Drop your excuses and get to the polls. Not sure where to cast your vote? Find out here.
Not sure what to expect? Create your sample ballot here, print it out and take it with you.
Still not sure who to vote for? Check out CharMeckVotes.org.
Further reading: Mayoral candidates make last push for voters
Now’s your chance to speak your mind.
Are you sick and tired of flood warnings every time it rains? Then tell the Environmental Protection Agency how Charlotte’s persistent flooding problem affects you. You’ve got until Dec. 30 to submit your comments.
What’s the problem with stormwater?
According to the EPA, “Generally, as sites are developed, less ground area is available for rain to soak into, which increases stormwater volume. This stormwater flows across roads, rooftops and other surfaces, picking up pollutants that then flow into waterways.” They also say, “Developed sites, such as subdivisions and commercial shopping centers, can significantly alter the hydrology of land can have a negative impact on receiving waterbodies.”
Translated, that means all of the concrete and asphalt in our city is a problem. Water doesn’t soak into those impervious surfaces, it rolls off — fast — and overburdens our streams and creeks, causing flooding. And, let’s not forget that all of this flooding creates a giant mess, frustration and massive property damage and emergency service bills.
On the flip side, green space, like lawns and gardens, not only soak up much of the water but also the pollutants the water’s picked up, like oil and rubber residue from tires.
Now, you should know, this “public comment” period is really intended for the development industry and local governments … which isn’t very “public” if you ask me. How are they going to know the true impact of stormwater flooding if they don’t hear from the people?
So, speak up. It is your right to do so. Let the EPA know how Charlotte’s frequent floods affect your life and livelihood.
All you have to do is e-mail your comments to OW–Docket@epa.gov. Be sure to put “Attention Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OW–2009–0817″ in the subject line.
From the summer of 2007:
From the summer of 2008:
From the summer of 2009:
Let’s make sure we’ve got the details straight here:
North Carolina’s Democratic Party sent out a mailing linking wealthy developers and John Lassiter, a Republican who is — you might have heard — running for mayor. OK. Check. That’s accurate — Lassiter is the developer’s main man. One in five dollar bills in his campaign coffer is from developers while only one in every 20 bucks in Foxx’s is from the same group.
Lassiter called a press conference to whine about the mailer and admit his rival, Democrat Anthony Foxx, didn’t have anything to do with the mailer. Um. OK. Check. Read Lassiter’s media statement here.
In last week’s debate, Lassiter even made the developer-yes-man connection himself:
Foxx took the first shot at Wednesday’s debate. “During your many years in politics you have taken thousands of dollars from big developers and consistently sided with developer interests… Why are you so convinced that our economic revival is best left to big developers…?”
Some expected Lassiter to dispute the premise. He didn’t.
“Because so much of what we need to happen is at the hands of the development community,” Lassiter replied.
The Observer’s Taylor Batten goes on to say …
In the constant tug between development and regulation, the record suggests Lassiter values the role developers and builders play in making things happen in Charlotte more than Foxx does. And it suggests Foxx values the role government plays in making sure developers do their business responsibly and with respect for certain aspects of Charlotte’s quality of life more than Lassiter does.
Who’s right? You decide, Tuesday.
In case Lassiter hasn’t noticed, there’s more going on in Charlotte than construction projects … and who really wants sprawl anyway?
With that, have you gotten off your lazy ass and voted yet? Why the hell not? Tuesday is Election Day. I don’t want to hear any excuses. Go. Vote.
Find out where you need to go to cast your vote here. But, before you do, read this: Candidates offer closing arguments on their mayoral bids
Shannon Ward knows that what she buys for her family effects other people.
That’s why she and her three kids are participating Reverse Trick or Treating this Halloween.
Seven year old Glynis, 11-year-old Nathan and 13-year-old Thomas will be handing out cards attached to a fair trade piece of chocolate to people in Ward’s father’s Huntersville neighborhood.
“I noticed that with Sameritain’s Purse, the group that sends the shoe boxes, a lot of them go to countries where a lot of chocolate and coffee comes from and I wondered how many of those families are farmers who are getting taken advantage of?” Ward said.
Global Exchange, a global human rights protection agency based out of San Francisco created this program. The organization has been around for over 20 years. 2009 marks the 3rd year of the Reverse Trick-or-Treating program.
This is the first year that the Ward family has had a chance to participate.
“Fair trade is really important to my family and we only buy fair trade chocolate and coffee. There is such an enormous amount of chocolate consumed around this time of year and Valentine’s Day that I just wanted to let people know about it. I think if more people knew about what fair trade is and what it means when they don’t buy fair trade that it would sway them to make different decisions or at least think about the decisions that they’re making.”
So, what is fair trade?
