Police Asking For Public’s Help In Finding Missing Waxhaw 20-Year-Old

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Union County officials are now asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 20-year-old male.

20-year-old Joseph John Bulone was last seen at his home on Sandtyn Dr. in Waxhaw this past Saturday afternoon.

According to The Union County Sheriff’s Office, “Joseph was last seen at approximately 1:18 pm on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 walking away from his home wearing a gray shirt, white shorts, gray shoes and carrying a backpack…”

Joseph stands about 5’5″ tall and weighs roughly 150 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Police also not that he left his home without a phone or money.

If you have any information about Joseph’s whereabouts, please call Union County Communications at 704-289-1591 or 911.

Myer’s Park HS Mother and Son’s “The History of Dance” Video Is Still Going Viral

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We originally published this article last year, highlighting the incredible mother-son dance that we said was starting to go viral. When this article was originally published, the video had just over 85,000 views and 1,700 shares.

In a little over a year, the Facebook video has racked up over 50 million views and over 898,000 shares – it’s now one of the most viewed Facebook videos in America.

The dance was a part of Myer’s Park High School’s annual talent show. Most people expected to be ‘wowed’ by some impressive acts, and bored by some that need a little more practice, but I doubt anyone expected a mother and son to perform “the history of dance” and become an overnight internet sensation.

The description under the video says it all, “THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO WORDS ~ This mother son duo with Mrs. Ginny Goodwin Jenkins & Scott Jenkins ROCKED it! 🐎🐎🐎”

The talent show featured an amazing diversity from almost every genre of music and dance, including;

A full-scale country band;

A choreographed dance to Yolanda Adams;

And a rather impressive traditional Indian performance;

Way to be awesome Myer’s Park!

Charlotte Ranked A Top City for Tech Professionals

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Location, location, location doesn’t just apply to your first apartment; it also refers to what city you move to. Yes, there are tech jobs everywhere but some cities have more of a payoff. So, if you want to be surrounded by the brightest minds then look no further: these are the 5 top tech cities.

1. St. Louis

St. Louis has made a big push to encourage innovation, with access to local startup accelerators and funding. Because of the infusion of technology across nearly every industry, coupled with the state’s lower cost of living, St. Louis is ripe for expansion of its technology workforce. St. Louis is expected to be one of the fastest-growing cities for technology jobs in the upcoming years. 

2. Charlotte

Over the last 10 years, Charlotte has seen an explosion in the number of tech jobs. Charlotte is one of the fastest-growing markets in the nation, and that trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Charlotte’s cost of living is 5% lower than the national average. The housing market in Charlotte is tight. Finding that perfect Charlotte Home for Sale is getting better, although, homes are still selling fast, prices are increasing and demand is still growing. If you’re looking for the perfect Southern city, Charlotte seems almost too good to be true.

3. Huntsville

Located in northern Alabama, Huntsville has been a tech center since the 1950s, when the U.S. Army put a group of scientists there to boost the country’s space program. 

The presence of what became NASA has served as a constant draw for the area. With the median early-career job paying $59,000 and median rent just $950 a month, it’s easy to live comfortably in Huntsville. Huntsville is by far one of the best places in the country for the number of high tech jobs. 

4. Portland

Places like San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Seattle are all well-known for their tech industry. However, the cost of living is simply unaffordable for many. While Portland isn’t cheap, it’s definitely less expensive than the major tech hubs. Many people in the tech industry are moving here, and companies are following. 

5. Philadelphia

As the largest city in Pennsylvania, the home of several firsts in history and technology, and the host of a robust tech startup scene. Philadelphia boasts a mass of universities and talented employees, resources for entrepreneurs and innovators like the Pennovation Center and the University City Science Center, easy access to other major tech cities and markets, and an incredibly affordable cost of living compared to other tech cities across the United States. 

Democratic Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke Is Coming To Charlotte This Week

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Democratic Presidential Candidate Beto O’Rourke will be coming to Charlotte this week to hold a town hall rally at one of our newest breweries.

Local county commissioner candidate Cade Lee has been coordinating the event with the former Congressman from El Paso, TX.

Beto will be holding his rally at the Armored Cow Brewing between 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

You can find out more or register for the event here.

Median Home Prices in Charlotte Have Increased 10.4% Since Last Year

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2019 is shaping up to be another great year for the Queen City, which has seen steady economic growth ever since we turned the tide on last decade’s devastating recession.

According to the Carolina Regional Realtor Association, we’ve seen our median home price increase by over 38% from a low of around $160,000 in 2012 to over $260,000 today.

We’ve used the median home price data instead of average home prices so as to limit the effect of extremely high or low priced homes around our city.

