Annual Asian Festival & Dragon Boat Races Return to Lake Norman

Charlotte Stories
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Annual Asian Festival & Dragon Boat Races Return to Lake Norman

The 21st annual Charlotte Asian Festival and 14th annual Dragon Boat Races return to Ramsey Creek Park on Saturday, October 17th in Cornelius (moved from May 16th due to COVID_19 shutdown).

The one-day festival entertains visitors from across the globe with a wide variety of traditional Asian offerings such as authentic food, stage performances, intense Dragon Boat Races, cultural exhibits and a most colorful display of talents. It has been voted as one of the top 20 events in the Southeast. www.charlottedragonboat.com

The Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Races are organized by the Carolinas Asian-American Chamber of Commerce (CAACC) and in partnership with Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation and Visit Lake Norman (VLN). The CAACC joined forces with Mecklenburg Park and Recreation Department in 1999 as co-organizers to bring the festival as a way to introduce Asian culture and traditions to the greater Charlotte community. Since its launch in 2006, the event has been a big success in terms of attendance bringing an estimated 5,500 to 7,000 attendees annually.

The festival opens at 9:00am and runs until 5:15pm at Ramsey Creek Park, located at 18441 Nantz Road in Cornelius. Free parking and shuttle services are available at Newell Rubbermaid on 8900 North Pointe Executive Park in Huntersville. Onsite parking is not available at Ramsey Creek Park. The festival and races are free and open to the public. A full schedule of events is available online. www.charlottedragonboat.com See more details on VLN’s festival website page. www.visitlakenorman.org 

The singing, dancing, and musical instrument performances are a mixture of Asian traditional and contemporary influences. Introduced in 2016, the Asian Music and Dance Fest (AMDF) continues to attract a rising number of young talented performers to the contest. It is open to all Asian Americans of any age, so this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase their talent! Winning categories are Best in Dance Solo, Group Dance, Music Solo, Music Group, Vocal Solo, Special Award and the Judge’s Choice Award.

Dragon Boat racing continues to be the fastest growing water sports event around the globe. The event embraces and promotes competition, fair play, team building, and community cohesiveness. Organized competitions are held in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, culminating in World Cup Championship races annually. The exciting team competition is an important part of the Chinese traditional calendar and originated over 2,300 years ago on the life-sustaining rivers of southern China.

The CAACC is a nonprofit, all volunteer based organization. Founded in 1999, CAACC serves as a bridge to connect Asia and the United States in general and the local 70,000 plus Asian-American residents in the Charlotte community at large. With its increasing membership, CAACC’s focus is to continue to nurture, strengthen, and empower the Asian American business community in economic growth, Asian cultural awareness and active engagement in civic affairs. www.caacc.com.

This Charlotte Church Is Opening Free Pop-Up Grocery Stores To Help Hundreds of Families in Need

Steve
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This Charlotte Church Is Opening Free Pop-Up Grocery Stores To Help Hundreds of Families in Need

As the COVID-19 Pandemic continues to take its toll on both our health and our economy, several churches are now doing more to help the hurting.

Charlotte’s own Nexus Church has started what they call “pop-up grocery stores” to give away free boxes of a variety of milk, fruit, poultry, and vegetables to hurting families.

People have come from as far as Monroe and Statesville to get a box this past Saturday.

Nexus Church plans on hosting their next pop-up community grocery this coming Sunday, August 2nd from 12:30-2:30pm at 1800 Brewton Drive.

Free boxes containing milk, fruit, poultry, and vegetables will be available for pick up on a first-come first-serve basis while supplies last.

Click here for more information on the event.

Both North and South Carolina Rank Among 2020’s Worst School Systems

Steve
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Both North and South Carolina Rank Among 2020’s Worst School Systems

With in-person learning this fall hinging on how well states handle the COVID-19 pandemic, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States with the Best & Worst School Systems.

In order to determine the best school systems in America, the site compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 33 key measures of quality and safety. The data set ranges from pupil-teacher ratio and dropout rate to median standardized-test scores and school closures due to COVID-19.