It is a social movement to get higher payment to the farmers in developing countries that produce things like coffee, chocolate and sugar to name a few items.
Ward said that she and her family try to expose as many people to fair trade items. Whenever there is a chance to share things at her kids’ school, The Community School of Davidson, she makes a handcrafted hot chocolate made with fair trade ingredients to get the conversation rolling.
Where does Ward find fair trade coffee and chocolate. The coffee, she said, is easy.
“You can find fair trade coffee any where. Even Wal-Mart and Food Lion sell it now,” she said.
But the chocolate, you have to search for. Here’s a hint — it ain’t Hershey’s. Ward said stores like Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market have fair trade chocolate.
She also said she buys some fair trade chocolate online at Sweet Earth Organic Chocolate.
Ward said she hopes that more people will start paying attention to fair trade and think about the choices they make.
Remember the long lines for early voting last year?
Well, you won’t find any of those this year.
Judge Bill Belk, potentially Charlotte’s brattiest rich kid, should be out of a job soon. Whew.
Belk said Wednesday the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission has decided to recommend his removal, after hearing two days of testimony on misconduct charges involving his service on a corporate board and his altercation with another judge.
The judge told Observer news partner WCNC-TV the commission informed him of its decision earlier Wednesday. The N.C. Supreme Court has the final say on whether to remove Belk.
“It was to be expected,” Belk told WCNC. “I knew that this was coming down, actually, when I got elected because the rumor mill was talking about it – that they were going to try to figure out how to get me off the bench. The issues that have come forth at this time – if it hadn’t been those issues it would have been something else.”
…
Belk was accused in April of violating the N.C. Code of Judicial Conduct because he continued to serve on the board of directors for Sonic Automotive, one of the nation’s largest auto retailers. He was also accused of making disparaging remarks during a confrontation with Chief District Judge Lisa Bell.
…
n a hearing last month, the commission’s counsel, Nancy Vecchia, wrapped up her case against Belk by calling his refusal to resign from Sonic “willful disobedience” of rules meant to ensure public trust in the legal system and “selfish pursuit” of his own interests.
She called Belk, grandson of the founder of the Belk department store chain, “a man clearly used to having his way.”
She told commissioners Belk essentially ignored at least three opinions – including one from the state Supreme Court and one from Judge Martin himself – that said his membership on the boards of Sonic and Monroe Hardware violated judicial canons. Court officials say judges are prohibited from serving on business boards to avoid conflicts of interest.
Over hours of testimony, Belk alluded to what he suggested was a “cover-up” – apparently by the commission – and accused Ross of “bullying.” In an interview just before the hearing, Belk accused Ross of acting “kind of like a dictator” in picking and choosing which complaints to act on.
Read the entire Charlotte Observer article here.
Want some background on the story? Click here.
When was the last time you heard of any president greeting America’s fallen soldiers as they returned home in their new home, a flag-draped casket? I’ve never know a president to do anything of the sort. In fact, until Bush, part duh, left office, the American media wasn’t allowed to photograph their return at all.
Makes you wonder if he, too, is tired of every other month being declared the “deadliest month” of fighting in Afghanistan.
U.S. President Barack Obama saw first hand the human cost of the Afghanistan war Thursday as he saluted the flag-draped caskets of 18 soldiers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents killed in Afghanistan this week.
After a midnight flight in his Marine One presidential helicopter, Obama landed in Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, home of the largest U.S. military mortuary and main point of entry for service members killed abroad.
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The previously unannounced visit came as Obama weighs whether to send more troops to Afghanistan to fight an insurgency that has reached its fiercest level in eight years.
A military chaplain accompanied Obama and other officials onboard and said a prayer over each casket before it was transferred out of the aircraft, military officials said.
…
The military calls the process a dignified transfer, not a ceremony, because there is nothing to celebrate. The cases are not labeled coffins, although they come off looking that way, enveloped in flags.
By 4:45 a.m., the president had touched back down on the South Lawn.
Unfortunately, the big news probably won’t affect Charlotte since Duke Energy didn’t get the funds, Progress Energy did.
Kind of a slap for a city trying to re-package itself as the green energy center of the universe. Though, if you’ll recall, stimulus funding can only go to shovel-ready projects. So, um, Duke? What ya doin’ smart grid wise in the Q.C.? Anything?
President Barack Obama wants to speed the arrival of a “smart grid” to replace the nation’s aging electrical distribution network. To make it happen, he doled out $3.4 billion in federal grants this week, including $200 million to Progress Energy.
The North Carolina-based company will split the grant 50-50 with its affiliate business in Florida, Progress Energy Florida of St. Petersburg.
“This is quite significant money,” said Rob Caldwell, who holds the daunting title of “vice president of efficiency and innovative technology” at Progress Energy. “A grant of $200 million to Progress Energy and $3.4 billion to the industry is huge.”
