Major League Soccer Announces Another Expansion – Charlotte Now A Top Contender

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On Thursday night, Major League Soccer announced major plans to expand to 30 total teams from their now 24, opening up the possibility of a new Charlotte team.

The league is currently slated to expand to 26 teams in 2020 with the addition of Miami and Nashville, 27 teams by 2021 with the addition of Austin, and 29 teams in the next few years, with front runners St. Louis and Sacramento expected to take those teams.

Yesterday’s MLS announcement of 30 total teams now makes Charlotte one of the front runners for the newest addition. David Tepper, the new owner of the Panthers, has expressed continual interest in bringing a soccer team to our city, and Bruton Smith ( owner of the Charlotte Motor Speedway), recently sat down with MLS leaders to discuss a new Charlotte team.

The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County issued a joint statement regarding MLS expansion possibilities in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“We’re honored that Major League Soccer is considering Charlotte for expansion and support the Smith family’s exploration and enthusiasm in ownership. Soccer continues to gain a tremendous following throughout our region as we’ve seen from the international soccer matches we’ve hosted to thriving soccer camps, soccer academies and community programs that are creating the next generation of fans. We’re confident that an MLS team would be successful in the Queen City and look forward to continuing this conversation in the weeks and months to come.”

What do you think about major league soccer coming to Charlotte? 

Would you go to the games? 

North Carolina Zoo’s New Kaleidoscope Butterfly Garden Attraction Opens This Weekend

The North Carolina Zoo’s newest attraction opens to the public this Saturday, April 20. Kaleidoscope Butterfly Garden is a dazzling new habitat featuring native U.S. and exotic species of butterflies complete with beautiful gardens.

This immersive, walk-through habitat features dozens of butterfly species living among tropical plants and colorful flowers.

The attraction is open daily 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through October 31, 2019. Cost is $3 per person or as an option on the Fun Ticket. For more information, please visit www.nczoo.org

Severe Thunderstorms With Possible Tornadoes Hitting The Charlotte Region Today

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The Charlotte region is now under a severe storm warning for most of Good Friday.

The National Weather Service has just issued the following alert;

“A band of heavy rain showers and embedded thunderstorms is expected to move across the foothills and Piedmont today. Isolated severe thunderstorms capable of producing locally damaging wind gusts and isolated brief tornadoes will be possible, especially across the Piedmont, and especially in the late morning and afternoon. In addition, localized excessive rainfall may cause flash flooding of small streams and urban areas.”

According to WeatherUnderground.com, the Charlotte area could see up to 2 inches of rain today, and we’ll be seeing the worst of the storm between 2pm and 6pm this afternoon;

The rest of this Easter weekend should be beautiful, with sunny skies and upper-60s on Saturday and sunny skies and mid-70s on Easter Sunday.

The Most Expensive Home On Lake Norman Just Sold For $4.78 Million

A sprawling 12,000 SqFt estate on the shores of Lake Norman has just sold for $4.78 million, making it this year’s most expensive home sold on Lake Norman.

127 Thurstons Way is loaded with all the amenities a multi-millionaire could want, and then some. The 4 bed – 9 bath home features a massive kitchen with SS double ovens, a loaded 1,200-bottle wine cellar, full-wall home theater, a stocked game room, a normal 2 car garage, an additional climate-controlled 4 car garage, and an epic study that smells of rich mahogany.

The home has been on and off the market for the past 8 years. 2 years ago, it was listed by Trump International Real Estate for $7,950,000 and sat on the market with little activity for about 12 months.

8 Months ago, the home was relisted by Premier Sotheby’s International Realty in Cornelius for an asking price of $5,900,000.

The company posted this video with epic violin music and drone footage to sell not only the incredible estate but also the lifestyle that goes with it;

What do you think of the home?

Would you be willing to brave the increasingly congested I-77 traffic to live here?

Treetops & Tombstones: Tour Charlotte’s First Supernatural Arboretum This Weekend

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Elmwood Cemetery is one of Uptown Charlotte’s most unique and historic locations, but did you know it’s also a certified arboretum?

