Mecklenburg County Admits To Mistakenly Telling Thousands of Residents They Have COVID-19

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Thousands of Mecklenburg County residents can breathe a sigh of relief after receiving a text saying they tested positive for COVID-19.

Mecklenburg County Health officials now say the text was mistakenly sent from their system due to a “technical glitch”.

According to health officials, the text was sent out to at least 6,700 Mecklenburg County residents and at least 500 people via email, but they did not tell us how many of those who received the text may currently have the virus or might have had the virus sometime in the past.

This morning the county sent out an update to with the current case count of COVID-19 in our county, showing a continued downward trend in the number of cases.

Doctors Pleading With Charlotte Minority Communities To Supply More Vaccine Trial Participants

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Charlotte doctors are pleading with Charlotte’s minority communities to supply more willing participants in an upcoming COVID-19 vaccine trial to ensure the potential new vaccine is safe people of all backgrounds.

According to a press release from Charlotte’s Tryon Medical, “Black people make up about 13% of the population but only 5% of clinical trial participants, on average. Latinx people account for about 18% of the population but only 1% of trial participants.”

The company goes on to say that, “if you have Black, Latinx, American Indian or Asian heritage, please consider participating in one of the COVID-19 vaccine trials”.


The current deadline to apply for COVID-19 vaccine trials in Charlotte is this coming Friday, September 18. If you would like to participate or get more information please call Tryon Medical Partners at 704-586-9386.

Tryon Medical Partners currently has eight locations in and around the Charlotte area, as well as two satellite COVID-19 testing locations for the public.

Chick-fil-A Testing New Pimento Chicken Sandwich Across Carolina Locations

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Chick-fil-A has just announced the greatest sandwich combination imaginable – Fried Chicken and Pimento Cheese.

In a press release, the company described the new ‘Honey Pepper Pimento Cheese Sandwich’ will be an original Chick-fil-A sandwich covered with honey, pickled jalapenos, and authentically southern pimento cheese.

The company has just started offering the epic new sandwich on a trial run around Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC locations.



What do you think about the new creation?

Sustain Charlotte Receives BofA Grant For Smarter Land Use and Transportation Choices

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Sustain Charlotte, a local non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for smarter land use and transportation choices, has received a grant from Bank of America. 

The grant will help Sustain Charlotte continue to advocate for smart growth solutions to Charlotte’s sustainability challenges, while improving economic mobility. 

“Many low-income families in Charlotte face challenges accessing employment opportunities, education, and basic resources,” says Shannon Binns, Sustain Charlotte’s founder and executive director. “That’s why we are working to improve affordable, convenient, and climate-friendly transportation choices such as walking, biking, and riding transit. In partnership with Bank of America, we’re making progress to improve economic mobility by improving physical mobility and reducing transportation costs—the highest household expense for local residents after housing.” 

The $10,000 grant is part of Bank of America’s philanthropic giving efforts to advance economic mobility on a local level. Awardees were selected for their commitment to strengthening communities by investing in affordable housing, revitalization, the arts, and the environment. 

“Transportation plays a critical role in advancing economic mobility,” said Bank of America Charlotte Market President Charles Bowman. “Sustain Charlotte is a vital resource for this community in addressing our transportation needs and removing barriers to meaningful education, jobs and other opportunities.” 

Sustain Charlotte is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization helping to advance a region-wide sustainability movement by serving as a catalyst for change. Our mission is to inspire choices that lead to healthy, equitable and vibrant communities across the Charlotte metro region for generations to come. Visit sustaincharlotte.org to learn more.

For The First Time in 50 Years, Atlantic Now Has 5 Names Cyclones At The Same Time

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A truly historic event is now unfolding in the Atlantic Ocean. For the first time in 50 years, and for just the second time in recorded history, 5 confirmed named cyclones (either tropical storms or hurricanes) have been confirmed in the Atlantic at the same time.

The named cyclones currently in the Atlantic include; Sally, Paulette, Rene, Teddy, and Vicky. There is now only one English name left for the 2020 hurricane season (Wilfred) before the NWS will start to use names from the Greek alphabet.

Hurricane Sally, forecasted to make a direct hit with New Orleans tomorrow, has the highest probability of affecting the Carolinas. Several tracks show the storm passing directly over either North or South Carolina later this week:

The Atlantic Coast hurricane season for 2020 runs from June 1st through November 30th.

NWS officials are reminding all residents in Atlantic Coast states to be prepared for this hurricane season.

