Creative Loafing Charlotte

Slideshow

Republican National Convention 2012 in photos: Day 3

• by Ana McKenzie
Photos courtesy CL-Atlanta photographer Joeff Davis.
• Tags: News, RNC, Republican National Convention, RNC 2012, Chris Christie, Mitt Romney, Ann Romney, photos, Democratic National Convention, DNC, DNC 2012, Florida, speakers, delegates, Slideshow

Slideshow

Republican National Convention 2012 in photos: Day 2

• by Ana McKenzie
Protests, street parties, protests, Ron Paul supporters, oh my!
• Tags: News, Republican National Convention, RNC, Tampa, Florida, Ron Paul, Joeff Davis, Creative Loafing Atlanta, Democratic National Convention, DNC, Slideshow

Charlotte haz catz

• by Ana McKenzie
A kitty video produced by the host committee went viral, which made me wonder: Have our presidents been mostly cat or dog people?
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, DNC, DNC 2012, Democratic National Convention, Charlotte, Charlotte in 2012, cats, dogs, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Woodrow Wilson, William Taft, Andrew Johnson, James Buchanan, Martin Van Buren, John Quincy Adams, George Washington, President's Pet Museum, Ana McKenzie, Fernando

Arianna Huffington to speak at The PPL during the DNC

• by Ana McKenzie
And you can watch from home
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, DNC, DNC2012, Democratic National Convention, Arianna Huffington, Elon James White, This Week in Blackness, Julie Samuels, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Paul Geller, Grooveshark, Thom Duncan, SlowFood Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, Barack Obama, convention, Ana McKenzie, The PPL

Stalking (Jon) Stewart

Amy Aussieker takes the back roads to nab The Daily Show's sexy star

• by Michael J. Solender
• Tags: DNC News, FABO Cafe, Amy Aussieker, The Daily Show, Jon Stewart, k2forma, Kelly Koeppel, Democratic National Convention, DNC, DNC 2012, Stalking Stewart, Charlotte, stalking, campaign

DNC 2012 Notebook: What makes a convention speaker 'electric’?

• by Mary C. Curtis
Time Warner Cable Arena has gotten quite the facelift for the DNC
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, Republicans, Tampa, Democrats, Time Warner Cable Arena, Steve Kerrigan, press, Wednesday, Theo LeCompte, DNCC, DNC, DNC 2012, Democratic National Convention, Democratic National Convention Committee, Bank of America Stadium, September, Charlotte, North Carolina, Obama, President Obama, Barack Obama, Todd Akin, Missouri, Sandra Fluke, Rush Limbaugh, Nancy Keenan, Carolina Kennedy, Lily Ledbetter, Barbara Mikulski, Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Harvard Law School, Charles Ogletree, Mayor Anthony Foxx, CMS, Ericka Ellis-Stewart, Dr. Heath Morrison, Jim Hunt, Robert Balfanz, Mayor's Youth Press Corps, legacy program, credentials, speech, Mary C. Curtis

'Don't hate on a gay man with a gun'

• by Ana McKenzie
Since it went live today, a Charlotte Observer story about atheism and billboards has garnered over 220 of the best comments we've seen in a long time
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, Opinion, DNC, DNC 2012, Democratic National Convention, Charlotte Observer, billboards, American Atheists, atheism, Mormonism, Christianity, Richard DeVayne, presidential election, religion, highway, Ana McKenzie, David Silverman

DNC 2012 Notebook: I want to ride my bicycle

• by Mary C. Curtis
A new bike share program has Charlotte spinning its wheels
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, DNC, DNC 2012, Democratic National Convention, Mary C. Curtis, Dan Murrey, host committee, bicycle, Uptown, Charlotte, North Carolina, Pay McCrory, mayor, GOP, gubernatorial candidate, Gov. Bev Perdue, NASCAR, Paul Ryan, Woodstock, Central Piedmont Community College, Harvard, Charles Ogletree, N.C. Gov. Jim hunt, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Ericka Ellis-Stewart, Heath Morrison

DNC party announcements begin

• by Jeff Hahne
Foo Fighters to play the Fillmore on Sept. 5.
• Tags: Concert Announcement, Foo Fighters, Pitbull, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, The Roots, Scissor Sisters, DNC, Charlotte, concerts, music, performance, private parties, Styx, Amos' Southend, Michelle Bachman, Politico Influence, Jessica Alba, UNC Charlotte, Motion City Soundtrack, Camp Freddy, NC Music Factory, Dave Navarro, Common, DNC 2012, Democratic National Convention, Jeff Bridges, Jack Johnson, Delta Rae, Perez Hilton

Cover Story

Exploiting the DNC

Charlotte struts her stuff for a piece of the political pie

• by Ana McKenzie, Joanne Spataro, and John Grooms
• Tags: DNC News, DNC, Democratic National Convention, DNC 2012, diversity, Event Fantasies, Wadsworth Estate, Aisha Thomas, Amber Serenico, GOP, Republican, Barack Obama, Democrats, delegate, party, Charlotte 714, David Benham, Jason Benham, Malcolm Bailey, convention, Barack2012.org, Krystal Harrell, Darlene Murphy, Create Exposure, DNC Host Committee, Laurel Green, Councilman John Autry, Occupy, Occupy Charlotte, Eastland Mall, Charlotte City Council, agenda, Cover Story

