Charlotte Receives $25 Million Federal Grant To Build Historic Gateway Station

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Charlotte Receives $25 Million Federal Grant To Build Historic Gateway Station

charlotte uptown gateway stationThanks to our former mayor and current US Transportation Secretary, Anthony Foxx, the city of Charlotte has just won a massive $25 million federal grand to help build the uptown Gateway Station.

The grant was part of the federal government’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.

The $25 million will help pay for design and construction of Charlotte’s massive new ‘grand central station’. Plans for the area go far beyond just trains. The city is envisioning a massive terminal that will combine passenger train traffic with the light rail, street car and city bus systems.

“It will unlock lots of private investment, it will shape that investment to create a walkable zone around this station.” commented Michael Smith of Charlotte Center City Partners.

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Although this new grant is a major step forward, we still have a ways to go. The total Gateway Station project will cost an estimated $150 million to $200 million, and it isn’t yet clear where the rest of the money will come from.

The city’s transportation budget is already stretched thin by the new $1.1 billion Blue Line Extension, and the upcoming Silver Line Extension down to Matthews..

What do you think about the new Gateway Station?

Woman in Concord NC Started “Adopt A Cop” Movement

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Woman in Concord NC Started “Adopt A Cop” Movement

The wife of a Concord police officer has just started a new ‘Adopt A Cop’ movement that has already seen unbelievable success.

Leah Grasty wanted to show her appreciation for all that law enforecement officers do for her community, so she turned to Facebook for help.

“They wear bulletproof vests to work every single day. When he leaves the house, I pray to God that he brings him home safely. With everything happening in society right now, I just really wanted to do something to show that the community does support them and appreciate them,” Grasty said.

She posted this status on Tuesday:

Within 2 days of the post, all 161 officers at Concord Police Department were adopted by local residents.

After receiving all the letters, checks, and gifts at her home, she drove down to the police station to personally deliver every personalized gift to each police officer.

Fox 46 produced the following video that captured the reactions:

Charlotte Might Soon Get A $15 Million Tornado-Warning System

Steve
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Charlotte Might Soon Get A $15 Million Tornado-Warning System

doppler-radar-charlotteRepublican Representative Robert Pittenger just inserted a $15 million amendment into the NC House spending bill for a sophisticated radar system to warn residents of approaching tornadoes and other severe weather.

We’re actually the national largest metropolitan area without one (a full Doppler radar system). In the last 4 years, the Charlotte metro area has had at least 3 instances where tornadoes were either not detected, or detected for the wrong neighborhood.

In the bill, representative Pittenger commented that, “The committee’s decision to include our radar request in the upcoming appropriations bill is a major step forward, and we will continue to pursue every prudent angle until we find a solution.”

Do you think the Charlotte region needs a better radar system?

Cornelius Will Be Dedicating Their New $100,000 9/11 Memorial Tomorrow Morning

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Cornelius Will Be Dedicating Their New $100,000 9/11 Memorial Tomorrow Morning

The tragedy of 9/11 has been forever etched in the minds and hearts of every American.

Cornelius’ Never Forget | 9/11 Monument will include a large section of steel from the World Trade Center and be located in front of Cornelius Fire Station #1 to honor the first responders and citizens who were affected by the events on September 11, 2001.

The town of Cornelius will be holding a dedication ceremony this morning (9/11/2016) at 19729 South Main Street from 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM

They are still asking for help to raise the remainder of the $100,000 total cost. So far, the Town has raised $80,000, and they are currently working with citizens to hold fundraisers and asking for personal donations.

If you’d like to host your own fundraiser, you can Email the town of Cornelius for help with promotion.

South Carolina Woman Awarded $4.6 Million After Being Stuck By A Needle In Target Parking Lot

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South Carolina Woman Awarded $4.6 Million After Being Stuck By A Needle In Target Parking Lot
via Flickr
via Flickr

A South Carolina jury has just awarded an Anderson woman $4.6 million after she was stuck by a hypodermic needle in a Target parking lot.

The Independent-Mail of Anderson reported that Carla Denise Garrison parked and stepped out of her vehicle when her then 8-year-old daughter, Kaileigh, picked up a hypodermic needle. Garrison swatted the needle out of her daughter’s hand. When she did that, the needle stuck her in her right palm.