South Carolina ranked among the worst 10 states in the nation, coming in at #43 and North Carolina ranked in the bottom half at #30 – a significant factor hurting both states is their low ACT scores:

Here is the complete ranking:

Public School Ranking by State

Overall Rank
(1 = Best) 		 State Total Score ‘Quality’ Rank ‘Safety’ Rank
1 Massachusetts 71.73 1 1
2 Connecticut 66.25 2 19
3 New Jersey 65.64 3 15
4 Virginia 63.75 4 3
5 Vermont 61.64 8 4
6 New Hampshire 61.27 7 6
7 Minnesota 59.89 6 22
8 Wisconsin 59.66 5 24
9 Delaware 59.65 15 2
10 Maryland 58.51 11 9
11 Nebraska 58.42 12 8
12 New York 57.03 16 10
13 Illinois 57.03 10 28
14 North Dakota 56.76 9 34
15 Indiana 55.16 23 12
16 Kentucky 54.73 14 33
17 Colorado 54.71 17 27
18 Utah 54.71 20 18
19 Wyoming 54.45 18 29
20 Maine 54.23 24 14
21 Washington 53.99 26 5
22 Florida 53.71 19 35
23 Iowa 53.70 25 16
24 Pennsylvania 53.26 22 30
25 South Dakota 52.83 13 46
26 Montana 52.39 21 42
27 Rhode Island 51.98 29 11
28 Texas 51.79 30 13
29 Kansas 51.56 27 25
30 North Carolina 51.00 28 21
31 Hawaii 48.22 36 26
32 Ohio 48.01 33 39
33 Michigan 47.50 34 38
34 Georgia 47.45 37 36
35 Tennessee 47.11 31 45
36 Missouri 46.72 32 48
37 California 45.93 38 32
38 Idaho 45.02 35 50
39 West Virginia 43.54 45 7
40 Oregon 43.24 40 37
41 District of Columbia 42.38 41 44
42 Arkansas 41.76 39 51
43 South Carolina 41.44 42 41
44 Alabama 41.21 46 17
45 Nevada 41.02 44 40
46 Mississippi 40.94 43 43
47 Oklahoma 38.74 48 20
48 Alaska 38.60 47 23
49 Arizona 36.84 50 31
50 Louisiana 34.65 49 47
51 New Mexico 27.61 51 49

Charlotte Region Leading The State In New Solar Construction Boom

Charlotte Stories
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Charlotte Region Leading The State In New Solar Construction Boom

Continuing its expansion of solar energy to deliver cleaner energy for customers, Duke Energy today announced it has begun construction on two major solar projects in North Carolina. The projects:

  • The 69-megawatt (MW) Maiden Creek solar facility, located on Didley Dadburn Road in the Catawba County town of Maiden.
  • The 25-MW Gaston solar facility located on Neal Road in the Gaston County town of Bessemer City.

The projects were selected as part of a competitive bidding process that was established from 2017’s landmark solar legislation in North Carolina. The projects were among the most cost-effective and will deliver clean solar energy at the lowest possible cost.

“Catawba County applauds Duke Energy’s efforts in partnering with the private sector to increase the use of cost-effective renewable energy,” said Randy Isenhower, chair, Catawba County Board of Commissioners. “This project will bring jobs to our community during construction and generate clean energy for years to come.”

Together, the projects will feature about 400,000 solar panels and generate enough energy to power approximately 20,000 homes and businesses. Both projects are scheduled to come online by the end of this year. At peak construction, a combined 380 workers will be employed at the two sites.

“Building more solar supports Duke Energy’s strategy of lowering carbon emissions as we strive to meet our 2050 net-zero carbon goal,” said Stephen De May, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president. “We participated in a rigorous bidding process – competing with other companies to bring more renewable energy to the state.”

Duke Energy maintains more than 3,300 MW of solar power on its energy grid in North Carolina, which could power about 700,000 homes and businesses at peak output. The company also operates 40 solar facilities in the state. North Carolina currently ranks No. 2 in the nation for overall solar power.

With nuclear, hydro and renewable energy, more than half of North Carolina’s energy mix is carbon free.

US Navy Confirms Videos of ‘Hypersonic’ UFOs Over East Coast Are Real

Charlotte Stories
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US Navy Confirms Videos of ‘Hypersonic’ UFOs Over East Coast Are Real

The U.S. Navy has confirmed that several online videos showing what appears to be UFOs, including 2 that were spotted off the East Coast, are indeed real.