In case of a power outage, make sure to have the following emergency items stocked in your home;

Charlotte’s 4th Annual Wine Fest Is Returning This Weekend

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Charlotte’s 4th Annual University City Wine Fest is finally back this week!

In light of the pandemic, organizers have created a wide array of unique ways to keep attendees socially distanced while enjoying our region’s best local wines, beers, and music.

This year’s festival will offer events ranging from sipping wine on the water while paddle boating to a limited capacity dining experience at a local chef’s home.

“We look forward to holding the festival to most importantly support local business owners that have been impacted by the coronavirus, and to provide a safe way for individuals to enjoy community,” says Darlene Heater, Executive Director of University City Partners. “University City Wine Fest is lots of fun and has met the growing interest for programs and activities in University City. We will engage more area businesses surrounding the lake and boardwalk, which offers an accommodating location to enjoy scenic views while social distancing.” 

The full University City Wine schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, September 16, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Wine Wednesday on the Water

The Shoppes at University Place

Thursday, September 17, 6 – 9 p.m.

Royal Wine and Dine Event

Home of Chef Lisa Brooks

Friday, September 18, 6 – 9 p.m.

Nails, Champagne & Shopping 

The Shoppes at University Place

Saturday, September 19, 2 – 6 p.m.

4th Annual University City Wine Fest

Armored Cow Brewing

Sunday, September 20, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Rose’ Mimosas Sioree

The Shoppes at University Place

All proceeds from University City Wine Fest will benefit literacy programming at Charlotte Mecklenburg University City Regional and Sugar Creek Libraries. The Wine Fest is presented by title sponsor Greystar, University City Partners and Courtyard by Marriott & Springhill Suites, with support by UNC Charlotte, The Shoppes at University Place, Morningstar Storage and Phoenix Landscape Management. See full list of sponsors here.

Tickets are now available for purchase at universitycitywinefest.org.

More information can be found on the website, Facebook and Instagram.

South Carolina Ranked Among The Least Vaccinated States in America

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With multiple companies racing to develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine but 1 in 3 Americans saying they wouldn’t get vaccinated, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States that Vaccinate the Most.

In order to find out which states vaccinate most, the site analyzed the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 18 key metrics, ranging from share of vaccinated children to share of people without health insurance to flu vaccination rate among adults.

South Carolina ranked near the bottom of the report, coming in at #44 in America, and North Carolina ranked among the top half, coming in at #21.

Vaccination Rates by State

Overall Rank
(1 = Most)
State Total Score ‘Children & Teenagers Immunization Rates’ Rank ‘Adult & Elderly Vaccination Rates’ Rank ‘Immunization Uptake Disparities & Influencing Factors’ Rank
1 Massachusetts 79.38 1 9 2
2 Vermont 73.20 18 1 1
3 New Hampshire 69.63 7 3 9
4 North Dakota 69.61 2 8 6
5 Rhode Island 68.34 4 6 8
6 Maryland 65.46 9 12 3
7 Washington 65.09 25 4 4
8 Iowa 64.16 21 2 16
9 Nebraska 61.70 11 13 14
10 Oregon 61.50 19 7 22
11 Maine 60.53 13 10 25
12 Pennsylvania 58.31 10 20 17
13 Connecticut 57.49 5 29 29
14 Virginia 57.43 15 19 12
15 Minnesota 57.24 45 5 5
16 Delaware 57.08 3 35 7
17 West Virginia 56.00 12 23 28
18 South Dakota 55.94 23 16 30
19 District of Columbia 55.74 14 27 18
20 Colorado 55.64 27 14 21
21 North Carolina 52.94 28 15 35
22 Wisconsin 52.67 36 11 32
23 Tennessee 52.30 6 37 19
24 Kansas 51.59 26 22 34
25 Illinois 49.75 8 43 11
26 New Mexico 48.09 31 26 39
27 Michigan 47.89 35 25 33
28 Arkansas 45.61 16 36 46
29 Missouri 45.16 41 21 38
30 Kentucky 45.02 29 31 37
31 Montana 44.87 42 18 47
32 Utah 44.78 48 24 27
33 California 44.68 38 30 20
34 Ohio 43.46 40 28 41
35 Idaho 43.27 30 38 24
36 Oklahoma 41.43 50 17 49
37 New York 41.33 33 44 15
38 Indiana 41.26 46 32 26
39 Alabama 41.04 22 40 50
40 Louisiana 40.53 17 47 48
41 Florida 40.30 20 49 13
42 Arizona 39.86 47 34 31
43 Hawaii 39.78 39 33 43
44 South Carolina 39.48 32 39 45
45 Alaska 39.47 37 46 10
46 Nevada 37.77 24 50 23
47 Wyoming 34.90 43 42 44
48 Texas 34.67 49 41 36
49 New Jersey 33.93 34 48 40
50 Georgia 33.90 44 45 42
51 Mississippi 16.36 51 51 51

 

North Carolina was found to have to 5th highest flue vaccination rate among adults in this nation

What do you think about the results? 