The drugs still left in the needle made Garrison sick and caused her to be bedridden. Garrison’s husband, Clint, had to take time off work to care for her, according to her attorney.

Before the lawsuit against Target went to trial, they offered to settle with the retailer for $12,000, but the settlement was rejected. When the trial concluded this past week, a jury ruled that Garrison was entitled to well more than that. If the amount stands, it will be one of the largest awarded in the history of Anderson County litigation, according to Clerk of Court Richard Shirley.

“When we started this, we were just trying to get Target to make my client whole, to pay for her medical bills and the time that her husband had to take off work,” said Garrison’s attorney, Joshua Hawkins of Greenville. “We tried to be reasonable and not take this to trial. But Target took a really hard stance on it … and I think the jury sent a message.”

Target spokeswoman Erika Winkels said the company is considering an appeal.

Hundreds Witness Fireball Streak Across North Carolina Sky

Steve
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Hundreds Witness Fireball Streak Across North Carolina Sky

If you noticed a huge fireball in the sky this past Thursday evening, your eyes weren’t playing tricks on you – a fireball did indeed fall through North Carolina sky (a ‘fireball’ is defined as a meteor that is brighter than the planet Venus).

At around 6:04 pm an extremely bright meteor streaked across the North Carolina daytime sky. Youtuber Neil Chester captured his view from his car’s dash cam:

The American Meteor Society said it has received more than 250 reports about the event, that occurred at about 6 p.m.

While the fireball, was primarily a North Carolina phenomenon, AMS noted that people from as far away as Virginia and South Carolina also witnessed the event.

Evil Clown Sightings Reported Near School in Cleveland County, North Carolina

Charlotte Stories
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Evil Clown Sightings Reported Near School in Cleveland County, North Carolina

Police in Cleveland County launched a major manhunt this week after two separate clown sightings were reported near the Cleveland County elementary school (one person even posted a picture on Facebook, claiming to have taken it near the school).

On Wednesday they announced that their search didn’t produce any results, and that the claims were most likely false. They also noted that any future posts of clowns that are determined to be false or malicious could result in an arrest of the person who posted the picture.

The Cleveland County Police Department posted this warning on their Facebook page:

“We have had an anonymous call to a Cleveland County elementary school today reporting a clown on school premises and a Facebook post depicting a clown with the caption that it was seen near a Cleveland County high school. Both of these incidents were investigated and found to be false. Investigating these allegations has taken numerous man hours from the Sheriff’s Office. We realize that fear regarding incidents involving clowns in South Carolina has spread and, unfortunately some are using it to play pranks. To many this is not a joking matter. Baseless and false reports take away from the Sheriff’s Office resources and ability to work other criminal investigations. After conferring with the District Attorney’s Office, we have determined anyone who posts a picture of a clown stating it is near a school will possibly face charges of obstruction of justice.”

This was one of the first images from a person who claimed to have spotted one of the clowns in Greenville, SC;

There were also several verified claims from local school children that clowns had been seen in the woods trying to get them to follow him with various amounts of money.

After various eye witness accounts and police investigations, local residents are now setting up neighborhood watches and keeping their children indoors at night, reports Greenville’s WYFF.

What do you think about all these recent clown sightings?

Top 10 Things To Do Around Charlotte This Weekend

Steve
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Top 10 Things To Do Around Charlotte This Weekend

This weekend is going to be incredible! There will be tons of food trucks, live music, festivals, football, and more!

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

#1 Yiasou Greek Festival

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The Yiasou (Greek for ‘Hello’, ‘Goodbye’, and ‘Cheers’) Greek Festival features Hellenic cultural exhibits, authentic Greek cuisine, entertainment, art, shopping, and plenty of dancing.

For more info click here.

#2 Florida Georgia Line, Cole Swindell, & Kane Brown

florida-georgia-line

Florida Georgia Line is coming to the PNC Music Factory tomorrow along with Cole Swindell, The Cadillac Three & Kane Brown. The show will start at 7pm.

For more info click here.

#3 Eat From A Truck Festival

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Tomorrow, starting at noon, 100 food trucks will fill the parking lot at the AvidXChange Music Factory (formerly NC Music Factory) for an epic day of great food, live music, and plenty of people watching.

