14 Solar Projects Totaling $750 Million Just Approved – Biggest Solar Day In Carolina’s History

0

14 massive new solar projects (10 in NC; 4 in SC) have just been approved for our region. The new projects will cost a total of $750 million and are expected to produce roughly 602 megawatts of total solar energy. The new solar installations will bring North Carolina even closer to becoming the #1 solar-producing state in America (we are currently #2 in the US).

The projects were selected and approved during an independently judged bidding process – part of North Carolina’s Competitive Procurement of Renewable Energy (CPRE) program.

According to independent administrator Accion Group, customers throughout the Carolinas will see a total savings of around $375 million over the 20-year contract period (See the Accion report here).

“There was robust interest in the CPRE program, and the selected projects will provide 20 years of cost-effective energy. Given the response, we are expecting the next phase of the program to also bring cost savings to customers,” said Harry Judd of the Accion Group, which independently administered the solicitation process.

The 14 projects represent the most competitive of the 78 that were submitted when bidding opened last July. The process used was approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) to select projects that would deliver the greatest cost and system benefits to customers.

“As solar energy expands in the Carolinas, the competitive bidding process will lead to better prices and more geographic diversity of projects,” said Rob Caldwell, senior vice president and president of Duke Energy Renewables & Business Development.

With the winning projects selected, the winning bidders will execute contracts for the projects over the next few months. Once the contracting process is complete, Duke Energy and Accion Group will finalize a report of all projects to be filed with the NCUC around June 2019.

Most projects are targeted to be online around the end of 2020. However, the dates may vary depending upon local approvals and any construction delays.

There were 10 projects selected from North Carolina and four projects from South Carolina. Two projects selected included battery storage with the solar facility.

North Carolina’s Annual Cheerwine Festival Returning This Year With Smash Mouth

0

The Cheerwine Festival is returning this year for one of the biggest ‘Carolina’ celebrations of the year.

The free event is set to take place, Saturday, May 18, in downtown Salisbury from 12pm to 10pm, and will be celebrating both Cheerwine as well as all other things that make the Carolinas great.

“We have the best fans around, and we can’t thank them enough for ‘spreading the cheer’ for generations by introducing Cheerwine to their friends and family,” said Joy Harper, head of marketing for Cheerwine and the great-great-granddaughter of Cheerwine’s founder.  “This party is a celebration of our loyal fans, our home state and all of the people who’ve helped make Cheerwine the iconic beverage it is today.”

cheerwineThe festival will include tons of Carolina BBQ, local beer, live music, and more. At the free event, attendees will enjoy:

·      Free Cheerwine samples and commemorative koozies.

·      Live Music from hit 90s band “Smash Mouth”, along with NC’s Livehouse and StellaRising, and Nashville-based The Southern Gothic

·      Food from Cheerwine’s partners and friends, including Krispy Kreme (fresh doughnuts made in its “Hot Now Mobile Store”), Bojangles, Fatz Café, Biscuitville, Cackalacky (which makes a “Cheerwine Sweet Sauce”) and King of Pops (which will offer a Cheerwine-flavored popsicle).

·      Biergarten with N.C. craft beer, featuring The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and New Sarum Brewing Company.

·      Family-Friendly Kids’ Zone, with magicians, jugglers, rock climbing wall, obstacle course, slides, bounce house, lawn games and more.

For more details on the festival, visit cheerwinefest.com.

The Panthers Return For The First Day Of Off-Season Training

After 4 1/2 months of downtime, the Panthers have finally returned in preparation of their upcoming 2019-20 season.

Yesterday morning, most of the legends, including; QB Cam Newton, All-Pro LB Luke Kuechly, All-Pro RB Christian McCaffrey, and TE Greg Olsen and several promising new faces, including Edge Rusher Bruce Irvin, Tight End Ian Thomas, and Cornerback Donte Jackson arrived at Panthers Stadium for the first day of off-season training.

Sadly, many beloved faces were absent from yesterday morning’s session due to being cut or retiring, including; Ryan Kalil, Julius Peppers, and Thomas Davis.

With many legends gone, and many fresh new stars rising, some are considering this season to be the 2nd phase of the Newton-Rivera Panthers Franchise.

To mark the start of this new era, Cam showed up like only Cam could – in unforgettable style;

What do you think about this year’s roster?

Do you think we have what it takes this year to make it to the big game?

Carolina Survival and Preparedness Academy Is Teaching How To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse

0

Carolina Survival and Preparedness AcademyThe Carolina Survival and Preparedness Academy may be cashing in on all the recent ‘prepper shows’, zombie movies, and conspiracy theories – but they are very serious when it comes to teaching people how to be prepared.