Progress Energy has already earmarked $320 million of its own resources to smart grid development, so another $200 million from the feds increases the company’s commitment by more than 60 percent.
So, no pressure, Rob, but when are you going to fix everything in Electricity Land? Those who recall the country’s extensive Northeast blackout of 2003 and California’s electricity shortages in 2001 — clear signs of our doddering electrical grid — are all ears.
Here’s the Environmental Protection Agency’s press release:
U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson visited Raleigh today to announce a $200 million grant for a smarter, stronger and more efficient electric system in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. The funding, announced at a press conference with Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton and Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker, is part of President Barack Obama’s announcement yesterday of the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history – $3.4 billion in Smart Grid Investment Grant Awards under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will be matched by industry for a total investment worth more than $8 billion.
“A cornerstone of our new foundation for prosperity is the growth of the American clean energy economy,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Investments in innovative Smart Grid technology will create new jobs, lower energy bills for consumers and businesses, promote more efficient and reliable energy delivery, and set the stage for affordable clean energy across the country.”
An analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute estimates that the implementation of smart grid technologies could reduce electricity use by more than 4 percent by 2030. That would mean a savings of $20.4 billion for businesses and consumers around the country, and $500 million for North Carolina alone – or $51 in utility savings for every man, woman and child in North Carolina.
“These funds will help us modernize North Carolina’s energy grid – empowering consumers to cut their electric bills and paving the way for a greener, more efficient energy system,” said North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue.
The $200 million grant, which Progress Energy will match with $300 million of its own funding, will fund system and equipment upgrades that will make their grid more efficient, saving consumers money in the Carolinas and in Florida. Progress Energy will also use its funding to install 160,000 smart meters and other technology that will cut energy costs for its customers.
“Progress Energy is currently investing in several Smart Grid initiatives to meet our customer’s changing electricity needs throughout the communities that rely on us for reliable power,” said Bill Johnson, Progress Energy chairman, president and CEO. “This grant program has the potential to expand investments necessary to transform the electric grid to give customers greater control of their energy use, enable utilities to harness the potential of renewable energy and electric vehicles and improve power quality and service reliability.”
North Carolina companies, serving five states, will receive $403 million total in recovery act funding for smart grid development, which will be matched by nearly $975 million in private funds for a total investment of $1.3 billion. Duke Energy will receive a similar $200 million grant.
More information on EPA and the recovery act: http://www.epa.gov/recovery/
The best way to learn about social media is to dive in. It’s not brain surgery. For most people and small businesses, lessons aren’t required.
With social media becoming as buzz-worthy as “green,” consultants and self-professed experts are popping up all over Charlotte to help clients demystify Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools.
Corey Creed, president of Hippo Internet Marketing Training, is an active member of Charlotte’s social media scene. He estimates that of all the people offering social media consulting services, about two-thirds are legitimate.
“Just being good at using social media is different than teaching a business how to use it,” Creed said. “You don’t hire someone that just uses it.”
Jim Mitchem of Smash Communications agreed, saying a real “expert” is rare.
“I often say that if you can articulate the commercial applicability of social media to people who want to invest marketing money into the medium, then you’re an expert,” Mitchem said. “I’ve seen few people who can do this.”
…
Creed, on the other hand, said a consultant doesn’t need extensive training to advise very small businesses. He believes a few weekend seminars — a service he himself provides — and heavy experimentation can teach them what they need to know.
“There’s a deeper level for big business, but for a chiropractor in Rock Hill or a dentist in Concord, it’s not that hard,” Creed said. “I think people spend too much time reading about this stuff and not enough time doing it.”
If you haven’t voted yet, you better get your ass in gear because time’s running out.
Nov. 3 is your last chance, but you could avoid the lines by voting today.
Pick a location and get there between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. If your experience is anything like mine was earlier this week, you’ll be in and out of the voting booth in five minutes or less.
Vote early at one of these locations:
Board of Elections 741 Kenilworth Ave. – Charlotte
Beatties Ford Library 2412 Beatties Ford Rd. – Charlotte
CPCC 1325 E. 7th Street – Charlotte
Independence Regional Library 6015 Conference Dr. – Charlotte
Main Branch Library 310 N. Tryon St. – Charlotte
Morrison Regional Library 7015 Morrison Blvd. – Charlotte
North County Regional Library 16500 Holly Crest Ln. – Huntersville
Plaza-Midwood Library 1623 Central Ave. – Charlotte
South County Regional Library 5801 Rea Rd. – Charlotte
Steele Creek Library 13620 Steele Creek Road – Charlotte
University City Regional Library 301 E. W.T. Harris Blvd. – Charlotte
West Boulevard Library 2157 West Blvd. – Charlotte
