Top 5 Things Donald Trump Owns In North Carolina

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trump-national-golf-courseAt 12pm this afternoon, Donald Trump was officially sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, causing some to rejoice, some to tremble, and others to remain indifferent.

No matter how Charlotte feels about our new President, he has certainly taken a liking to our region.

In 2007 Trump’s company 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, he purchased a golf resort on Lake Norman and poured millions into repairs and upgrades on the course. He has since regularly visited Trump National Charlotte for both business and pleasure trips.

In an 2013 interview with WSOC, Trump commented, “I like North Carolina. In fact, we’re looking at another deal in NC, a little different section. We’re looking at another deal in NC. I have so many friends in NC. It’s a great place,” he said, “I can’t talk yet, because I like to talk about it after I sign.”

Considering how much Trump has invested in our state, hopefully a Trump presidency will mean good things for our state.

Here are the top 5 things Donald Trump owns in North Carolina:

#1 Trump National Charlotte

According to TrumpNationalCharlotte.com, “This beautiful property is located 30 minutes from Charlotte in the picturesque countryside of Mooresville. The Greg Norman designed course, with incredible views of Lake Norman, is one of the best in the state. The exquisite Clubhouse and other various amenities make Trump National Golf Club, Charlotte the most desirable Club in North Carolina.”

#2 Trump International Realty

According to their website, Trump International Realty has 7 offices around the country; 2 in NY, 2 in Florida, 1 in Chicago, 1 in Las Vegas, and one of them is right here in the Queen City (120 Trump Square, Mooresville, NC to be exact).

#3 Trump Home

Donald Trump has his own line of furniture, called ‘Trump Home‘, and one of their flagship showrooms is in High Point, NC.

#4 Bank of America

According to his 2016 financial disclosure, Donald Trump owns between $100,000-$250,000 of Bank of America stock, whose headquarters are right here in Uptown Charlotte.

#5 VF Corp.

Another company Donald Trump owns stock in, according to his 2016 financial disclosure, is VF Corp., the parent company of dozens of clothing brands, including; Lee, Wrangler, Nautica, The North Face, and many others. The company is based in Greensboro, N.C.

On January 12th, Donald Trump announced that he would be handing over complete control of his business empire to his sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump.

Given the fact that they were key members of his presidential transition team, however, it remains to be seen if he will have any business discussions with them over the next 4 years.

If they do, it could be good news for the Tar Heel state, and particularly Charlotte.

How do you feel about the new Trump Presidency? 

Queen’s Feast (Charlotte Restaurant Week) Starts Today At Over 130 Local Restaurants

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Happy Queen’s Feast Day!

Today is the start of the annual week+ long restaurant event known as the “Queen’s Feast”. It’s basically where a ton of local restaurants will each create special 3 course menus to showcase their finest offerings for a flat price of $30.00 or $35.00 each (plus, tax/tip).

Personally, I don’t think that many of the restaurants offer much of a ‘deal’, but there are certainly a few (namely Chima).

The Speedway Club (Concord)
The Speedway Club (Concord)

This year the Queen’s Feast will run from Jan. 20th through Jan 29th and includes over 130 local restaurants.

Here is the complete list (click on the link for more info on each restaurant’s specific deal):

Belmont / Gastonia / Gaston / West Charlotte

Old Stone Steakhouse ($30)

Riverview Raw Bar ($30)

Webb Custom Kitchen ($35)

Concord / Cabarrus

Rocky River Grille ($35)

The Speedway Club ($35)

Union Street Bistro ($30)

Cotswold

Mezzanotte ($30)

Namastay Kitchen & Hangout ($35)

Dilworth

300 East ($35)

Babalu Tapas & Tacos ($30)

Bonterra Dining & Wine Room ($35)

Fiamma ($35)

Fran’s Filling Station ($30)

Eastover

Lumiere French Kitchen ($35)

Napa On Providence ($35)

Primo Tuscan Grille ($30)

Elizabeth

The Cajun Queen ($30)

Carpe Diem Restaurant & Caterers ($35)

Passion8 ($35)

Fort Mill / Rock Hill / York

Fish Market Seafood Bar and Grill ($35)

Five & Dine ($30)

The Flipside Cafe – Fort Mill ($30)

The Flipside Restaurant – Rock Hill ($35)

The Pump House ($30)

