News
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
News / Opinion McCrory has gall to praise former moderate GOP governor
Posted by John Grooms on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 3:55 PM
Gov. Pat McCrory has a lot of nerve praising former N.C. Gov. Jim Holshouser, who died Monday at age 78.
Holshouser came into office on Richard Nixon's coattails in 1972, becoming the first GOP governor in North Carolina since Reconstruction. He quickly gained a reputation as a governor who worked well with the legislature, a genuine moderate - you know, like McCrory was supposed to be - who enthusiastically supported several programs that today's version of the GOP would condemn as "socialism" or worse.
- Wikipedia
- Holshouser served as governor from 1973 to 1977
News News to Know (6/18/13): Raleigh party mansion closes
Posted by Ana McKenzie on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 12:12 PM
1. Speed demons, rejoice! N.C. Senate-approved bill would increase speed limits on some state highways to 75 mph.
2. More infuriating news out of Bank of America as former employees say the Charlotte-based bank rewarded them to send homeowners into foreclosure.
3. Meet Lynn Good, Duke Energy's new president and CEO
4. Anatomy of "Moral Monday" protesters
5. Court closes a Raleigh mansion that threw rapper-approved parties
Friday, June 14, 2013
News Weekend Wonders: The endangered Thirsty Beaver
Posted by Kimberly Lawson on Fri, Jun 14, 2013 at 3:42 PM
After hearing about the fence that went up around Thirsty Beaver this week - and seeing yesterday's report from WSOC - I couldn't help but think about columnist Charles Easley's latest piece. In it, he imagines what it would look like, as a resident of east Charlotte, to be observed by a group of tourists.
Let's apply a similar scenario to the current situation in Plaza Midwood.
- Kennieth Holmes
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
News / Opinion N.C. House proposals will wreck our schools
Posted by John Grooms on Wed, Jun 12, 2013 at 10:10 AM
The N.C. House of Representatives revealed the education portion of its budget bill this week, and it's a sobering document that continues the current legislative session's unprecedented attack on public education in North Carolina. Remember, though, that the N.C. House actually leans a smidgen less to the far-right than the N.C. Senate - in other words, these ideas could get even worse by the time they make it through both houses. Here are some lowlights of what the House GOP wants:
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
News / Film R.I.P. Robert West, film curator, producer and former Charlottean
Posted by John Grooms on Tue, Jun 11, 2013 at 5:00 PM
Whether they know it or not, Charlotte film lovers owe a debt of gratitude to the late Robert West. A lifelong devotee, producer and supporter of filmmaking, West died June 6 in Wilmington, NC, of Glioblastoma Multiforme (MFB), a form of terminal brain cancer. West was diagnosed in fall 2012 and had stepped down from his executive director position in early 2013.
From 1985 to 1999, West was curator of film and video at the Mint Museum in Charlotte. He led a renowned media program that began the Charlotte Film & Video Festival, a national independent film festival, and organized national touring film programs for documentaries featuring social justice issues. The Mint position cemented West's reputation and he was a frequent presence - as board member, arts funder, juror and idea guy - for a variety of statewide and national arts groups, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the NC Arts Council, the Sundance Film Festival and PBS. He was also a board member of the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture.
News / Opinion Free Da Funk!
Posted by John Grooms on Tue, Jun 11, 2013 at 3:13 PM
Tim Funk, a veteran political reporter and current religion reporter for the Charlotte Observer, was arrested during the Moral Monday protests at the General Assembly building in Raleigh yesterday (fortunately he has since been released). Funk was covering the protests for the Observer, so he naturally stayed with the approximately 60 protesters waiting to be arrested after General Assembly police told the group to disperse. That's a reporter's job, and it is rare that police sweep up reporters when they are legitimately covering protests, even during protests that involve civil disobedience.
The General Assembly police chief, Jeff Weaver, said Funk was arrested and taken away in handcuffs because he did not heed the authorities' warning - which is proof enough that Weaver and his one-step-above-WalMart-security-guards force don't know what the hell they're doing.