This weekend, Charlotte city arborists will lead a walking tour, where you’ll get tips on how to identify trees and discuss the City’s meticulous stewardship of its iconic tree canopy.

The event is free and appropriate for all ages. The leisurely tour will be no longer than one mile and is accessible for cyclists and pedestrians. Please note the ground may be uneven at times. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water and sunscreen. Rain or shine!

Elmwood Cemetary is located at 700 W. 6th St. in Uptown Charlotte;

You can RSVP for the tour here.

84-Year-Old South Carolina Man Arrested For Shooting At Geese From His Living Room Chair

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Police arrested an 84-year-old man this past weekend and charged him with discharging a firearm within city limits and violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

On Saturday, police responded to a complaint of gunshots on 36th Avenue North and found North Myrtle Beach resident Furman Clark Price sitting in his living room chair with a .22 rifle by his side and 3 spent rifle casings on the floor.

Police also found a dead goose with a gunshot wound to the chest lying in the parking lot across from Price’s home.

According to the police report, Price told the officers that he wanted to get rid of the geese or scare them away because he was tired of them defecating on his property. He confessed to shooting at the birds while sitting in his living room chair.

Officers took him into custody and he was released the next day from the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on a $1,090 bond.

Chewy Bringing 1,200 New Jobs and Building $55 Million Facility Near Charlotte

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Rendering of Chewy’s new facility

Pet Supply Retailer ‘Chewy’ has just announced that it will be building a new $55 million facility and creating at least 1,200 new jobs in Salisbury, NC, about 44 miles northeast of Charlotte.

The plan now represents the single largest job announcement in Rowan County’s history.

In a press release, Cooper said the deal came together largely due to a $166,650 performance-based grant from our state.

Rowan County also contributed a $2.3 million property tax incentive and a $400,000 equipment grant to attract the company.

“Chewy’s expansion in Rowan County is great news for the Charlotte regional economy and I am proud that the company chose to invest here,” said Rod Crider, president and CEO of the Rowan EDC. “This signature win validates all of the hard work of the Rowan County Board of Commissioners and others over recent years to improve the economic competitiveness of our county. This project means more jobs, investment and momentum for our community and we couldn’t be more excited about the future. What pleases us most though is that the 1,200 new jobs that Chewy is bringing to the area will provide new opportunities to local job seekers and a chance for more Rowan County families to live their American Dream.”

The sheer volume of jobs will make Chewy the largest private company in Rowan County, just edging out Food Lion and Daimler Trucks, according to the EDC.

There will be an official groundbreaking for the new Chewy facility on May 2, with a completion date set for sometime in June of 2020.

“We’re excited to expand Chewy’s fulfillment operations to North Carolina, our first in the state and ninth in the country,” said Pete Krilles, vice president, corporate real estate and facilities for Chewy, Inc. “We greatly appreciate the partnership with Rowan County, the Rowan EDC, North Carolina Department of Commerce, and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. We look forward to making a positive economic contribution to the region with the creation of 1,200 new jobs. In addition to job creation, our new fulfillment center will enhance our delivery network across the southeastern United States, allowing us to better service Chewy customers with even faster delivery times.”

Chewy was originally founded in 2011 to attempt to disrupt the existing pet industry by selling a wide variety of pet supplies online for lower prices and more expertise. PetSmart purchased the company for just over $3 billion in May of 2017

Chewy now operates as an independent subsidiary of PetSmart.

Charlotte’s First Toll Road Will Generate Half As Much Income As Initially Projected

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independance toll lanesCharlotte’s first toll road down Independence Blvd., officially named ‘The Monroe Expressway‘, is now expected to bring in significantly less toll revenue than state legislators initially expected.

When the project was first announced in 2010, it was expected to bring in at least $3.15 billion in tolls over 40 years.

Earlier this month, a new projection by the consultant CDM Smith projected a conservative estimate of around $2 billion during that same time period.

The lower projections come primarily from a drop in projected population growth in the union county region, as well as significantly more improvements to highway 74 (Independance).

At the same time, the N.C. Department of Transportation has been making small improvements to U.S. 74, such as reducing left-turn opportunities and making traffic lights more in synch.

