Charlotte Planning 2.23 Mile Runs Today In Memory of Ahmaud Arbery #irunwithmaud

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Earlier this year on 2/23, a 25-year-old unarmed black man was chased down, shot, and killed by while jogging in his Brunswick, GA neighborhood (Gregory McMichael and his son Travis have now been arrested for murder).

His name was Ahmaud Arbery and a publicly released video of his tragic death has sparked outrage around the world.

 

Today, supporters across the country and around the world are planning a run dedicated to Arbery – today would have been his 26th birthday. Yesterday the #IRunwithAhmaud hashtag went trending as people shared plans to run 2.23 miles in Arbery’s honor. The distance signifies the date he was killed, February 23.

Here in Charlotte there is a city-wide (socially distanced) run/walk scheduled for this morning in Uptown Charlotte.

If you don’t decide to join the community run/walk in Charlotte, you can share your own run/walk on social media and use the hashtag #irunwithmaud to show your support.

Please help spread the word. 

North Carolina Retailers Prepare to Reopen their Doors for Safe Shopping

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The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) today announced it is encouraging customers to “shop smart” as retailers look forward to reopening their doors. Phase 1 of Governor Roy Cooper’s reopening plan allows previously shuttered retailers, such as department stores, jewelry stores and boutiques to reopen beginning at 5:00 pm on Friday, May 8, 2020. The primary concern for all retailers continues to be the health and safety of their employees and their customers, and since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers have made wide-ranging changes in their operations with that concern in mind.

“Many of North Carolina’s brick and mortar retailers have been hit hard by extended store closures,” said Andy Ellen, president and general counsel for NCRMA. “It’s our hope that consumers will be ready to support these businesses who have supported their communities through sponsorships of little league teams, booster clubs, civic organizations and also stepping in with product donations in times of need.”

To keep employees and customers safe as businesses reopen, retailers will continue to implement safety measures. NCRMA urges consumers to help retailers and their fellow shoppers by shopping smart and specifically remembering the “Three Ws”: Wear a cloth face covering, Wait six feet apart to avoid close contact and Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer. Additionally, NCRMA encourages consumers to thank retail employees working to keep shelves stocked and stores clean for the benefit and safety of their customers.

“North Carolina retailers aren’t just the backbone of local economies – they’re the first ones to step up in times of need,” said Ellen. “The ability of these retailers to rebound from this pandemic will benefit everyone, so we encourage residents to shop NC and shop smart as we support these vital businesses.”

Consumers can get more information on how to shop smart as retailers reopen at www.ncrma.org/shopsmart. Retailers can access signs and other guidance at www.ncrma.org/coronavirus or email Andy Ellen at andye@ncrma.org.

Charlotte’s Discovery Place to Host Unique Streaming Science Event May 11

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On Monday, May 11, join Discovery Place Science (@discoveryplacescience) on Instagram Live at 7 p.m. as we talk with engineer extraordinaire Avery Bang about her passion for building bridges in poverty-stricken areas of the world.

Bang is president and CEO of Bridges to Prosperity, a nonprofit that connects isolated communities to markets, hospitals and schools by building footbridges over impassable rivers. Her work was featured in the 2017 film, Dream Big, and those who tune in to the Streaming Science event are encouraged to first watch the film. It is available free for Netflix subscribers and to rent on Vimeo.

Bang’s foray into bridge building began when, as a young girl, she took a keen interest in engineering – namely through building with LEGO bricks. From there, she pursued degrees in civil engineering and studio art at the University of Iowa, and later completed a graduate degree in geotechnical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Later, she completed her MBA at the University of Oxford in England.

Bang has helped Bridges to Prosperity grow from a grassroots effort into a $5 million per year operation. Over the past 17 years, the organization has built more than 250 footbridges and served nearly a million people around the world.

Bang is also committed to inspiring young students to pursue careers in engineering. Join her for an inspiring conversation May 11 at 7 p.m.

