 97
40 Sacramento, CA 50.40 39 28 78
41 Columbus, OH 50.24 63 24 40
42 Houston, TX 50.21 47 59 60
43 Fort Wayne, IN 50.20 74 47 5
44 Fresno, CA 49.96 52 25 62
45 Riverside, CA 49.95 28 57 80
46 Glendale, AZ 49.79 29 99 39
47 Louisville, KY 49.59 70 36 18
48 Greensboro, NC 49.25 79 55 2
49 Lincoln, NE 48.87 83 10 34
50 Wichita, KS 48.74 88 20 13
51 Tucson, AZ 48.39 68 63 27
52 Garland, TX 48.36 40 83 71
53 Boston, MA 48.30 65 4 82
54 Kansas City, MO 48.14 82 41 11
55 Albuquerque, NM 48.08 69 76 12
56 Long Beach, CA 48.00 37 31 86
57 Seattle, WA 47.59 35 9 96
58 Los Angeles, CA 47.29 27 43 89
59 Plano, TX 47.20 31 39 90
60 El Paso, TX 47.16 61 92 43
61 San Antonio, TX 46.85 51 79 61
62 Chicago, IL 46.83 62 17 79
63 Portland, OR 46.56 46 40 84
64 Birmingham, AL 46.41 87 72 6
65 Bakersfield, CA 46.40 55 66 74
66 San Diego, CA 46.21 36 33 92
67 Omaha, NE 46.02 71 67 41
68 Norfolk, VA 45.98 66 93 20
69 Milwaukee, WI 45.79 89 51 24
70 Memphis, TN 45.70 76 84 16
71 Honolulu, HI 45.48 91 2 72
72 New Orleans, LA 45.47 75 53 42
73 Baton Rouge, LA 44.86 94 27 30
74 Virginia Beach, VA 44.82 73 75 44
75 San Francisco, CA 44.79 18 12 100
76 Minneapolis, MN 44.48 86 21 64
77 Santa Ana, CA 44.45 22 98 85
78 Lexington-Fayette, KY 44.40 95 22 29
79 Oakland, CA 44.15 41 38 95
80 Cincinnati, OH 44.00 92 49 33
81 Buffalo, NY 43.95 97 62 14
82 St. Paul, MN 43.91 84 45 59
83 Chesapeake, VA 43.83 64 97 45
84 Detroit, MI 43.45 90 87 10
85 Philadelphia, PA 43.18 78 50 67
86 Toledo, OH 42.63 98 74 15
87 Anaheim, CA 42.50 42 91 88
88 Anchorage, AK 42.19 59 77 83
89 Baltimore, MD 42.15 77 88 53
90 Chula Vista, CA 42.08 43 82 91
91 Newark, NJ 41.92 85 42 73
92 San Jose, CA 41.42 49 16 98
93 Cleveland, OH 40.49 99 89 25
94 Corpus Christi, TX 40.08 81 96 55
95 St. Louis, MO 39.85 100 56 3
96 Pittsburgh, PA 39.82 96 61 63
97 New York, NY 38.90 80 35 87
98 Jersey City, NJ 37.67 67 70 93
99 Fremont, CA 37.37 50 54 99
100 Washington, DC 34.50 93 37 94

2023 Belmont Friday Night Live Concert Series Returns

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2023 Belmont Friday Night Live Concert Series Returns

Get ready to dance in the field again during Belmont’s 2023 Friday Night Live concert series. The fun kicks off downtown on April 28th with Thurston Howell. Bring your family and friends out to Stowe Park for a fun night full of great music, cold drinks, delicious food, and dancing.

The 2023 schedule includes five concerts held on various Fridays in April, May, and June. The concerts will be held on the upper field of Stowe Park from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 PM. Each evening kicks off with the opening of the beverage garden and music provided by local DJs at 6:00 PM. Featured bands take the stage at 7:00 PM.