US Navy spokesman Joseph Gradisher said to Vice’s The Motherboard that “the Navy considers the phenomena contained/depicted in those 3 videos as unidentified.”

According to the eye witness accounts and videos from the navy pilots that released the videos, several “strange objects” with “no visible engine” reached heights exceeding 30,000 feet and were seen traveling at hypersonic speeds.

US Navy Pilot Lieutenant Ryan Graves told the New York Times that he “saw the objects in 2014 and 2015 in training maneuvers from Virginia to Florida off the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt”. Graves added that the object’s speed and positioning indicated it was far more advanced than any flying crafts he was aware of.

What do you think about the footage?

Do you believe in UFOs? 

Even if stores reopen, nothing’s going to stop the e-commerce surge

Charlotte Stories
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Even if stores reopen, nothing’s going to stop the e-commerce surge

American states have started to reopen part of their economies, catering to the needs of residents who can’t wait to get outdoors. Each state has a different opening calendar, not to mention different rules and regulations. Grocers, pharmacies, and e-commerce marketplaces ensure customer access to essentials such as food, medication, and toiletries. Even if shops are slowly but surely opening again, this will have a very little impact on the e-commerce surge that we’ve witnessed during lockdown. As a reminder, since the beginning of the health crisis, more than 50% of people shopped online, choosing sites that they already know. And consumers are expected to continue stretching their dollars online. 

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-sitting-on-sofa-while-looking-at-phone-with-laptop-on-lap-920382/ 

E-commerce shopping more common due to COVID-19 

The global pandemic has affected customers and retailers from a business and personal standpoint. Firms have started to sell online since the coronavirus outbreak in an effort to generate income, support their employees, and, last but not least, deliver quality products and services. Customers too have changed their shopping behaviors. According to Statista, more than 27% of respondents in the United States said they did their shopping online instead of offline because of the health crisis. There has been a considerable increase in e-commerce B2B shipments at local and global levels, which is largely due to the COVID-19 situation. Brick and mortar stores transitioned to online, meaning that people had no choice but to order online. 

Brands, as well as customers, have been forced to adapt to a situation they’ve never encountered before. The retail space that we once knew and loved isn’t the same and there’s a very small probability that things will return back to normal in the near future. The deadly virus keeps on spreading, with countless countries and territories affected. A digital-first approach is necessary to win and retain customers. E-commerce, as far as it’s concerned, is expected to double by 2023. Retailers that refuse to adopt a digital-first approach will be missing out on a lot. They need to make strategic business decisions during these difficult times. 

Coronavirus-fueled tech trends will continue to dominate the COVID-19 age 

The current status of the coronavirus in Charlotte isn’t encouraging. Some of the residents defy basic decency and common sense, completely refusing to wear a face covering. This situation isn’t isolated to North Carolina, though. It seems that people all over the world refuse to take COVID-19 seriously. Given the fact that the novel coronavirus isn’t going away any time soon, tech trends will continue to dominate the scene, including online shopping. The incredible growth of e-commerce that started during the early days of the health crisis doesn’t show signs of reversing. Businesses that implemented digital strategies prior to the global pandemic are now in a position to lead. 

Online retailers will see their revenue increasing, with delivery and pickup services in great demand. Mobile devices are the most popular devices for online shopping. People are buying everything from groceries to apparel, forgetting all about store visits. They are more motivated than ever to stay at home and shop online, creating the ideal conditions for innovative e-commerce startups that offer the best-in-class shopping experience.  Physical stores are indeed reopening, but not many are willing to venture out due to the fear of contracting COVID-19. Health experts are warning about a virus resurgence and people take their warnings seriously. 

The fact of the matter is that consumers don’t feel safe and they’re not thinking about returning to their old shopping behaviors – i.e. the ones they took for granted. In a social-distance-minded economy, businesses have no choice but to innovate and start selling online. Things are changing, but with this change comes opportunity. Businesses must understand the repercussions, as well as the opportunities presented by the health crisis. E-commerce offers easily accessible and lucrative opportunities everywhere. Organizations should be ready. 

