Several construction workers in Uptown Charlotte took the law into their own hands this past week after an alleged thief tried to steal from their work truck.
Yolian Ortiz posted the cell-phone footage of the workers were tying up the man to some scaffolding to wait for police.
“I gotta do what I gotta do to hold you. You got no business in my truck,” one of the construction workers said.
The citizen arrest tactics successfully held the man until CMPD officers arrived to take him into custody.
Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. have just joined forces to build one of America’s largest production facilities, capable of producing 300,000 new vehicles every year (mostly electric). The new plant will cost an estimated $1.6 billion and would employ over 4,000 people.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the two companies are currently looking at 11 states to build the new plant in, including; Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Texas.
Bloomberg noted that since the auto manufacturers want to get in the good graces of more US senators and would likely want to avoid unions, it would make sense to target a southern state where they don’t already have a plant.
“They might decide they want to knock off another two U.S. senators by picking a new state. North Carolina, Louisiana and Arkansas could be stronger candidates, since they’re states that don’t already have a Japanese assembly plant,” commented independent auto analyst Alan Baum.
As part of the partnership, Toyota will receive a 5% equity stake in Mazda, and Mazda will receive a 0.25% equity stake in Toyota.
The partnership agreement states that the two companies will specifically work together to:
For several years, Toyota has been building alliances with smaller rivals to maintain its global dominance of the auto industry.
They now own a 16.5% stake in Subaru and are currently courting compact car maker Suzuki to cooperate on R&D and parts supply.
Yesterday a Union County man was arrested on drug and weapons charges after police raided his home to find 3.24 pounds of marijuana and several assault rifles.
The 33-year-old man refused to pull his car over during a routine traffic stop and was able to escape the police pursuit. Officers later found his vehicle abandoned in a ditch.
The Union County Sheriff’s Office then partnered with the CMPD to find out where the man lived and obtain a search warrant to search his home.
They raided his home and discovered a total of 6 firearms, 3.24 lbs. of Marijuana, and a plethora of drug paraphernalia.
He came home during the police raid and was immediately arrested by CMPD officers and charged with Possession with the Intent to Sell/Deliver Marijuana, Felony Possession of Marijuana, Maintain Dwelling, Possession of Marijuana Paraphernalia.
He’s now being detained in Mecklenburg County, awaiting trial.
During Eric Trump’s recent interview with the New York Times, he announced that the Trump organization might be heading to Charlotte to build one of their new Scion branded Hotels.
The concept behind the Trump organization’s new Scion hotel brand is to create a hotel chain that will attract young business travelers in the creative and technology sectors. Room prices will start at $200 or $300 a night, according to Eric Danziger, the chief executive of Trump Hotels. The average price of a Trump International Hotel now averages $700 per night.
Eric Trump noted that they were hoping to locate Scion, offering a lower-price alternative to their Trump International Hotel brand, in large to midsize “trendy” cities like Austin, Tex., Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville.
The first Scion hotel is now planned for Dallas, TX.
Over the past decade, the Trump family has taken a real liking to Charlotte. In 2007, they put an option on a piece of land on Tryon St. in Uptown Charlotte to build our cities tallest building, but those plans were put on hold when the economy crashed. In 2012, they purchased a golf resort on Lake Norman and poured millions into repairs and upgrades on the course.
Donald Trump has since made regular visits to Trump National Charlotte for both business and pleasure trips.
What do you think of Trump’s new Scion hotel coming to Charlotte? Would you stay in it?
SEC General Contractors are about to break ground on the first Shake Shack location in the Carolinas later this month, according to a recent press release. It’s being built in the heart of Charlotte’s popular Park Road Shopping Center, next to our city’s newest Amelie’s, Viva Chicken, and Chopt locations.
Shake Shack plans on opening the new location by the end of the year.
The legendary franchise first started as a hot dog cart in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park back in 2004 and has since grown to over 80 locations across the country.
