19-Year-Old App State Student Dies From Covid-19

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19-Year-Old App State Student Dies From Covid-19

A 19-year-old student from North Carolina’s Appalachian State University has just passed away from COVID-19, according to school officials.

Last night, Sophomore Chad Dorrill, who was majoring in exercise science, passed away in Winston-Salem’s Forsyth Medical Center.

Earlier this afternoon, the University released the following statement:

“Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, Parents, and Families,

It is with the deepest sadness that I share with you that one of our students, Chad Dorrill, has died.

The hearts of the entire Appalachian Community are with Chad’s family and loved ones during this profoundly difficult and painful time. Tributes shared by friends and loved ones show the positive impact Chad had on the communities he loved and called home, which included App State and Boone.

Chad’s family has shared he had been diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this month and suffered from later complications. Chad lived off-campus in Boone and all of his classes were online. When he began feeling unwell earlier this month, his mother encouraged him to come home, quarantine, and be tested for COVID-19.

After testing positive for COVID-19 in his home county, he followed isolation procedures and was cleared by his doctor to return to Boone. It was after his return to Boone that he had additional complications, was picked up by his family and hospitalized. His family’s wishes are for the university to share a common call to action so our entire campus community recognizes the importance of following COVID-19 safety protocols and guidelines.

Despite generally being at lower risk for severe illness, college-age adults can become seriously ill from COVID-19. As we approach the halfway mark to the last day of classes for the Fall semester, we are seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases in students. We have stringent cleaning and safety protocols in place on campus, and our students, faculty and staff are following the 3Ws by wearing face coverings, maintaining 6 feet of distance from one another and washing and sanitizing their hands and work stations. All of us must remain vigilant with our safety behaviors wherever we are in our community. We can flatten the curve, but to do so, we must persevere. From the smallest acts to the most important personal relationships, we must actively work each day to reduce the spread of this highly communicable disease.

Remember that gatherings are limited to 25 people indoors and 50 outdoors, and that in those settings, it is still critically important to maintain distance and wear face coverings. The university and the Town of Boone are enforcing these restrictions, and each of us must take seriously our personal responsibility as well. With grace and with kindness, let’s help one another to follow these important safety precautions.”

Please pray for Chad’s family and all those affected. 

North Carolina’s MindPath Teams Up with Virtual Health Partners to Offer Virtual Solutions

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North Carolina’s MindPath Teams Up with Virtual Health Partners to Offer Virtual Solutions

MindPath Care Centers, North Carolina’s largest outpatient mental and behavioral healthcare provider, is pleased to announce that it has teamed up with Virtual Health Partners (VHP), an innovator in cost-effective virtual health and wellness solutions, to offer patients to connect with experts who can assist with nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle modifications, anytime and anywhere through the VHPGO app.  With VHPGO, patients have three choices, the On-Demand Package for $9.95/month; the Enhanced Package for $19.95/month; or the Ultimate Package for $89.95/month.

“We are dedicated to increasing patient access to essential mindcare, especially during the pandemic, and this virtual option from VHPGO will enable our patients to receive the additional support they need, when and where they need it,” said Stan Monroe, President and General Counsel at MindPath Care Centers.

The VHPGO app offers 24/7 virtual solutions for patients looking for wellness support and includes live nutrition and fitness classes, live virtual support groups, on-demand workouts, meal plans, healthy recipes, progress trackers and accountability groups.  This virtual platform empowers individuals to maintain a healthy lifestyle while adhering to the current social distancing measures.  Individuals can now eliminate traffic and travel times often associated with in-person appointments and can schedule a time that meets their scheduling needs.

“We are proud to collaborate with MindPath Care Centers to give patients instant access to comprehensive wellness programming, allowing real-time decision making to further support their health,” said Jillian Bridgette Cohen, VHP Co-Founder and CEO.  “Working together, we are able to deliver the highest quality and most comprehensive outpatient mental health support to help people navigate life’s challenges and send them on their respective wellness journey.”

The VHPGO On Demand Package includes access to the fitness, nutrition and lifestyle library, unlimited instant messaging with VHP nutrition specialists, meal plans and recipes, wellness trackers and monthly goal setting.  The Enhanced Package includes everything outlined in the On-Demand Package plus one virtual nutrition class and one fitness class.  And the Ultimate Package includes everything in

the On-Demand Package plus one 1:1 nutrition appointment, one virtual nutrition class, one virtual lifestyle modification class and one virtual fitness class.  For more information about the MindPath Care Centers’ VHPGO package information, please visit https://www.mindpathcare.com/virtual-wellness-program/.

