Tomorrow night, the Charlotte region will be in the prime path of an ultra rare meteor storm.

According to meteor scientists Esko Lyytinen and Peter Jenniskens, there’s a “good chance” that we will see the first alpha Monocerotids meteor storm since 1995, a storm that produced roughly 400 meteors per hour.

The meteors have precipitated from the constellation Monoceros, a faint arrangement just left of Orion that means ‘unicorn’ in Greek.

You’ll want to go outside at least a half-hour before peak time (about 11:30 pm) to be sure you can see the storm and to give your eyes time to adjust to the dark night sky.

You can download a GPS-synced skymap on your phone to easily locate the Monoceros constellation to see the source of the meteors, although they will likely fill up a large portion of the night sky.

The United States Federal Reserve has just officially approved the $66 billion Truist bank merger. The new bank will combine the assets of BB&T and SunTrust to make the 6th biggest bank in America, and their decision to build a new headquarters in Uptown Charlotte will officially reinstate our title as the second biggest banking city in America.

According to a press release, BB&T and SunTrust expect to complete the merger on December 6, 2019, pending satisfaction of customary closing conditions. BB&T common shares will become Truist common shares and SunTrust common shareholders will receive 1.295 Truist common shares for each share of SunTrust common stock they own at the closing.

“We are pleased to have received regulatory approval to merge two strong companies with complementary business models and a high level of cultural alignment. We’ll be even better together for our clients, teammates, communities and shareholders,” said BB&T Chairman and CEO Kelly King, who will serve as chairman and CEO of Truist.

“We will build upon our mission- and purpose-driven cultures and work to ensure a positive experience for our clients,” said SunTrust Chairman and CEO Bill Rogers, who will be president and chief operating officer of Truist prior to succeeding King as CEO in September 2021. “Following months of thoughtful collaborative planning, we are prepared to begin a successful integration.”

The new bank will build its headquarters in Uptown Charlotte’s Hearst Tower.

The headquarters will include an expansive Innovation and Technology Center to drive digital growth and development. The former community banking centers of both companies will remain in operation in Winston-Salem and Atlanta.

The board of the new company will be comprised of an equal number of executives from both companies.

What do you think about the merger? 

ApartmentList.com just released their October rent report, showing that the national average rent reached $1,476, a 0.1% increase compared to September.

The report also noted rental increases in most cities throughout North Carolina. “Charlotte saw a $5 increase in monthly rent prices, reaching an average of $1,249, the 4th most expensive in the state.”

Here are some additional highlights for North Carolina:

• The average rent in Chapel Hill dropped by $1, but remained the most expensive in the state ($1,415).
• For an apartment in Raleigh, renters currently pay $1,230/month, on average. That’s just $50 more than what renters pay further up North in Wake Forest – $1,180.
• Greensboro and Winston-Salem see monthly gains of $3 and $7 respectively to their average rents.

UNC Charlotte is offering a unique educational experience to students seeking internships and other learning opportunities during the upcoming 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte. Through an exclusive partnership with The Washington Center (TWC), UNC Charlotte will host hundreds of students from across the country for an extraordinary two-week educational program from Aug.16-28, 2020.

TWC, a respected nonpartisan, not-for-profit educational organization, partners with universities, government agencies and public and private organizations to introduce college-age students with an interest in government, media and related careers to an intensive, behind-the-scenes look into the political process during the national convention. They will provide a range of courses, forums and volunteer opportunities for UNC Charlotte students and those visiting from other campuses. Attendees who participate in the convention seminar will spend the first week of the program on UNC Charlotte’s campus learning the history of political campaigns, convention planning and procedures and the role of the media. The second half of the program will be spent at the convention, participating in fieldwork and internship assignments and attending convention receptions and events.

“UNC Charlotte is proud to again partner with The Washington Center. In 2012, our students were able to benefit from once-in-a-lifetime experiences by participating in the Center’s Democratic National Convention seminar. This partnership also provides a tremendous opportunity to highlight the University to visitors from across the country,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “Students will emerge with new skills and insights that will shape their development as citizens for the rest of their lives, and I’m excited for UNC Charlotte to play a key role in the process.”

“As in 2012, we are again thrilled to partner with UNC Charlotte for our in 2020 Convention program,” said Kelly Eaton, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief academic officer of The Washington Center. “UNC Charlotte is a well-respected institution with top-notch facilities. The University shares The Washington Center’s goal of engaging students in the democratic process, and we welcome the participation of their student delegation next summer. This unique experiential learning opportunity set in the environment of a major historical event allows students to have engaged lessons in citizenship as well as opportunities to develop their professional identity.”

Student participants will have the opportunity to interact with political insiders, attend exclusive events and engage in on-site fieldwork with media outlets, advocacy groups, host committees, state delegations and other organizations connected to the convention. More than 120 students are expected to attend the academic seminar and will be eligible to receive academic credit for their work.

Through the partnership with TWC, interested UNC Charlotte students will have the opportunity to apply for one of 10 scholarships allotted to the University (valued at $4,300 each) for the two-week program. UNC Charlotte will host visiting students and faculty and utilize on-campus buildings for the academic portion of the program. Scholarship postings can be found through Hire-A-Niner (search for either “The Washington Center – Scholarship Program” or Job ID#48685). Applications for the scholarship are currently open and are due Wednesday, Feb. 19.

UNC Charlotte and TWC first partnered for this program during the 2012 Democratic National Convention, when Charlotte also served as the host city.

Yesterday the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board (CMS) approved a county-wide salary increases for all of their teachers, assistant principals, principals and all other employees (about 9,000 in total). During the meeting, the board also approved 72 new student-support positions, according to a press release.

“We have waited to do this because we were hoping to have a state budget,” said Mary McCray, Board chair. “We care about our employees and our students, and we are committed to doing what’s best for them despite uncertainty in Raleigh. We’d prefer to have a state budget rather than taking these actions piecemeal but lacking that, we decided to do something now.”

The pay raises will be put in place by step increases (set by state salary schedules), and a general 3% raise for school employees not listed in the schedule. Hourly employees wages will be raised to an hourly pay of $13.22. In total, the raises will vary from 1% – 8% with a county wide average of about 3%.

The raises will be retroactive to July 1, the start of the district’s fiscal year, and the retroactive amounts will be paid by the end of this year.

The CMS board also voted to add 72 new social and emotional health positions to benefit students (bringing the total number of social and emotional health employees to 622).

“Social and emotional health is essential if students are going to be able to achieve in school,” said McCray. “Adding these will help us provide better support in our schools. We’re still not where we need to be, but these 72 positions will move us closer.”

Funds for the raises will be appropriated from the state and from Mecklenburg County.