This will be Shake Shack’s first location in either of the Carolinas. The closest locations to Charlotte are in Atlanta, Lexington, and the Washington DC area:
Shake Shack has become legendary for their juicy hamburgers, crinkle-cut fries, and of course, their shakes:
They feature a secret menu with random new creations every month:
…as well as some healthier options, including portabella mushroom burgers:
and chicken sandwiches:
Are you excited about Charlotte’s (and the Carolina’s) first Shake Shake?
What will be the first thing you order?
With the PGA Championship in town this week, national celebrities continue to be spotted all around town. Justin Bieber was seen on Tuesday, and Michael Phelps stopped by yesterday, but neither attracted as much attention as when the world’s most famous (and most unhappy) feline came to town.
Grumpy Cat, the legendary internet celebrity cat, with over 1.25 million followers on Twitter, and 2.3 million followers on Instagram came to Charlotte this past week and ended up spending most of her time inside her hotel room.
She stayed at the Ivey’s Hotel in Uptown where she documented her entire experience in blog form:
I went to Charlotte once. It was terrible. @TheIveysHotel https://t.co/7Am6TZfb77 pic.twitter.com/GDJJaiOzXL
— Grumpy Cat (@RealGrumpyCat) August 10, 2017
She was given the finest cookies and milk and hated them both;
She also ran into Sir Purr, which she said was a truly miserable experience;
— Grumpy Cat (@RealGrumpyCat) August 10, 2017
Charlotte’s local Friskies rep even took some quick pics, which really seemed to annoy Grumpy Cat;
Hanging with my favorite munchkin @RealGrumpyCat today! And yes, @tickles_thecat was there too! #catsarepawsome #dreamcometrue @Friskies 🙀 pic.twitter.com/0J8E6TTDk8
— Tara Lea (@_TaraLea) June 27, 2017
As the PGA Championship enters its final two days, we’re sure to see a host of other celebrities and social media stars around town.
Who are you hoping to see?
Life Time Athletic’s new South Charlotte facility (soon to be one of the largest gyms in our state) needs to hire 300 people, including lifeguards, personal trainers, massage therapists, birthday party coordinators, yoga instructors and prep cooks before opening this fall.
According to their press release, they’ll be holding a massive job fair on Aug. 26 at the Ballantyne Hotel. Information and applications for all non-instructor positions will be in the Fairway Room from 8 am – 12 pm, and auditions for dance, yoga, and cycle instructors will be in the Carolina Room from 9 am – 3 pm. Registration for dance instructors starts at 8:30 am and for yoga and cycle instructors at 12:30 pm. Live auditions will be three minutes long, giving candidates the chance to demonstrate their teaching style and personality to Life Time Athletic management.
Their massive new two-story, 200,000 square-foot facility at 11220 Golf Links Dr (near Providence and 485) is now under construction and is expected to open sometime this fall. It will include an aquatic complex with water slides, 20 tennis courts (including indoor courts), 2 full-sized basketball courts, a MediSpa, yoga, Pilates, and several other fitness studios, and tons more.
The new location will also feature a ‘life cafe‘ with on-site chefs who will prepare gourmet meals, meal-replacement options, and a wide selection of shakes and smoothies.
They are now accepting new customer signups on their online waiting list.
The weekend is almost here!
There will be tons of concerts, festivals, and the PGA Championship!
Here are the top 10 things happening around the Charlotte region this weekend:
Charlotte’s Quail Hollow golf course is hosting it’s first ever PGA Championship – becoming only the third golf course in the North Carolina’s history to host the season’s biggest event.
Championship Round tickets are still available for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, starting at $52 each.
For more info check out our article on ‘Everything You Need To Know About The PGA Championship in Charlotte‘.
The 2nd Friday Street Festival is back and ready to light up the streets of Old Town on Friday, Aug 11 from 6-10 pm.