In spite of the estimated income dropping by almost 40%, the state now says that it is confident the project will still be sustainable.

What do you think about toll lanes on Independence Blvd.?

Setting Up Your Own Business from The Comfort of Home

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Many people who work for an employer harbor dreams of being able to start their own business and become their own boss. In the past, this often remained little more than a dream for many people but these days modern technology has helped to make it far more viable. In fact, over recent years, more and more people have broken free from the chains of employment and become self-employed.

If you want to start your own business, you can do so from the comfort of your own home thanks to the digital era we live in today. Check out these top self employed jobs. Many people these days have a home office set up and they earn their living working from home in a variety of capacities. This is something that offers a range of benefits from ease and convenience to great earnings potential. In this article, we will look at a few of the jobs you could do working for yourself from home.

Some Job Options to Consider

There are a number of different jobs options you can consider if you want to work for yourself from home and you want to make a decent living. Often, all you need to have a decent internet connection, a computer, and a home office or somewhere quiet to work from. You are then set to start earning a living working for yourself. Retaining and continuing to use things like desktop computers, chairs, tables, sofas, artwork and copy machines can save you a bundle and help keep profit margins high. In order to create a cool and comfortable climate in your office, check out this guide from the unclutterer to find a box fan that will fit into any interior and provide cool air.

One of the jobs you could do working from home is to become an online retailer. These days, most people go online to make purchases and sites such as eBay and other marketplaces are hugely popular. You could set up your own website and use eBay stores to sell online. If your home is not big enough, you could look at renting storage units in Austin to store your stock until you need to post it. This means you won’t have to clutter up your home, but you can still deal with the bulk of the business from your home office.

Another job you can consider if you want to work from home is offering web design services on a freelance basis. If you have a creative streak and you like to design things, this could be the ideal job for you and is something that will be in demand for many years to come. As a freelance web designer, you can offer your services to clients around the world and you can make a great living doing this.

For those that love to research and write, offering services as an online content writer is an option. You will find people and businesses around the world that are looking for good, reliable content writers for everything from website copy through to blogs and articles. Again, you can earn a good living doing this job and you can enjoy working in the relaxed setting of your own home.

These are just some of the many jobs options available to those who would like to earn money working for themselves from home.

Hundreds of Men Plan To Walk Through Charlotte in High-Heels Later This Month

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Never underestimate the power of high heels, especially when those heels help raise awareness about gendered violence and sexual assault.

A fun, iconic Charlotte event, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes 2019 will be held Saturday, April 27, at NoDa Brewing Company, 2921 N. Tryon St. Registration opens at 9 a.m.; walk begins at 10 a.m. Registration is $25 for men and $10 for women; register online today.

Not sure about walking an entire mile in high-heeled shoes? This year’s event will feature a half-mile bailout—sponsored by Loebsack & Brownlee, PLLC—that will allow men to ditch their heels for more comfortable shoes at the halfway mark. Pre-registration for the bailout will be available online beginning Tuesday, April 23, at 10 a.m.

Other Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® highlights will include TIN Kitchen® food truck fare; a glam booth/selfie station; tunes with DJ Betty; and Woody and Wilcox of 106.5’s “The Woody and Wilcox Show” fame behind the mic. NoDa Brewing Co. will host an after-party with live music and an awards ceremony for walk participants. Walkers and guests can share photos and posts at the event using the hashtag #walkamileclt.

We’re proud to announce the following Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® sponsors:

  • Stiletto Level: Rosedale Infectious Diseases PLLC, NoDa Brewing Co.
  • Half-Mile Bailout Sponsor: Loebsack & Brownlee, PLLC
  • Awards Sponsor: Identiti Resources
  • Registration Sponsor: Great Clips
  • Platform Level: The Blind Pig; FOX Sports; BHL Services
  • First Aid Station: Carolinas College of Health Sciences
  • Wedge Level: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated; Herrmann & Murphy, PLLC; NoDa Company Store; Sea Level NC; Mythic; Urban Skin; Heart Beats as One Foundation
  • Pump Level: SouthEnd Dentistry

Visit www.safealliance.org/walkamile to register, donate or learn more about the event.