Can You Run a Real Estate Business from Your Own Home?

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Thanks to the COVID pandemic, the number of people remote-working has increased exponentially. It is somewhat surprising to many that this transition has been pretty successful for many entrepreneurs, businesses and organisations. Google and Uber, for example, have said that a large number of their employees can work from home until summer 2021 (more information here) – the normal boundaries of work/life balance may have been changed forever!

Whilst this is good news for many, the slow down of many industries – particularly travel & leisure sectors, has left millions of people worldwide without a job and suffering from economic hardships like never before. With this in mind, now could be the ideal time to take the plunge and start that business that you’ve been thinking about for the last decade. With all the tools & infrastructure in place, it’s a real option to work from home as your own boss too.

Working From Home

In short – “yes” – you can run a real estate business from home.

Traditionally, starting your own business would have required a fair lump-sum of money and committing to relatively large monthly bills. The first sum of money may have been required for equipment, stock, business cards, a website, a marketer and the monthly bills would relate to expenses such as office-space and accountant bills.

In 2020 however, the tools are in place to reduce or eliminate a lot of those expenses. For example, you can easily create your website in WordPress (there are dozens of step by step Youtube tutorials available for free), you can outsource to overseas freelancers on platforms such as PeoplePerHour and thanks to all the available software and hardware, it’s feasible to work from home without any issues. In 2020, you don’t even need any stock to start an online e-commerce business, you can dropship with thousands of companies using websites such as Aliexpress and Printful. You can even have your very own dedicated receptionist from real estate answering service providers such as Moneypenny – they even do a 24/7 service.

What Software will you need?

You will probably need:

– CRM

– email

– Accountancy app or software

– Website platform like WordPress

– Graphic Design software

– An account on advertising platforms such as Facebook Ads

They say that “data is the new oil”. With online advertising, data is so in-depth that you can target people of specific ages, locations, interests and hobbies looking to buy or rent a property within a few minutes.

With data so valuable, however, you must keep it organised and safe. Providers such as HubSpot and Zillow are ideal for real estate agents.

If you are working with a team or selling properties on behalf of a company, you may also need video conferencing software such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Other Home Office Essentials

If you have the funds, it might also be wise to invest in the following:

– HD webcam

– Desk & desk phone

– Printer

– Office chair

Some people go a step further and kit out their car as a home office too. This can be great when you need to get your head down and focus or just fancy a change of scenery. This can be pretty cramped, however, so is not recommended as the main office, unless you have a truck or an RV. If this is an option for you, consider purchasing the following:

– Car Desk

– Sunscreen or shield for the windscreen

– Internet dongle

– Mobile Printer

– Mobile Phone Holder

No Experience in Real Estate? Find a Mentor

Thanks to the internet, finding a real estate mentor is a lot easier than in years gone by. If you don’t have any experience with real estate, then reading some relevant books, watching a lot of informative videos on Youtube and getting a mentor too – can be a good starting point – especially if you are going to invest some of your own money into the venture.

Many people find mentors on accident. For example, you might make a friend at the local gym who is looking for workers and you end up labouring for and then learning off your friend. There are also local meetup groups that you can go to, volunteer organisations you can join and seminars/webinars that you can attend.

You can also look to invest in a joint venture (at your own risk, of course, do your homework before investing!) as a minority partner and go above and beyond in terms of the work you do and the knowledge that you acquire. You can use the venture to help educate yourself, learn of others and gain experience with minimal risk. There are also online academies that you can learn from (but sceptical and read reviews before joining) and dozens of courses on Udemy that you can learn from if you don’t find a mentor.

Finally, you could also reach out to people on websites such as Linkedin. Make sure to do your homework first, however – think about how you could impress and endear yourself to a potential mentor.

As mentioned above, just be very wary about parting with any money from the start, or at any point! There are lots of genuine mentor programs, but lots of scams out there too.

Have a Plan

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. A mentor, or just a good template and a lot of information – can help you come up with a plan.

