News: The CLog, Creative Loafing Charlotte

Dixie's Tavern closes, land to be used for park

Ana McKenzie — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:24:00 -0400

Dear Hangover,

I'm sorry to have to break it to you like this - if only there could have been more time! - but I have some bad news.…

BREAKING: Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon to announce mayoral bid Tuesday

Ana McKenzie — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:56:00 -0400

Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon will announce his "political intentions" - aka his mayoral bid - noon Tuesday at Elizabeth Park. Cannon is seeking to replace Democrat Mayor Anthony Foxx, who will leave his position to serve in President Obama's cabinet as Secretary of Transportation.…

Have a happy, Sharia-free weekend!

John Grooms — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:24:00 -0400

Amid all the noise and ruckus of the General Assembly's current, historic session, many bills tainted by far-right myths and misperceptions were introduced. A lot of them passed.…

North Carolina's creative class on the rise

Ana McKenzie — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:47:00 -0400

Liberal arts majors rejoice! (And liberal arts haters be damned!)…

'Moral Monday' protests at General Assembly to continue indefinitely

Erin Tracy-Blackwood — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:31:00 -0400

Fourty nine people were arrested in Raleigh on Monday for trespassing and failure to disperse at the General Assembly. They were protesting the destructive extreme right agenda currently moving through our state's legislature.

This was the third consecutive Monday of demonstrations.…

Alice in General Assemblyland

John Grooms — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:21:00 -0400

Just as we were almost getting used to the idea that our state government is being run by big corporations, rustics and Baptist preachers, the "less government" folks in the General Assembly decided to really pour it on.

In the past week, the legislature's rightwing assembly line has rolled out a glut of new bills that, if passed, would put North Carolina in serious competition with Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina for the title of "Most Backward State."…

WTF!?: N.C. teens may soon need parental consent for STI, mental-health and drug treatment

Erin Tracy-Blackwood — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:22:00 -0400

In the latest round of completely absurd and dangerously regressive bills making their way through the General Assembly at an astoundingly fast pace is a Republican bill passed by the House Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday that would require teenagers get their parents' permission before receiving treatment for substance abuse, mental-health issues or STIs.

Pediatricians warned the committee this bill could have serious public-health consequences. In many cases teens would rather delay treatment than disappoint their parents, and leaving such serious issues untreated could create a community crisis.…

At long last, King Harry has been dethroned

John Grooms — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:50:00 -0400

After leading the charge to deep-six County Manager Harry Jones, County Commission Chairwoman Pat Cotham got a few choice words from former commission Chairman Parks Helms.

The longtime Charlotte politician accused Cotham of taking orders from Commissioner Vilma Leake, a pairing he called "an unholy alliance."…

Students, medical professionals and environmental activists deliver united message to BofA: Stop funding coal

Ryan Pitkin — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:30:00 -0400

Though there were noticeably fewer protesters at this year's Bank of America shareholder meeting than at last year's, they accomplished something their forbearers could not. The group rallied behind a single cause: climate change.…

Say "bye bye" to Harry Jones

Ana McKenzie — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:54:00 -0400

The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners fired longtime Manager Harry Jones Tuesday. He had served 13 years on the job.…

Protesters prepare to give dirty-energy backer BofA earful at Wednesday's shareholder meeting

Ryan Pitkin — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:11:00 -0400

The protest movement in Charlotte has been relatively calm since the very active summer of 2012, which saw activists coming from all over the country in the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention. In the past two weeks, however, some have rallied again to voice their opposition to the policies of a few Charlotte-based corporations.…

Charmin to debut skid marks ad at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Ana McKenzie — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:20:00 -0400

You gotta hand it to NASCAR lovers: They can tolerate quite a bit.

In which other sport are fans so dedicated they're willing to risk their lives - and the vitality of their skin - to sit under the sun for hours all to watch cars drive in circles.…

Jason Collins provides young black gay men much-needed role model

Charles Easley — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:22:00 -0400

I am not a sports fan, but last week I paid close attention to one NBA player.

