We send our young folks to war with a bunch of promises. Then, they come home and we break them. That sucks.

Fortunately, UNC Charlotte is doing the right thing and allowing students on the G.I. Bill to continue attending classes until the government gets their shit together.

Coming home from war and going to school — that’s the plan for many U.S. soldiers. But we’ve discovered the new GI Bill isn’t working like it’s supposed to.

Instead, many vets, including plenty in our area, are still asking, “Where’s the tuition money?”

“We have 463 total VA students,” said Alisa Roy, assistant registrar at UNC-Charlotte.

One of those is 23-year-old Army vet Tavoris Adams.

“I was stationed at Fort Bragg, then I went to Afghanistan,” said Adams.

Now, he’s studying computer science at UNCC. But, he ran into a snafu when the GI Bill did not come through with his college tuition.

“It was like a month late. I was kind of hurting at first,” he said. “I was just going to work and back to school, so I just had to save every penny I could.”

“Tuition and fees for an undergraduate student is about $2,000 a semester,” Roy said.

Adams is not alone and neither is UNCC. The VA is backed up with tuition payments around the country because of changes made to the new Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“Anyone that served longer than 30 days after 9-1-01 in the military is eligible, so there’s a volume that the VA can’t get caught up,” said Roy.

She says that UNCC is letting war veterans stay in school until the money comes through, but some colleges are kicking those students out for nonpayment.

Read the entire article at MSNBC.com.

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San Francisco might have gotten all the glory, but the first gold ever found in America was found near Charlotte. It’s a fact. Why do you think we’ve got “Gold Hill Road,” “Mint Hill,” “The Mint Museum,” the “Gold Rush” ride at Carowinds, “Norm the Miner”?

From the 1830s until the end of the Civil War, so much gold was unearthed around these parts that Charlotte even had a federal mint in town. The eagle that once adorned graced the entrance of the mint was restored in the 1930s and now hangs above the Mint Museum’s back door. Go look.

Interest in hunting for gold has ballooned in recent months. That’s because gold prices have surged to record levels, as people seek safer investments in these uncertain economic times. On Wednesday, gold futures hit an all-time high before closing at $1,087 an ounce – about 50 percent higher than a year ago.

Local prospectors and mine operators say they’re flooded with calls as the unemployed and underemployed turn to the hobby, drawn by its cheap startup costs and the potential payoff. One has even declared it the start of a “new gold rush.”

…

There’s always been an interest in this region – nearly 60 gold mines have operated in Mecklenburg County over the years, and experts say there are trace amounts of gold on most properties in and around Charlotte. North Carolina was the nation’s only gold-producing state from 1803 until 1828, and it remained a leading producer until the California gold rush of the late 1840s.

Read the entire Charlotte Observer article here.

We even have a gold festival:

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The energy industry is getting a makeover. The U.S. needs to lead the way to remain competitive in the global market, and Charlotte’s ready to lead the charge.

The $787 billion stimulus package the Obama administration put together this year includes about $70 billion in grants and tax breaks for the energy industry — almost all of it directed at clean-energy companies. The Charlotte region, hungry for growth in the sector, has already received significant grants from the clean-energy programs in the bill.

The largest was the $42.9 million awarded to Celgard, a local subsidiary of Charlotte-based Polypore International Inc. That will help Celgard beef up production of membranes used in lithium batteries to power electric vehicles.

That effort will create 200 jobs. Celgard has payroll of 300 at its plant on Carowinds Boulevard. But it’s not clear whether all the new jobs will be in the region. The company intends to use the stimulus funding to help build a second plant, but Mitch Pulwer, general manager, says Celgard has not decided on a site.

Chemetall Foote Corp. in Kings Mountain, a division of Germany-based Chemetall, will also be working on batteries for electric vehicles, using a $28.4 million grant.

The funds will be part of a $56 million investment in expanding Chemetall’s lithium-production facilities.

Tim McKenna, spokesman, says about 60% of the total will be spent in Kings Mountain.

Both companies are already major players in the lithium-battery market. Chemetall produces about a third of the lithium for batteries worldwide. And Celgard is a major supplier for membranes used in batteries for cell phones, laptops, digital cameras and other common products.

But both see the nascent electric-vehicle business as a major new market. That could mean more growth in Kings Mountain and Charlotte down the line.

