The North Carolina Zoo Needs Help Naming Their New Baby Rhino

Steve
-
0
The North Carolina Zoo Needs Help Naming Their New Baby Rhino

A tiny baby rhino was just born at the North Carolina Zoo (the largest zoo in the world), and they are now asking for help in naming her.

They announced the new naming contest through their newsletter and on social media;

According to the Zoo, the name choices include;

  • Boadicea, a Celtic warrior queen
  • Diana, goddess of wild animals in Roman mythology
  • Grace O’Malley, Irish queen and naval captain
  • Mamba, an all-female group of anti-poaching advocates in Africa
  • Nandi, Queen of the Zulus and mother of Shaka Zulu
  • Penelope, Queen of Ithaca and wife of Odysseus in Greek mythology, who also symbolizes family and fidelity
  • Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands who fought against Nazi occupation during World War II

Voting started yesterday at noon and will close on July 24 at 5 p.m.

You can now vote for your favorite name at the NC Zoo’s website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts.

Charlotte Thieves Are Now Waiting For Packages After Historic Amazon Prime Day

Steve
-
0
Charlotte Thieves Are Now Waiting For Packages After Historic Amazon Prime Day

This week’s 36-hour-long Prime Day turned out to be Amazon’s biggest shopping event in the history of the company.

They sold more during the event than last year’s Cyber Monday and Black Friday combined.

If you took part in the massive online savings thousands of companies offered during the sale, you’ll likely be on the lookout for your package…and so will package thieves. CMPD says that package thefts have been on the rise over the past few years, and with the record sales of Prime Day, they’re now preparing for an anticipated spike in thefts by increasing patrols and warning residents.

Here are the top new ways online shoppers are fighting back against package thieves;

#1 Changing Delivery Address

Many people are now choosing the have their packages delivered to an alternate address where they know someone will be there to receive it. Many people are now changing their delivery address to the home of a retired relative or neighbor, or to someone they know works from home – some are even having their packages delivered to their offices.

#2 Amazon Lockers

Amazon Lockers were installed around the Charlotte region about a year ago.

According to their website, “To use an Amazon Locker as your shipping destination, find a Locker and add it to your Amazon address book. Then, during checkout, select the Locker as your shipping address. Once your package has been delivered, we will email you a unique 6 digit code. Simply visit your selected Locker and enter the code on the Locker’s touchscreen, then remove your package after the Locker’s door opens.”

Charlotte is now home to 20 ‘Amazon Lockers’ than any Amazon customer can use for free;

#3 Install an Outdoor Security Cam

Many companies like Canary, Nest, and Blanche are now selling outdoor wifi-enabled security cameras that allow homeowners to record or monitor their porches in real-time from their smartphones.

While these may not stop a thief, they do let you know the exact moment your package is delivered, allowing you to run home and grab it or ask one of your neighbors to bring it inside.

Have you ever had a package stolen? 

Let us know how you keep your packages safe in the comments below; 

Charlotte Officially Selected To Host The 2020 RNC

Steve
-
0
Charlotte Officially Selected To Host The 2020 RNC

Yesterday the Republican National Committee voted to select Charlotte as the official site for the 2020 GOP Convention, where Donald Trump is expected to be nominated to run for his second term.

The nomination ceremony will likely take place in Spectrum Center, where 6 years ago, Barack Obama also accepted the nomination for his second term during the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

The official selection by the RNC came just 2 days after the Charlotte City Council narrowly voted 6-5 to allow the RNC to come to Charlotte, if we were selected.

After eliminating the potential host cities of Dallas, Nashville, and Milwaukee, the RNC’s two final choices were between Las Vegas and Charlotte.

The committee cited Charlotte’s abundant hotel access, proximity to a major airport, and our proven political convention track record as deciding factors in selecting the Queen City.

The RNC has yet to set a date for the convention.

The ‘Uber for Babysitting’ is Coming To Charlotte

Charlotte Stories
-
0
The ‘Uber for Babysitting’ is Coming To Charlotte

Raleigh’s beloved app-based babysitting service recently announced its expansion to Charlotte.

The company is called ‘PlatinumSitters’, and it’s basically like a combination of Uber, HomeAway, and traditional babysitting.

Stephanie Keefer, who quit her full-time financial analyst career to become a stay-at-home-mom and entrepreneur initially launched her online babysitting company in Raleigh back in 2016;

Her company does comprehensive background checks and in-person interviews with new babysitters, then allows approved babysitters to set their preferences such as multiple kids, active kids, or transporting kids.

Families looking for a sitter simply log onto their app, enter their detailed request (how many kids, how long, location, etc), and they are instantly matched with the best possible sitter (parents can then review that sitter’s profile, ratings, and feedback before accepting them).