Belmont will kick off its concert series with tunes from the yacht rock genre by Thurston Howell on Friday, April 28th.  This concert will not only open the 2023 concert season, but will also be the start of a weekend full of music, art, culture, and other festivities during Belmont’s annual Garibaldi Festival taking place on Saturday, April 29th. Belmont has been focused on increasing art and culture in the community, as demonstrated by the recent award-winning Moonlight on Main event, and is taking this great opportunity to continue that momentum.

The Friday Night Live concert series would not be possible without our generous sponsors. Thank you to City of Belmont, the Belmont Tourism Development Authority, Gaston County Travel & Tourism, Standard Distributors, Duren & Marsh Dentistry, Bisque Imports, Short Run Pro, Slumpy’s, Piedmont Lithium, John R. Bolin with Allen Tate Realtors, and Nellie’s Southern Kitchen.

The full 2023 concert schedule includes:

April 28 – Thurston Howell, “shows are tailored to perfection: it’s all about taking the audience on a journey through some of the most iconic soft rock songs of the 70’s and 80’s”
May 12 – Nightrain (The Guns N’ Roses Tribute Experience), “this band’s vibrant stage presence and accuracy to everything about Guns N’ Roses leaves the entire crowd pleased”

June 2 – Java Band, “Jazz, Rock, Motown/Beach, R&B, Hip Hop, and Country, they do it all”

June 16 – Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience (2X GRAMMY Award Winner), “Simien is a Zydeco master: his voice yearning like Sam Cooke, he delivers soul worthy of stax greats and shows crossover class” – Rolling Stone

June 30 – 20 Ride (Zac Brown Tribute), “America’s #1 Zac Brown Tribute Band, 20 RIDE, is American Country/Folk music at its finest”

For more information, you can visit https://www.eventeny.com/events/friday-night-live-concert-series-4510/

CMPD Ramping Up Efforts To Teach Residents How To Survive A Mass Shooting

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CMPD Ramping Up Efforts To Teach Residents How To Survive A Mass Shooting

With the number of mass shooting in our nation continuing to rise, CMPD is increasing their efforts to train Charlotte residents on how to survive a mass shooting.

Earlier this week CMPD’s Active Survival Expert LT. Steve Huber shared the following tips for surviving an active shooter situation on an episode of CMPD’s CopCast Podcast:

  • A moving target is a hard target to hit – you’ve got to keep moving.
  • There are nontraditional exits that you don’t think about in every building – through a kitchen, a loading dock, or a window.
  • You have to control yourself, you have to control your emotions and your breathing. 5 minutes a day of focused breathing will help you with this.
  • About 40% of people think gunfire is fireworks when they hear it. If you hear something that sounds like fireworks in a location that you know shouldn’t be fireworks, you have to react as if it’s gunfire.

Here is the complete episode;

HVAC Zoning: How To Improve Comfort & Save Money

Sharon Anderson
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HVAC Zoning: How To Improve Comfort & Save Money

Homeowners rely on heating and cooling systems in their homes to ensure a comfortable indoor environment for themselves and their loved ones. However, achieving the perfect balance of comfort throughout the property is quite difficult while keeping the energy costs at a minimum. HVAC zoning helps homeowners achieve the proper comfort while ensuring low energy consumption costs. Consider consulting experts from The Heating Co for advice on optimizing your HVAC system for maximum efficiency and comfort.

The purpose of HVAC zoning is to divide your home into multiple sections with individual thermostats. This helps ensure a comfortable temperature without affecting the entire house. In this guide, HVAC experts from AC install, Houston, TX will guide you through the tips and tricks of zoning systems.

5 Tips to Improve Comfort & Save Money Through HVAC Zoning 

Ensuring proper HVAC zoning is an efficient way of making your home comfortable without increasing the energy bill significantly. Here are a few tips to help you improve comfort and save money with the help of HVAC zoning.

