Uber Has Just Launched Their Food Delivery Service in Charlotte – UberEATS

Steve
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Uber Has Just Launched Their Food Delivery Service in Charlotte – UberEATS

uber-eats-charlotteWith an increasing number of work-from-home jobs, Amazon’s new 1-hour grocery delivery service, and yesterday’s announcement of UberEATS coming to the Queen City, Charlotte residents literally never have to leave their homes.

Uber’s new app let’s Charlotte residents choose anything off the full menu of over a hundred local restaurants, including; Pinky’s, Blackfinn, Kid Cashew, Pure Pizza, Flying Biscuit Cafe, Cantina 1511, Luca, Crispy Crepe, and tons more (you can even have a dessert delivered from the King of Pops).

According to Uber, “more than 40,000 restaurants globally—from poke shops to pasta spots—are sharing food with customers through UberEATS.”

The app now offers delivery service until 10 p.m. every night, and you can see how long it will take for Uber to get the food to your doorstep within the app (15-20 minutes, 20-30 minutes, etc).

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You can also tell UberEATS exactly how you’d like your food to be dropped off. Whether you’re at home, at the office or even relaxing with your family at the park, you can enter even more specific instructions and request to “meet your food at the curb,” or have your food “delivered to the door.”

What are your thoughts on the new service? 

Do you plan on using it? 

New Slave Cemetery Discovered On Land To Be Developed For Charlotte’s Second Topgolf Facility

Steve
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New Slave Cemetery Discovered On Land To Be Developed For Charlotte’s Second Topgolf Facility

topgolf charlotteAfter an incredibly successful launch of Topgolf’s first Charlotte location, investors have been trying to bring a second location to a new mixed-use development at the corner of I-85 and Mallard Creek Rd.

As soon as a re-zoning petition was submitted to the city, however, residents of the surrounding neighborhoods began creating online petitions, and even took to the streets to picket, saying the new Topgolf location would create too much traffic and noise.

Now an even bigger obstacle could stand in the developer’s way – a newly discovered slave cemetery with marked graves in the woods on the south-west corner of the property.

top-golf-slave-cemetery-development

Browder Group Real Estate and Charter Properties, the developers of the property, said they started an investigation as soon as they rumors of a possible slave cemetery on the land. This morning they sent us a press release, along with the historian’s full report about the new discovery.

“We were unaware of a burial ground on the property and once informed that one may exist, immediately hired a historian, land surveyors and a ground penetrating radar expert to identify and locate the cemetery,” said Matt Browder of Browder Group. “Through our study, we have identified the boundaries of the cemetery and confirmed 19 graves of enslaved or formerly enslaved African Americans who were likely members of Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church and we will not under any circumstances disturb the area. We have shared the findings with Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church and neighborhood residents to create a plan of maintenance and preservation from this day forward.”

Local historian Dr. Dan L. Morrill’s report details evidence of the burial ground and examples of preserved slave cemeteries, some of which belong to current Mecklenburg County churches. The burial site was identified and located by the presence of periwinkle, an herb popularly planted on slave cemeteries for maintenance and beautification, rocks placed as markers of the deceased, a local Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church member who provided anecdotal evidence, and a ground penetrating radar analysis, conducted by Comprehensive Genealogical Services. The Report on the Slave Burial Ground at Mallard Creek Presbyterian Church will be submitted to the Charlotte History Museum for future reference.

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“This site could provide a real teaching lesson that makes people aware of a set of societal norms and issues that most people don’t know about and prefer not to think about,” said Dr. Morrill. “There are other churches such as Providence Presbyterian Church and Sardis Presbyterian Church who have done sensitive jobs at honoring the enslaved members of their church. There are advantages that accrue to this site due to its ease of access to visitors, proximity to UNC Charlotte, whose history students may take an interest in preservation plans, and a development company that has a real sense of social responsibility seeing an opportunity that is beyond the rezoning to be strategic in how one plans for the future interpretation of the site.”

The Browder Group said that they believe the church is best situated to restore, maintain and set up educational efforts. Upon agreement from the church, Browder will implement the best preservation methods moving forward. Efforts may include granting the church access to the property, deeding the property to Mallard Creek Presbyterian, or engaging a historic preservation organization to preserve and respect the cemetery in a manner consistent with other cemeteries of this nature.

They group has said they will also redesign the planned entrance road near the slave cemetery to make sure it doesn’t disturb the graves. Most of the land in that section of the development is planned to be a runoff-collection and buffer area.

 

 

The Charlotte City Council is now scheduled to vote on Browder Group and Charter Properties rezoning petition for a multi-use development plan that would include a 395 apartment unit, new retail, restaurants, and Charlotte’s second Topgolf facility on July 17.

