Thousands Planning To March On Uptown Charlotte This Weekend

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Thousands Planning To March On Uptown Charlotte This Weekend

womens-march-on-charlotteSeveral thousand Charlotteans have committed to march around Uptown Charlotte this Saturday in what could be the largest women’s march in our city’s history.

On their Facebook event page alone, there are 2,700 people who said they are going, with another 4,500 maybes. Several thousand more have committed via the group’s Event Bright page and on their website.

This weekend’s march, called the Women’s March on Charlotte, it’s joining with over 200,000 people expected to march in the Women’s March on Washington. Dozens of other cities around the world are also planning their own marches.

According to their website, “The Women’s March on Charlotte is being held in alignment with the Women’s March on Washington, on January 21, 2017. Charlotte is only one of multiple cities across the nation holding local Women’s Marches, sending a clear message to our government that women’s rights are human rights.

The Women’s March on Charlotte welcomes people of all faiths, genders, ethnicities and sexual orientation; we want our voices and our message to be heard in Washington and around the world.”

Even though it’s called the Women’s March on Charlotte, organizers are now saying that at least 1,000 men and children are also expected to participate.

The two-mile march will start in First Ward, and end in Romare Bearden Park this coming Saturday.

What do you think about the march? 

Video Of What Could Be The Largest Alligator Ever Seen Now Going Viral

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Video Of What Could Be The Largest Alligator Ever Seen Now Going Viral

People are going crazy on social media over a potentially record-breaking alligator captured on film this past weekend by Kim Joiner in Polk County, Florida.

It took over half-a-minute for the monster gator to cross what appears to be an 8- to 10-foot-wide path. In the background, several other people are watching, stunned, with cameras in hand.

Experts estimate this gator to be over 15 feet in length:

According to the fish and wildlife conservation commission, alligators very rarely grow to be longer than 10 feet. The largest alligator ever captured in the state was just over 14 feet long.

A few moths ago, in June of 2016, another monster gator was filmed on a golf course in Palmetto, Florida. It was also estimated to be at least 15 feet in length.

Do you think gators are getting bigger? 

Charlotte Won 3 Sizable Grants To Build Interactive Projects Throughout The City

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Charlotte Won 3 Sizable Grants To Build Interactive Projects Throughout The City

Charlotte won big in the nation-wide $1 million ‘Play Everywhere Challenge’. Three separate Queen City organizations were among the 50 winners.

The contest was primarily sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – it’s goal was to “help uncover the best replicable, scalable innovations in city redevelopment and design that will make play easy, available and fun for all kids and families”.

The Charlotte winners included The Center City Partner’s new Rail Trail Symphony, the Konnected Foundation’s SPARK project, and The City of Charlotte’s GovPorch project.

The Center City Partner’s winning ‘Rail Trail Symphony’ will include an installation of colorful, life-sized musical instruments that will allow residents to have spontaneous jam sessions with each other.

Kids and families will bang on drums and chimes, sing to passersby from a performance platform, scribble favorite lyrics on a chalkboard, dance on imaginative stamped concrete, and jump on creative seating.

charlotte-rail-trail-project

The Konnected Foundation’s SPARK (Socialize. Play. Accommodate to Reach Kids) project will be the first of its kind in Charlotte, it will include several interactive installments near Beatties Ford and Central Ave for local families to meet, socialize, and become more active at their local bus stop and in the nearby park.

beates-ford-rd-interactive-display

The third Charlotte winner is The City of Charlotte’s GovPorch project, with a goal of re-imagining the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center Plaza to include:

  1. “A Playground for All”
    1. Colorful porch swings
    2. Platforms that cover the unused fountains that kids and visitors can sit on, climb on, and play on with themes that prompt discovery (See c. and d.)
    3. Outdoor bean bags
    4. An iconic custom hornets’ nest for children to play and climb on
    5. Ping pong tables
    6. Life size legos and cars – a mini build your own Charlotte
    7. Shade sails so rest and play can be more comfortable
  2. “A Library Garden”
    1. Colorful, glow-in the dark pots and plants
    2. Rocking chairs for adults and children
    3. Wall fountains
    4. A library station where kids and grown up kids can borrow books
  3. “Accessibility and Connection to the Public”
    1. Child-painted stepping stones that traverse a grade change that separates the space from the sidewalk
    2. Platforms with colorful seating to provide more activity between the project and public realm
    3. Fun, Can-Do signage

interactive-park-in-uptown-charlotte

Each of the three Charlotte winners will receive a grant in the amount of $20,000 for each of their projects.

