Charlotte Area’s Top Male Groomer Offers Tips For No Shave November

Charlotte Stories
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Charlotte Area’s Top Male Groomer Offers Tips For No Shave November

patrick-oneil-beard-washLocal Cornelius resident Patrick O. Anderson has spent most of his life in male grooming, he started as a barber, then a barber instructor, barber shop owner, and even became the CEO of the Prestige Barber Styling Institute.

In 2007, he launched his own line of grooming products designed specifically for the active man.

Men that demand the very best for their daily skincare, hair care, beard grooming, and daily shaving regimens will look no further. Nothing complicated, nothing cosmetic — just real solutions that provide immediate visible results. Patrick Oneil Grooming Products entail formulas that are straightforward, with multi-functional benefits and results in a single product, making them the best of the best.

I recently spoke with him about this month’s No Shave November phenomena, and if he had any advice for new beard growers in the Charlotte area.

patrickoneilgroomingHe told us that there are 2 distinct stages, and what to do for each:

Phase I: | 0-2 Weeks

During this phase, your beard will itch and become patchy and/or disheveled. You will need to be strong and fight the urge to reach for the razor – your skin will eventually adjust.

Solution: Wash your stache and beard with Patrick Oneil Face and Beard Wash, a gentle wash free of sulfates. Follow the washing process with Patrick Oneil Beard Oil to lessen the itch and to moisturize skin and hair.

Phase 2: | 3 Weeks – 1 Month

For those of you participating in NSN, you should be at the stage where you are noticing a fair amount of your beard has grown in, which will tell you how your hair naturally grows, and what shape your beard can take. Avoid trimming until this one-month marker.

Your beard may look slightly shaggy, so if you do begin trimming, use scissors rather than a trimmer for more control over how much you take off. A mistake a lot of guys make at this stage is taking too much off and then shaving the beard off altogether. Trim the mustache, neckline, and upper cheeks.

Solution: Rinse your beard every day or use our beard wash which is gentle enough to use daily. Follow with beard oil. Since it’ll be dry and cool outside, we suggest sealing in the moisture with Patrick Oneil Soother. This will prevent the skin underneath your whiskers from getting chapped.

Check out Patrick’s full line of products on his website at https://www.patrickoneilgrooming.com/

63-Year-Old Garinger High Teacher Charged With Sex With A Student Found Dead In Her Home

Charlotte Stories
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63-Year-Old Garinger High Teacher Charged With Sex With A Student Found Dead In Her Home

63-year-old Emma Ogle, who was arrested last week and charged with having sex with a student, was just found dead in her home alongside her husband, Michael Ogle in an apparent murder-suicide.

This morning at about 8am, Huntersville police closed Hambright Rd. and put Lake Norman Charter Elementary School on an emergency “code yellow” lockdown;

According to a press conference held this afternoon, police were first alerted to the situation after a family member of Michael Ogle drove to his house after he didn’t come to work.

The family member saw Emma Ogle holding a gun through the windows and immediately called the police.

Officers quickly worked to block off the area, put the elementary school across the street on lockdown, and sent in the SWAT unit.

When SWAT officers entered they home, they found Emma and Michael dead on the ground from gunshot wounds.

Emma was arrested on Halloween and charged with a sex act with a student, indecent liberties with a student, and a crime against nature. She was placed on paid leave from her Health Occupations teaching position at Garinger High School the day after her arrest and was released from police custody on $10,000 bail.

According to police, Ogle began her relationship with the 17-year-old student last spring and it turned sexual over the summer.

This is an ongoing investigation.

Belmont’s Holidays at the Garden: A Mile of a Million Lights Opening This Month

Charlotte Stories
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Belmont’s Holidays at the Garden: A Mile of a Million Lights Opening This Month

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden’s annual Holidays at the Garden returns with a shimmering Mile of a Million Lights! Along the journey, discover the colorful lights of the topiaries dancing to merry tunes, LED cherry trees glowing along Canal Garden, waves of color glittering in the Piedmont Prairie, enchanting fairy villages, a new interactive Stickwork sculpture by NC artist Patrick Dougherty, and so much more. Holidays at the Garden will be open Nov. 29, 2019 through Jan. 5, 2020 from 5 to 9 p.m. each evening, although the Garden will be closed Christmas Day.

About Holidays at the Garden

Visitors will enjoy annual traditions including the 15-foot towering orchid tree, live music (daily 6 to 8 p.m.), holiday shopping in The Garden Store, crackling fires to warm cold hands or roast a marshmallow, a children’s activity, warm beverages and more. Food and snacks will be available for purchase in addition to beverages including coffee, hot chocolate, cider, beer, wine and other spirits.

Model train displays built by the Metrolina Model Railroaders can be found throughout the Garden in addition to an expanded display of quaint buildings from Department 56’s Dickens’ Village Series®. Santa Claus will be available for professional photos with families on Dec. 2, 9 and 16  from 5 to 8:30 p.m. (additional fee, reservations required online). Santa will also be available Tuesday through Thursday from Dec. 3 – 19 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. for personal photos (no fee). Mrs. Claus will visit the Garden Friday through Sunday from Nov. 29 to Dec. 22 in addition to Christmas Eve from 6 to 8 p.m.

