Amtrak Train Derails in South Carolina Resulting In 2 Deaths and Over 70 Injuries

Steve
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Amtrak Train Derails in South Carolina Resulting In 2 Deaths and Over 70 Injuries

Early this morning a passenger train that was traveling from New York to Miami derailed in the heart of South Carolina, killing 2 people and injuring over 70.

According to a press release from Amtrak, “the lead engine derailed, as well as some passenger cars.” There were roughly 139 passengers and eight crew members aboard the train.

They stated that the lead engine car “came in contact” with a CSX freight train at about 2:35am Sunday morning in Cayce, SC, just outside Columbia;

The two trains collided near the 321 underpass where two tracks merged together;

The Lexington Sheriff’s Department confirmed the two deaths just before 6am this morning;

This morning’s incident happened less than a week after another Amtrak train derailed with numerous members of congress on board in Charlottesville, VA – killing 1 and injuring dozens.

The Famous Toastery Just Opened Their Newest Charlotte-Area Location

Steve
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The Famous Toastery Just Opened Their Newest Charlotte-Area Location

The wildly popular breakfast spot currently known as ‘Famous Toastery’ (recently named one of the top 6 local chain restaurants in America by CNBC) is about to open a new Mooresville location.

The new 3,000 square-foot restaurants is now located at 170 N. Main St., in the heart of downtown Mooresville (previously The Daily Grind Grill & Cafe).

Famous Toastery started back in 2005 with 1 store in Huntersville and has since expanded to 13 total restaurants, with 19 more currently under development.

This past fall, the famous brunch spot their first gourmet breakfast spot in uptown, at 330 S. Tryon.

Are you excited for The Famous Toastery’s continued expansion? 

Head of The NFL Wants The Panthers To Stay in The Carolinas

Steve
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Head of The NFL Wants The Panthers To Stay in The Carolinas

With the Panthers up for sale and the ultimate intentions of the new buyer in question, many Carolina Panthers fans are worried about the possibility of the team moving to a different city, especially if a better stadium deal is offered.

This past week, however, the commissioner of the NFL indicated that he would make it difficult for any new Panthers owner to move the team.

“I think all of us and the owners believe Carolina is a great market,” Commissioner Roger Goodell noted during an interview. “It’s a market we would like to stay in and we hope that the franchise owner that is eventually selected will have that view. As you know, that is subject to review by the ownership … and I’m sure that will be a question that many owners will ask, and I think that will clearly be the intent of our ownership.”

The fact that the head of the NFL wants the Panthers to stay in the Carolinas would mean that any owner wanting to move the team would face an uphill regulatory battle for any move from the NFL.

One of the biggest factors surrounding a potential move is the stadium – Bank of America Stadium is below current NFL stadium standards and a new owner will likely try to secure millions of dollars in Charlotte tax money to upgrade or build an entirely new stadium. If the city denies the requests or offers a low amount, the new owner could start asking other cities how much money they’d be willing to offer to help build a new stadium in their city.

Are you worried the Panthers might move?

How much tax money do you think Charlotte should give toward a new stadium?

Charlotte Might See Some Snow This Weekend

Steve
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Charlotte Might See Some Snow This Weekend

It looks like the Charlotte region might be getting some snow this weekend.

The National Weather Service is showing at least a 10% chance of snowfall in Charlotte Saturday night into Sunday morning;

According to WeatherUndergound.com, Charlotte should expect to see about a half an inch of precipitation throughout the day on Sunday with temperatures just above the freezing mark – if they drop by just a few degrees, we’ll be seeing snow;

It’s now being recommended that Charlotte residents lay down some de-icing salt on walkways and sidewalks Saturday night and potentially Sunday night.

Even if Charlotte doesn’t get any snow on Sunday, the mountains of North Carolina should receive at least an inch of fresh powder throughout the day on Sunday, so if you’re into snowing or tubing, this should be a fun weekend!

Charlotte’s Rental Report for February 2018

Steve
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Charlotte’s Rental Report for February 2018

Thanks to Charlotte’s historic apartment development over the past year, our rental prices have been staying steady and last month, they even slightly declined.

ApartmentList.com has just released their Charlotte Rent Report for February 2018 with some very promising data.