Getting a business to start selling online during COVID-19 

It’s been months now since the novel coronavirus disrupted our lives. From being forced to practice social distancing to getting used without outdoor activities, it’s been something no one expected. It was a hard blow even for businesses. As the global pandemic pushes on, the smart thing to do is to start selling online. You don’t necessarily have to be a retail store to move your business on the Internet. Even the services industry can take advantage of the benefits of selling online. Getting back on topic, setting up an e-commerce store isn’t hard at all. If you’re just starting out on your journey to success, make sure to pick the best e-commerce platform. BigCommerce and Shopify are the most popular solutions. 

The big commerce vs shopify is as old as time. Both online platforms can serve the user’s needs remarkably well and the choice between the one or the other depends a lot on personal preference. BigCommerce has the most built-in features, yet it’s not suitable for beginners due to the complex terminology and learning curve. Shopify, on the other hand, has a great inventory system, but makes it impossible to switch templates, as it’s required to reformat the entire site. Many agree with the fact that Shopify is better than BigCommerce because it can be used by anyone, so it’s not necessary to have digital expertise. Plus, there are no selling limits. 

It’s important to figure out if you’ll be selling from your own inventory or shipping from your manufacturer. Not too many people will come into the physical store, meaning that it’s not necessary to have a great deal of inventory at hand. If you sell products using the drop shipping model, you’ll have to find a good retail partner. Get a good understanding of your industry’s distribution channels and contact a drop shipping supplier. Most importantly, tell people that you’ll be selling online. Communication is of paramount importance during the global pandemic. Inform customers of any changes taking place in your business. 

Promotions quickly attract customers’ attention and encourage them to spend more. Put quality product photos on the website and take the time to write compelling descriptions. Automate as many processes as possible. You’ll want to be much more efficient than you’re right now.   

5 Reasons Endpoint Security Is Critical

Robert Tilman
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It’s remarkable how quickly enterprise IT is changing. A few years agomany offices had employees working primarily on-premises usingdesktop devices, now it’s increasingly common for employees to work remotely using some combination of desktops, tablets, laptops and smartphones. Case in point: The COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to quickly adapt to closures and get a percentage of their workforces working from home — if they already hadn’t.

While the ability to access networks from endpoints brings with it many benefits — like increased flexibility for workers — it also leaves companies vulnerable to cyberattacks without ample security in place.

Here are five reasons it’s critical to take endpoint security just as seriously as security on premises, if not more so.

#1: The number of attacks on endpoints is rising.

According to research from the Ponemon Institute, nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) of IT specialists report their company fell victim to at least one endpoint attack compromising data assets or IT operations in 2019. Two years prior, that number was just over half (54 percent).

The takeaway? Endpoint breaches are on the rise, which means enterprises need to do everything they can to secure endpoints on the network.

#2: Successful endpoint attacks are becoming more costly.

In 2019, the cost of an endpoint attack reached $8.9 million — an increase from just over $7 million in 2018 and about $5 million in 2017. Attacks are becoming more frequent andmore expensive each year.

When enterprises consider the price tag of a cyberattack, it’s important to factor in IT downtime as well as lost user productivity and the costs associated with compromised data. While it may never be possible to prevent all cyberattacks, taking endpoint security seriously ahead of time is the only way to reduce the risk.

#3: More endpoint devices are connecting to enterprise IT networks.

In addition to more employees harnessing mobile devices for work, enterprise IT networks are seeing an influx of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, servers and more. This wider range of devices offers more vulnerabilityfor hackers to exploit when security is lax.

#4: IT teams must mitigate shadow IT and keep software current.

A tricky aspect of managing endpoint devices is some of them fall outside the oversight of IT. This has given rise to “shadow IT” — or usage of devices and software beyond the approval and regulation of the IT department.

As much as companies would like to count on users to maintain cybersecurity protocols to counter potential susceptibilities, it’s simply unrealistic. As Security Intelligence points out, users are prone to downloading “unapproved applications” which can open networks to malware. Lost or stolen devices can also provide hackers with the credentials they need to infiltrate a network. Without up-to-date security applications and operating systems, devices are more vulnerable to endpoint attacks.

#5: IT teams can become overwhelmed trying to protect endpoints manually.

With expanding networks and increasing cyberattack threats, even the most diligent and qualified IT teams can become overwhelmed trying to protect endpoints manually.