New this year, North Carolina artist Patrick Dougherty’s latest interactive Stickwork sculpture will be on display throughout the holiday season. Using minimal tools and a simple technique of bending, interweaving, and fastening together twigs and branches, he creates works of art inseparable with nature and the landscape. With a dazzling variety of forms seamlessly intertwined with their context, his sculptures evoke fantastical images of nests, cocoons, cones, castles, and beehives. Over the last thirty years, Dougherty has built more than 300 works throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia that range from stand-alone structures to a kind of modern primitive architecture–every piece mesmerizing in its ability to fly through trees, overtake buildings, and virtually defy gravity.

Holidays at the Garden will be open Nov. 29, 2019 through Jan. 5, 2020 from 5 to 9 p.m. each evening, although the Garden will be closed Christmas Day. Holidays at the Garden admission is discounted for tickets purchased online in advance and prices increase at the door. Admission purchased online in advance for Monday through Thursday is $14.95 per adult, $12.95 per senior 60+, $7.95 per child 2-12 and free for children under age two. Admission purchased online in advance for Friday through Sunday is $16.95 per adult, $14.95 per senior 60+, $8.95 per child 2-12 and free for children under age two. Garden members receive a 30% discount and also receive 30% off the purchase of up to four guest passes. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets online in advance at www.DSBG.org.

Charlotte’s 10 Worst Restaurant Health Scores in October 2019

Steve
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Charlotte’s 10 Worst Restaurant Health Scores in October 2019

Even though the Charlotte region’s restaurant selection continues to grow, so does our population, and some restaurants are taking advantage of this growing customer base by letting their health standards slide.

Some of the most common reasons for low scores were food handlers not washing their hands properly, contaminated food containers, and improper food temperatures (many restaurants are starting to use infrared thermometers to avoid this). You can see exactly what the inspectors look for on this blank copy of an inspection report.

These were the top 10 worst inspection scores in Charlotte for the month of October:

#10 Hef’s Bar & Grill 

1920 SARDIS ROAD NORTH, CHARLOTTE NC 28270
Scored 88 (B) on 10/17/2019 (rescored to 97 on 10/23)

They had the following violations;

  • Employees observed touching soiled dishes with gloves then changing gloves without washing hands in between.
  • Employees observed washing hands then proceeding to turn off faucet handles with bare hands.
  • Raw lobster, eggs and shrimp observed over ready to eat potatoes and celery in walk-in cooler. Ahi tuna observed raw over cooked corn and potatoes in reach-in cooler.
  • Multiple stacks of plates and bowls observed with leftover food debris on them that were deemed clean. When new dishes were added to the clean stack, they were also observed with food debris.
  • Chopped lettuce, tomatoes, and pasta cooling from night prior to inspection found above 41F.
  • Multiple foods observed cold holding above 41F.
  • Several foods at flip top prep unit taken from walk-in cooler from days before inspection found with no date marking. Foods are being held in flip top coolers overnight after service.

#9 Rockin Rolls Sushi Express

1523 ELIZABETH AV, CHARLOTTE NC 28204
Scored 87.5 (B) on 10/17/2019 (rescored to 96 on 10/29)

They had the following violations;

  • Observed multiple food employees leaving tasks and handling soiled handles throughout kitchen then returning to food preparation without changing gloves and washing hands.
  • Observed raw eggs over ready to eat sauce in bottom of large prep unit on cook line and raw beef, eggs and fish over avocados in walk in cooler
  • Observed multiple stacked utensils with light food residue or debris on them.
  • Observed PIC did not know when the sushi roller had been washed rinsed and sanitized last.
  • Observed cooked sushi rolls and shrimp tempura at 45F.
  • Observed multiple TCS foods with no date mark
  • Observed sushi rice tiem labeled at 1030 am placed on plates color coded for 11 and the 12p paltes(blue) not in use at 1230. Facility not following their written TPHC procedures.

#8 Rebecas Deli 

6404 ALBEMARLE RD, CHARLOTTE NC 28212
Scored 87.5 (B) on 10/30/2019 (rescored to 92.5 on 11/5)

They had the following critical violations;

  • Soap missing at multiple handsinks.
  • Several foods in walk-in cooler including raw fish, ready to eat cooked pork, raw chicken, and raw eggs being stored improperly. Foods must be stored according to final cook temperature.
  • Slicer observed with lettuce debris from night before inspection and is not being cleaning frequently enough.
  • Cooked pork found in walk-in cooler cooked last night at 54F.
  • Ensure including the first day of prep, the foods get a total of 7 days before discarding. Multiple items including cooked beans, rice, chicken, pork, ground pork, and cut cabbage found from previous prep dates with no date marking. Items are being cooked and place in freezer for weeks without date marking.
  • Observed cut lettuce in standing water in flip top.
  • Containers of uncooked beans and oil being stored on the floor near walk-in cooler.