For more information click here.

#4 Charlotte Open Air Market

charlotte open air market

Charlotte’s biggest open air market is coming again this weekend to the old Eastland Mall site Saturday and Sunday from 7am-5pm.

It will feature hundreds of local vendors, farmers, and craftsmen selling everything you can imagine.

For more information click here.

#5 Sip & Stroll Art, Wine, and Music Festival

epicenter charlotte

Artists will set up booths displaying and selling artwork, and over 40 wine vineyards will be offering free wine tasting. There will also be live music tonight until 9pm and Saturday from 1-8 p.m.

For more info click here.

#6 Southern Ideal Home Show

souther-ideal-home-show

The Southern Ideal Home Show is coming to the Park Expo tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday night. It will be filled with everything related to building, remodeling, decorating and landscaping. Talk to hundreds of vendors and experts under one roof for comparison shopping and professional advice.

For tickets or more info click here.

#7 11th Annual Fiddle n’ Pig Shindig

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Back for the 11th year, the Fiddle ‘n Pig Shindig will bring some of the region’s best bluegrass acts, including: Underhill Rose, The Hinson Girls, Southern Express, Deeper Shade of Blue and ClayBank. The music and food will start at 11a.m. and going until 9p.m. on Saturday, September 10th at the Comporium Amphitheater, 291 Dairy Barn Lane, Fort Mill.

For more info or tickets click here.

#8 Carolina Wine Tours

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Within a 60 mile radius around Charlotte, there are over a dozen wineries of all shapes and sizes, including a cat-themed winery that just opened in York County!

Just southeast of Charlotte, you can live out childhood fantasies by enjoying some award-winning wine in a treehouse at The Treehouse Vineyards in Monroe. If you’re in the Concord area, you can enjoy some local art with your wine at The Cabo Winery.

#9 Dinosaur Jr.

dinosaur-jr-charlotte

Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name. They’ll be rocking the Neighborhood Theater tomorrow night at 8pm.

For more info or tickets click here.

#10 Charlotte 49er Football Home Opener vs. Elon

charlotte-uncc-home-openers

Tomorrow night the Charlotte 49ers will take on Elon for their first home game of the season. Kickoff will be at 9pm.

For more info or tickets click here.

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

Charlotte’s Largest Cultural Event Is Happening This Weekend

Steve
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Charlotte’s Largest Cultural Event Is Happening This Weekend

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Today was the first day of the Queen City’s 39th Annual Yiasou Greek Festival, which has become our city’s largest cultural event that brings in 30,000 people every year.

The Yiasou (Greek for ‘Hello’, ‘Goodbye’, and ‘Cheers’) Greek Festival features Hellenic cultural exhibits, authentic Greek cuisine, entertainment, art, shopping, and plenty of dancing.

Check out the live entertainment schedule, and info on the kids activities.

There will be plenty of costumes…

and amazing food…

🇬🇷 Loukoumodas. Baklava. Efharisto. 🇬🇷

A photo posted by EB (@likeabluegirl) on

and tons of awesome culture…

Enjoying the Charlotte Greek Festival. 🇬🇷 #YiasouFestival

A video posted by Posse Social Media (@possesocialmedia) on

Don’t miss out and make sure to spread the word!

Cam Newton Made History During Last Night’s Game Against The Broncos

Steve
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Cam Newton Made History During Last Night’s Game Against The Broncos

Cam Newton just make history in Denver last night in more than one way.

His 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter now makes Cam the all-time leader for career rushing touchdowns for a quarterback – he’s already passed the legendary Steve Young with 44 all-time.

Last night’s game also marked the 32nd game in Newton’s career that he’s finished with a touchdown through the air and on the ground, surpassing another one of Steve Young’s records of 31 games.

What makes these broken records even more impressive is Cam’s age. He broke both records in his 79th career regular season game. He’s still only 27 years old playing in his sixth NFL season- the 2015 MVP shouldn’t have much trouble smashing several other quarterback records and solidifying himself as one of the greatest NFL players of all time.

Carolina led 17-7 at halftime, but ended up narrowly losing with a final score of 20-21.

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