They’ve been building and perfecting their course offerings since they initially launched in 2014.

They now offer over 25 individual courses including; Build shelters from natural materials, Locate and purify water, Create fire from friction, Learn food storage methods, as well as tons of gun safety and youth programs.

Their larger outdoor courses takes place on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in several local parks around Charlotte. Survivalist experts teach up to 30 students how to survive in the wilderness or in the event of a disaster (or zombie apocalypse).

If you’d like to see what they’re all about, they’re now offering a Groupon deal for 70% off their basic survival skills class.

Please share;

CMPD Releases Bodycam Footage From Officer Involved Shooting and Death of Danquirs Franklin

0

The CMPD has just released the bodycam footage of the officer-involved shooting of Danquirs Franklin at the Beatties Ford Burger King that occurred on March 25th. The footage was released today immidiately after a NC Superior Court judge granted the media request.

Viewer discretion is strongly advised:

According to the official incident report by the City of Charlotte, “On March 25, 2019, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department received two separate 911 calls, both in reference to an armed individual who entered the business at 2601 Beatties Ford Road. The first caller frantically said she needed police quickly because the individual entered the store, walked behind the counter with a gun and was pointing it at an employee. The second caller frantically said she needed police because an individual had approached her vehicle while she was waiting for food in the parking lot of the business and pulled out a gun. Both callers independently called 911 between 9:00 am and 9:02 am.”

Here is the original 911 call from a Burger King employee, informing police about the suspect a gun;

CMPD Officers Wende Kerl and Larry Deal arrived at the Burger King parking lot at 9:04 pm. They exited their vehicle and approached a man who they saw squatting on the passenger side of a vehicle with a gun in his hand (later identified as Danquirs Franklin). Both Officers repeatedly commanded the man to drop the gun. After several commands, Officer Kerl fired his gun twice at the man. He was transported to Atrium Health where he was soon pronounced dead.

According to officials, CMPD will conduct a full internal investigation into the shooting and place officer Kerl on administrative leave, as is standard protocol when a service weapon is discharged in public.

If you have any additional information, please call 704-432-tips.

The report number in reference to the officer involved shooting is 2019-0325-0901-02.

Huntersville Man Breaks Guinness World Record Using A Giant Wand And A Lot of Soap

Huntersville’s Steven Langley of The Soap Bubble Circus has just earned the Charlotte area yet another world record after putting over a dozen people in human-sized soap bubbles in under 30 seconds.

According to the Guinness World Records, the official record Langley broke was entitled “The most people put inside a bubble in 30 seconds”

Here’s a video of his world record earning feat, where he enclosed a total of 13 people;

This is now Langley’s 7th Guinness World Record – he’s already broken the record for the “longest hanging chain of soap bubbles”, “most people making bubbles with garland wands simultaneously”, and 5 other ‘bubble-related’ records.

10 Charlotte Area Restaurants Are Giving Out Free Food For Tax Day

0

free food in charlotteMost people wait until today to file their taxes because they want to wait until the last possible minute to pay the government (myself included). Due to the fact that giving the government money is one of the worst things in life, several Charlotte-area restaurants are giving out free food today to try to ease the pain.

Here are the top 10 deals happening all around the city on this year’s tax day – April, 15th, 2019;

  • Boston Market — On April 15th, participating Boston Markets are offering $10.40 half chicken meal with two sides, cornbread and a drink. Customers can also purchase a $10.99 Rosemary Lemon Chicken with drink.
  • Captain D’s — will offer 6-piece Batter Dipped Fish, one family side, and six Hush Puppies for $10.40.
  • Cicis Pizza — On April 15th, get an adult buffet for $4.15 with this coupon.
  • Cinnabon — Cinnabon hasn’t officially announced anything .. yet. In the past though they’ve been known to offer 2 free Cinnamon Bites on Tax Day, and we think that’s important enough to mention.
  • Firehouse Subs — Customers can score a free medium sub with a purchase of any medium or large sub, chips and a drink. Be sure to use this coupon.
  • Hardee’s — On April 15th, visit any participating Hardee’s location between 7AM-10AM and say the password “Made From Scratch” to get a FREE sausage biscuit.
  • Great American Cookies – Free chocolate chip cookie.
  • Noodles & Company — Now through April 18, take $4 off of a $10 online order when you use the code TAXDAY18.
  • Schlotzsky’s: Get a free small original sandwich when you buy a medium drink and chips.
  • Sonic — Participating Sonic Drive-Ins are offering half price single patty cheeseburgers all day on April 17. Limit 5 per customer. No coupon required, simply mention the deal when you order.

Please share the good news!