#7 Terrace Cafe of Ballantyne

14815 BALLANTYNE VILLAGE WAY, CHARLOTTE NC 28277
Scored 87.5 (B) on 10/8/2019 (rescored to 96.5 on 11/1)

They had the following violations;

  • Observed no one present during inspection that is certified as a food protection manager.
  • Observed two employee drinks sitting on prep top unit counter.
  • Observed several metal/plastic containers and bar glasses soiled with debris but stored as clean.
  • Observed large plastic container of Hawaiian salad drop only 3 degrees in 40 minutes, at a rate of 0.075 degrees per minute. Items cooling from room temperature should be cooling at 0.12 degrees per minute.
  • Observed all TCS items in prep unit closest to handsink maintaining temperatures between 55F-60F. See chart above. Facility has had several problems with the same unit in past inspections. This is the 4th consecutive cold holding violation.
  • Observed cut lettuce, chicken salad, sausage patties, and opened gallon of milk without datemarking.
  • Observed spring mix with old label still on container (9/26-9/29), sausage patties dated 10/6-10/16, turkey dated 10/9-10/16, and sausage bits, cut tomatoes, turkey bacon, shrimp all dated 10/9-10/14. Today is 10/8.

#6 Chicken King

7825 NATIONS FORD RD, CHARLOTTE NC 28217
Scored 85.5 (B) on 10/9/2019 (rescored to 92 on 10/24)

They had the following violations;

  • Observed food employee touch hat with gloved hands and then proceed to do food prep without glove changing or hand washing in between. Also observed food employee touch raw burgers with gloved hand and then proceed to touch salt shakers and other prep items without hand washing or gloved changing.
  • Observed food employee use gloved hands to touch raw burgers and then proceed to continue to food prep without glove changing or hand washing in between.
  • Observed heavy food buildup along the interior of the slicer.
  • Observed dishes that were stored as cleaned soiled to touch. Ensure that utensils are washed as frequent as every 4 hours and also ensure all food contact surfaces are cleaned to sight and touch.
  • Large cups of house made ranch cups were cold holding at 53 degrees inside of the 1 door display unit. Also observed boiled eggs, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese cold holding in between 42-46 degrees on flip top and in reach in cold hold unit.
  • Observed large containers of potatoes salad, and cole slaw with dates that exceed 7 day hold time. Also observed sliced deli meat with expired date marks.

#5 Bojangles #1114

3301 WILKINSON BV, CHARLOTTE NC 28208
Scored 85.5 (B) on 10/31/2019

They had the following violations;

  • Observed an employee’s drink stored on the prep sink under the tea urn and a drink stored on top of the ansul system above the chicken fryer.
  • Observed several employee’s washing their hands for less than 15-20 seconds.
  • Observed an employee wash hands, then take a towel and wipe sweat on his face and then return to work without washing hands again.
  • Observed no paper towels at the hand sink by the walk in cooler at the start of the inspection.
  • Observed a missing hand washing sign in the women’s restroom.
  • Observed black build up on the shield of the ice machine; clean ice machine.
  • Observed 2 pans with food debris and grease stored as clean.
  • Observed liquid eggs above 41F.
  • Observed all items in the prep unit holding above 41F on the cook line.
  • Time was not posted on the fries at the start of the inspection.

#4 Pho Ngon 

2215 AYRSLEY TOWN BLVD, CHARLOTTE NC 28273
Scored 85 (B) on 10/22/2019 (rescored to 95.5 on 10/24)

They had the following violations;

  • Observed duties of PIC not being performed due to lack of cold holding and lack of hot water.
  • Observed hot water out handwash unable to reach 100 degrees. Facility voluntarily closed.
  • Observed raw steak over rice noodles and raw shrimp over cooked beef tendon. C
  • Observed slicer in stored as clean with visible food debris.
  • Observed spicy soup cooled from last night still at 47 degrees.
  • Observed prep unit 1 and 3 unable to maintain proper temperatures according to PIC due to hood malfunction heating kitchen temperature in excess of parameters for prep units.
  • Observed side of raw or rare beef without reminder linking product to consumer advisory.

#3 Wang & King Asian Cafe

10720 S TRYON ST, CHARLOTTE NC 28273
Scored 84 (B) on 10/25/2019

They had the following violations;

  • Observed personal beverages with no lids stored in prep areas.
  • Observed PIC wash hands and use same hands to turn knobs off without any protective restraint. Also observed food employee touch hair and then proceed to food prep without hand washing in between.
  • Facility is lacking hand washing sink in sushi prep area.
  • Observed blue crabs located in bags on the floor in the freezer.
  • Observed unwashed produce being stored over ready to eat produce(cabbage) in walk in cooler. Also observed raw beef being stored over sauce containers inside of reach in 2 door unit.
  • Observed raw shrimp being prepped in the same proximity as soiled dishes in 3 comp sink. Utilization of the permitted prep sinks are advised to ensure that any cross contamination is prevented.
  • Dish machine was unable to dispense adequate chlorine sanitizer. Chemical provider made a site visit to ensure that dish machine has been serviced and is now adequately working and properly dispensing.
  • Observed food employee use prep sink used for food prep to wash soiled pot without rinsing or sanitizing. Proper dish washing methods were given to employee for long term compliance.
  • Observed wd-40 onsite during the inspection. PIC stated that they use the WD-40 as a lubricant for the slicer.