Read the entire Charlotte Business Journal article here.

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Amen, Sister Jackson. Can I get a hell yeah?

Long quiescent under President George W. Bush, the agency is churning out initiatives and regulations at a pace that pleases its friends in the environmental movement and frightens many in the business community.

In the past eight months, the EPA has proposed eight major new regulations for air pollutants that would strengthen the nation’s clean air laws almost overnight. In contrast, in the first eight months of the Bush administration, the agency proposed one small regulation that affected a limited number of polluters.

“The Obama EPA is issuing more significant rule-makings at a much quicker rate than the EPA did in eight years of the Bush administration,” said Roger Martella, who served as the agency’s general counsel under Mr. Bush.

Read this entire Washington Times article here.

Lisa Jackson discusses how, under the Bush administration, EPA staffers spent half their time just trying to find out if they had jurisdiction when inspectors discovered a violation:

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The third term Congressman could give a crap what the rules are or what’s customary and reasonable behavior. Naw. If he’s in a rush — and aren’t we all? — then you need to just deal with the fact that he’s in power and you’re not.

In fact, he’s so damn busy he can’t even park his SUV like a normal person. No time to back up and try again. No time to circle the parking lot. Oh, no.

And, apparently there’s no time to schedule his time effectively to ensure he makes his flights on time. So, screw you Mr. and Mrs. Average Citizen. You can just drive around his SUV until he gets back from Washington, but, for God’s sake, don’t hit it — then you’ll be in trouble.

I triple dog dare you to try to pull this stunt and see what happens to you and your vehicle. (P.S. Do so at your own risk.)

A Gazette employee spotted the congressman’s blue Ford Explorer straddling a curb in a parking lot at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport at 4:35 p.m. Sunday, at the end of a row of legally parked cars. The Ford’s front tires were on the curb, while the back tires were in the driving area of the parking lot, with one of them resting atop a yellow speed bump.

The vehicle’s license plate bore the tag number “U.S. House 10,” surrounded by an outline of North Carolina — the customary plate design for vehicles registered to U.S. Senate and House members from this state. A blue and white sticker reading “McHenry, U.S. Congress” was affixed to the back glass.

When contacted about the issue this week, McHenry’s spokesman, Brock McCleary, said the congressman was pressed for time.

Read more — and see photos — from The Gaston Gazette here.

Here after bragging about spending the night in Saddam Hussein’s house, he calls his security guard “two bit” and says “I’m not trying to tell you a Hilary Clinton story” after detailing how skipping the gym saved his life:

Here’s McHenry is declared the “Worst Person in the World” by MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann in 2007 after claiming he was the political target of a fellow Gaston County Republican:

Here’s McHenry is exposed as an earmark hypocrite:

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Whew. That was close. But, only one candidate can win and that distinction goes to Democrat Anthony Foxx, who will forevermore be known as Charlotte’s second African-American mayor.

Early voting data came in first, as you’d expect, and put Foxx out front. Within an hour, however, his lead slipped and his rival, Republican John Lassiter, was in the lead.

Now, I hate horse race electoral coverage as much as the next person — but this really was one of those elections where one minute one candidate lead by a couple hundred votes and 10 minutes later the other one was in the lead by a few hundred.

If you’re interested in a play-by-play on the the night, check out the #CLTvote Twitter hashtag. (If you want to read them in order, read the older posts first.)

Not long after 10 p.m., the final tally was in and Foxx was named the winner with 51.48 percent of the vote to Lassiter’s 48.45 percent. There were 73 write-in votes. (Really?)

The pathetic news: Only only 106,994 citizens chose to vote for the next leader of the country’s 19th largest city. What gives, people? If any election should prove that your vote counts, it’s this one.

If you’re wondering how your ‘hood voted, check out this cool interactive map from The Charlotte Observer.

In related news, voters cleaned house in the school board election and three towns in Union County will now serve mixed drinks.

Watch Lassiter’s concession speech here, Foxx’s victory speech here (do note the color and tone of the crowds, will ya) and one of the winner’s campaign ads here:

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The headline pretty much says it all: Anthony Foxx has defeated John Lassiter in the race to become Charlotte’s next mayor. That victory makes Foxx the first Democrat to win in a long while and the second African-American to ever hold the office.