Choose who Calls your Phone

0

When you give out your phone number, it is usually to someone you trust. However, there are times when you must put your phone number on applications or other paperwork. After a while, it may seem that your number is public property. You may begin to get many unknown calls and not know how to handle them. Most of us like to have some control over who calls so we are not constantly interrupted by a ringing phone. Unfortunately, telemarketers and scammers  often get your phone number.

It’s your Choice

If your phone is ringing all day and you do not recognize the numbers, you need to take action. This can get out of control quickly. One telemarketer may call several times a day from a few different numbers. It takes a bit of effort, but you can eventually stop these calls. First, it is important to find out who is calling. You may get a message at times that you can check. Take the number and enter it on a reverse phone lookup site to find out more information. You can sometimes find out a person’s name or the name of a business. You may even be informed if a number is a telemarketer or spam. You can then choose to block the number or call and confront the caller.

Keep a List

When you give out your phone number, you can also put the other persons phone number in your contacts. This way, a name shows up when they call. You can even add main numbers for businesses that often contact you. You may have your electric company in your contacts, for example. You might miss an important billing call, otherwise. When you begin to get various numbers from different area codes, your number may have fallen into the hands of an unwanted caller. Keep a list of these unknown phone numbers so you can look them up on a reverse phone number site. You can also keep track of  how often they call if you need to complain to them directly.

Different Types of Calls

When you get information from a reverse phone lookup site it can help you determine the type of call. Many legitimate businesses list their name with their numbers so you can easily find out who is calling you. Personal numbers, however, may not be as easy to figure out. Many individuals keep their phone numbers unlisted. When this happens, you may simply get a notification that the phone number belongs to an individual or that it is a private number.

Most telemarketing or spam calls come with a warning of high risk. You may be able to see a pattern in the calls once you start paying close attention to the numbers. Telemarketers often have several similar numbers they use at different times to try and trick you into answering the phone.

You phone is your personal property and you have the right to keep some calls away. it can become complicated, however, if you need to talk to some of the people that call you. When there are a lot of mystery calls, it can be difficult to figure out which ones to answer. Use a reverse phone lookup to help solve this problem.

Why Acing Your High School Exams is Vital

0

If you are a young student still in High School, you will be at an age where you have the rest of your life to look forward to. This is an exciting time in your life but also a very important one in terms of education. When it comes to your High School exams, it is vital that you try to get the best results possible, as this is something that will have an impact on the rest of your life.

When you are still in your teens, having fun with friends and going out to enjoy yourself may seem like the most important thing. However, you have to remember that your exam results will affect everything from your further education to your career prospects, earnings potential, and quality of life in the future. This is why you need to ensure you buckle down and work hard toward getting the best results you can.

Some Solutions to Help

Fortunately, we now live in a digital age where you can access a wide range of educational tools and resources with ease. This includes everything from homework help online through to extra tuition and study tools. This makes things far easier for modern students, as you have a wealth of information and assistance at your fingertips.

One solution that can help you if you are struggling when it comes to studying for your exams is creating a proper study schedule. This is something you can do with relative ease these days thanks to the variety of study timetable apps and templates you can access online. By creating a proper timetable, you will find it much easier to dedicate the necessary amount of time to each of your subjects. You can spend more time on subjects you are not as strong at and less time on others. In addition, you will benefit from having structure in place when it comes to your studies.

Making sure you get proper sleep is also important if you want to boost the chances of doing well in your exams. Some students go into panic mode and stay up night after night in a bid to try and cram in all the information they need. However, by the time the exam comes around they are so tired that the forget most of what they learned. Getting proper sleep is imperative if you want to do well in your exams, as you need to be able to focus and you need to have energy.

Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Assistance

One other thing to remember as a student is that you should not be afraid to ask for assistance from others. If you are struggling with a particular subject or topic, you may find that speaking to your teacher or tutor can help. You can also turn to the internet for help, as there are plenty of educational resources and products you can access online to help you with your chosen subjects.

Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke Coming To Charlotte This Week

0

The 2020 presidential campaign race is coming to North Carolina once again this month as the Democratic primaries begin to heat up.

Democratic nominee hopefull Beto O’Rourke will be coming to Charlotte this coming Monday to talk about why he thinks he has what it takes to beat President Trump in the 2020 election. He is currently running Democratic primary hopefuls Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Jay Inslee.

The event will mark Beto’s first speech in the Tar Heel state since announcing his candidacy for President.

According to Beto’s website, his Charlotte rally will be held on Monday, April 15th from 8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. at Central Piedmont Community College’s Overcash Center Lawn – 1206 Elizabeth Ave., Charlotte.

You can RSVP here.