Top 7 Best Coffee Deals Around Charlotte For National Coffee Day

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Top 7 Best Coffee Deals Around Charlotte For National Coffee Day

Happy National Coffee Day!

Charlotte is becoming a true hub for amazing coffee roasters, brewers, and drinkers, and today some of our best local coffee shops (and national chains) are offering some truly amazing deals.

Here are all the places you need to hit up today for National Coffee Day:

Barnes & Noble: Recieve a free hot or iced tall coffee when you buy any item from the bake case at Charlotte-area locations.

Caribou Coffee: When you purchase a large beverage, receive 50% off a bag of beans to take home.

Cuplux: They will be offering $3 PSLs and $1 drip coffee all day today.

Duck Donuts: Get a hot or iced coffee for free with any donut purchase.

Dunkin’: With any purchase, you receive 1 free medium hot or iced coffee at Charlotte-area locations.

Jack in the Box: Get a free regular hot or iced coffee with a purchase from your smart phone.

Krispy Kreme: Recieve a free brewed coffee, no purchase necessary.

Massive Brawl Breaks Out At Northlake Mall

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Massive Brawl Breaks Out At Northlake Mall

This past weekend, a large brawl was captured on video after several shoppers started fighting over some perceived insults.

The incident occurred just outside of Claire’s in the Northlake Mall on Saturday afternoon.

After several minutes of fighting, 2 off-duty CMPD officers got involved to break things up.

Here is a video of the aftermath of the incident (you can watch the video of the fight here on Facebook).

At this time, no arrests have been made, but police are currently searching for one person.

Charlotte Podcast Festival Makes Its Debut This Fall

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Charlotte Podcast Festival Makes Its Debut This Fall

Charlotte Podcast Festival kicks off October 5. As the city’s first podcast festival, it’s designed to inform, enrich and inspire the region’s audio storytellers and podcasters. Online sessions will run through October 30. Admission is free with registration.

Virtual panel discussions and workshops will cover:

  • Content and production
  • Marketing and digital branding
  • Audience engagement and listener growth
  • Monetization
  • Legal considerations

Charlotte Podcast Festival is a partnership between WFAE, Blumenthal Performing Arts, Queen City Podcast Network and Eclecs Creative Agency.

“The festival gives WFAE and our partners another way to support the growing podcast community here in Charlotte,” said Ju-Don Marshall, WFAE’s chief content officer and executive vice president. “It builds on the training we’ve provided over the last year through our Queen City PodQuest Academy and workshops. WFAE remains committed to using podcasting as a way to support diverse storytellers in this community.”

Charlotte Podcast Festival sessions include:

  • “Life on the Mic:” How to be the best interviewer/host with Tommy Tomlinson (WFAE’s SouthBound), Sheri Lynch (Oddcast), Bernadette Joy (Dear Bernadebt Joy) and Mark Peres (On Life & Meaning)
  • “From Script to Screen:” Writing and recording with Morgan Givens (Flyest Fables) and Kevin Patterson (Detective Samwel Sift’s Loved One Discovery or Recovery Services)
  • “Audio Editing 101:” Tips for recording and editing audio with Konata Edwards (Charlotte Newsmakers, Locked on Hornets) and Andy Goh (The Goh Show)
  • “Hey, Is This Thing On?:” Comedy podcasting with Rod and Karen Morrow (The Black Guy Who Tips) and Cale Evans (The Podcast from Hell)

The full schedule will be announced soon. Visit CharlottePodcastFestival.com for more information.

Outdoor Venues In Charlotte Will Reopen For Live Events Starting This Week

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Outdoor Venues In Charlotte Will Reopen For Live Events Starting This Week

After months of being locked inside, Charlotte residents will soon have the chance to join their fellow human beings in watching live events in major outdoor venues.

With COVID numbers on the decline, Governor Cooper has announced that he will allow outdoor venues in North Carolin to reopen in a limited capacity starting October 2nd.

“We will continue analyzing our data as we determine how to move forward safely in other areas that may be included in the new order on October 2nd,” Cooper said during a press briefing. “In it, we hope to ease some other restrictions, while keeping in place safety protocols like masks and social distancing.”

The 2 largest venues in the Charlotte region have already announced plans to relaunch in-person events starting this week, including:

#1 Bank of America Stadium

The Panthers said they will be allowing roughly 5,300 fans to watch the game in person during their next home game on October 4th home game against the Cardinals in what they are calling ‘ticket pods’, consisting of seats in groups of 2-5 with 2 empty seats between each pod and every other row blocked off.