#2 The Bistro 

321 W WOODLAWN RD, CHARLOTTE NC 28217
Scored 83.5 (B) on 10/16/2019

They had the following violations;

  • Observed tray of raw bacon stored above ready to eat muffins in walk in cooler.
  • Observed soiled knife, scoop, plate cover, lid stored as clean. Also observed sticker residue on several of the in-use pans/lids and some of the pans/lids stored as clean.
  • Observed ice machine showing black residue on white plastic deflector.
  • Observed tomato soup and marinara sauce prepared from room temperature ingredients at 4:55 were not changed in temperature by 5:45. Both were stored in covered deep pans and in the reach in cooler. Soup and sauce moved to shallow metal pans and placed, uncovered, in walk in cooler where they cooled to 41F in less than an hour.
  • Observed pot pie filling measuring 42F in reach in cooler, all items in lower right cold drawer measuring 47F-50F.
  • Observed opened but undated TCS ready to eat foods – ricotta cheese, goat cheese, cut melon x2, cooked chicken, breakfast burrito, cooked sausage, scrambled eggs, and cut lettuce. All were voluntarily discarded.
  • Observed expired foods in storage – pasta salad 10/7, hard boiled eggs 9/24, turkey 10/2, ricotta cheese 10/9, roasted tomatoes 10/8, arugula 10/9. All were voluntarily discarded.
  • Observed can of household RAID! pest spray stored on chemical shelf next to 3 compartment sink.

#1 Cottage 

6701 N TRYON ST, CHARLOTTE NC 28213
Scored 83 (B) on 10/24/2019 (rescored to 90 on 10/31)

They had the following violations;

  • Observed PIC wash hands then turn of faucet with barehands, recontaminating them.
  • Observed food employee touch trash, then go back to food preparation.
  • Observed food employee washing dishes in the handsink.
  • Observed knives stored clean on a hanger, 3 knives were soiled, when knives were removed from their spot, roaches were behind it.
  • Observed food employee using running water and soap. Sink was not filled with soapy water.
  • Observed food employee washing dishes without a sanitizing step.
  • Observed ice machine with black build-up.
  • Obserevd 6 dented cans of tomatoes and soy sauce. PIC did not understand the dangers of dented cans.
  • Observed cooked chicken, cabbage, and large containers of noodles all without datemarks.
  • Observed working bottle of degreaser with no label.

If you’d like to monitor health scores or do a quick search for a restaurant you’re about to eat at, check out North Carolina’s health inspection database here.

Top 10 Best Creative Date Night Ideas in Charlotte

Steve
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Top 10 Best Creative Date Night Ideas in Charlotte

Charlotte was recently ranked as the 4th best city in America for dating. It’s no surprise when you consider the number of transplants that are always looking to meet new people and our ever-growing number of mingling events and unique date-night activities.

We decided to sift through these businesses to find some truly creative new ways to connect with your sweetheart here in the Queen City.

Using online reviews and Charlotte Stories reader feedback, these are the top 10 best creative date night ideas in Charlotte;

#10 Escape Room Challenge

Work together with your better half to solve a series of increasingly difficult clues before the time runs out!

Groupon is now offering a 22% discount for couples at No-Da Escapes – one of Charlotte’s newest escape rooms.

#9 Laser Tag

Relive some of your favorite childhood memories with your sweetheart at Charlotte’s largest laser tag facility.

Laser Quest, in South Charlotte, features multiple multi-level arenas in which players navigate a maze of fog and technology while music pumps them up and laser beams fly from every direction. It’s a thrill, and one that makes for a great birthday party or team-building event for kids, teenagers, and adults.

Find out more info or buy tickets here.

#8 Haunted History Tour

Tours feature visits to various ghostly and historic spots, like the path to Charlotte, tunnels of grave fortune, theatrical ghosts and some of Uptown’s magnificently spooky houses. You’ll learn about significant people and battles, see where both the drinking of spirits and ghostly spirits intersect, and walk past ghoulish medical institutions.

Find out more info or buy tickets here.

#7 Murder-Mystery Dinner

Murder-mystery dinners begin innocently enough—guests arrive to mingle amid drinks and quiet conversation. As diners munch away, a sudden death interrupts the feasting. A detective arrives to determine who the killer is, inevitably laying blame on one of the audience members. Tablemates must work together to prove their innocence and find the real killer through an interactive performance full of hilarious suspects and eye-catching costumes, all the while dining on the included three-course meal and taking advantage of drink specials.

Find out more info or buy tickets here.

#6 Comedy Show at The Comedy Zone

Standing before a mural of the nighttime Charlotte skyline with “The Comedy Zone” imposed over a massive moon, nationally touring comics present finely honed humor. Within the NC Music Factory’s sprawling entertainment complex, The Comedy Zone keeps punch lines rolling with its regularly stuffed calendar of established and up-and-coming jokesters.

Find out more info or buy tickets here.

#5 Wine and Painting Class 

The artists at Wine and Canvas awaken their students’ inner Rembrandts and Van Goghs with classes that pair a featured painting with specialty cocktails and wines. The mobile studio’s monthly calendar includes themed classes in which instructors expound on the nuances of painting Parisian street lamps, Japanese flowers, or Venetian cityscapes.