North Carolina Was Just Ranked The 10th Most Patriotic State in America

Steve
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North Carolina Was Just Ranked The 10th Most Patriotic State in America

flag-uptown-charlotteThe Tar Heel State was just ranked the 10th most patriotic state in America by analysts at personal finance website Wallet Hub.

To determine where Americans bleed the most red, white and blue, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 13 key indicators of patriotism in two key dimensions – “Military Engagement” and “Civic Engagement”. The data set ranges from average number of military enlistees to share of adults who voted in the 2016 presidential election to AmeriCorps volunteers per capita.

Some of North Carolina’s highest indicators were (1=Most Patriotic; 25=Avg.):

  • 9th – Average Number of Military Enlistees per 1,000 Civilian Adults Population (No Prior Service)
  • 1st – Active-Duty Military Personnel per 1,000 Civilian Adult Population
  • 8th – % of Adults Who Voted in 2016 Presidential Election
  • 23rd – Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adult Population
  • 1st – Civics Education Requirement

Gastonia is also home to the world’s largest flying American flag – I’m sure we would have ranked higher if that was factored in.

Here’s where the other states rank;

For more information about their reasoning, you can read Wallet Hub’s full patriotic state ranking article here.

How patriotic do you think North Carolina is?

A New Island Has Just Appeared Off The North Carolina Coast

Steve
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A New Island Has Just Appeared Off The North Carolina Coast

North Carolina has just added about a mile of shoreline with the sudden appearance of a new island.

Due to the shifting currents of the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current, the Outer Banks are a fairly dynamic place, but the formation of an entire island is a rare occurrence.

The new island is currently about a mile long and several hundred yards wide, and it still seems to be growing.

Local resident Chad Koczera sent his drone up to capture these amazing shots of the newly formed Island:

Cape Hatteras point and the new sandbar island #capepoint

A post shared by 🅲🅷🅰🅳 (@chadonka) on

Here’s a Google Earth shot of the same location taken on February 19th, 2017:

new island off north carolina coast

Here’s the new island in relation to Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington;

new north carolina island

Visitors have nicknamed it ‘Shelly Island’ due to the abundant amount of shells that have been washed up along with the sand.

The mile long island that has formed off of Cape Point Hatteras. #shellyisland #kayaking #hatteras #capepoint

A post shared by Elizabeth Thacker (@shizzlebeth) on

Black Beard, America’s most notorious pirate, was also rumored to have buried a massive treasure somewhere near his last stand on Ocracoke Island (just south of the newly formed ‘Shelly Island’) – could this be the resting place of his long-lost treasure?

Due to the shifting currents, however, the island could disappear as quickly as it was formed.

Road trip anyone?

Wal-Mart Is Now Driving Food Trucks Around Charlotte Giving Away Free Food

Steve
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Wal-Mart Is Now Driving Food Trucks Around Charlotte Giving Away Free Food

Wal-Mart is now driving their very own food trucks around the Charlotte region giving out free sliders, tacos, and ice cream.

Walmart is encouraging people who spot the food trucks to take a picture and use the hashtag #iSpyWalmart.

Between June 12th through June 25th, Wal-mart drove its 3 trucks around Virginia;

Their free ice cream truck even made a surprise appearance last Thursday in Charlotte’s University City:

This week, Wal-Mart has announced the following scheduled stops for their food trucks (although we don’t know which trucks will be at which stops):

▪ June 28 from 4-8 p.m. at the Cedar Flats Apartments at 225 N Cedar St.

▪ June 29 from 3:30-7 p.m. at the YMCA at 101 YMCA Dr. in Kannapolis.

▪ June 30 from 4-8 p.m. at Corpus 1 Indian Trail Apartments at 1021 Glenn Valley Lane in Indian Trail

▪ July 1 from 12-4 p.m. at the 4th Annual Carolina Veteran Expo at 1430 Alleghany St.

Please help spread the word! 

Mooresville-Based Lowes Just Purchased $512 Million Supply Company With 550 Employees

Steve
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Mooresville-Based Lowes Just Purchased $512 Million Supply Company With 550 Employees

lowes-hiring-new-workers-copyMooresville-based Lowe’s Home Improvement just released a statement announcing the completion of their $512 million acquisition of Maintenance Supply Headquarters, a leader in multifamily housing supplies.

The purchase of the Houston-based distributor gives Lowe’s an additional 13 distortion centers with over 5,300 products focused around multifamily developments. This is expected to significantly improve Lowe’s relationships with professional investor and institutional clients, now being able to offer them a wider selection of products, quicker delivery, and lower prices.

“We are delighted to officially welcome Maintenance Supply Headquarters and their talented team into the Lowe’s family,” said Michael Tummillo, senior vice president of Lowe’s pro sales. “Together, Maintenance Supply Headquarters and Central Wholesalers expand Lowe’s ability to serve the highly attractive and growing multifamily housing industry while strengthening our foundation for future growth with enhanced product and service offerings. With this latest transaction, we look forward to delivering even more value for our pro customers.”