Carolina Panthers Just Announced Their 2020 Schedule – Tickets Now Available

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The Carolina Panthers have just released their official 2020 schedule, with a home game kicking off the season for the second year in a row.

The team will be facing off against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 13th to start the season and they’ll be ending the season with a home game against the New Orleans Saints.

They will play a total of 8 home games and 8 away games during the regular season.

Tickets are now available here on TicketMaster.com and locally at the Bank of America Stadium box office.

5 Main Reasons Why There Is an Increase in Mobile Casino Traffic

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The online casino sector has been growing consistently for some time now, and specialists predict that it will continue like this at least for half a decade or more.

It used to be the case that there were only a handful of casinos on the internet and an even smaller amount available on mobile. Nowadays, this is the complete opposite and players opt to use casino comparison sites like casinosites.bet to find the best places to play.

The number of customers that choose to enjoy their games from mobile devices is increasing by the day. Why is this so and why do they prefer to play on mobile? The 5 main reasons why mobile gaming has been booming are explained below. Nowadays, this is the complete opposite and players opt to use Ice Casino.

  1. Convenience

The peak of the sale of mobile devices has finally arrived. The meaning is that the majority of humans out there have devices that can run the newest experiences in mobile casinos, tucked in their pockets. The market share of mobiles is the biggest, as they have dislodged the tablets, laptops and PCs. The best thing about mobile is the accessibility which the larger PCs do not give. They are so portable that you can just whip them out at any time and anywhere and steal a few minutes of gaming. It could be on the sofa in your sitting room, in a train, in the bus and even while on the airplane. Smartphones offer the most convenient way to play casino games online, and this pushes up the mobile casino traffic.

  1. Connectivity

While we have arrived at the age of 5G, the 4G that just came a few years ago gave us great access to high speed internet connectivity across the most densely populated regions of the world. The meaning of this is that there are a lot that we can now achieve with our mobile phone while on the go. These include video streaming, mobile shopping and of course, online gaming without our connection slowing down. The fast and consistent internet experience on websites with mobile devices shifts the reliability from the PC to mobiles, and that is why mobile traffic has been on the rise.

  1. Quality

Due to the innovations in the technologies that drive the online casinos and the developments in the hardware used for the games, there has been a huge evolution in online casino experiences.  The games now come with great bonus features, amazing audio effects and very elegant images and animations, making the quality of gaming much better than what we had before when it was always played on the web. Now, you can even compare the quality of the gaming you get in mobile games to what the digital machines at the brick and mortar casinos can give you, and most of the titles on mobile now are the ones that are on the land casinos.

  1. Variety

The number of gaming experiences that mobile casinos can deliver is so numerous. Here, you are talking about captivating table games, like poker that could be played live against other players, and slot machines of different types and variants. The live table games with real live croupiers are in high demand because players can stream the games live to get the feeling of playing in a real casino atmosphere. The online casino games available on mobile are in their thousands.

  1. Compatibility

Now, when games developed with HTML codes dislodged the flash versions, the majority of issues with mobile gaming were taken care of.

The level of smoothness with which the casino sites load on mobile devices cuts across the type of software used. Whether on android or iOS, you will still expect the same games and services in many casinos, and won’t need separate apps to enjoy games on them. Most of them will just allow you to log into your site with your details through any of the browsers on the device and enjoy games. All things being equal, the growth experienced by mobile casinos will continue for the foreseeable future.

A Comprehensive Guide to Bingo Games

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Many people have started seeing bingo games as one of the modern day games, and this is down to the level of popularity that the games has garnered in this modern times. But we have to understand that that belief is simply hanging on a very false premise.

It would be recalled that bingo, which is full of fun, and which stands as one of the simplest games you can play out there, has been in existence since the 16th century, with the name ‘Beano’. It was in the years that followed that it acquired the name bingo, and that went ahead to become its official name.