Tickets are now available for the Cardinals home game, as well as the next 6 home games through January 3rd. Due to the extremely limited capacity, the cheapest home tickets are now selling for $175 for the November 2nd home game against the Lions.

For more info or to buy tickets click here.

#2 Charlotte Motor Speedway

A capacity crowd (7% of the speedway seating) is expected for the third running of the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on Sunday, Oct. 11.

Charlotte Motor Speedway will utilize the entire venue as needed in order to best adhere to social distancing guidelines.

You can find out more info or purchase tickets here.

What do you think about allowing in-person events to start back up? 

Local Businesses Join Together For 10th Annual Charlotte Coat Drive

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Local Businesses Join Together For 10th Annual Charlotte Coat Drive

The fall is here, which means cooler weather is in the forecast. With the ongoing pandemic, many will be unable to provide their families with one of the most basic winter essentials – coats. Over 40 businesses around the Charlotte region have now joined together in the mission to collect coats for those in need during the 10th annual Charlotte Coat Drive. CES is excited to work with long-time customer Charlotte Mechanical to help make a positive impact in the community.

“I heard about it on the radio,” said City Electric Supply’s Gary Tubbs. “Hearing kids’ voices on there – it pulls at your heart strings. When you hear kids talking on the radio about their families not being able to afford coats. That’s more of what spoke to me.  I knew Charlotte Mechanical since they are one of our customers, so I reached out to them.”

The mission kicked off in the month of September and will continue through Nov. 13. Last year, the drive collected around 5,100 coats. They’ve bumped the number up this year to 6,000. One hundred percent of the proceeds and coats raised will go to the Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread impacts on our community, and lower-income families are feeling its effects the most,” said Major Todd Mason, Area Commander for the Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte. “The need in Charlotte is always great, but this year, we expect it to be even greater. No woman or child in our community should have to bear a winter without a coat.”

COVID-19 has affected much of the way the drive is run this year. The number of drop-off locations has increased, and many new barrel partners have decided to do their own internal drives as they’re not allowing people in their offices during the pandemic.

Charlotte Mechanical will be hosting a Zip-Up Day event to give everyone in the community the opportunity to participate. It will be on Friday, Nov.13, from 7 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Dilworth Bar and Grill’s parking lot at 911 E Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28204. The event includes free food, music, mascots, giveaways, and some zippy surprises. A contact-free drive-thru will also be available.

Charlotte Mechanical’s Charlotte Coat Drive started 10 years ago by owners Steve and Nancy McLaughlin and their friends. What first started as a small coat donation — with around 250 coats and 10-barrel partners — is today the company’s biggest community event, with 45-barrel partners. All collected coats are donated to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and distributed via their men’s, women’s, and youth programs. Charlotte Mechanical funds everything with zero cost to The Salvation Army or any location.

You can find out more information and a map of all the drop-off locations around Charlotte at CoatDriveCharlotte.com

South Carolina Ranked As 2020’s 49th Safest State for Schools to Reopen

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South Carolina Ranked As 2020’s 49th Safest State for Schools to Reopen

With some students learning online or experiencing a hybrid of online and in-person classes due to COVID-19, WalletHub today released its report on the Safest States for Schools to Reopen.

To identify which states have the safest conditions for reopening schools, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 15 key metrics. Our data set includes such things as the number of child COVID-19 cases per 100,000 children, the average public-school class size, and the ratio of students to school nurses.

South Carolina was ranked 49th in the nation, just behind Mississippi as the 2nd least safe state to reopen their schools. North Carolina ranked just under the half-way mark at #27 in the nation.