They’re now offering 49% off for couple date nights – find out more here.

#4 Scavenger Hunt 

Crazy Dash’s organizers transform familiar city streets into playgrounds – or digital adventure games, as they put it. Teams sign up and, using their smart phones, follow a predetermined course along avenues and boulevards, taking in key sights from the city as they go. Along the course, they encounter ten or more checkpoints, where they answer challenge questions or snap selfies of a silly task such as singing in the street, sneaking through a fountain’s spray, or making eye contact with a stranger.

Find out more information by clicking here.

#3 Double Date Bubble Soccer

Find another couple or two, suit up in inflatable bubbles, find a nearby park, and go crazy!

Bubble Soccer has been gaining viral fame all over the world over the past couple years – it’s basically full-contact soccer inside of giant bubble suits.

Groupon is now offering 43% off bubble suit rentals here.

#2 South End Gallery Crawl

Charlotte Magazine named the South End Gallery Crawl as the “Best Artsy Place to Take a Date.”

Charlotte’s biggest and oldest gallery crawl typically sees between 10 and 20 art galleries, design centers, and coffee shops participate, offering free food, live music, and some of the best art in the city.

Find out more information on Historic South End’s website here.

#1 Date Night at Blackstone

Perhaps the most unique date night in the Queen City, Blackstone Shooting Sports’ date night combines firearms, fancy hor d’ oeuvres, and alcohol (in that order – they don’t allow drinking before shooting).

Check out more info on their Date Night page here.

Are you single? If these ideas made you want to date, check this website to see how the best online dating sites can help you find the perfect match for these date night ideas!

Did we miss any? What’s your favorite date night idea in Charlotte?

3 best garden fertilizer in 2019

Silvia Woolard
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3 best garden fertilizer in 2019

Many people advise beginners to stay clear from fertilizers and let plants grow by themselves. However, many of the agricultural and ornamental plants that are not native in the United States. As such, they do not get the same amount of nutrients that they require in their native land in the North American soil. Additionally, professional blended fertilizers are accurately measured for your plant use. Therefore, unforeseen mistakes with chemical reactions and malnutrition are prevented by buying reputable brands of fertilizers. For the beginner gardeners, there is definitely a need to learn more about fertilizers before you pick up your tools and start gardening

Three elements from the periodic table are required to ensure firm roots and vibrant, high yielding flowers in your plants. These elements are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K). These three basic elements are usually advertised in many fertilizer packaging as NPK.

When planted outdoors, plants can be given a 20% balance of phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen once they start developing leaves. For crops that were grown indoors, this formula must be minimized to one-fourth or one-half of strength since this result to droopy leaves due to shock in full force of nutrients. Unlike plants that are growing outdoors, indoor ones should be fed with fertilizers at least twice a week while watering them. Crops planted outside can get their nutrients from the air and from the ground so they need fewer attention in terms of fertilizer use.

To help you choose the best fertilizers for 2019, we brought together the in-house experts from Weekend Gardener, and asked them what would be for them are the 3 best fertilizers in 2019. We hope that through this review, we can guide you to find the most suitable choice for you and your plants. 

A word of caution; please remember to avoid fertilizers that are being sold as “slow-release”  “extended.” These types of fertilizers are great for hardy plants, but they can cause various types of health issues in your ornamental plant. They can easily destroy your plants, causing wilting and destruction of the root systems. Many ornamental and agricultural crops are delicate. Because they are not native in the United States, American growers are faced with constant risks of losing their crops due to various reasons.

As promised, we have listed the best of the highest-rated fertilizers in the year 2019. So without further ado, please see below the 3 best fertilizer in 2019:

#1 Advanced Nutrients Bloom, Micro & Grow

Advanced Nutrients Bloom, Micro & Grow is the ultimate 3-part nutrients formula that comes in a combo pack. It is complete fertilizer for your plants providing optimal nutrients for every stage of growth and developments of your crops. This fertilizer was developed to keep the pH level of the soil at the optimum level. As you water the plant, this fertilizer activates and create a balanced pH 4.5 to 8.5 for your plants. This fertilizer has been perfectly formulated that you will not need to check your soil’s pH level constantly. As a result, crops maintain their extensive root systems. It also results in thicker stems, bigger leaves and massive blooms.

#2 Fox Farm FX14049 Liquid Nutrient: Big Bloom, Grow Big & Tiger Bloom 

Fox Farm FX14049 Liquid Nutrient: Big Bloom, Grow Big & Tiger Bloom is another top-notch 3-part fertilizer. This is great for indoor crops because this fertilizer was especially designed for both soil and hydroponic use. This means this formula can be directly added, with the right measurement, to the water of hydroponic gardens. This brand of fertilizer is not very difficult to find. While some may opt to buy them online, you can easily grab this at the nearest supermarket or grocery store.

#3 General Hydroponics General Organics Go Box

The General Hydroponics General Organics Go Box is another fertilizer brand that can be used for hydroponic gardening of plants. It is a great fertilizer for plants that are just starting to grow. This is great for beginners because it is very consistent and provided all the nutrients needed by a plant.