When breaking down the Charlotte region by smaller markets, we found that most neighborhoods saw an increase since last July, with the biggest increases being seen around Center City.

Uptown Charlotte saw the biggest year-over-year median home price increase at a whopping 39.8%

On the other side of the spectrum, the town of Monroe saw the biggest decrease, with a year-over-year median home price decrease of -6.6%;

The lakes saw stagnation and moderate declines over the past year, with Lake Norman seeing a 0.0% change over the past year and a -0.6% change since the first of this year, and Lake Wylie seeing a -1.2% change over the past year and a -2.4% change since the first of this year.

You can see the data for the rest of the Charlotte market on the Carolina Regional Realtor Association’s full report here.

What do you think about Charlotte’s current real estate market? 

Queen-Inspired Rock Musical “We Will Rock You” Coming to Ovens Auditorium

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Ovens Auditorium will host “We Will Rock You”, a rock musical inspired by Queen presented by Live Nation on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000, at all Ticketmaster outlets or at the Bojangles’ Coliseum Box Office located at 2700 E. Independence Blvd. Tickets start at $39.50 (plus applicable service charges) and are subject to change.

With the Oscar®-winning film, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the music of Queen is more popular than ever. “We Will Rock You” follows two revolutionaries, Galileo and Scaramouche, on a quest to save rock ‘n’ roll in a post-apocalyptic world where there are no musical instruments and rock ‘n’ roll has died. They join a small group of societal outcasts, the Bohemians, as they fight to take back the iPlanet from the all-powerful Globalsoft, led by the Killer Queen. They fight for freedom, individuality and the rebirth of rock ‘n’ roll.

While “We Will Rock You” is a quirky, eccentric and heartfelt story of outsiders, it’s also a creative cautionary tale for the cyber age. It reflects the scale and spectacle that marked Queen’s live performances and earned the band its pinnacle position in rock history. The audience can expect “We Will Rock You” to rock as fiercely as the best of Queen’s concerts.

Since 2002, over 16 million theatergoers in 19 countries have been thrilled by this awe-inspiring production. The original West End production featured music supervision from Brian May and Roger Taylor, and Ben Elton fashioned this futuristic story around more than 24 of Queen’s biggest hit songs including: “We Are the Champions,” “Radio Ga Ga,” “I Want To Break Free,” “Somebody To Love,” “Killer Queen,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Under Pressure,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites The Dust” and, of course, “We Will Rock You.”

For more information or tickets click here.

President Trump Criticizes NC Governor Cooper Over Vetoing HB 370 While At G7 Summit

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Yesterday morning in Paris, France, while meeting with other world leaders, the President of the United States criticized North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper for vetoing House Bill 370.

The bill was largely in response to the sheriffs of Mecklenburg and Wake Counties both  saying they would not be willing to hold undocumented immigrants for ICE.

HB 370 would have included the following changes:

  • Require confinement facilities to comply with detainers and administrative warrants issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  • Authorize the removal of a sheriff or officer from office for failing to comply with ICE detainers.
  • Require confinement facilities to submit annual reports to the Joint Legislative Oversight
    Committee on Justice and Public Safety (JPS Oversight) regarding compliance with ICE
    detainers.

Last week, Governor Cooper issued the following statement about his veto;

“This legislation is simply about scoring partisan political points and using fear to divide North Carolina. As the former top law enforcement officer of our state, I know that current law allows the state to jail and prosecute dangerous criminals regardless of immigration status. This bill, in addition to being unconstitutional, weakens law enforcement in North Carolina by mandating sheriffs to do the job of federal agents, using local resources that could hurt their ability to protect their counties. Finally, to elevate their partisan political pandering, the legislature has made a sheriff’s violation of this new immigration duty as the only specifically named duty violation that can result in a sheriff’s removal from office.”

Mecklenburg’s Sheriff Garry McFadden also responded by saying:

“I applaud Governor Cooper on the veto of HB370. The bill is unconstitutional and would steal the authority of all Sheriffs to make those discretionary decisions that all Sheriffs are elected to make on behalf of their constituencies.

HB370 would negatively impact public safety in Mecklenburg and other counties whose citizens provided a clear mandate to end 287(g) and to stop honoring ICE detainers. I continue to believe that this misguided and ill-advised bill would threaten the trust that I have spent a career trying to build between law enforcement and the community, including the immigrant community.

My goal remains to work with all law enforcement agencies, state and federal prosecutors, and the judiciary, to implement plans and programs to keep the community safe. If the legislature overrides the Governor’s veto and HB370 becomes the law, I will, of course, direct the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office to abide by it as we do all laws. But for the people of Mecklenburg County I sincerely hope that day never comes.”