It looks like Charlotte is about to get a lot more interactive.

Federal Judge Blocks Roy Cooper’s Medicaid Expansion Efforts

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Federal Judge Blocks Roy Cooper’s Medicaid Expansion Efforts

roy-cooper-medicaidOn Saturday afternoon, a federal judge issued an immediate block on Roy Coopers proposed medicaid expansion plan for North Carolina.

The block is now in place for two weeks, deferring any possible expansion until after the Trump Administration is in place.

Under the Affordable Care Act, states are allowed to expand Medicaid with the federal government picking up 100 percent of the costs at first, then slightly declining until 2020, when the government would thereafter pay 90 percent of the costs.

Cooper’s expansion request would provide coverage to over 500,000 additional low income North Carolinians.

The governor is trying to get North Carolina’s expansion rushed through, since it would be unlikely if congress and President-elect Donald Trump would be able to repeal the law and make changes to health care funding if the expansion were to pass.

NC GOP leaders protest that the federal government isn’t allowed to grant Cooper’s request since it would violate federal laws, and a 2013 state law that prevents any expanded health coverage without NC General Assembly approval, which Cooper lacks.

“The governor’s application to expand Medicaid is no more a valid representation of the state’s interest than would be an application submitted by the North Carolina Supreme Court or even a citizen of Idaho,” GOP attorneys wrote Saturday.

Under the expansion, North Carolina would be required to provide a financial match to receive the federal Medicaid funds. Cooper wants the match could come from hospitals, but the lawsuit says expansion could require the state to be responsible for over $500 million through 2021.

What do you think about the proposed medicaid expansion?

Harrisburg Park Doubling In Size After Town Buys 40 More Acres For $425,000

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Harrisburg Park Doubling In Size After Town Buys 40 More Acres For $425,000

harrisburg parks and rec futureThe Harrisburg Park will now be expanding by over 40 acres acres, thanks to a recent purchase by the Harrisburg Town Council.

The parcel, located southwest of the current park boundary, will double the size of the park and improve park access from Hwy. 49. In accordance with the town’s parks plan, uses under consideration include multipurpose sports fields, splash pad and expanded playground facilities with multigenerational features and picnic shelters.

Harrisburg Town Council agreed to purchase the parcel from a bank for $425,000 during this past week’s town meeting.

Natural areas and an expanded trail system bordering Back Creek are planned to balance preservation of green space and tree canopy with the need for expanded youth sports facilities.

You can find out more about the future plans of the Harrisburg Park in the Harrisburg Parks and Rec Master Plan.

CATS Just Launched New $1.5 Million Study In Preparation Of New Light Rail Line To The Airport

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CATS Just Launched New $1.5 Million Study In Preparation Of New Light Rail Line To The Airport

charlotte 2030 light rail planCATS just launched their new $1.5 million study to determine how and where a possible new light rail line out to the Charlotte Douglas Airport might be built.

Their 2030 transit plan includes an extension of the current CityLYNX Gold Line street car out to the airport, but with the rapid expansion of Charlotte’s population, CATS leaders now want to determine if a faster light rail line is a better option.

The new $1.5 million study will use an outside consulting firm to answer the following 4 questions:

#1 Should the west corridor line be a streetcar (like the Gold Line) or a light rail (like the Blue Line)?

#2 Should the new line be built on Wilkinson Boulevard or West Boulevard?

#3 Where will it access the airport?

#4 Will it connect to Charlotte’s new 1,300 acre ‘River District’?

This new airport line, as well as Lake Norman’s ‘Red Line’, and Independence Blvd’s ‘Silver Line’ (none of which have been approved) would likely cost over $2 billion, requiring some heavy federal and state cooperation through substantial grants and/or loans.

CATS officials are now hoping that the new Trump administration will look favorably on more rail lines across the country, given that Trump has already promised over $1 trillion to be allocated for infrastructure over the next 10 years. We may have an even greater chance of receiving federal funds if Trump selects our former Mayor, Pat McCrory, to a cabinet position.

What do you think about a new rail line to the airport?

Do you think it should be a street car or light rail?

