Wednesday, August, 20 2008

Welcome to the QC, Jeff Otah
Posted August 19th, 2008 at 12:24 PM by Jeff Taylor

The Panthers’ first round draft pick had his Escalade carjacked at gunpoint in Uptown by one of Charlotte’s violent repeat offenders. Cash and bling were also taken by 19-year-old Marcellus Morris and an accomplice, WCNC reports. Otah’s brother was driving the SUV at the time of the incident.
State records indicate Morris was paroled in April [...]

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Uptown Paper Helps Partner Bash Movie
Posted August 19th, 2008 at 12:06 PM by Jeff Taylor

Given what has been described as McClatchy’s six-figure publishing deal with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, this headline caught my eye:
Franklin Graham pans movie about his father
Seems Billy’s son has no use for media he does not authorize — and presumably does not share in the profits. Is this really news? And if it is, [...]

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James Rogers is a Fascist
Posted August 19th, 2008 at 9:24 AM by Jeff Taylor

I’ve waited patiently to hear Duke Power CEO James Rogers explain his Save-a-Watt program. How consumers would have incentives to save energy. Turns out that was never Save-a-Watt’s intention. Both Duke and the state Utilities Commission figure consumers are too dumb to do anything other than write checks. The size of which will be determined [...]

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CBS College Football Sked Leaked?
Posted August 19th, 2008 at 8:12 AM by Jeff Taylor

Here’s a fun thing that is whizzing around the inter-tubes. CBS supposedly accidentally posted its fall college football plans weeks ahead of time.
Note that the sked kicks off in Columbia with the Gamechickens hosting preseason number one Georgia, led by former Independence standout WR Mohamed Massaquoi. (Lesser Carolina features a couple former Patriots as [...]

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• Lynx And Exploding Pipes
  Jeff Taylor says there may be another factor to blame for CMUD’s recent series of water leaks.
• Getting Ugly
  Jeff Taylor explains the danger associated with Charlotte Center City Partners’ opposition to Coyote Ugly’s move into the old Ivey’s building.
• More Code Red Alerts
  Charlotte is almost certain to see frequent alerts on unhealthy levels of ozone. Jeff Taylor points out that the overlooked fact will be that we already have done something about.
• Ghost Riders Boarding Lynx
  Operations of the CATS’ South Corridor light rail have become a little more transparent with two recent data points explains Jeff Taylor.
• Charter School Funding
  Michael Lowrey explains why the N.C. Court of Appeals ruled that CMS was underfunding five local charter schools.
• Charlotte’s Misery Index
  Jeff Taylor says that Charlotte’s inclusion in Forbes’ list of the 10 most miserable cities in America shows how far local civic leaders are into denial.
• See More Hits

Charlotte home prices soften anew
CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte region is showing new signs of weakening home sale prices as the nation’s historic housing slump drags on. The region’s median sales price for all homes sold during the second quarter was $184,000, down 1 percent compared with a year ago, according to Market Opportunity Research Enterprises.

Fight on stadium deal costly
CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County has spent close to a half-million dollars so far to defend a complicated land swap that will let the Charlotte Knights build a new minor-league baseball stadium in Third Ward. It’s a fight that pits elected officials against a lone Charlotte lawyer, and taxpayers are picking up the tab.

2 visions of new uptown icon seen
CHARLOTTE — Creating an uptown icon was the bold goal of meetings this week between city leaders and a national engineering firm. Standing in a room filled with drawings and diagrams, engineers Thursday spelled out two possible visions for redeveloping a coveted piece of uptown real estate.

70 gangs in CMS schools, report says
CHARLOTTE — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials on Tuesday unveiled what they called their first comprehensive report on gangs, identifying about 70 gangs and 450 members in local schools. The report included groups with such names as the “Beatties Ford Bloods,” the “Latin Dragon Nation” and the “Laotian Crips.” Superintendent Peter Gorman said the school system takes the issue seriously.

Charlotte mulls ambitious South End plan
CHARLOTTE — Charlotte city leaders begin this week considering an ambitious plan for uptown redevelopment that could result in the creation of a massive highway cap stretching across Interstate 277. Starting Monday, officials are taking part in a series of closed-door sessions intended to iron out a plan for redeveloping a prime piece of uptown real estate.

CMPD chief to beef up patrols
CHARLOTTE — Police Chief Rodney Monroe has launched a sweeping reorganization that will change the way police approach crime across Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The changes – announced Friday and set to take effect Sept. 6 – are the department's most significant overhaul in almost a decade. Monroe, who has been on the job 47 days, said he wants to “emphasize the front-line response to crime.”

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Un-Affordable Housing: Cities keep low- and middle-income families from home ownership
Many North Carolina cities use affordable-housing policies to provide housing to low-income citizens. No doubt started with the best intentions, those policies ignore fundamental economic realities and produce the opposite effect than was intended.

Does Gaston need a sales tax increase?
The Gaston County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies $54.4 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — almost 12 times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.

Does Lincoln need a sales tax increase?
The Lincoln County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies $26.3 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — over 17 times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.

Does Stanly need a sales tax increase?
The Stanly County commissioners are asking voters to approve a sales-tax increase on May 6. This report identifies $23 million in revenue and savings the county could use to meet its needs — over 16.7 times the amount that the proposed tax increase would produce.