Charlotte rents declined moderately over the past month

Charlotte rents have declined 0.3% over the past month, but have increased moderately by 2.0% in comparison to the same time last year. Currently, median rents in Charlotte stand at $930 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,090 for a two-bedroom. This is the fifth straight month that the city has seen rent decreases after an increase in August of last year. Charlotte’s year-over-year rent growth lags the state average of 2.5%, as well as the national average of 2.6%.

Rents rising across cities in North Carolina

Throughout the past year, rent increases have been occurring not just in the city of Charlotte, but across the entire state. Of the largest 10 cities that we have data for in North Carolina, all of them have seen prices rise. The state as a whole logged rent growth of 2.5% over the past year. Here’s a look at how rents compare across some of the largest cities in the state.

  • Looking throughout the state, Cary is the most expensive of all North Carolina’s major cities, with a median two-bedroom rent of $1,210; of the 10 largest North Carolina cities that we have data for, all have seen rents rise year-over-year, with Winston-Salem experiencing the fastest growth (+4.9%).
  • Fayetteville, Wilmington, and Greenville have all experienced year-over-year growth above the state average (4.4%, 3.5%, and 3.5%, respectively).

Charlotte rents more affordable than many other large cities nationwide

As rents have increased moderately in Charlotte, a few comparable cities nationwide have also seen rents grow modestly. Charlotte is still more affordable than most similar cities across the country.

  • Charlotte’s median two-bedroom rent of $1,090 is below the national average of $1,160. Nationwide, rents have grown by 2.6% over the past year compared to the 2.0% increase in Charlotte.
  • While Charlotte’s rents rose moderately over the past year, many cities nationwide also saw increases, including Phoenix (+3.6%), Atlanta (+2.4%), and Seattle (+2.4%).
  • Renters will find more reasonable prices in Charlotte than most other large cities. For example, San Francisco has a median 2BR rent of $3,010, which is more than two-and-a-half times the price in Charlotte.
Charlotte rental prices remain the highest for our metro area, however, our increases have been some of the lowest in the area;
City Median 1BR price Median 2BR price M/M price change Y/Y price change
Charlotte $930 $1,090 -0.3% 2.0%
Gastonia $670 $780 -0.2% 0.8%
Rock Hill $820 $950 -0.3% 5.0%
Huntersville $1,080 $1,260 -0.4% 3.6%
Matthews $990 $1,150 -1.1% 5.1%
Cornelius $840 $980 -0.4% 0.8%

Carowinds Blvd. Is Being Renamed In Honor of Fallen SC Detective Mike Doty

Steve
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Carowinds Blvd. Is Being Renamed In Honor of Fallen SC Detective Mike Doty

South Carolina lawmakers have just approved a new bill that will rename a portion of Carowind’s Blvd. in honor Detective Mike Doty, who was killed in the line of duty last month.

“Whereas, Detective Doty is the first York County law enforcement officer killed on duty since 1992. He had served the York County Sheriff’s Office for twelve years and, as a member of the narcotics unit, had made a significant impact in his community by fighting the opioid crisis and saving young people from drugs and alcohol,” the new bill states. “It would be fitting and proper to pay tribute to the life, service, and courageous sacrifice of this son of South Carolina by naming a road in York County in his honor.”

The section of Carowinds Boulevard from the NC/SC state line to I-77 in York County will be given the honorary name of “Detective Mike Doty Memorial Highway”;

On January 16th, Detective Doty and three other officers were shot by 47-year-old Christian Thomas McCall after the officers responded to a domestic abuse call in York County. Sgt. Randy Clinton, Sgt. Buddy Brown & Sgt. Kyle Cummings are all progressing in their recovery from minor injuries.

Detective Doty first started working at the York County Sherrif’s office in 2006, as an investigator with the Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit and the Law Enforcement Officer Narcan (LEON) Program coordinator.

A special renaming ceremony is now planned for 11 a.m. this morning.

You can read the entire bill here.

NBA Just Released Official Logo For All-Star Game in Charlotte

Charlotte Stories
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NBA Just Released Official Logo For All-Star Game in Charlotte

Today the NBA released their official logo for the 2019 NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte, NC. The national festivities will be taking place in the Queen City from February 15-17, 2019.

The new logo honors the Hornet’s iconic teal and purple colors, along with three icons – a crown, basketball and star – to symbolize the Queen City and the NBA’s annual celebration of the game.