Should it travel down Wilkinson or West Blvd.?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Charlotte’s First Video Dating Service Is Launching in February

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Charlotte’s First Video Dating Service Is Launching in February

video-dating-in-charlotteWith the rise of dating sites like Match.com and EHarmony.com, and phone apps like Tinder, some people are beginning to think that video dating is a thing of the past.

One of the first major companies to pioneer the art of video dating was Great Expectations in the mid 70s, followed closely by Teledate, Introvision, and Date-A-Max.

In the 80s and 90s, video dating saw incredible success, with hundreds of couples finding their soul mate through the various services:

Starting in the late 90s, however, the rise of the internet ushered in the slow demise of the tried and true services.

Waves of people began to leave heart-felt video messaging for quick online chat sessions and picture swiping apps.

Here at Charlotte Stories, we decided to do something about this alarming trend.

We are about to launch an entirely new generation of video dating, right here in the Queen City:

We will begin filming the first videos in the beginning of February to be released in time for Valentines Day.

Video dating is back!

….and yes we are serious…we are really going to do this.

Please help spread the word – tell all your single friends to email Dating@CLTStories.com if they’d like to be filmed and shown to thousands of potential matches right here in the Charlotte region!

The 7th Murder of 2017 Was Just Committed in Northwest Charlotte

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The 7th Murder of 2017 Was Just Committed in Northwest Charlotte

CMPD has just confirmed that Thomas Louis Beatty Jr, 52, was shot and killed in northwest Charlotte this past Friday afternoon. This is now the 7th murder so far in 2017.

Officers arrived on Morning Breeze Lane on Friday afternoon at around 4:30 Friday afternoon to discover Thomas lying in the front yard of his home.

He was quickly rushed to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

According to the police report, the shooter and the victim are thought to have some sort of relationship and the shooting is thought to be drug related. .

The police are still looking for the shooter and have asked for the public’s help.

If you have any information, please call Crimestoppers at 704-334-1600.

Charlotte Area Man Found Guilty of Trafficking Meth

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Charlotte Area Man Found Guilty of Trafficking Meth

trafficking-meth-in-charlotteA Charlotte area man has just been found guilty this past week for trafficking over 300 grams of meth. The Morganton man has now been sentenced to two active sentences of 7-10 years and fined $200,000 for trafficking more than 300 grams of meth and other charges.

Reginald Curtis, 37, was arrested back in January 2014 after Morganton Police discovered a shoebox filled with roughly 303 grams of methamphetamine in his rental car. He initially ran from police, forcing police to tase him to bring him down.

He was charged with felony maintaining a vehicle for a controlled substance, felony trafficking in methamphetamine by transportation, felony trafficking in methamphetamine by possession, felony possession with intent to sell and distribute methamphetamine, felony possession of a stolen firearm, and felony possession of a firearm by a felon.

Curtis was found guilty on all counts by a Catawba County jury this past Thursday.

Charlotte’s Newest Planetarium is Opening This Weekend

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Charlotte’s Newest Planetarium is Opening This Weekend

charlottes-first-planitariumCharlotte’s newest planetarium is about to open this Saturday, Jan. 14th at the Discovery Place Nature building (1658 Sterling Road), next to Freedom Park.

The planetarium was a reconstruction of the museum’s original Charlotte A. Kelly Planetarium, which closed back in the 80s, the dome has now been retrofitted with a new Digitarium® Zeta planetarium system, with bench and floor seating around the dome.

It features 22-feet-high ceilings, which gives viewers an IMAX-like experience.

They are currently showing two films, “Winter Sky”, which gives an up-close look at the Charlotte sky during our winter months, and “Back to the Moon for Good,” which talks about the growing interest of returning to the moon (narrated by Tim Allen).

The Discovery Place Nature building (originally the Charlotte Nature Museum) first opened in 1951 as one of the first facilities in the Southeast that focused on bringing families and nature together.

charlotte-planetariumIn 1965, they opened the city’s first planetarium to begin educating students about the skies above.

Families and students traveled from all over the state to learn about the night sky.

In 1981, when Uptown Charlotte’s Discovery Place opened their larger planetarium, the Charlotte Nature Museum decided to convert their’s into “The Nature Dome featuring Grandpa Tree”. They now feel it’s time for Charlotte to have 2 planetariums.

The grand opening will be on Saturday, Jan. 14, with shows every hour on the hour from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

After Saturday, shows will be displayed Tuesdays-Fridays at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Saturdays at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and Sundays at 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

You can find out more or buy tickets on their website here.

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