Step by step, map out what you want to do. Start with the end in mind as well

What do you want to achieve? How much money? What type of lifestyle?

Do you want to flip houses? 

Will you rent out houses? Sell real estate?

How much risk are you willing to take?

If you already have a real estate business or you already work in real estate and are going to go it alone and start up your agency, you will need to think about:

– How you will reach your clients

– Which other companies will you need to work with to sell properties?

– Will you sell or rent out commercial and/or residential properties?

This has just been an overview of starting your own real estate agency. For a more in-depth look please see this video from Ryan Serhant. 

Homework Help: How To Help Yourself Finish Fast And Learn Fast

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While most students groan at the thought of doing homework, it is one of the best tools they have to finish the syllabus and learn easily. If people understood how much homework was helping them, there would be fewer complaints about doing it! Homework is like a second class, it reminds you of what you learned in class and helps to push it deep into your memory. Whether you’re learning social studies, computer science, or linear algebra, homework makes sure you don’t instantly forget things your teacher taught you. 

Homework is good because helps students study less. Homework is basically revision and makes students practice what they learned. If students do homework diligently, they will find that they’re much better prepared for exams than they thought – which is great for those last-minute starters who start cramming at the 11th hour! 

So how do you get this tedious chore done faster? 

Timing Is Key

Most students don’t even start their homework till its way past the due date. Then, its a race against the clock to finish and submit it to a usually unhappy professor. If this is what you’ve been doing all this time, then you’re like over half of students everywhere! When you first receive a homework assignment, your first step is to figure out a timeline. Your timeline should include:

  • when you will start research
  • when you will start writing
  • your expected date to finish 

It is important that you break down finishing the assignment into parts so that it doesn’t seem like a big chunk of work. Additionally, this won’t be the only piece of homework you’ll be working on. So you have to schedule this into your day, along with other coursework, submissions, extracurriculars, and homework for other classes as well. This way, you can take control of pairing a subject you find difficult, like linear algebra, with something you find easy computer science. You won’t be doing two difficult things at once, and won’t feel overwhelmed. 

Use The Right Resources 

Choosing the right kind of homework assistance is crucial to finishing your homework fast and on time. If you’re looking for online homework help to find answers to homework, then you should choose where you’re looking very carefully. For example, there might be a math problem you’re having difficulty with. YouTube has a ton of videos of people solving various types of problems. However, your professor might be teaching you in one certain way because its a required part of your coursework. If you do it in any other way, then you might not get marked for it. You should get help with your homework when you are stuck for many days and it is causing a significant impact on your schedule. There are many homework help services as well, who offer tutors, like Cambridge Online Tutors which helps with homework completion and helps better understanding of the subject matter.

College is very often the first time that students are spending time away from their families. With a world of possibilities opened up in front of you, it is easy to become distracted with having a social life, partying, and generally having fun. This is why God made friends! You need to task your friends with keeping you on track and giving you a stern talking to if you fall too far behind on your homework or coursework. 

If you’re falling behind consistently despite your best friends, ask your friends or other classmates whether they’d be willing to form a study group. Your friends can become homework helpers who will not only motivate you to finish your homework but also will keep you on schedule so that you don’t fall behind. You can even get online homework help from them over Skype if you can’t go out and are staying indoors. You can get online homework help from tutors as well. 

Set Up Your Zone Of Zen 

What is a Zone of Zen? It is a quiet, dedicated study spot. The rules of Zen are:

  • no phones allowed
  • soft instrumental music on in the background
  • no social media allowed (even on the laptop!)
  • no snacks
  • only studying allowed. Move somewhere else if you want to do other activities. 

What this does is make a space that your brain will come to associate with studying and focus. Initially, it will be difficult for your mind to completely switch off from everything else and focus on what is in front of you. But over time, you will see that having your Zone of Zen (rights reserved!) is helping you focus when you have too much going on in your life but you still need to get yourself together and hunker down to study. Keep water nearby so you’re not getting up for it multiple times. If you’re feeling peckish, take a 5-minute snack break to refresh yourself. 

5 Steps to Building a Successful Online Business

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The trend of running an online business has extended across the globe. People everywhere consuming millions of rupees on running their online business successfully. The internet has brought many opportunities for people who can’t find time to operate their business virtually.

The new opportunities also get many competitors because everyone is standing in the race trying to compete. On whatever business you are working or thinking of starting work, browse on the internet, and you will get a long list of competitors already standing in the queue. 

To successfully operate your online business, you have to follow a few steps that I will cover in this guide for detailed comprehension.