Yes, it is true that creating your own organic fertilizer is an excellent way to cultivate your crops. However, the fertilizers mentioned above are formulated accurately to provide your crops all the nutrients they need. Fertilizer is important in your plants’ growth. This is especially true for crops that are grown indoors because the crops have no room to spread out their root system to get the optimum nutrients for their growth. As well, for many beginners and amateur growers, using these fertilizers provide an affordable way to cultivate plants.

The Legality of Snooping Around in Charlotte, North Carolina

Patrick Boland
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The Legality of Snooping Around in Charlotte, North Carolina

It is not news that people are becoming nosier than ever before. Whether it is trying to lookup the academic history of the next-door neighbor who just moved in or maybe just stalking the Facebook profile of your best friend’s new significant other, human being have an undying curiosity that seems to be built into our nature.

While that can be very productive in finding out important information that can lead to new discoveries when channeled appropriately, all too often nowadays do we find this curiosity plowed into the most frivolous pursuits. 

Not only do people waste hours of their day looking into the most useless things possible, but people quite often get on the wrong side of the law when doing so. Surely this is something that most sane people would agree counts as going at least one step too far.

So, what exactly constitutes just being annoyingly nosy and what actually counts as a criminal offense? This is not an easy question to answer simply because the threshold of criminality differs from one jurisdiction to another. We will be looking into the specific case of Charlotte in North Carolina. 

There is actually a pretty simple way of how to find out if someone was arrested in this city. In this article, we will take a closer look at the legality in Charlotte in terms of background checks, and in specific when snooping crosses the legal line. 

The Short and Long Answer

The short answer is that it is indeed vey possible for you to be in Charlotte and look up someone’s criminal record without breaking any laws. So, if you fancy yourself a super sleuth or just really want to know more about your neighbor but are too afraid to just go up and ask, there are legal ways to do so.

The thing is, a person’s arrest record is usually the subject of public records. This menace that those pieces of information can usually be obtained through a government department, usually the justice department or the local court, without too much hassle. The first request of such kind that a person makes can be free of charge, but subsequent requests will be subject to the relevant processing fees.

Should the person in question be on some sort of sex offenders list, that information will show up as well. Not only will that information show up on a routine request, but in many places, registered sex offenders will have a marker of some sort placed on their home that anyone in the neighborhood can look up without even having to make any informational requests.

The only important issue left to consider here is not legal in nature, but rather social. Is being this inquisitive an acceptable form of behavior in your society, or do they find this level of intrusion in bad taste? This is something that can only answered by each individual observing members of their community and determining for themselves what the social norms are.

Some communities do not quite care about the concept of personal space, something which usually follows a willingness to live in compact spaces. Other communities would indeed prefer to keep everyone’s private affairs just that. Only astute and tactful observation can answer that question.

When Does Snooping Around Cross the Legal Line?

If searching public records and making a formal request to the proper authorities is perfectly acceptable, at least legally speaking, then what exactly would constitute a criminal offense? Again, what is illegal somewhere maybe perfectly legal somewhere else, but there are certainly some general guidelines that can help.

Obtaining someone’s credit history is a pretty cut-and-dry topic. It is very much illegal for anyone to obtain someone else’s credit history without their prior consent. Doing such will absolutely constitute a breach of that person’s privacy and is subject to fines as well as criminal prosecution. 

The same is true for school transcripts and academic transcripts in general. Academic transcripts require a person’s written consent prior to requesting that sort of information from any academic institution. Failing to do so will also result in very severe legal penalties for breaching a citizen’s privacy.

A person’s medical history is also something that is very sensitive. Although hospitals visited by the person in question keeps detailed records of their every visit, the hospital is obliged to withhold this information from members of the public, companies who wish to conduct targeted advertising, and even non-immediate family members without express written prior consent by the actual person.

Takeaway

The subject of personal information is one that is becoming increasingly controversial. This is mainly because what is black and white is becoming increasingly grey, requiring less and less legal knowledge and more personal judgement, which might not be the most objective of sources.

Fortunately for our prior discussion question, the issue of criminal records is indeed a remarkably clear-cut issue. The same can be said about most other publicly available records that are held at court houses across the United States.

Ultimately, the subject of snooping around is not just a legal issue. Regardless of an action’s legality, there is also the issue of breaking social norms in ways that might arouse quite a bit of pushback from community members. This is a judgement call that requires a great degree of wisdom and maturity that many unfortunately do not possess. 

Panthers Officially Place Cam Newton On Injured Reserve, Effectively Ending His Season

Charlotte Stories
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Panthers Officially Place Cam Newton On Injured Reserve, Effectively Ending His Season

The Carolina Panthers starting QB has just been placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his 19-20 season with the Panthers and bumping Kyle Allen up to the official starting QB position on the permanent roster.

In an official statement, Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said, “We have said all along that it is impossible to put a timetable on this injury. Nobody is more frustrated with that fact than Cam. He’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve been around during my 20-plus years in the League. At this time, we have decided that the best decision to reach the goal of bringing the foot back to 100 percent is to place Cam on injured reserve.”