Hickory / Catawba

BOCA ($30)

Cafe Rule & Wine Bar ($30)

Standard Oyster Company ($30)

Indian Trail / Union

The Trail House ($30)

Lake Norman / North Mecklenburg / Iredell / Lincoln

131 Main – Lake Norman ($35)

The 220 Cafe ($30)

Alton’s Kitchen & Cocktails ($35)

BLOCK Bistro ($35)

Campania Cafe ($30)

Chillfire Bar & Grill ($35)

Dressler’s – Birkdale ($35)

Eddie’s on Lake Norman ($30)

Epic Chophouse ($35)

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill – Northlake ($35)

Jeffrey’s Restaurant ($35)

Kabuto Japanese Steak House & Sushi – Lake Norman ($35)

The Melting Pot – Lake Norman ($35)

Mickey & Mooch – Lake Norman ($35)

Red Rocks Cafe – Birkdale ($35)

Sabi Asian Bistro ($30)

Smoke BBQ – Birkdale ($30)

Trattoria Al Gusto ($35)

Twisted Oak American Bar & Grill ($30)

LoSo (Lower South End) / Montclaire South

Carolina Prime Restaurant & Steakhouse ($35)

Matthews

Amor de Brazil Steakhouse ($30)

Cafe 157 ($35)

Sante Restaurant ($35)

Midtown

Dressler’s – Metro ($35)

Maharani Indian Cuisine ($30)

Mama Ricotta’s ($30)

The Melting Pot – Midtown ($35)

Pisces Sushi Bar & Lounge – Charlotte ($30)

Vivace ($35)

Montford Park / Park Road Shopping Center

Burtons Grill & Bar ($35)

CO ($35)

ROCKSALT ($35)

Mountain Island Lake / Coulwood

Heirloom ($35)

NoDa

Heist Brewery ($35)

Plaza Midwood

Bistro La Bon ($35)

Comida ($35)

The Peculiar Rabbit ($35)

Quail Hollow / Park Crossing

Ilios Noche – Quail Corners ($30) [this location only]

Salisbury / Gold Hill / Rowan

Morgan Ridge Vineyards & Brewhouse ($35)

South Perimeter / Ballantyne / Pineville

131 Main – Blakeney ($35)

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill – Stonecrest ($35)

Gallery Restaurant ($35)

Global ($35)

Harper’s – Carolina Place ($30)

Mickey & Mooch – Arboretum ($35)

New South Kitchen & Bar ($30)

Pearlz Oyster Bar ($30)

Sky Asian Bistro ($30)

Smoke BBQ – Stonecrest ($30)

Stone Mountain Grill ($35)

Trio ($30)

Vine American Kitchen ($35)

Waldhorn Restaurant ($30)

South End

Fidelli Kitchen ($30)

The Liberty Gastropub ($30)

Luciano’s Ristorante Italiano ($35)

Nikko Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar ($30)

O-Ku Sushi ($35)

Sullivan’s Steakhouse ($35)

SouthPark / Foxcroft

BAKU ($35)

Cafe Monte ($30)

Corkbuzz Restaurant & Wine Bar ($35)

Dean & DeLuca Wine Room & Restaurant ($35)

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House ($35)

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill – SouthPark ($35)

Flagstones at the Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark ($35)

Georges Brasserie ($35)

Harper’s – SouthPark ($30)

Maggiano’s Little Italy ($35)

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks – SouthPark ($35)

Paco’s Tacos & Tequila ($30)

Red Rocks Cafe – SouthPark ($35)

Reid’s Fine Foods – SouthPark ($30)

Rexford Park Public House ($35)

Ruth’s Chris Steak House – SouthPark ($35)

Toscana Ristorante Italiano ($35)

Upstream ($35)

Village Tavern ($35)

WP Kitchen + Bar ($30)

Southwest Charlotte / Rivergate

Riverbleu Steak & Fish ($30)

Uptown Charlotte

5Church ($35)

204 North Kitchen & Cocktails ($30)

Aria Tuscan Grill ($30)

Bernardin’s at Ratcliffe ($35)

BLT Steak ($35)

Blue Restaurant & Bar ($35)

Brazz Carvery and Brazilian Steakhouse ($35)

Bubble Charlotte ($30)

Caffe Siena ($35)

The Capital Grille ($35)

Chima Brazilian Steakhouse ($35)

City Smoke ($30)

Enso Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar ($35)

Essex Bar & Bistro ($35)

Evoke ($35)

Fahrenheit ($35)

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse ($35)

Libations Kitchen & Bar ($35)

Luce Ristorante e Bar ($35)

Malabar Spanish Cuisine ($30)

McCormick & Schmick’s – Uptown ($35)

Mimosa Grill ($35)

Morton’s The Steakhouse ($35)

Red Ginger Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi ($30)

Ruth’s Chris Steak House – Uptown ($35)

Sea Level ($35)

Are you going to any Queens’ Fest restaurants this year?