Any online business is nothing without organic traffic from search engines and if you would also like to successes your online business then you must need to have a proper on-page and off-page SEO of your website and the most important thing that plays a big role in ranking any business in search engines is high quality backlinks because without quality links your business is nothing.

Along with SEO there are also many other things that we have to take into consideration for running a success online business.

Steps to Building a Successful Online Business

The online business has provided you the facility to do what you always have loved to get the profit from across the globe. From managing an online boutique to selling makeup products, it has everything you can think of in the future.

Running a business is not the only thing to do; making yourself one step ahead of your competitors is all matters. In order to maintain, grow, and establish an online business, follow the step mentioned-below, and get yourself facilitated with the maximum profit.

1- Choose the Profitable Business

Determining the topic, you agree to operate is challenging because not every business can maximize profit. Moreover, the business you preferred should be affordable for the people of every range. For this purpose, enhance your research from every aspect and clinch the topic you think will be sufficient. Once you agree on a topic, ask yourself a few questions that need to be answered for awareness.

  • Why am I choosing this topic, or what gains it will bring?
  • Am I capable enough to command this business?
  • What obstacles I have to endure in running it successfully?
  • Does my targeted audience can readily afford it?
  • Can my business individually operate online?

These questions are imperative to be claimed before finalizing a particular topic to dodge future issues. Before concluding the first step, you can proceed to the next tip.

2- Confirm the Business Idea

Once you have made your mind to start a new business and have an idea of which topic you will get along, the next step requires validation. The validation process doesn’t entail challenging tasks. It is evident and straightforward to be obeyed. Asking your potential customers about their needs and demands and whether their topic is the solution.

On the other hand, if your business has just launched, look for other validation methods. For instance, go with the online reviews as they say a lot that either the customers are satisfied; make a competent website where you will keep getting reviews through which you will get an idea of the public’s likes and dislikes. Additionally, to ensure your startup thrives, consider exploring a nearshore staff augmentation solution by Azumo, which can provide you with the flexibility and talent needed to scale your operations efficiently.

The survey is another fundamental method to know about the current status of your business. These steps are enough for the validation of your business idea.

3- Focus on the Foundation

Your online business foundation depends on your online fan following. The more followers you will achieve, the more orders you will get. To attain the followers, do proper SEO of your social media pages and keep people update with the new collection. SEO will help you to reach maximum people worldwide.

Your website will appear mild and easily understandable. Update your ‘About us’ page well by defining accurate information. Make sure you get minimum negative reviews because it puts the wrong consequence on your customer’s mind.

Social media is a powerful asset for online businesses; you can reach millions of people on your page with proper application. Email marketing still leads the slot as it is the most convenient way to bring the traffic. Create a robust social media presence and attain profitable outcomes within no time. Moreover, high quality back links can assist in developing a site properly.

4- Manage Social Media Well

Making your appearance on social media is not enough, as it takes a lot of things to make it worth comprehending. Once you have designed your presence on social media, check either it is mobile friendly? As per research, people use social media from mobiles, and if your site doesn’t appear suitable on mobiles, you might lose half of your customers. Use trending social media such as TikTok to get your brand name out there. You can buy TikTok views to give yourself a boost, too.

Moreover, please pay particular consideration to the image quality you upload on the site because it will build your reliability. Don’t befall into the pit of rectifying for lousy stock photos. Social media plays a tremendous role in governing a successful online business because you will get the order through your site, and the more people visit your site, the more profit you can accomplish.

5- Testing the Current Strategy

Probably the ideal approach to comprehend what works best for your business is to test what’s working and what isn’t. Be eager to change your methodology on the off chance that you see it’s not powerful.

Don’t indiscriminately follow famous exhortation since somebody got a specific outcome in their business because it might do not work the same way for you. At the point when you have the correct mix, compute your business. Testing your approaches and ideas is the best way to know on which side you should go to.

Besides thinking about what you love, think about every viewpoint that either the particular business will go best because you might not get the profit, but at least save yourself from loss.

Conclusions

Launching your online business is not a matter of second, as it takes in-depth knowledge to get your hands on the conventional one. To stand out of the box, you need to think and act creatively. Don’t go after the crowd; do what it will lead you to success.

Get an idea, explore it, make a robust social media appearance, test various strategies, keep changing them in need, and here you go with a prosperous online business. These primary tips are what you need to adopt for a successful business. Concentrate on the points and lead the slot with captivating and worth appreciating business.