Safest States for Schools to Reopen

Overall Rank
(1=Best)		 State Total Score ‘Risk of COVID-19 Infections’ Rank ‘Health & Financial Infrastructure’ Rank
1 Vermont 80.48 1 1
2 Maine 74.65 2 4
3 Pennsylvania 69.66 6 6
4 Massachusetts 69.27 5 21
5 New Hampshire 68.65 4 26
6 Rhode Island 66.85 14 3
7 Ohio 66.54 7 16
8 New Jersey 65.69 8 20
9 Connecticut 65.47 19 2
10 Nebraska 64.71 15 7
11 Wyoming 63.86 3 45
12 Wisconsin 63.28 9 24
13 Delaware 62.60 11 25
14 Virginia 62.22 17 17
15 Montana 61.18 22 13
16 New Mexico 60.99 25 14
17 Kansas 60.89 13 34
18 Washington 60.29 20 23
19 Maryland 60.16 26 12
20 Hawaii 59.92 18 30
21 Iowa 59.77 29 9
22 New York 59.65 30 15
23 Alaska 59.13 38 5
24 North Dakota 59.03 28 18
25 Minnesota 58.88 33 8
26 West Virginia 58.76 16 35
27 North Carolina 58.74 24 29
28 Colorado 57.96 21 36
29 Oregon 57.85 10 44
30 Kentucky 56.88 23 38
31 South Dakota 55.56 27 40
32 Michigan 55.27 12 47
33 Idaho 55.11 32 37
34 Indiana 53.09 31 43
35 Texas 52.65 42 22
36 Alabama 52.37 46 10
37 Illinois 51.81 40 31
38 Oklahoma 51.52 44 27
39 California 51.09 39 41
40 Georgia 50.95 43 28
41 Florida 50.71 37 42
42 Louisiana 50.61 47 19
43 Utah 49.90 41 39
44 Missouri 49.88 35 46
45 Tennessee 46.85 50 11
46 Nevada 46.14 48 33
47 Arizona 45.71 49 32
48 Arkansas 45.00 34 49
49 South Carolina 43.61 45 48
50 Mississippi 43.04 36 50

 

Here are the metrics the site used to make the ranking:

Risk of COVID-19 Infections – Total Points: 60

  • Child COVID-19 Cases per 100,000 Children: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
  • Child COVID-19 Deaths per 100,000 Children: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
  • COVID-19 Cases in the Last Seven Days per 100,000 Residents: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
  • Public Mask Usage: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the presence or absence of state action requiring residents to wear a face mask in public.

    • 1 – No state action on public face coverings;
    • 0.5 – State requires the use of face coverings for certain employees;
    • 0.25 – State allows local officials to require the use of public face coverings for the general public;
    • 0 – Face coverings required for the general public

     

  • Share of K-12 Public School Students Transported Through School Transportation: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
    Note: This metric was calculated as follows: Public K-12 Students Transported Daily/ Total K-12 Students Enrolled.
  • Average Public-School Class Size: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
    Note: This composite metric takes into account primary schools, middle schools and high schools.
  • Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
  • Share of Seniors Living with School-Age Children: Double Weight (~8.00 Points)
    Note: This metric refers to “Seniors” as individuals aged 65 and older and “School-Age Children” as 5 to 18 years old.
  • Share of Children Living in Crowded Housing: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
    Note: This metric refers to the share of children under age 18 living in households that have more than one person per room.
  • Overall Likelihood of COVID-19 Infections: Full Weight (~4.00 Points)
    Note: This metric refers to the current COVID-19 transmission number, which is an estimate of the average number of people to whom an infected person will transmit the COVID-19 virus.

Health & Financial Infrastructure – Total Points: 40

  • Comprehensive School Reopening Guidance: Triple Weight (~13.33 Points)
    Note: This metric scores how many of the 12 criteria considered are addressed in the respective state’s school reopening policies. The 12 criteria noted are: Core Academics, SARS CoV2 Protection, Before & After School Programs, School Access & Transportation, Student Health Services, Food & Nutrition, Parent Choice, Teacher & Staff Choice, Children with special needs / ESL / Gifted and Twice Exceptional, Children of poverty and systemic disadvantage, Privacy, Engagement and Transparency.
  • WalletHub’s “Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care” Score: Double Weight (~8.89 Points)
    Note: This metric in based on WalletHub’s “Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care” ranking.
  • WalletHub’s “States with the Best Health Infrastructure for Coronavirus” Score: Double Weight (~8.89 Points)
    Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “States with the Best Health Infrastructure for Coronavirus” ranking, and includes metrics such as: Number of Hospital Beds per Capita, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Beds per Capita or Number of Hospital Beds Most Needed Exclusively for COVID Patients per All Hospital Beds Available.
  • Student-to-School-Nurse Ratio: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
  • Total Current Spending on Elementary & Secondary Schools per Pupil: Full Weight (~4.44 Points)
    Note: Current spending includes per pupil spending for salaries and wages, employee benefit payments, current spending for instruction and current spending for support services. The per pupil spending amounts included are derived from current spending totals and the fall membership data. Per pupil expenditure does not include spending for non-elementary-secondary programs (community service, adult education), or spending by a school system for students not included in its fall membership counts.

What do you think about the results? 

Top 10 Best Food Trucks in Charlotte

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Top 10 Best Food Trucks in Charlotte

Charlotte is quickly becoming a food truck destination city, with an ever-growing number of food trucks all over our city.