On Saturday morning, while at the G7 Summit in Paris, President Trump issued the following statement about our governor’s veto;

“North Carolina Governor Cooper Vetoed a Bill that would have required Sheriffs to cooperate with Ice. This is a terrible decision for the great people of North Carolina. He should reverse his decision and get back to the basics of fighting crime!”

What do you think about House Bill 370, our governor’s veto, and our president’s response to it?

Hurricane Dorian Could Make Landfall As A Cat 4 Hurricane

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UPDATE 9/5/2019 8:00am:

At 800 AM EDT (1200 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located directly off the coast of Charleston, moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph (13 km/h). A turn toward the northeast and a faster forward speed is forecast tonight and tomorrow n Friday. The center of Dorian will continue to move close to the coast of South Carolina today, and then move over the coast of North Carolina tonight and Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher gusts. Dorian is a category 3 hurricane. Some fluctuations in intensity are expected this morning, followed by slow weakening. Dorian is expected to remain a hurricane through the weekend.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles (315 km).

UPDATE 9/3/2019 11:00am:

This morning at 11am, the National Hurricane Center released the following update:

“At 1100 AM EDT (1500 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 27.1 North, longitude 78.6 West. Dorian is moving toward the northwest near 2 mph (4 km/h), and a slightly faster motion toward the northwest or north-northwest is expected later today and tonight. A turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast Thursday morning. On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will gradually move north of Grand Bahama Island through this evening. The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late today through Wednesday evening, very near the Georgia and South Carolina coasts Wednesday night and Thursday, and near or over the North Carolina coast late Thursday and Thursday night.”

Due to the Westward shifted forecast, “THE STORM SURGE WATCH HAS BEEN EXTENDED NORTHWARD TO CAPE LOOKOUT NORTH CAROLINA.”

According to Ventusky.com, the eye-wall of the storm is shown making initial landfall near Wilmington, NC at around 5pm on Thursday evening;

Several areas around Myrtle Beach and Wilmington are are now expected to see storm surges in excess of 9 feet within the next 3 days;

UPDATE 9/1/2019 2:00pm:

The historic Category 5 Hurricane Dorian just made landfall in the Bahamas with 185 mph sustained winds and gusts over 220 mph in Elbow Cay, Abacos.

“This is tied for the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall on record with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane,” according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is now producing 18 to 23 feet storm surges with even higher waves.

Update 8/30/2019 10:00pm:

A State of Emergency has just been declared for North Carolina due to the possible impact of Hurricane Dorian next week.

“As Hurricane Dorian approaches, North Carolina is under a state of emergency and our price gouging law is in effect,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “It is illegal to charge excessive prices during a state of emergency. If you see a business taking advantage of this storm, let my office know so we can hold them accountable and protect you from price gougers.”

According to Ventusky.com, the eye of Hurricane Dorian should hit the coast of North Carolina on the afternoon of Thursday, September 5th.

The National Hurricane Center is forecasting the storm to make initial impact near West Palm Beach, FL, then hug the coast until it reaches the Outer Banks of North Carolina next week.

North Carolina’s Department of Emergency Management is recommending having emergency supplies ready before the storm hits.

In case of a power outage, make sure to have the following emergency items stocked in your home (available via 2-day shipping on Amazon.com if your local store has already been cleaned out);

We will continue to update this article as Tropical Storm Dorian develops. 

Update 8/30/2019 11:00am: 

The National Hurricane Center just released a public advisory for the Southeastern seaboard with updates on Hurricane Dorian.“Maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph (175 km/h) with higher gusts.” The advisory also notes that “Dorian is expected to become a major hurricane later today.”

Tropical storm force winds upwards of 30-mph could start moving into South Carolina as early as Monday morning.

The full extent of impact remains unclear, as the storm could still swing its path toward the top of Florida or even the Georgia or Caroliana cost as it picks up strength in the warm waters around the Bahamas.

Update 8/28/2019 8:00am: 

Tropical Storm Dorian has shifted its course slightly to the East and at this point it looks like it will avoid the mountains of the Dominican Republic. The storm will now have a greater chance of picking up strength in the open water as it heads toward the East Coast.

Most paths on the GFS model now show the storm hitting the Carolinas at some point, either directly, or after it passes through Florida or Georgia.

The intensity model now shows the possibility of the storm reaching Category 4 levels by this weekend.

Update 8/26/2019 8:00am: 

Tropical Storm Dorian has mostly maintained its course toward the Eastern Coast of the United States. The majority of paths on the GFS model now show the storm hitting Florida, Georgia, or South Carolina;

A new storm is gaining strength in the Caribbean and could be heading for the Carolinas next week.