However, because people were always out there working to make ends meet, and having little or no time to visit the bingo halls, the game started seeing a decline in popularity. However, with the arrival of the internet, with its unlimited opportunities, bingo games saw a new frontier to soar. 

Lovers of the game can now enjoy it round the clock. Thanks to sites like BingoSites who make finding and choosing the best bingo sites to play at an easy task and you can now play from anywhere and at any time, with their smartphones and laptops. If you’ve heard a lot about this simple game and want to have a feel and know what it’s like on your mobile device, we have developed a bingo bingo that will be very helpful to you.

Online Bingo Gameplay

Though many things have changed about bingo games within the last century, the major gameplay and the rules are untouched. Now, the online bingo works with the same rule as the bingo played in the brick and mortar casinos, and below are some of the major rules of bingo games;

  1. You need to purchase your bingo ticket from the bingo site with real money. This works like the fee that people pay to play at the bingo halls in the land based casinos. While you pay nothing to enter the online bingo site, you must pay something to get the bingo ticket.
  2. When the organizer or dealer has sold all the bingo tickets, and every interested player has purchased theirs, the bingo game will now kick off.
  3. To start the game, the website announces the first number, and any player that has the announced cuts it or crosses it.
  4. After the first number has been announced and crossed, the other numbers are also announced one after the other, and the holders of the numbers continue crossing them. The player that cuts off his entire numbers first becomes the winner of the biggest prize in the game.
  5. The next step will now rest completely on the bingo site you chose to play on. In some bingo sites, the game ends after the first winner cuts all their cards. But for others, there is room for the second player to cut his number, and some may even give room for the third.

Advantages of Playing Online Bingo Games

Now, while the same rules apply to both the online and offline bingo games, it is good to point out that playing online bingo comes with some benefits above playing bingo at the brick and mortar casinos. Now, you may not gain more rewards through these benefits, but you will enjoy simplified and easier gaming through them. They are listed as follows;

Versatility– in the online version, you will have access to different varieties of bingos because of the increased accommodation space on the web. Because of this, the online bingo sites will present you with more games. While these new games you will have here are not different from the others in substance, they differ in features and characteristics, plus they come with lots of twists and turns.

Win Hit– how do you explain the game informing you that you are on the path to winning? Now, to prevent players from missing out when it’s time to make the bingo call, they do not need to have their eyes on their cards all the time. This is because online bingos will remind you with beeps or alerts that you are close to the win.

Autosort– in the online bingo sector, the best card is sorted out by the computer and handed to you. With this, you will have increased winning chances while playing.

Auto-play– in some occasions, something very important and urgent may come up while you are enjoying some bingo sessions. But you should not worry, because the auto-play option will cover for you. When you set this and move to other things, your card is automatically cut for you if you are the winner.

North Carolina Could See Snow This Weekend As Rare Polar Vortex Brings Arctic Chill

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North Carolina may see one of it’s latest snowfalls on record this weekend as a massive storm system clashes with a rare May polar vortex.

A polar vortex occurs when there’s a disruption in the stratosphere that causes warming winds to decrease or change direction. The vortex then splits apart and dumps cold air into the middle atmosphere.

Judah Cohen with Atmospheric and Environmental Research released a series of reports which indicate a high probability of a vortex hitting us this weekend.

 

VentuSky forecasts that the worst part of the storm could dump snow all along the Eastern Coast of the United States this coming Friday night into Saturday morning:

The National Weather Service predicts a 46% chance of snow in parts of the North Carolina mountains:

Even if we don’t see snow, much of Western North Carolina will still be seeing freezing temperatures.

Make sure to cover any vulnerable plants if you have a garden and top off all your fluids in your car, especially your oil, power steering fluid, and antifreeze. You’ll also want to check your tires and make sure your air pressure is over 32 PSI.