The festival will include live music, food trucks, local craft beer and wine, artists and craftsmen, live art, kids activities, and tons more.
For more info click here.
The Loose Lugnuts will be taking the stage at the Neighborhood Theater this coming Friday night starting at 8pm.
For tickets or more information click here.
Each year, thousands of athletes nationwide compete to call themselves CG Games Champions. This year’s Charlotte Prelims will take place at Olympic High School and will be held on August 12th & 19th.
For more information click here.
Lindsay Lou and the Flatbellys will be lighting up the stage this coming Saturday evening at the Whitewater Center’s River Jam. Music will start at around 7pm.
$5 for parking – free admission – for imore info click here.
This coming Saturday at the PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte will be hosting the Funk Fest. The lineup will include; Erykah Badu, Kenny “BabyFace” Edmonds, Goddie Mob, Jagged Edge, Bobby Brown, and Doug E. Fresh
Gates open at 2pm and the show starts at 4pm.
For tickets or more info click here.
The legendary golfer, writer, and broadcaster has decided to take his act on the road and travel across North America for his new live show Feherty Off Tour – Wandering Around On His Own.
His cutting edge style is full of great stories from behind the scenes, a show you don’t want to miss. He’ll be bringing his sharp wit and colorful personality to Charlotte’s Knight Theater this coming Saturday evening.
For more info click here.
Come see this awesome band, Lovely Budz at Cawtaba Brewing in Charlotte. Fanflipped will be handing out free give aways all night!
Check out an amazing band, drink great beer, and get free stuff this coming Saturday night from 6-11pm
For more info click here.
Dashboard Confessionals and The All American Rejects will be rocking the Avid Xchange Ampitheater this coming Sunday night starting at 7:30pm.
For tickets or more info click here.
Come on out to Fourth Ward Park and enjoy your Sunday evening by listening to some live music for free.
Music will be starting on Sunday afternoon at 4pm.
For more info click here.
If you think other events should be on this list or future lists, let us know – Scott@CharlotteStories.com
The South Carolina Emergency Management Division just released a public statement via Twitter warning residents of a possible increase in Lizardman activity during the upcoming solar eclipse.
The map they posted yesterday includes a caption that reads: “This historical map is in response to recent media reports about possible paranormal activity associated with the upcoming total eclipse. SCEMD does not know if Lizardmen become more active during a solar eclipse, but we advise that residents of Lee and Sumter counties should remain ever vigilant.”
Here is the official tweet they posted yesterday:
Regarding possible paranormal activity potentially occurring during the #SolarEclipse2017. As always, if you see something, say something. pic.twitter.com/O3IuYhHzqB
— SCEMD (@SCEMD) August 9, 2017
“Regarding possible paranormal activity potentially occurring during the #SolarEclipse2017. As always, if you see something, say something.”
There certainly has been an increase in paranormal activity around the Carolinas recently, from a recent Lake Norman Monster sighting, to increased UFO activity over North Carolina’s Brown Mountains, to a recent Bigfoot sightings in McDowell County.
Officers with the Greenville Police Department are even warning local residents not to shoot if they spot a Bigfoot;
If you’d like to try to take some pictures of paranormal creatures during the upcoming eclipse, you can try using the new bigfoot call, or a lizardman decoy mask.
Stay safe out there!
Great news for cookie lovers in Charlotte!
The 7th Street Market is about to host the 15th Annual Cookie Crumble bake-off, pitting dozens of local restaurants and businesses against each-other to see who can bake the best cookie Charlotte.
The cookies will be judged in categories including texture, appearance, dunkability, and taste.
The contest will be held at the 7th Street Market in Uptown Charlotte (224 E 7th St) from 10am – 12pm.
Professional judging will take place at 10am.
Visitors be able to sample the cookies for free, then vote for the People’s Choice and Kids’ Choice awards from 10:30am until 12pm.
Cookie sampling will continue until all the cookies are eaten.