- Courtesy of Advancement Project
Friday, June 7, 2013
News / Culture Gastonia will soon feature (mostly) publicly funded live/work space for artists
Posted by Ana McKenzie on Fri, Jun 7, 2013 at 10:55 AM
A real estate developer for the arts and a private philanthropic donor have penned a deal to create space for artists to live and work in downtown Gastonia.
According to the Charlotte Observer, Gastonia Artspace, the nation's leading real estate developer for the arts, and the Community Foundation of Gaston County signed a predevelopment contract May 22 to create 35 to 40 studios, which artists can use as apartments or workspace, and some adjoining commercial space in downtown Gastonia. State and federal tax credits would mostly fund the $11 million project.
Per the Observer:
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
News / Opinion N.C. Senate eliminates greenway funding
Posted by John Grooms on Wed, Jun 5, 2013 at 11:51 AM
If anyone wants proof (rather, more proof) that the 2013 General Assembly debacle in Raleigh is largely driven by narrow ideology rather than common sense or concerns about quality of life, then here you go. On Tuesday the N.C. Senate eliminated $1.2 million from the Transportation Department budget for greenway trails. Got rid of it - poof! - just like that. Never mind that greenways are increasingly popular nationwide, including North Carolina. Never mind that the state's greenway program is already seriously underfunded. And never mind that the $1.2 million would bring the state another $4.5 million in matching funds to build yet more greenways. Or that greenways invariably bring a rise in nearby home sales and real estate prices. Moreover, as pointed out by N.C. Policy Watch, never mind that $1.2 million is less than the cost of building one lousy mile of highway in North Carolina.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
News / Opinion Lil' Frankie Graham headed to town?
Posted by John Grooms on Tue, Jun 4, 2013 at 3:46 PM
Lil' Graham wants to stage a big ol' fundamentalist "festival" in Charlotte (large, preaching-intensive events that Biily Graham, AKA Big Graham, called "crusades" in his heyday).
Tim Funk at the Observer reported that Franklin Graham and his staff are in preliminary discussions with local churches to gauge the level of interest in Billy's son putting on a huge to-do in Charlotte in 2015. Big Graham held four crusades in Charlotte, the last one of which, in 1996, drew an average 84,000 people per night to the uptown stadium, for four nights. I'm no savant of crowd prediction, but I'll bet you three Baghavad Gitas to a Bible that Lil' Graham can't draw that many people here.
Monday, June 3, 2013
News / sports Cam Newton lends his swagger to new Belk clothing line
Posted by Jeff Hahne on Mon, Jun 3, 2013 at 10:50 AM
When I walk into an executive office on the fourth floor of Belk at South Park Mall, I am introduced to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. In the midst of an onslaught of press interviews, Newton appears ready to get on with his afternoon appearance, weary from answering the same questions over and over.
He gives me a quick handshake - his behemoth hand engulfing mine - and sits. There's only one way I can start our five-minute chat.
"First, as an Auburn alum, let me say, 'War Eagle!'" A smile cracks as he yells, "War Eagle!!!" and reaches out for a second, much heartier handshake. As the quarterback who led the 2010 Auburn University football team to its first national championship since 1957, Newton has quite a home in the hearts of fans. And because he recently went back to the school to finish his degree in sociology, he's also earned more respect.
But I'm not there to talk about Auburn, I am chatting with Newton about his new clothing line with Belk, Made. It's no surprise - Newton's not making or designing the clothes himself, he's simply attaching his name to a line he approves of in order to help his (and Belk's) brand and business.
"In the great words of Jay-Z, 'I'm a business, man,'" Newton says. The line includes everything from shorts and shoes to suits and T-shirts.
I have to ask if there were any plans to make a tear-away T-shirt - one that would make it easier for him to unleash his Superman touchdown pose.
-
McCrory has gall to praise former moderate GOP governor
Holshouser was a genuine moderate - you know, like McCrory was supposed to be
-
Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, like hell
Witless comedy is a major drag.
-
Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