Parents are charged a flat rate of $14 for one child, and $2 more for each additional child.

If you’re a babysitter in Charlotte and you’d like to work for PlatinumSitters, you can now apply for their Charlotte positions on Zip Recruiter here.

If you’re a parent looking for a sitter, you can register on their website here to stay up to date on their progress in Charlotte.

Charlotte Joins National Movement To End Prostate Cancer

Charlotte Stories
-
0
Charlotte Joins National Movement To End Prostate Cancer

The End of Prostate Cancer joins Urology Specialists of the Carolinas to host the ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk this September. The goal is to create Generation ZERO – the first generation of men free of prostate cancer. Participants from the Charlotte area will run and walk together on September 15 to fight a disease that takes the life of an American man every 18 minutes.

Charlotte joins 40+ communities across the nation as part of the ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk series. The Run/Walk promotes awareness for prostate cancer and encourages men to be informed about their risk. Prostate Cancer Awareness Month brings the national spotlight to prostate cancer, encouraging this vital and necessary awareness on both a national and local level. More than 5,580 men in North Carolina will be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year.

“The ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk rallies communities and gives participants a voice in the fight to end prostate cancer,” said ZERO CEO Jamie Bearse. “We’re making prostate cancer a national priority. The Run/Walk series is a way to mobilize the prostate cancer community and raise funds for patient support programs to ensure that no man has to face prostate cancer alone.”

Run/Walk participants will receive tech shirts, free food and prizes, and the opportunity to connect with others who are impacted by prostate cancer. Funds raised for this year’s Run/Walk event will go toward local and national efforts to provide research for new treatments, to enhance patient support resources, and to educate men and families about prostate cancer.

The race will take place at TBD. For more information, visit www.zeroprostatecancerrun.org/charlotte.

Social Media Ablaze Over Picture Of Unmarked Mustang Pulling Over Charlotte Resident

Charlotte Stories
-
0
Social Media Ablaze Over Picture Of Unmarked Mustang Pulling Over Charlotte Resident

An unmarked Mustang is now making waves on social media after someone snapped a picture of the car with temporary plates pulling over a Charlotte SUV.

The picture was first uploaded by John Tsioumas this past Saturday with the caption;

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL MY CHARLOTTE PEOPLE..!!!!

Y’ALL BE CAREFUL IN THEM STREETS .. DEM BOYZ CREEPING IN 30 DAY TAGS….!!!

Photo taken at Donald Ross Road and Wilkinson heading towards West Boulevard & Clanton rd..!!

*SHARE *SHARE *

It’s already been shared over 5,000 times;

NBC Charlotte has confirmed that the vehicle in the photo is a legitimate Mecklenburg County ABC unit vehicle. They noted that ABC Chief Crowley said that his department rarely pulls people over, but they can and will if they suspect someone driving under the influence.

Police impersonators have been making the news recently for pulling people over and either robbing, assaulting, or kidnapping them. If you ever feel uneasy after being pulled over by an unmarked car, call 911 immediately to confirm if it’s a government agent.  You are allowed to keep your door locked, your window cracked, and ask anyone approaching your vehicle for official ID. By law, all government officials are required to present it upon request.

Please help spread the word.

CMPD’s Lip Sync Challenge Video Is Now Going Viral

Steve
-
0
CMPD’s Lip Sync Challenge Video Is Now Going Viral

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department just released their own take on the lip sync challenge and in less than 24 hours, it’s already going viral with a million+ views and counting.

Police staff of all ranks and in ever department were filmed in some of the most hilarious places and positions, including Chief Kerr Putney himself.

The video was set to the tune of Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling”, enjoy;

Police departments first started posting their lip sync videos last month, challenging one another to see who had the best routine. The San Antonio Police Department posted one of the first videos, with a decorated officer performing solo to *NSYNC’s “Bye Bye Bye”;

Norkfolk, VA has had one of the most popular lip sync videos so far, racking up over 67 million views and being featured on NBC Nightly News;

In Hampton, VA, they did a hillarious remake of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch’s “Good Vibrations,” complete with their own Marky Mark look-a-like, which has now been viewed over 5 million times on Facebook alone;

Mark Wahlberg himself even caught wind of the video and retweeted it to his 3.7 million followers, saying, “Great job, Hampton PD!”;

Which police lip sync battle video is your favorite?

Amazon Prime Day Is Here – These Are The Best Deals We Found For Charlotte Residents

Steve
-
0
Amazon Prime Day Is Here – These Are The Best Deals We Found For Charlotte Residents

Happy Prime Day Charlotte!