This past Friday, Cam Newton took a trip to Green Bay to meet with renowned foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, who used to be the Panthers assistant team physician.

The meeting clearly went worse than everyone hoped and gave Hurney the definitive evidence to place the starting QB on injured reserve.

Cam Newton now has just 1 year left on his $21 million contract. The Panthers are now faced with the decision of whether they want to spend $2 million to release Newton early and save $19 million on the salary cap, roll the dice and resign him, or hope he heals before they have to make a decision and before another team snatches him up.

What do you think should be done at this point?

The Carolinas Rank As 2 Of The Fattest States In America for 2019

Steve
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The Carolinas Rank As 2 Of The Fattest States In America for 2019

With November being National Diabetes Awareness Month and Americans collectively spending nearly $200 billion per year on obesity-related health costs, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Fattest States in America.

To determine which states contribute the most to America’s overweight and obesity problem, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 29 key metrics. They range from share of overweight and obese population to sugary-beverage consumption among adolescents to obesity-related health care costs.

Both of the Carolinas ranked similar to how they did last year. South Carolina came in at #13 (up from #8 last year), and North Carolina #17 (the same as last year).

Fattest States in the U.S.

Overall Rank
(1 = Fattest)		 State Total Score ‘Obesity & Overweight Prevalence’ Rank ‘Health Consequences’ Rank ‘Food & Fitness’ Rank
1 Mississippi 70.66 1 7 10
2 West Virginia 69.93 4 1 39
3 Kentucky 67.81 2 8 9
4 Tennessee 66.89 5 9 2
5 Alabama 64.67 6 17 1
6 Oklahoma 64.52 3 34 12
7 Louisiana 64.30 8 15 3
8 Arkansas 63.68 7 20 4
9 Delaware 63.33 14 4 26
10 Ohio 62.21 10 16 8
11 Michigan 61.92 9 28 13
12 Maine 61.90 28 2 47
13 South Carolina 61.66 12 32 5
14 Iowa 61.30 13 13 24
15 Kansas 61.13 18 6 19
16 Texas 59.90 11 43 17
17 North Carolina 59.57 20 19 6
18 Maryland 58.53 19 14 38
19 Georgia 58.18 15 36 7
20 Rhode Island 57.76 25 11 41
21 Illinois 57.75 16 37 18
22 Missouri 57.73 22 31 22
23 Indiana 57.72 24 21 14
24 Pennsylvania 57.40 21 33 25
25 New Mexico 57.03 17 39 27
26 New Hampshire 56.96 40 3 35
27 Nebraska 56.21 23 35 34
28 Florida 55.70 27 38 20
29 New Jersey 55.46 29 23 23
30 Vermont 55.43 37 5 50
31 Wisconsin 55.33 30 22 33
32 Wyoming 54.68 32 18 32
33 Virginia 54.50 38 24 15
34 North Dakota 54.28 31 27 36
35 Montana 54.12 44 10 28
36 Nevada 53.41 36 42 11
37 Oregon 52.76 46 12 42
38 Idaho 52.41 47 25 21
39 South Dakota 52.32 26 46 31
40 New York 52.16 34 41 40
41 Arizona 52.08 35 44 30
42 Washington 51.89 41 26 44
43 Alaska 51.71 42 30 49
44 Hawaii 50.18 33 49 43
45 District of Columbia 49.73 48 29 45
46 Minnesota 48.94 45 45 37
47 California 48.48 39 50 48
48 Connecticut 47.79 49 40 46
49 Massachusetts 46.95 43 47 51
50 Colorado 45.74 50 48 29
51 Utah 44.86 51 51 16

 

In addition, South Carolina was ranked as having the 5th fattest children in America;

To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/fattest-states/16585/

Sweet and Schatz About To Make History at This Weekend’s Can-Am World Finals in Charlotte

Charlotte Stories
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Sweet and Schatz About To Make History at This Weekend’s Can-Am World Finals in Charlotte

Historically close points battle will be decided at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Nov. 7-9

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will make history at the Nov. 7-9 Can-Am World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. For the first time since 2013 the championship won’t be decided until the checkered flag flies for the final time this season.

Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, Calif., leads reigning champion Donny Schatz, of Fargo, N.D., by eight points after a novel-worthy season of dueling for positions every race and trading the points lead about every month. They’ll have two races – Friday and Saturday – to put a period on that story and try to be the champion it’s written about. (Teams will qualify for Friday and Saturday’s races on Thursday.)

Sweet is searching for his first World of Outlaws championship – second for Kasey Kahne Racing – and Schatz is going for this 11th title – 10th for Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing. It would also be Schatz’s sixth championship in-a-row.

GOING FOR THE TITLE

“It’s great that we’re in a position to win the points,” Sweet said. “We’ve never been in that situation. Obviously, we’re going to go in there and do what we’ve been doing all season, try to win each night. Hopefully at the end of the night it goes our way and be crowned the champions.”

There was a point in the season Schatz wasn’t sure if he would be in contention for another champion, he said. But now that he is, he knows exactly what needs to be done.

