First Drip (9/12/13): Noise ordinance amendment, Putin's op-ed, more

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After several meetings with a citizen advisory group, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department has finalized a noise ordinance amendment for bars, restaurants and clubs located near residential areas. One Elizabeth Community Association member said, "This will put us right back to where we started years ago."

Details have been released in the license suspension of a South Carolina birth center. Two midwives failed to contact a physician during a difficult labor that resulted in the baby's death. 

President Vladmir Putin - you know, of Russia - is apparently also a writer. He published an op-ed in the New York Times, calling for the U.S. to "avoid military action" in Syria and continue diplomatic talks. He also criticizes President Obama's Tuesday night mention of America being "exceptional"; Putin said we should all remember that "God created us equal." Side note: Putin recently signed into law a bill that bans freedom of speech among gays. 

A teacher in Taylorsville, N.C., got into some trouble last week for showing his class Macklemore's music video "Same Love," which promotes gay marriage. It's the first song to do so that's made it in the Top 40.