Anonymous sends a message to the DNC

• by Ana McKenzie
The "hacktivist" group is coming to Charlotte (or is it already here?)
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, Opinion, Democratic National Convention, DNC, DNC 2012, Anonymous, hacktivist, Charlotte, North Carolina, news trucks, marbles, Occupy, Occupiers, old city hall, extraordinary events, Ana McKenzie

Rock & rap arms race at the two political conventions

• by Pat Moran
Republicans are paying top dollar for Democratic-leaning music acts; The Roots coming to Charlotte
• Tags: News, Concert Announcement, Opinion, music, Charlotte, DNC, Democratic National Convention, Tampa, RNC, Republican National Convention, The Roots, Flo Rida, Camp Freddy, concerts, Time Warner Cable Arena, N.C. Music Factory, 2012, Ted Nugent, Gregg Allman, Drive-by Truckers, Will.i.am, Black Eyed Peas, Amos' Southend

DNC 2012 Notebook: Celebrities, political and otherwise, reveal Queen City secrets

• by Mary C. Curtis
Kal Penn of "Harold & Kumar" stardom used to work for Obama - and is a huge NASCAR fan
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, Kal Penn, Harold & Kumar, President Barack Obama, DNC, DNC 2012, Democratic National Convention, Democratic National Convention Committee, NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway, White House, North Carolina, Charlotte, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Joey Logano, Leilani Munter, Las Vegas, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Mary C. Curtis, voter-ID bill, Uptown, Affordable Care Act, health-care reform, Democrat, Democratic Party, Bank of America Stadium, convention, Democratic National Convention Committee, Obama for America

Street closures and parking restrictions during the DNC have been released

• by Ana McKenzie
And so it begins
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, DNC, DNC 2012, street closures, Time Warner Cable Arena, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, Secret Service, Charlotte, State Highway Patrol, President Barack Obama, Democratic National Convention, Charlotte in 2012 Host Committee, CarolinaFest, Creative Loafing

Spoken-word poetry doesn't get the attention that spoken-word politics does

And that's a shame

• by Mark Kemp
• Tags: Editor's Notes, Mark Kemp, National Poetry Slam, SlamCharlotte, Bluz, spoken word, DNC, Democratic National Convention, DNC2012, Boris Rogers, Gil Scott-Heron, Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Terry Creech, Ed Mabrey, Carlos Robson,, Micah Roman, Sylenz, Tavii, 23rd Annual National Poetry Slam

When CATS is out of whack during the DNC, who'll get left in the dust?

Another one bites the bus

• by Joanne Spataro
• Tags: DNC News, DNC, Democratic National Convention, DNC 2012, Uptown, transportation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Transportation System, CATS, light rail, bus, LYNX Blue Line, Michael Schiavo, Chris Bode, Charlotte, convention, inconvenience, Charlotte Transit Center, Secret Service

A donkey of a different color

History can tell us why Tar Heel Democrats are in danger of losing big in November

• by Mike Cooper
• Tags: DNC News, North Carolina, Democratic National Convention, DNC, DNC 2012, history, Barack Obama, #ncpol, politics, Pat McCrory, Walter Dalton, W. Kerr Scott, Beverly Perdue, governor, election, John Locke Foundation, John Hood, Democrat, Nancy Pelosi, Michael Bitzer, John Edwards, Jesse Helms, Frank Porter Graham, Gary Pearce

DNC 2012 Notebook: With one month to go, some but not all questions answered

• by Mary C. Curtis
Most importantly the million dollar - or $36.6 million - question
• Tags: News, Democratic National Convention 2012, DNC, DNC 2012, Mary C. Curtis, President Barack Obama, Charlotte, Democratic National Convention, Time Warner Cable, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, NC Music Factory, Democratic Party, Vice President Joe Biden, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, keynote speaker, Texans, Gov. Ann Richards, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan

East and west Charlotte vying for a slice of the DNC pie

Tired of Uptown getting all the attention, surrounding neighborhoods are trying to get in on the convention action

• by Ryan Pitkin
• Tags: DNC News, DNC, Democratic National Convention, DNC 2012, Charlotte, Uptown, South End, Myers Park, neighborhood, NoDa, east Charlotte, DNC Host Committee, Charlotte Museum of History, Charlotte East Community Partners, Eastland Area Strategies Team, Historic Rosedale Plantation, Johnson C. Smith University

Cover Story

Dirty politics: Charlotte's underworld hungrily awaits the DNC

Hookers, pimps and drug dealers ready for the VIPs

• by Christina Wilkie and Ryan Pitkin
• Tags: DNC CL + HuffPost, Huffington Post, Charlotte, Democratic National Convention, DNC, politics, vice, Rob Tufano, Anne Tompkins, Charity Magnuson, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FBI, drugs, human trafficking, sex, cocaine, Cover Story