To prepare your home, make sure to drain all fountains and exterior water fixtures. Always let at least one of your faucets drip to avoid freezing pipes. Consider buying a humidifier if you’re sensitive to dry air. If you have an older home with older windows, investing in some shrink film insulation will save you a ton on your heating bill.

If you have a pet – make sure to read our article about how to keep your furry friend warm!

31% of Americans Missed Housing Payments, Up from April

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After surveying over 4,000 Americans, Apartment List’s latest report finds 31% of respondents failed to make their full May housing payments, up from 24% in April. In fact, 16% of those who were able to make their full housing payment on time in April haven’t yet been able to pay anything in May.
Key findings from the report:
  • 22% of respondents have not yet made a housing payment for May, and an additional 9% have made only a partial payment. Missed payments remain common for renters and homeowners alike.
  • More than half of households that couldn’t pay their April bill on time eventually closed the gap with late payments. By the end of the month, just 9% of Americans left a portion of their April rent or mortgage unpaid.
  • Working from home continues to be a key factor in affording your rent or mortgage. Remote workers had the lowest May delinquency rate (20%) among any group that we surveyed.
  • Despite May’s missed payments, optimism is improving. This month, a greater share of respondents said they are confident they will be able to continue affording housing through June, despite shelter-in-place restrictions.
You can view the full report here.

Air Force Performing Several Fly-Overs To Salute COVID-19 Frontline Workers in Charlotte Today

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Today a C-17 Air Force aircraft from North Carolina’s 145th Airlift Wing will fly across our state to salute frontline workers during the current COVID-19 crisis.

According to their press release:

“This Air Force Salute is to demonstrate the Department of the Air Force’s continued readiness during the national COVID-19 response, while saluting the American Heroes at the forefront in our fight against COVID-19. These flyovers will incur no additional cost to the taxpayers and are being conducted as part of regularly scheduled training.”

The flight took off this morning at 10 am and flew over Caromont Health:

The flight then made its way to other cities around our state:

After making flyovers across North Carolina cities, the flight will make additional passes over several additional Charlotte medical and charitable facilities, including:

  • Harris Teeter Distribution Center at 1:21 pm
  • Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center at 1:25 pm
  • Atrium Health Charlotte at 1:25 pm
  • Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina at 1:27 pm

North Carolina has the 6th Biggest Increase in Unemployment Due to Coronavirus

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With the coronavirus pandemic costing roughly 33.5 million Americans their jobs so far and a growing number of states beginning to reopen some businesses in an attempt to help, WalletHub today released updated rankings for the States with the Biggest Increases in Unemployment Due to the Coronavirus, as a follow-up to last month’s report on the Cities with the Biggest Growth in Unemployment Due to COVID-19.

To identify which states’ workforces have been hurt most by COVID-19, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on increases in unemployment claims. We used this data to rank the most impacted states in both the latest week for which we have data (April 27) and overall since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis (March 16). Below, you can see highlights from the report, along with a WalletHub Q&A. To see the states most impacted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, click here.

Increase in North Carolina Unemployment Due to Coronavirus (1=Worst, 25=Avg.):

  • 2,689.46% Increase in Unemployment Claims (April 2020 vs April 2019)
    • 84,716 the week of April 27, 2020 vs 3,037 the week of April 29, 2019
    • 6th highest increase in the U.S.
  • 2,314.94% Increase in the Number of Unemployment Claims (April 2020 vs January 2020)
    • 84,716 the week of April 27, 2020 vs 3,508 the week of January 1, 2020
    • 3rd highest increase in the U.S.
  • 4,109.67% Increase in Unemployment Claims Since Pandemic Started
    • 833,728 between the week of March 16, 2020 and the week of April 27, 2020 vs 20,287 between the week of March 18, 2019 and the week of April 29, 2019
    • 6th highest increase in the U.S.

To view the full report and your state’s rank, you can visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-biggest-increase-in-unemployment-due-to-coronavirus/72730/.