This weekend Charlotte will host its 5th major ‘Open Streets 704’ – an event that shuts down several miles of streets to vehicles and organizes dozens of artisans, street vendors, and classes for pedestrians and bicyclists to freely explore.

The first four Open Streets 704 events saw over 30,000 people ditch their cars to walk, ride, skate, and skip down the middle of our city streets.

According to surveys filled out after the event, participants overwhelmingly agreed that Open Streets improved their overall image of Charlotte, and strengthened our community.

Given the growing popularity of the last two Open Streets, this will undoubtedly be the biggest and most active one yet.

Our 5th Open Streets event will be taking over several streets around Plaza Midwood, NoDa, Villa Heights, Optimist Park, Commonwealth and Belmont.

The streets will be OPEN from 1pm to 5pm on Sunday, April 29th;

In addition to the usual fun stuff (anything legal without cars, really) there will be a first-ever “Open Streets 704 beer” debuting (actually a pale ale with four different “twists,” depending on the brewery); some traffic test patterns (remember the colorful traffic circles from fall, or the test bike lanes from last spring?); and of course, encouragement to take the brand-new LYNX blue-line extension to the party.

There will be also cool accommodations for inclusiveness — “trishaws” (tricycle rickshaws) for seniors in the Family Zone, in the Wellness Zone.

A new report has just ranked North Carolina as the 5th worst state in the nation for aggressive drivers.

The driving app GasBuddy used several variables to analyze the driving habits of millions of drivers across America to determine the rankings. They looked at speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking as their primary factors.

“Our findings indicate that states with densely populated cities and high levels of congestion are where motorists are more inclined to drive aggressively,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “Simply being aware of how you drive can dramatically lower fuel costs, prevent damages to your vehicle, and make the roads safer for everyone.”

The app found that aggressive drivers spent an extra $477 a year on gas, with their gas mileage being as low as 40% below the average.

The Tar Heel state ranked just below Texas and just above New Jersey on GasBuddy’s list of the top 10 states with the most aggressive drivers:

1. 1. California
   2. Connecticut
   3. Georgia
   4. Texas
   5. North Carolina
   6. New Jersey
   7. Delaware
   8. Florida
   9. Kentucky
   10. Arizona

The data was collected from GasBuddy’s Trips feature, according to the report.

The legendary ‘corpse flower’ or titan arum, the largest unstemmed inflorescence flower in the world, is about to bloom in UNCC’s botanical gardens.

The titan arum typically requires between 7–10 years of growth before it will bloom for the first time, and the massive bloom only usually lasts 12-24 hours before wilting.

Here’s a time-lapse video of its development and bloom;

The plant is native of the jungles of Sumatra, where it can produce massive flower structures in excess of 10 feet in height. When cultivated, the structures typically range between 5-8 feet tall.

The plant is nicknamed the ‘corpse flower’ because of it’s extremely strong and extremely unpleasant scent. The chemicals released by the spadix include dimethyl trisulfide (limburger cheese), trimethylamine (rotting fish), isovaleric acid (sweaty socks), benzyl alcohol (sweet floral scent), phenol (like Chloraseptic), and indole (like human feces). The plant uses all of these foul scents to attract bugs and beetles to help it pollinate.

UNCC’s botanical gardens saw their first corpse flower bloom back in 2007, when over 4,000 people lined up to watch ‘Bella’ bloom. The plant bloomed once more in 2010 before dying died. Their second blooming corpse flower, named Odie, opened for the first time in 2015.

Here is what Odie’s bloom looked like in all its glory;

You can find out more info about the yet unnamed flower and watch a live webcam on UNCC’s website here and you can help name the plant in an upcoming Facebook contest here.

Earlier this evening, a freak storm blew through the Charlotte region, bringing with it heavy rains, flash flooding, and even a possible tornado.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway seems to have been hit the worst, with flooding under several bridges and huge tree branches falling on cars.

According to Charlotte meteorologist Brad Panovich, a small tornado or micro-burst appears to have hit the Speedway at 5:40pm this evening;

A flash flood warning has now been issued for the greater Charlotte region from the NWS;

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for southwestern Cabarrus County in the Piedmont of North Carolina, northeastern Mecklenburg County in the Piedmont of North Carolina until 1000 PM EDT.

* At 706 PM EDT, Doppler radar and area rain gauges measured 1 to 2 inches of rain fell in less than an hour earlier. This is causing rapid rises on area streams and also producing lingering flooded roads due to poor drainage.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include; northeast Charlotte, West Concord, Harrisburg, Reedy Creek Park, Charlotte Motor Speedway, unc Charlotte, croft, Hidden Valley, downtown Concord and Huntersville.

* Back Creek is likely to flood and will impact Stallings Road between Middleton Circle and Quail Hollow drive. Homes on Fairgrove Lane may also be affected by rising creek levels. Flooding in Rocky Meadows and Middleton subdivisions on Rocky River Road will be likely. Mallard Creek and Rocky River may also flood upstream of Irish Buffalo Creek near Harrisburg.

A Tornado Warning has also been issued for Stanley and Montgomery Counties;

The National Weather Service in Raleigh has issued a

* Tornado Warning for Northwestern Montgomery County in central North Carolina East central Stanly County in central North Carolina…

* Until 800 PM EDT

* At 736 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Albemarle, moving northeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD…Tornado and quarter size hail.

SOURCE…Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT…Flying debris may be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes may be damaged. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles is likely.

* Locations impacted include Badin, Morrow Mountain State Park and Lake Tillery.

Several areas around the Charlotte region have already begun to flood;

This is an 8 lane main highway right smack dab in the middle of Charlotte! Flooded!! Locals take caution if you’re on 77 North right where 277 joins it. And as always avoid all parts of 77 like the plague! . . . . #flooded #77istheworst

A post shared by Niki Turner (@gonikit) on Apr 24, 2018 at 3:05pm PDT

When Irwin Creek floods it takes over our carpool circle and parking lot. pic.twitter.com/y8FgD88Fj4

— Susan Hooper (@suehoop_susan) April 24, 2018

Is it to late to start building the ark? #notgood #pleasestopraining

A post shared by Taylor Spong (@thespong) on Apr 24, 2018 at 3:25pm PDT

Please help spread the word.