Richard “Rusty” Penick, co-founding partner and CEO of Maintenance Supply Headquarters, added, “Today marks the beginning of an exciting next chapter for Maintenance Supply Headquarters. We are thrilled to join Lowe’s and work together to continue to deliver exceptional service for our customers. We have had the honor of serving many of the nation’s top multifamily property management companies and their communities over the past 10 years, and we look forward to building on this legacy.”

 

Lowe’s is expected to move an undetermined number of Maintenance Supply Headquarter’s 550 employees from Houston to the Lowe’s headquarters in Mooresville. Lowe’s also recently announced that they will be hiring 600 more full-time employees in our state due to their continued growth.

Tim Tebow Just Played His Final Baseball Game With The Columbia Fireflies

Charlotte Stories
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Tim Tebow Just Played His Final Baseball Game With The Columbia Fireflies

Tim Tebow is about to leave his first professional baseball team, the Columbia Fireflies.

This past weekend, New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson announced that the 29-year-old outfielder will be promoted to the Class A-Advanced St. Lucie Mets after Sunday night’s game.

Tebow held a press conference after the announcement to share his thoughts:

“Sometimes the results are there sometimes they’re not there, sometimes that’s the game of baseball,” Tebow said. “Like yesterday, I thought I had three really good at-bats in the game and you got no hits to show for it. But I know my progress has led me to being able to have three really good at-bats. … As an athlete, you can’t worry about all those things. You have to focus on, ‘Am I seeing the pitches, am I identifying them and what am I doing with them, am I finding things that I can do damage with.’ The results are whatever else people are talking about.”

Tebow, a two-time national champion, Heisman Trophy winner at Florida, author of 3 books, and star of a short film, has attracted a massive cult following in minor league baseball.

In just one season of playing with the Columbia team, Tebow helped push their average attendance up nearly 40% over a year ago to an SAL-best 5,230. The Tebow-led team also sold out games on the road on a regular basis, with Tebow’s football fans coming out in droves to every city the Fireflies visited.

Fireflies president John Katz commented that Tebow’s contributions to the team and community “have made a tremendous impact on our team, the City of Columbia and the entire South Atlantic League. We wish Tim the best as he continues his journey to Citi Field.”

Tebow played his last official game with the Fireflies last night against the Kannapolis Intimidators at Columbia’s Spirit Communications Park after 63 games with the team.

FBI Discovers Missing Charlotte Teen in Georgia After Over A Year of Searching

Steve
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FBI Discovers Missing Charlotte Teen in Georgia After Over A Year of Searching

Hailey Burns missing in charlotteA Charlotte teenager has been found safe after being reported missing for over a year, according to the FBI.

Charlotte Stories originally reported then 16-year-old Hailey Burns missing in May of last year. She was last seen walking out of her Ballantyne home late at night. Her family members told police that she had Asperger’s Syndrome and did not take her medicine with her when she left.

The FBI even issued a $15,000 reward last month for any information that might lead to her recovery.

31yo-michael-ren-wysolovskiShe was discovered by FBI agents in Duluth, Ga. late Saturday night in a house with 31-year-old Michael Ren Wysoloyski, who now faces a slew of felony charges in connection with Burns’ disappearance including; false imprisonment, sodomy and aggravated sodomy, interference with custody, and cruelty to children involving first-degree deprivation.

Her parents think that Hailey may have ran off with Wysoloyski after he coerced her online.

Hailey is now home safe with her parents in Ballantyne and Wysoloyski is being held in a Duluth jail cell, awaiting his trial.

Charlotte Cycleboats Bringing The First Human-Powered Party Boats To Lake Norman

Charlotte Stories
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Charlotte Cycleboats Bringing The First Human-Powered Party Boats To Lake Norman

charlotte-cycleboatA new on-the- water experience is coming to Charlotte’s surrounding waters with the launch of Charlotte Cycleboats LLC. The first-of- its-kind in North Carolina, this company is bringing a water-based spinoff of the oh-so popular land-based pedaling party pubs. Cycleboats provide a fun, new eco-friendly way to enjoy the water safely, with or without a beer in your hand.

Charlotte Cycleboats are designed to be operated as commercial tour boats on lakes and rivers and certified by the US Coast Guard. As riders pedal on individual cycle stations, together they propel a large paddle wheel in the back of the boat. The boat is always chartered by an experienced and fun captain at the back of the boat to steer and operate the electric motor when needed.