Which one?

Rock Hill Road Shutting Down Until April 7th Due To Celriver Road Widening Project

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The SC Department of Transportation just announced a new road closure due to the Celriver Road widening project. Starting this coming Monday, Jan. 23rd, up until Friday, April 7th, the section of Eden Terrace between Celriver Rd and Wilkerson Rd. will be shut down to all traffic.

The State DOT recommends a detour through Cherry Rd. Residents can turn left onto Riverview Road heading towards Cherry Rd, then right onto Cherry and go to the intersection of Celriver Road, turning right onto Celriver Road and back onto Eden Terrace.

rock-hill-road-closed

State road crew will be working with Blythe Development, Inc. to complete the road widening project.

If you have any questions or concerns, it’s recommended that you contact John Huskins with the S.C. DOT Rock Hill Construction Office at 803-324-3545.

Please help spread the word!

Giant 50 Foot Concrete Slab Falls Onto I-277, Shutting Down Traffic

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A giant 50+ foot slab just fell off of a tractor-trailer onto 277 inbound ramp between Wilkinson Blvd and I-77.

Thankfully no vehicles were hit by the slab, but the accident has completely halted traffic onto or off of the on-ramp. Police are now on the scene rerouting traffic.

CMPD just announced that they’ll be bringing in some heavy equipment to remove the slab. At this point, they aren’t sure how long it might take to remove the slab and allow traffic to return to normal.

WSOC’s helicopter got some overhead shots of the slab accident and posted it to their Facebook page:

UPDATE: 1/19/2017 4:52pm

The massive concrete slab has been removed and traffic has now resumed back to normal (albeit ‘rush-hour’ normal).

Dr. Clayton Wilcox Chosen To Become The New Superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

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The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education recently announced that Dr. Clayton Wilcox will be the new superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, replacing Ann Blakeney Clark (who was just appointed last year).

Dr. Wilcox is currently serving as the Superintendent of the Washington County Public School system in Hagerstown, Maryland, currently with 22,000 students.

He’ll be taking over the top spot of the second-largest school district in North Carolina and the eighteenth-largest in the nation, a system that now has over 135,000 total students enrolled.

via wcpsmd.com
via wcpsmd.com

“I am drawn to Charlotte-Mecklenburg for a number of reasons, first because your core beliefs are my core beliefs – that you and your school board embrace a compelling vision that all students must receive the best education available anywhere,” Dr. Wilcox commented the letter he just released.

He’s also served as a superintendent in Pinellas County, Fla., and East Baton Rouge, La., was a senior vice president with Scholastic, and started his career as an elementary school teacher in Waterloo, Iowa (you can see his complete bio here).

Superintendent Ann Clark made the announcement this afternoon. “It has been my honor and privilege to serve on Team CMS for more than three decades. I am excited to work closely with Clayton Wilcox to ensure an exceedingly well-executed baton handoff of this amazing district and its outstanding students and staff. Our district is eager to welcome the new superintendent and I look forward to watching the continued success of CMS under his leadership.”

McPherson and Jacobson, LLC conducted the search. They chose 10 finalists out of the 51 people who successfully completed the application process.

Dr. Wilcox will begin his new position on July 1, 2017.

Top 10 Things To Do This Weekend in Charlotte

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The weekend is almost here, and with temperatures expected to be in the mid to upper 60s, it should turn out to be an amazing one!

This weekend we’ll see tons of live music, shows, marches, and games.

Here are the top 10 things happening around the Charlotte region this weekend:

#1 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

nascar hall of fame induction ceremony

This coming Friday night, some of the greatest racers in the history of NASCAR will be inducted into the Hall of Fame right here in Charlotte.

Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, Mark Martin, Raymond Parks and Benny Parsons will be honored during this year’s ceremony set for Friday, January 20, 2017.

For more info or for tickets click here.

#2 Adopt-A-Street Clean Up Day

atherton mill southend charlotte

In honor of our President Obama’s last day in office, Third Rock Events will be hosting a clean-up day in Southend this coming Friday, Jan. 20th. They are asking people to meet outside Good Bottle Co. on Remount RD at 1:00 PM. Once we finish cleaning up the streets we will buy you a beer at Lenny Boy Brewing Co.. Sign up by contacting us at info@3rdrockevents.com

For more info click here.

#3 Women’s March On Charlotte

womens-march-on-charlotte

Several thousand Charlotteans have committed to march around Uptown Charlotte this Saturday, Jan. 21st in what could be the largest women’s march in our city’s history.

For more information click here.

#4 Breaking Benjamin

breaking-benjamin

Legendary rock band Breaking Benjamin will be coming to the Queen City this weekend. They’ll be performing live at Amos’ Southend on Saturday, Jan. 21st starting at 8pm.

For more info or for tickets click here.

#5 Yelp Fit Club

yelp-fit-club-2017

 

One of the biggest fitness events this year will be the Yelp Fit Club and Wellness Fair on January 21st. This year they’ve partnered with the Charlotte Hornets to get Charlotteans in shape and to raise money for the American Diabetes Association.

For more info or tickets click here.

#6 Charlotte Hornets vs. Toronto Raptors

Raptors vs hornets in charlotte

This coming Saturday, Jan. 21st, the Hornets will be taking on the Toronto Raptors at the Spectrum Center in Uptown Charlotte starting at 7pm.

For tickets or more info click here.

#7 2017 Easyriders Bike Show

easy-rider-bike-show

One of the nation’s largest bike shows is coming to Charlotte this year. The 2017 Easyrider Bike Show will feature hundreds of custom motorcycles and tons of merchandise this coming Saturday, Jan. 21st., from 10am-7pm.

The show will feature;

-Live music all day
-Dance performances by the Purrfect Angelz
-Live drifting demos by NTC Drift Trikes

For more information or tickets click here.

#8 Tim Hawkins Live

tim-hawkins-live

Tim Hawkins is a family-friendly comedian and leader of the Jackwagon Crew—a of fans that have helped Tim tally more than 300 million views on his online videos.

He will be performing life at the Ovens Auditorium this Saturday, Jan. 21st at 7pm.

Fore more info click here.

#9 Murder-Mystery Dinner

Uptown Charlotte’s murder-mystery dinners begin innocently enough—guests arrive to mingle amid drinks and quiet conversation. As diners munch away, a sudden death interrupts the feasting. A detective arrives to determine who the killer is, inevitably laying blame on one of the audience members. Tablemates work together to prove their innocence and find the real killer through an interactive performance full of hilarious suspects and eye-catching costumes, all the while dining on the included three-course meal and taking advantage of drink specials.

For more information or tickets click here.

#10 Carolina Bridal Fair

carolina bridal fair

Carolina Bridal & Wedding Fair has become one of the largest and most well respected bridal events in the Carolinas. It’s all because we implement fresh ideas and pump FUN into each of our shows. Plus, we work with only the best wedding professionals around.

It will be hosted at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center this coming Sunday, Jan 22nd, from 12pm-5pm.

Tickets are only $8.00 in advance/online. Be sure to get yours today and save money. Tickets $12 at the door (cash only).

For more info click here.

If you think other events should be on this list or future lists, let us know – Scott@CharlotteStories.com

Major Retailer Just Announced Plans To Add 500 New North Carolina Jobs in 2017

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100253043-walmart-employees-india-gettyp-530x298Walmart just announced plans to add over 10,000 U.S. jobs and provide skills-building training to about 250,000 of their employees before the end of 2017.

Many of the new positions would be in new stores, including 59 Walmart and Sam’s Club sites it is set to open, remodel or expand. The company says this level of job growth is consistent with what it has delivered over the past several years.

Wal-Mart plans on specifically adding at least 500 new jobs in North Carolina, mostly from new store openings.

“Over the next year, we plan to open at least four more stores (in North Carolina), continue to innovate our business, invest in e-commerce and continue to improve our existing stores by remodeling more than 20 locations across the state, including four in Charlotte,” commented Phillip Keene with Wal-Mart’s Southeast district.