Congrats Mr. Foxx. More on this story to come tomorrow …

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Can’t win if you don’t play.

The North Carolina lottery commission voted unanimously Monday afternoon to add MegaMillions to its lineup, giving the state a second multi-state game with eye-popping jackpots.

MegaMillions tickets could start selling as early as Jan. 31. North Carolina has sold Powerball tickets since 2006, the year the state lottery began, with two drawings a week on Wednesday and Saturday.

The addition of MegaMillions will give players two more drawings a week, Tuesday and Friday, in which the jackpot can balloon to $200 million or more. Lottery officials are betting that the additional game will boost revenue in a market that is constantly looking for new options to offer players. Neighboring states Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia have already voted to sell two games, and South Carolina is scheduled to vote next Tuesday.

Read the rest of this News and Observer article here.

Can you school the lottery? Dunno. But these folks seem to think so:

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Great news: North Carolina’s Biomass Trader is at your service whether you’ve got trash or need some trashy materials. The site will even connect you to the 411 on composting, organic products and more. Check it out :

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Though I’ve never been a big fan of fast food, – and Morgan Spurlock’s 2004 documentary, Super Size Me, certainly didn’t help – I was intrigued to learn that McDonald’s restaurants have left Iceland.

With the collapse of Iceland’s currency, the Krona, the country continues to face a dreadful economic climate. It’s so dreadful, in fact, that Iceland’s three McDonald’s restaurants – all located in the capital, Reykjavik – have closed down.

Icelandic folks scurried to the McDonald’s, before the closings, to order one last meal from the food chain. Some even stocked up on food for experimental purposes. See video from YouTube below.

For another video farewell to McDonald’s, posted on YouTube, click here.

For more information on McDonald’s food chain leaving Iceland, check out the article below from The Associated Press

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — The Big Mac, long a symbol of globalization, has become the latest victim of this tiny island nation’s overexposure to the world financial crisis.

Iceland’s three McDonald’s restaurants — all in the capital Reykjavik — will close next weekend, as the franchise owner gives in to falling profits caused by the collapse in the Icelandic krona.

“The economic situation has just made it too expensive for us,” Magnus Ogmundsson, the managing director of Lyst Hr., McDonald’s franchise holder in Iceland, told the Associated Press by telephone on Monday.

Lyst was bound by McDonald’s requirement that it import all the goods required for its restaurants — from packaging to meat and cheeses — from Germany.

Costs had doubled over the past year because of the fall in the krona and high import tariffs on imported goods, Ogmundsson said, making it impossible for the company to raise prices further and remain competitive with competitors that use locally sourced produce.

A Big Mac in Reykjavik already retails for 650 krona ($5.29). But the 20 percent increase needed to make a decent profit would have pushed that to 780 krona ($6.36), he said.

That would have made the Icelandic version of the burger the most expensive in the world, a title currently held jointly by Switzerland and Norway where it costs $5.75, according to The Economist magazine’s 2009 Big Mac index.

The decision to shutter the Icelandic franchise was taken in agreement with McDonald’s Inc., Ogmundsson said, after a review of several months.

McDonald’s, the world’s largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, arrived in Reykjavik in 1993 when the country was on an upward trajectory of wealth and expansion.

The first person to take a bite out of a Big Mac on the island was then Prime Minister David Oddsson. Oddsson went on to become governor of the country’s central bank, Sedlabanki, a position that he was forced out of by lawmakers earlier this year after a public outcry about his inability to prevent the financial crisis.

Lyst plans to reopen the stores under a new brand name, Metro, using locally sourced materials and produce and retaining the franchise’s current 90-strong staff.

Ogmundsson said it was unlikely that Lyst would ever seek to regain the McDonald’s franchise with Iceland still struggling to get back on its feet after the credit crisis crippled its overweight banking system, damaging the rest of its economy, last October.

“I don’t think anything will happen that will change the situation in any significant way in the next few years,” Ogmundsson said.

It is not the first time that McDonald’s, which currently operates in more than 119 countries on six continents, has exited a country. Its one and only restaurant in Barbados closed after just six months in 1996 because of slow sales. In 2002, the company pulled out of seven countries, including Bolivia, that had poor profit margins as part of an international cost-cutting exercise.

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