Set to get going mid-July 2017, Charlotte Cycleboats will be offering pedal tours initially on Lake Norman with more in the works along the Catawba River in Belmont and Lake Wylie to follow. The fun tours are ideal for friendly outings, birthday parties, family reunions, company outings among many other fun social get togethers. While Cycleboats can provide an awesome platform for a fun party, they are also great for team building, fitness groups and of course spin and cycle groups.

Rob Bennett, owner of My Aloha Paddle and Surf said, “we are excited to partner with this new company that builds on the passion of bringing fun and fitness activities on the water.”

“I became more aware of the lack of fun activities on our beautiful lakes and rivers after growing Stand Up Paddleboarding in the Charlotte area,” Bennett says. “Cycleboats are a perfect match to our current business and we are thrilled to be involved in another awesome experience and only the best customer service will continue to be our focus together.”

Charlotte Cycleboats has commissioned a custom-built tour boat with a high-top table lined by five pedal stations on each side to fit 10 people. Then there is a four-person bench seat without pedals are also on the boat. The boat is powered by pedaling making it eco-friendly, but there is an electric motor for backup and emergencies, with solar panels on the canopy roof for regeneration. Guests only need to bring their favorite beverage and snacks. Only beer or wine, no liquor is permitted.

Charlotte Cycleboats will release more plans to offer tours from 90 minutes to three hours. Hints of a Local Craft beer Cruise, an extended dinner cruise, lake history cruise, local wineries sponsored wine tasting cruise and more to be announced.

Reservations are now being taken for the ‘Whole Boat’ 2 Hour private, chartered Cruises for up to 15 people.

You can reserve a Cycleboat or find out more on CharlotteCycleboats.com

Gaston County Opening Massive New Technology Incubator in Belmont

Katherine Miele
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Gaston County Opening Massive New Technology Incubator in Belmont

It started with a simple vision: spur innovation and entrepreneurship, create jobs and provide overall economic growth for Gaston County.

Today, this vision and need becomes a relevant, functional work place for gritty entrepreneurs with a passion for innovation and growth – TechWorks of Gaston County.

It will be located at 52 Ervin Street in downtown Belmont:

techworks-gaston-county

Originally led by an immense community volunteer effort from both the public and private sectors of Gaston County, this new initiative – previously named GIGworks – aimed to establish a hybrid business incubator and gigabit technology center. With gigabit internet, co-working space, access to sources of capital, innovative coding opportunities plus a robust coaching and mentoring program, this resource center will put Gaston County on the map in a whole new way.

techworks-of-gaston-countyThe Steering Committee of this initiative selected a building at 52 Ervin St. in Belmont, adjacent to Rivermen Brewery, as the initial GIGworks location in Gaston County. A second location was identified at the Loray Mill in Gastonia for future expansion.

The Gaston Innovation Group (GIG) was formally established in June 2016 as a non-profit corporation with a very committed Board of Directors and a new Executive Director, Terry Cox.

The new brand identity, TechWorks of Gaston County, emerges with an intense value proposition unfolding a vision for technology education, mentorship and building sustainable companies for the new digital era. TechWorks takes root at leased space on Ervin Street. There, plans note it will boast an ADA-compliant two floors of open co-working area, dedicated offices, a large conference room, smaller conference and training rooms, phone rooms, a large break room and another large convening room with access to an outdoor patio. Currently in a closed bid session with pre-qualified contractors, a Request For Proposals (RFP) is slated for early April. This RFP and its award will help determine a completion and open date for the high-tech Belmont site. In addition to addressing the construction upfit for the Belmont location, led by Redline Design Group and RAH Construction Consulting, GIG also hired ZGM to undergo a branding strategy process. A first-look at the location, including site blueprints, unveiling of the name and brand, and visual concept, was hosted on March 28 at the 12,688 square-foot space.

Said Cox about the TechWorks project, “Our newly-branded initiative will offer a very deliberate value proposition to address workforce gaps and opportunities for significant economic growth in Gaston County. We are also highly focused on mentorship and providing a digital roadmap for companies that struggle to keep up with the fast-paced digital era.”

TechWorks is primarily funded by Gaston County with a 10 percent match by the City of Belmont as well as small private funding to date. Cox noted that TechWorks will continue to “pursue additional grants and private sector money,” including a current pre-qualification application with the N.C. Downtown Redevelopment Fund.

Every endeavor to bring TechWorks to fruition and build the brand, said Cox, is focused on creating stronger, entrepreneurial talent throughout Gaston County that can contribute to the greater community at large. From in-house coding classes to partnerships with local colleges and universities, it’s about enabling Gaston County to make a quantum leap forward toward high growth and increased potential.

“We want to create something that is going to attract others here,” she said, also mentioning the vast need for increased workforce within the digital sector. “One of our top priorities is job creation and economic growth. It’s about sustainability for the region. We are addressing a tech talent shortage in this country and want to begin to fill that talent gap and create a model for an urban-rural county next to an economic hub.”

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