The last time our city hosted the All-Star games was back in 1991, when Michael Jordan was the game’s high-scorer, now he will be the game’s host.

The 3-day All-Star festivities will include the highly anticipated NBA All-Star Game, various skills competitions (a dunk contest and a 3-point shooting contest specifically), and several other games between NBA pros and rising stars from the Development League. There will also be a massive fan fest, to include music, celebrity appearances, games, and incredible food.

All-Star Weekends have consistently attracted tens of thousands of fans from around the world to each host city, and will undoubtedly prove to be an incredible boost to the local Charlotte economy.

2018 State of the Center City Charlotte

Steve
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2018 State of the Center City Charlotte

The Charlotte Center City Partners have just unveiled their latest research and economic development data focused on the city’s urban core in their 2018 State of the Center City (SoCC) report. The data shows continued growth in Charlotte’s Center City thanks to talent in-migration and retention, expanded access to transit, upgrades to IT infrastructure, and continued investment in office and residential development.

“The state of our Center City is strong and growing. Today Uptown is home to 50% of the region’s Class A office space and Charlotte ranks 7th in the nation for central business district office construction,” said Michael Smith, President & CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners. “The growth we see all around our Center City did not happen by chance, it is the result of four decades of long-term planning and deliberate investment in our central business district. Today, the additive effects of this enduring commitment are producing strong returns across all sectors of development.”

A few significant points were noted in the report, including:

• In 2017, Charlotte added 1.37M square feet of office space, 1,847 apartments, 713 new hotel rooms
• Charlotte Center City ranks seventh in the nation for downtown office construction, along with Philadelphia, Seattle, Denver, Chicago and Dallas, and fourth in the nation for downtown office absorption.
• 276 restaurants (25 new in 2017), 164 shops (38% increase from 2010), 9 craft breweries and bottle shops in Center City
• 84% population growth of residents ages 20-34

According to the report, “In 2017, close to 1 million square feet of new office space was occupied, almost 1,000 new apartments were absorbed, and hotel occupancy rates were stable despite over 700 new hotel rooms. The pent-up demand for all classes of real estate was demonstrated as new buildings were quickly occupied. Robust leasing activity and commitment from tenants prompted construction of proposed office projects. In 2018, construction will continue on 1.9 million square feet of office, 362,000 square feet of retail, 3,532 housing units and 1,076 hotel rooms.”

Over the past 4 decades, over 18 million square feet of office space, 1.9 million square feet of retail, 3,829 hotel rooms and 16,623 residential units have been constructed in the heart of our city, here’s a look at when everything was built;

You can read the entire 2018 State of Center City Report here.

What are your thoughts on all the growth we are seeing in Charlotte?

65 Lbs of Marijuana Found In Catawba County Police Officer’s Home

Katherine Miele
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65 Lbs of Marijuana Found In Catawba County Police Officer’s Home

Catawba Co. Narcotics officers arrested the husband of a police dispatcher this past Tuesday after discovering 65 pounds of high-grade marijuana in their home.

According to police, Blong Ly Vang was arrested after a search warrant was executed on his home on Belvedere Dr. in Claremont, NC.

During the search, officers discovered several pounds in the couples master bathroom and bedroom, and the rest of the stockpile in weighted storage containers in various other rooms throughout the house.

A stolen handgun, a digital scales, a vacuum sealer, and a semi-automatic assault-style rifle was also discovered.

Police say the 65 lbs of high-grade marijuana has an estimated street value of $130,000 – they think it was grown in either California or Colorado and shipped to the couple’s home in Claremount, NC.

Gastonia Police Asking For Public’s Help In Finding Serial Toilet Thief

Charlotte Stories
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Gastonia Police Asking For Public’s Help In Finding Serial Toilet Thief

Gastonia Police are now asking for the public’s help in finding a serial toilet thief who is being blamed for stealing toilet parts from random businesses around the City of Gastonia over the past week.

Officers have now received 8 reports of stolen public toilet parts since last Friday from local stores, restaurants and city parks.

The toilet parts include not only seats, tanks, pipes and large mounts, some costing in excess of $1,000. The thief or thieves have targeted a seemingly random selection of facilities, ranging from Books-A-Million, to a medical office building, to Olive Garden, to Rankin Lake Park.

If you have any information about the thefts, please call police at 704-866-6702.

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