Jason Collins made history as one of the first active athletes in America's four major sports leagues to come out as gay.…

Cato dodges ties to Bangladesh disaster

John Grooms — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:37:00 -0400

Unlike some clothing retailers, the Cato Co., a Charlotte-based chain of over 1,300 women's clothing stores in 31 states, is trying to downplay its ties to the Rana Plaza factory complex in Bangladesh. The fire, the worst accident in garment-industry history, killed some 400 people last week.…

Who should play Hillary Clinton in new movie?

John Grooms — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:05:00 -0400

So apparently there are plans for a new biopic of Hillary Clinton's life in the 1970s. Rodham will focus on the former first lady, U.S. Senator and secretary of state's career as a young lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee's staff during the Watergate scandal.…

Workplace study should derail Elevator Lady's Senate campaign

John Grooms — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:19:00 -0400

N.C. Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry is the woman whose face you see on the inspection notice every time you ride an elevator in this state. She wants to take Kay Hagan's seat in the U.S. Senate and, according to Public Policy Polling, she is the GOP's leading contender (just ahead of one our favorite loons, Rep. Virginia "Death Panels" Foxx).…

Foxx to serve as Obama's secretary of transportation

Ana McKenzie — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:07:00 -0400

The rumors were true - President Barack Obama will nominate Mayor Anthony Foxx to be secretary of transportation.

The announcement should come some time today, according to the Charlotte Observer.…

Don't fear The Nipple

John Grooms — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:21:00 -0400

If you thought you'd heard the last about nipples in Asheville, you're wrong. State Rep. Tim Moffitt, R-Buncombe, says he hasn't given up on making it a by-God-felony for women to expose their nipples in North Carolina.…

In airport battle, backstabbing becomes "freedom of speech"

John Grooms — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:16:00 -0400

Often in politics, some things would be funny if they weren't so ridiculous. I'm talking about Airport Advisory Committee Chairman Shawn Dorsch's appearance before Charlotte City Council yesterday and specifically his spirited defense of his own "freedom of speech."…

Alton Brown wows Charlotte crowd with equal parts theatrics, science and good eats

Graham Odom — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:30:00 -0400

Apparently, CL had a hard time finding someone to cover events on Saturday - 4/20 - so it came to me (the new guy) to cover "An Evening with Alton Brown" at the Knight Theater in Uptown. Sadly, because nature abhors an unsuffering writer, I felt about two steps away from death, but that didn't stop me. I took some cold meds and bravely went Uptown, only to find that apparently it was either prom or Mez reopened with an even tighter dress code.…

You know West, Texas

Ana McKenzie — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:59:00 -0400

It's somewhere between here and there where the cracks in the streets have been around longer than time. Where grass sways without concern that one day a high-rise will take its freedom away.…

MJ worshipped for paltry gift

John Grooms — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:03:00 -0400

Charlotte Bobcats majority owner Michael Jordan received a ton of favorable - oh, let's just say it - fawning publicity this week for his announcement of a team charity. The excitement on TV and the web - no doubt inspired by the fact that MJ came out of his hole and deigned to speak to Charlotte's traditionally celebrity-worshipping media - overshadowed the essential puniness of the Bobcats' charity in this case.…

No, YOU need to be quiet, Mr. Tucker!

Mark Kemp — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:22:00 -0400

Political arrogance reached a new extreme on Tuesday when Republican Sen. Tommy Tucker of Waxhaw told a North Carolina newspaper publisher, "I am the senator. You are the citizen.…

Lovely details of MetLife bribe emerge

John Grooms — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:19:00 -0400

WRAL-TV in Raleigh used a public records request to obtain 5,000 pages of documents giving more details of the deal that handed MetLife $100 million in publicly funded grants.

One of the most interesting revelations is the manner in which elected officials and corporate lawyers communicate with one another when those officials are essentially groveling before Uptown Charlotte sharks.…

Thinking about Boston today

Kimberly Lawson — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:01:00 -0400

Tragedies like what happened yesterday at the Boston Marathon are gut-wrenching. But until we experience something like that firsthand, that's all it is. We feel uncomfortable.…