“It’s going to take us getting to victory lane to have an opportunity to win it,” Schatz said. “It’s not putting too much emphasis on it (the points). We’ve had a great year, win or lose. We’re going to finish it the best we can. We’re really building toward the future. To be able to be in this position at the end of the year… at one point in the year we thought we wouldn’t be. We’re excited. We’re happy with it. We’ll continue on what’s got us ten championships in the past and hopefully it works for number eleven.”

Sweet and Schatz have been the most consistent drivers this year. Both have finished outside the top-10 only seven times in 70 races. They also both have more than 40 top-five finishes – Sweet, 45, and Schatz, 46 – with the majority of them being podium finishes.

TEAM EFFORT

However, with 11 wins, Schatz hasn’t had his typical season of winning more than 20 races and having the championship locked up long before the World Finals. He’s put his performance on his shoulders, giving his season a C grade. However, he gives his team an A. Schatz called 2019 a building year. Long-time crew member Steve “Scuba” Swenson was promoted to being Schatz’s crew chief this year and new, younger, crew members were added.

“We’ve jelled decently,” Schatz said. “We haven’t jelled exactly like when we’ve had success in the past. That’s all part of building. When you take a group of guys who have been together as long as we were, and you make changes, you change one thing it’s like changing ten.

“I’m proud of them guys. We’ve had a lot of fun. It’s just been a different dynamic for me and Scuba. It’s always been an older core team. The guys in the past, we were all about the same age. We added a couple of younger guys to the team and they’re really motivated. They’re really excited about doing good. They like winning races. We just wish we could win more races together. And we will. It’s something we just keep working on. At no point did anyone give up on anybody.”

Sweet is having a career year with 16 wins, so far – breaking his record of winning at most nine races in a season. He’s in his second year with crew chief Eric Prutzman – who helped bring Sweet his first Knoxville Nationals win. In their short time together, Sweet said he has already seen the team grow from good to great.

“There’s a point in the season when we had the car right on and really dialed in,” Sweet said. “Later in the season we’ve had to dig a little better to figure out how to get the car right. I think that’s what makes a good team really good is getting through adversity and figuring out when the car isn’t right and how to fix it. We’re still learning together for sure. There’s going to be ups and downs. But I feel like in two years we’ve accomplished a lot of things.”

CONFIDENCE LEVELS

Sweet has full confidence in his team heading into Charlotte. To him, they’re the team to beat. There’s only so much they can be controlled, though. Their plan is to focus on the 49 car and control their own destiny, he said.

After more than 20 years in the sport, Schatz said confidence is almost irrelevant.

“I know what my capabilities in the car are,” Schatz said. “I know what their (TSR’s) capabilities are with the car. That goes beyond confidence. That’s just an expected thing. We take it for granted probably but when you’re around someone enough and you trust them like we do, confidence is a word you have to question because it shifts.”

He added the team’s confidence doesn’t shift. Their relationship is like a marriage.

“A good marriage I guess you can say,” Schatz said. “You trust the other person to do the right thing all of the time. And even if they don’t, we make sure we all learn from our mistakes and we don’t allow it to happen again.”

PREPARING FOR THE BATTLE

Schatz has historically performed better at The Dirt Track at Charlotte than Sweet, especially during the World Finals. Schatz gained eight points on Sweet last year and 36 points on him the two years prior. However, both championship competitors stated you never know what to expect at the track with varying weather and track conditions.

“We’re going to try and get qualified well for both shows,” said Schatz, who has 12 wins at the track. “Obviously, to get on the front of the Heat and into that Dash is important. My guys have had a good ability to do that all year. So, hopefully we’ll be in a position to do that again and then we’ll focus on the race individually on race days. That’s how we’re going to go at it.”

Charlotte is a home race for Mooresville, N.C. located KKR. Sweet has yet to win at the track but had the opportunity to test at the 4/10-mile track two weeks ago.

“We just want to be as prepared as possible and we definitely have had some good runs and good notes from Charlotte,” Sweet said. “We’ll look at all that and go in there with the best possible package we can come up with.”

Sweet admitted there’s more on the line this weekend. His goal is to not let that affect his performance. As long as he and the team make good decisions, Sweet said he believes they’ll be ready for the challenge.

Several obstacles can face both drivers throughout the weekend with the ever-changing nature of racing. Schatz will rely on his experience to conquer them and try to come home with another championship.

“We don’t know what those obstacles are, who we’ll be around,” Schatz said. “You take it as it comes. That’s part of the name of the game. That’s what put us in this position. Things aren’t always premeditated. You have to be able to react when something is put in front of you. That’s something that experience takes a big part of. We’ll hope that that experience can help us in that situation.”

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

WHEN & WHERE
Thursday, Nov. 7 (Qualifying only), Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday Nov. 9 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the Can-Am World Finals. Get tickets and more information.

ABOUT THE TRACK
The Dirt Track at Charlotte is a semi-banked 4/10-mile track. The track record is 11.880 sec. set by Jeff Shepard on Oct. 6, 2001.
Online – CharlotteMotorSpeedway.com
Phone – (800) 455-FANS

TICKETS
Tickets can be purchased by going to WorldofOutlaws.com/tix.

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