Today is Amazon’s annual day of savings on thousands of products and services – it’s like their version of Black Friday in July. We scanned their back-end algorithm to find out what Charlotte residents were buying most, and which of those products had the biggest markdowns today.

Like the rest of the country, Charlotte buys a ton of Amazon-branded products, and today the company has slashed prices on pretty much all of their products, including Amazon’s Echo speakers, Fire tablets, Fire TV streamers, Kindle readers, Ring smart doorbells.

Check out the full list of discounted Amazon device deals here.

Here are some of the best individual Amazon product deals;

AMAZON CLOUD CAM STARTING AT $59.99 ($60 OFF)

ECHO SPEAKERS STARTING AT $29.99

FIRE TV STREAMERS STARTING AT $19.99

KINDLE PAPERWHITE STARTING AT $79.99

AMAZON FIRE TABLETS STARTING AT $29.99

Here are some of the biggest savings we found on non-Amazon products during Prime Day;

LIFESTRAW PERSONAL WATER FILTER FOR $9.99 (60% off)

BOSE QC25 FOR $125 OFF

TCL 32S305 32-INCH ROKU TV FOR $129.99

TOSHIBA 50-INCH AMAZON FIRE TV EDITION TV FOR $289.99

1TB XBOX ONE S STARTER BUNDLE FOR $229.99 (save $70)

64GB MOTO G6 FOR $259.99 ($40 OFF)

128GB SANDISK USB FLASH DRIVE FOR $21.99

CUISINART DLC-2ABC FOOD PROCESSOR FOR $38.34 (49% off) 

COLEMAN ROADTRIP LXX GRILL FOR $112.77 (51% off)

GATOR POUR-OVER COFFEE BREWER FOR $18.88 – also get fresh-roasted coffee beans for 25% off using coupon code “CharlotteStories” here.

MEGAWHEELS HOVERBOARD FOR $115.99 with code ANXTFLB2.

Today Amazon-owned Whole Foods is also joining in on the fun – Prime members will receive a $10 account credit on Amazon for Prime Day when they spend $10 at Whole Foods Market today.

What was the best deal you found so far during Amazon Prime Day?

 

Charlotte City Council Narrowly Votes To Move Forward With Hosting 2020 RNC

Charlotte Stories
-
0
Charlotte City Council Narrowly Votes To Move Forward With Hosting 2020 RNC

Yesterday afternoon, the Charlotte City Council officially voted to accept contracts to host the Republican National Convention in 2020.

Members were strongly divided on the convention, narrowly voting in favor 6 to 5. Public comments during the meeting were equally divisive, with just 53 out of the 96 speakers in favor of RNC.

You can watch the entire council meeting, along with public comments here;

The Charlotte City Council released a full summary of RNC contract just before Monday’s special meeting. It read that if the city’s costs exceed $50 million, the RNC committee will need to pay for the remainder.

The City of Charlotte officially submitted their bid to host the 2020 Republican National Convention back in April.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the support and assistance of our many City of Charlotte partners, hotels, venues and others who helped to craft this thorough response on behalf of our region,” commented CRVA CEO Tom Murray.

The convention would be a huge economic boost for our city, considering that the Democratic National Convention that we hosted in 2012 had an estimated economic impact of over $163 million.

What are your thoughts on Charlotte hosting the RNC?

Union County Ranked #1 In North Carolina For Overall Purchasing Power

Steve
-
0
Union County Ranked #1 In North Carolina For Overall Purchasing Power

A new study by SmartAsset has just ranked all counties across the country according to their adjusted purchasing power.

Here in North Carolina, a dollar in Union County goes the furthest, and Mecklenburg County was ranked as the 5th best county in our state for purchasing power.

According to the study, these are the leaders in North Carolina:

Rank County, State Cost of Living Median Income Purchasing Power Index
1 Union, NC $41,652 $67,194 76.08
2 Wake, NC $44,673 $70,620 74.55
3 Orange, NC $39,867 $61,130 72.31
4 Cabarrus, NC $39,488 $58,970 70.43
5 Mecklenburg, NC $39,908 $59,268 70.04
6 Chatham, NC $40,207 $58,555 68.68
7 Currituck, NC $42,514 $61,086 67.76
8 Camden, NC $42,737 $60,714 67.00
9 Harnett, NC $33,760 $47,930 66.96
10 Lincoln, NC $34,984 $49,283 66.44
NC $34,807 $48,256

 

To determine the rankings, the report calculated the baseline cost of living in each area and the expenditures typical to someone making the county’s median income, subtracted all local income taxes, then, using a weighted average based on how close each county’s median income was to the minimum livable income in that area, they calculated the weighted cost of living as a percentage of median income.

You can read more about the study here on SmartAsset.com.

1...1,0801,0811,082...1,312Page 1,081 of 1,312