The National Hurricane Center has just upgraded Dorian to Tropical Storm status and is predicting it to increase to a Category 1 Hurricane by this coming Tuesday;

It is still fairly early to predict the storms path after it hits the Dominican Republic, but one of the models shows the storm hitting Charleston and heading up toward Charlotte by next weekend;

Charlotte city officials are reminding residents that “September is National Preparedness Month, so now is a great time to think about preparedness and safety for all emergency situations.”

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 Tropical Storm Dorian develops. 

Walk-On’s Bistreaux Opening in Charlotte

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Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar, a leading full-service family sports bar that provides gourmet takes on game day favorites, has announced a new signed franchise agreement in Charlotte. The community restaurant will debut in early 2020. The brand has gained a loyal following for employing the go-getter spirit of a walk-on athlete while providing superior service and mouthwatering All-American menu items with a taste of Louisiana. 

The Charlotte restaurant will be locally owned and operated by long-time Charlotte resident James Hutchens. He is no stranger to the restaurant industry as the CEO of Pine States Restaurants and The Hutchens Group restaurant/retail development companies. Currently, he owns and operates the Charlotte area Freshii brand restaurants that have grown to be community favorites. Seeking a strong full-service restaurant to add to his growing portfolio, Hutchens partnered with Jason Sadowski, who owns the Walk-On’s locations in Fayetteville and Wilmington, to embark on this newest venture. Hutchens, with the support of Dave Tschirhart and Legacy Real Estate Advisors, are currently in site selection and aim to debut the restaurant to the community in 2020.  

Earlier this year, the brand announced expansion plans for North Carolina, looking to introduce more than 15 new locations throughout the state over the next five years. The growing brand now has deals inked for Fayetteville – opened in June, Wilmington – slated to open early 2020, Jacksonville – slated to open late 2020, and this most recent Charlotte announcement. Additional target markets throughout the state include further development in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem among others.

“It is truly an exciting opportunity to introduce a new dining destination to the community and we are eager to serve up our incredible, made from scratch food that will show our guests what true Louisiana cuisine is all about,” said Hutchens. “Walk-On’s is unlike anything in the area and we can’t wait to land on a location and begin construction to add to Charlotte’s growing dinning and entertainment landscape. It will be our mission to deliver a remarkable experience to every guest and we look forward to fully immersing ourselves into the community.”

Walk-On’s diverse menu has offerings ranging from unique twists on game day staples – such as a Smoked Gouda Turkey Burger, Boom Boom Shrimp Poyboy, and Cajundillas, to upscale takes on Louisiana mainstays – such as Crawfish Etou-Ways, Mardi Gras Mahi, and Duck and Andouille Gumbo. Its innovative menu provides vast and flavorful dishes for every guest. 

Whether it be for date night, a drink, girl’s night out or a family dinner, Walk-On’s is the place for everyone – because everyone needs a little playing time. Dishes are made from scratch using fresh ingredients to bring its savory cuisine to life. Its game day atmosphere paired with a true southern hospitality makes it a perfect dining destination for everyone. As stated by co-owner and NFL superstar Drew Brees, Walk-On’s is “a great place to bring my family, teammates and business colleagues,” and we’re excited to help “expand the brand across the nation.” Today, with over 150 locations in development across 15 states, the brand is on track for strategic franchise expansion nationwide.

“Growing our presence in North Carolina is an exciting chapter for our growth story as we break into untapped markets with new franchise partners,” said Walk-On’s President & COO, Scott Taylor. “Our development team is poised for success and our initial locations throughout the state will no doubt bring success to enthusiastic entrepreneurs ready to join our team. With a proven business model, positive business environment, and open real estate market, North Carolina is an obvious and attractive area for Walk-On’s continued growth.”

Body-Cam Footage of Gaston County’s Deadly Police Chase Was Just Released

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Yesterday the Gaston County District Attorney released the body cam footage from last month’s deadly police chase.

The video shows the arrest of Joshua Soule and the proceeding 19 minutes, including some footage of confrontations with neighbors who believe the police cruiser also struck pedestrians;

According to the NC Highway Patrol, Gaston Sherriff Deputy T. Buchanan attempted to stop 41-year-old Joshua Todd Soule near the intersection of 321 and Rankin Ave. at about 7:30 pm on Sunday evening.

A high-speed pursuit then ensued west down Rankin Ave.

The pedestrians were struck near 810 W Rankin Ave. and the Soule’s car crashed on the side of 219 N. King St.

The sheriff’s office has since placed both deputies involved in the chase on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

Joshua Soule is now facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder and DWI.