1. Divide Zones

The very first tip for maintaining a comfortable environment indoors is to divide the entire home into zones. To do this, identify the areas in your home which require different temperatures needs for comfort and separate them into specific zones. 

Typically, rooms with big windows or doors that allow direct sunlight require more cooling than rooms or areas with proper shading. Dividing the entire room into small zones will help you to control the temperature in each area specifically. This temperature control is achieved by relying on individual thermostats for each zone. 

As a result, the specific zone will meet the temperature set on the thermostat without affecting the temperature of the entire home. This will not only ensure a comfortable environment but will also keep the energy bills down. 

2. Rely On Dampers

Dampers are an efficient way of ensuring a balanced temperature throughout the home. It is a valve that is installed in the ductwork of the house. The purpose of the valve is to control the flow of air from the air conditioning or heating systems to different zones of the house.

By installing dampers in the ductwork of your home, homeowners can easily increase or reduce the airflow to specific zones. This will help you to balance the temperature without consuming too much energy. You can either adjust the dampers manually on your own or set up an automated system. This will reduce energy waste by a notch and help to save money on heating or cooling. 

3. Use Smart Thermostats 

Smart thermostats are a great addition to the heating or cooling system industry. These are programmable thermostats that can help homeowners to control the air conditioning or heating system with the help of their smartphone or smart device. You can program these thermostats to adjust and control the temperature in each zone of the house. 

With smart thermostats, you can set the bedroom to be cooler than the living room or vice versa. These thermostats will make sure that you do not have to adjust the temperature on your own every time. 

4. Size The Zones Properly 

When dividing the home into zones for HVAC control and temperature, homeowners often miss out on an important point. Sizing the zones properly is a crucial point of zoning to make sure that the energy is being used efficiently throughout the home. If the zone is bigger, the energy consumption will be higher to heat or cool the area. 

On the other hand, installing individual thermostats for zones that are too small is not a cost-efficient option. To size the zones of the home properly, focus on the temperature requirements. You can also take help from AC installation and maintenance experts to know more about zoning sizes. 

5. Monitor Energy Usage 

Last but not least, monitoring the energy usage of your home is an efficient way of tracking your monthly consumption and energy bill. This will help you to identify any gaps or leaks in the home which result in additional energy consumption than required. 

Not only that, but it will also ensure that you can easily identify areas or zones in the home where you can save money on energy. By keeping track of energy usage, homeowners can identify the zones consuming high amounts of electricity. It will also help them to adjust the zones according to their requirements and preferences. 

FAQs

1. How Much Does It Cost To Install HVAC Zoning?

There are several factors that play crucial roles here. The overall cost relies on the size of the house, layout, type of air conditioning or heating system, and so on. However, as an estimate, the cost typically ranges between $2500 to $3000. 

2. Is It Possible To Install Zoning Systems On Your Own?

While it is said that installing zoning systems as a DIY project is possible, HVAC professionals do not usually recommend it. This is because the installation process can be quite complicated, and mistakes in the procedure will cause damage to the home. 

3. Can HVAC Zoning Be Done In An Existing HVAC Design?

Yes. However, the upgrade will cause a significant amount of money, and it will be a complicated project to manage. The entire process will typically cost more than installing HVAC zoning in a renovated or new home. On top of that, component upgrades, system changes, and so on will increase the cost and complexity further. 

Bottom Line 

Every homeowner wishes to have a relaxing temperature and atmosphere in their homes. Oftentimes, HVAC systems fail to maintain a consistent temperature throughout the house due to the size, layout, HVAC type, and so on. HVAC zoning is the perfect solution to help homeowners get rid of uneven heating or cooling throughout the house. 

Make sure that you divide the zones properly and size them according to your needs and preferences. Rely on dampers and smart thermostats to control the temperature efficiently and save money at the same time. You can take help from HVAC professionals of AC install, Houston, TX to ensure accurate HVAC zoning.

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