Hiring dedicated cybersecurity personnel is certainly an option if it’s in the budget, and if companies are able to find experts with the skillset needed to minimize attacks. Another option is deploying third-party endpoint detection and response (EDR). This technology — which can be cloud-based, deployed on-premises or adopted as a hybrid approach — monitors network activity, analyzes events and responds to threats immediately for continuous supervision.

Endpoint security is critical because more of them are joining enterprise IT networks and organizations are experiencing more — and costlier — attacks on them.

New Unemployment Data Shows Pandemic Still Putting North Carolinians Out of Work

Charlotte Stories
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New Unemployment Data Shows Pandemic Still Putting North Carolinians Out of Work

According to the Department of Labor, 28,323 North Carolinians filed initial claims for unemployment last week. Over the past several weeks, new claim numbers have held steady, indicating that thousands of North Carolinians continue to lose their jobs because of the on-going pandemic, while expanded federal unemployment insurance is set to expire next week.

Expanded federal unemployment payments provided by Congress in the CARES Act are set to expire on July 31. According to the Economic Policy Institute, letting the $600 expire would cost more than 5 million jobs over the next year.

Reports indicate that the Senate has yet to settle on a plan for extending federal unemployment. If federal unemployment insurance disappears, average weekly payments in North Carolina will drop from $877 to just $277.

The state of North Carolina also has one of the shortest maximum unemployment insurance benefit duration (tied with Florida at just 12 weeks), meaning those who lost their job in March and April currently or will soon have no income.

What do you think should be done for those who now find themselves without income?

UNC Charlotte Issues State of Housing in Charlotte Update

Charlotte Stories
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UNC Charlotte Issues State of Housing in Charlotte Update

After seeing a drop in April and May due to the COVID-19 pandemic, single-family home sales in the Charlotte region are surging back, according to an update from UNC Charlotte’s Childress Klein Center for Real Estate (CKCRE), part of the Belk College of Business.

“The bottom line is that despite the pandemic, the demand for single-family housing throughout the Charlotte region remains strong,” said Yongqiang Chu, CKCRE director. “However, supply is extremely limited.”

CKCRE_covid_soh_update_ppt3.jpgChu – who is also the Childress Klein Distinguished Professor of Real Estate and Urban Economics and professor of finance for the Belk College – presented the data during the State of Housing in Charlotte Virtual Update on Thursday, July 23.

Earlier this year, the supply of single-family housing had loosened up across the region, Chu said. However, this changed starting in April and continued through June. For June, housing inventory in the region dropped to 2.91 months. For Mecklenburg County, inventory was even lower, at 2.79 months.

For June, monthly single-family housing sales rebounded across the region with 3,833 sales, a .04% increase over June 2019.

The update, based on Canopy MLS (Multiple Listing Service) Data, also found for June:

  • Pending single-family home sales for the region increased 19% over June 2019 at 4,394.
  • The region’s median housing price was $309,000, the highest since May 2019. For Mecklenburg County, the median price increased to $319,490.
  • The quality adjusted price continued to trend upward.

Gonzalo Could Strengthen Into Hurricane And Hit The Carolinas Next Week

Charlotte Stories
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Gonzalo Could Strengthen Into Hurricane And Hit The Carolinas Next Week

What could soon become the first hurricane in the Atlantic for 2020, Tropical Storm Gonzalo continues to strengthen as it weaves its way through the Caribbean islands.

Gonzalo is currently located a few hundred miles east of the Windward Islands and is expected to hit them by Saturday afternoon.

The storm is then expected to continue moving toward the gulf of Mexico and strengthen over the warm and deep water of the Caribbean.

Once it hits the gulf, its path will diverge off onto one of several possible tracks – 3 of the possible tracks show direct impacts with the Carolinas.

Although there is a chance Gonzalo could hit the Carolinas, it’s highly unpredictable what path it will eventually take, especially considering its small size. According to The Weather Channel, “small storms like this can intensify quickly in the right conditions, but they can also succumb to unfavorable conditions more quickly than a larger storm. In other words, they can strengthen and weaken much more and at a faster rate than expected.”

Whether or not we feel any effects from Gonzalo, we are now officially in hurricane season for 2020, which runs from June 1st through November 30th.

NWS officials are reminding all residents in Atlantic Coast states to prepare.

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

We will continue to update this article as this storm develops. 

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