The company will be attempting to attract and retain talent by expanding their Academies program that provides special training for store workers. This year, they’ll open about 160 new training facilities to offer various kinds of skills training (big news considering they’ve only opened 40 to-date)

This comes on the heals of Amazon’s announcement to add 100,000 new jobs over the next 18 months.

Charlotte City Council About To Vote On Re-Zoning Hundreds of New Apartments in NoDa

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optimistparkThe Charlotte City Council is voting tonight on whether or not to allow the development of several hundred new apartments all along the new light-rail line between Uptown Charlotte and University City.

With the new light-rail line now scheduled to open this coming summer, several developers have been scrambling to build hundreds of new apartments along the line, especially in Optimist Park, Villa Heights, and NoDa.

One of the biggest new developments was filed by the Miller-Valentine Group that would permit a five-story apartment community with 275 units and 3,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space facing North Davidson.

At this point, Charlotte city planning staff think approval is likely for all the projects.

To view the complete proposals for all the development projects click here.

What do you think about all the new development around NoDa? Do you think it will turn into the new South End?  

One Of The World’s Best Spartan Racers Lives in Charlotte (Exclusive Video Interview)

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janet barry top ocr racerMeet Janet Barry, a Charlotte Magazine account executive by day, and a world-class elite Spartan racer by night.

She overcame a potentially career-ending injury during her freshman year at UNC Charlotte and pushed through the pain to run all four years of her collegiate career (2008-2012). Since graduating, she has earned an impressive number of podium finishes at some of the most competitive obstacle races in the country, including:

  • 2016 Chicago Spartan Race: 3rd Place
  • 2015 Alabama Spartan Race: 1st Place
  • 2015 Spartan Sprint: 2nd Place
  • 2015 Asheville Spartan Super: 3rd Place Female (Overall)
  • 2015 DC Spartan Race: 5th Elite Woman
  • 2014 Carolina’s Spartan Beast: 4th Place

I had the honor of meeting up with her at Romare Bearden Park and Uptown’s Reebok Crossfit Gym to see how she trains and to talk about her journey:

Over the past 2 years, Janet has attracted several sponsors who are helping her compete at the highest levels of her sport, including her title sponsor Healthy Cell, as well as Rim -Tec, Greenapple Sport and wellness, Yup Brands, Beet Performer, and Mudgear.

She hopes to one day see Obstacle Course Racing in the Olympics so that she can represent the United States and Charlotte on a global level.

She now sees OCR as a metaphor for overcoming the challenges in life and hopes to continue to inspire others to push through every obstacle they face.

Lake Norman’s Latest Escape Room Challenge Is NASCAR Themed

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The Charlotte region now has a new “Escape Room Challenge” up in Mooresville, right next to Lake Norman. “Escape Rooms” are a widely popular new trend that’s been spreading around the Charlotte region over the past few years. They are basically group activities that force teams to work together to solve clues and “escape” their room.

Race City Escapes has two unique “escape rooms”, and they are currently building their third. Since they are in the heart of NASCAR country, their first room is called the on the “Race Ruse room”. Each participant is part of a fictional pit crew, locked in a rival’s garage. They are given one hour to escape, or miss making the championship race.

Their second room is called the Harmonic Haze, designed to simulate a 1920s speakeasy, with a makeshift bar, poker table and stage. Participants in this room are asked to help rescue a kidnapped performer.

According to their website, “you, and up to 10 people are put in a room. Your task is to find clues, solve puzzles to ultimately figure out how to “Escape the Room”. Inside you may find various types of locks, puzzle boxes, cryptograms, cryptic clues, and other brain teasers that all must be figured out so that you can escape in time.”

Race City Escapes gives participants a total of 60 minutes to escape out of the room…or else…

Each room is fully monitored with cameras in almost every corner to monitor progress and check for cheaters. The difficulty level of each challenge is determined by how many clues each team requests. Each room at Race City Escapes has a different and intriguing solution.

Escape Room Challeges have been quickly spreading all over the Charlotte region. We now have a total of 9 escape room challenge companies, with another one popping up every few months.

Codescape Escape Room Challenge recently invited the Charlotte Stories team to experience one of their more challenging rooms…

Here’s the video from our experience:

Have you been to an escape room challenge?

What did you think of the experience?