In keeping with our ever-expanding Food Truck reputation, Yelp released a list of the best food trucks in Charlotte, based on user reviews and star rankings.

Here are the top 10 food trucks currently in Charlotte:

#10 Two Chicks and a Truck

Relay for Life in Ballantyne tonight! #cltfoodtrucks #foodtrucks @ballantynerelay

A post shared by Two Chicks And A Truck (@twochicksandatruck) on

#9 Street Spice

#8 The Dumpling Lady

Free Range Wednesday night! We will stay till 8:00pm . See you at the window.

A post shared by Thedumplinglady Clt (@thedumplingladyclt) on

#7 A Bao Time

#6 What the Fries

#5 Yummi Banh Mi Truck

#4 Bleu Barn Bistro

Chicken and Biscuit party. Need I say more?

A post shared by Bleu Barn Bistro (@bleubarnbistro) on

#3 Rico’s Acai

In case you were wondering where to stop for lunch 😉😋

A post shared by Rico’s Acai Food Truck (@ricosacai) on

#2 TIN Kitchen

#1 Papi Queso (recently featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives)

What is your favorite food truck in Charlotte?

5 Tips for First-Time Startup CEOs

Steve
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5 Tips for First-Time Startup CEOs

If you’re preparing to launch your first startup company, there’s no doubt you’re experiencing every emotion under the sun. It likely began with a strike of inspiration that lit a fire in you, but as the business development progresses, that eager excitement is quickly overshadowed by fear and anxiety. Where will I get funding? Can I really make this idea profitable? What if I’m making a mistake? Will I be able to get rehired at my day job? 

At the end of the day, you’ll have to take a big leap of faith to quit your career in pursuit of your entrepreneurial endeavors—but rather than basing your decision on hopes and prayers, you should put in all the time and research required to transition with confidence.

Becoming the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a company you’ve built from the ground up will be an accomplishment that you’re proud of for the rest of your life. But if you want to strengthen your odds of success and avoid a costly career move, you should take these five tips into consideration.

Tip #1: Establish a Clear Vision and Purpose

As a young startup company, you can expect to run into some recruitment challenges. Job hunters are looking for opportunities where they’ll have the opportunity to learn, develop new skills, and advance their career, which will be difficult to offer in the beginning stages considering that startups are known for being notoriously unstable. Beyond compensation and a path to promotion, however, a younger generation of Millennials hope to find an employer who they want to work for.

You need to give your team something worth fighting for, so clearly establish the company vision with a mission statement that defines your purpose. It’s not necessarily a matter of setting out to solve world hunger, per se, but you should be able to articulate what moved you to start the business in the first place and why.

Tip #2: Focus on Your Strengths

First-time CEOs typically have their eyes glued on the prize: profits. And one of the easiest ways to save money is to cut costs wherever possible. Search for the best deals on wholesale items to keep your overhead expenses low, but think twice before you take on tasks that fall outside of your abilities.

You can attempt to do everything yourself—from the construction work to bring your building up to code, to the real estate negotiation on an office lease—but this can actually end up costing you much more in the long run if you make expensive mistakes.

Focus on what you’re good at and find ways to implement your strengths, then hire people to fill in the gaps. If you can’t afford employees quite yet, then enlist the help of online resources. With a little bit of digging, you can find everything from small business payroll to CLM software offered at very affordable prices.

Tip #3: Manage Your Team Efficiently

You might have previous experience managing a team of employees, but when you’re the founding CEO of a fragile startup company, there’s way more at stake on the line. You’ll need to map out your business organization and the roles therein, coming up with ways to foster synergy and collaboration at every step of the way.

Many CEOs now have to manage teams remotely in response to COVID-19 and the corresponding office closures, so you might want to invest in time-tracking technology to ensure you’re getting the most value out of your labor costs. Be mindful of micromanaging, however, because there’s no faster way to frustrate an employee than by breathing down their back around the clock.

Tip #4: Create a Brand No One Can Forget

With the wheels in motion and your company off the ground, it’s a wise idea to ramp up your branding initiatives. That’s how consumers are going to recognize who the company is and what it does. Between the name, font, colors, and logo, there is no detail too small or insignificant.

Tip #5: Identify Your Key Performance Indicators

Our last tip is all about growth: how will you measure it? Put key performance indicators (KPIs) in place to track your goals and monitor the company’s health so you can sleep a little easier at night knowing that you’re on the track to success.

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