Thursday, January 21, 2016

Today's Top 5: Thursday

Posted By on Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 12:06 PM

Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Jan. 21, 2016 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.

Deafheaven at Neighborhood Theatre (UPDATE: Show canceled due to impending weather.)
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• Corazon de Dixie with Julie Weise at Levine Museum of the New South

Trivia at VBGB

Latin Music Concert Series at Mint Museum Uptown

Pablo Francisco at The Comedy Zone

Lunch Break (1/21/16): State of emergency declared in NC as winter storm approaches

Posted By on Thu, Jan 21, 2016 at 11:30 AM


Charlotte residents are hoarding all the bread and milk in the lead-up to a winter storm that's expected to bring anywhere from a quarter-inch to a half-inch of ice with 1-3 inches of snow, The storm is expected to start as early as 3 a.m. tomorrow morning. The ice – expected to be a bit heavier in Salisbury, Hickory and Lincolnton – could cause power outages and down trees. (Fox46 Staff) At a 10:30 a.m. press conference, Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency in North Carolina in anticipation of the storm. 

The Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization gave its final affirmation of a plan to use controversial "managed lanes" to expand highways in the Charlotte area, including the controversial toll lanes on I-77, at its meeting last night. The vote was 14-7 among representatives, but the weighted totals that give Charlotte representatives a much higher representation on CRTPO than other representatives equaled 50-12 (Charlotte's vote counts for 31 votes, while all other towns count for one or two). (David Boraks, WFAE)  

CMPD has announced that the NFC Championship game at bank of America Stadium on Sunday between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals will be an "extraordinary event." An ordinance adopted by city council in the lead-up to the DNC stated that labeling an event as "extraordinary" gave police more power to search people and prohibit more items from the area around the event. The city and CMPD have increased the amount of events deemed extraordinary since the Paris terrorist attacks in November 2015. (WBTV Web Staff) 

A man has been arrested in connection to multiple break-ins at gun stores in the Charlotte area. Tiree Waymer was arrested following a break-in at a Statesville gun shop during which Waymer allegedly threw a rock through the window of Sportsman's Hangout and, along with a masked accomplice, made off with 26 guns. Following an investigation, police say Waymer now faces charges in Rock Hill for a similar break-in. He faces charges of second-degree burglary, grand larceny and possession of a firearm during commission of a violent crime in Rock Hill. He also faces felony breaking-and-entering, larceny of firearms and other charges in connection with the Statesville case, in which police are still looking fopr the second suspect. Waymer is currently being held in the Mecklenburg County jail on unrelated charges. (WSOC Staff) 

Murder charges were dropped yesterday in the case of Deanna Watson, who made national headlines in July 2015 when she killed her mother's boyfriend, who was allegedly being abusive toward her mother and younger siblings. Watson reportedly confessed to stabbing Omar Dunbar after he assaulted her two younger brothers, ages 11 and 13. An investigation revealed a pattern of abuse and neglect, including multiple visits from DSS and reports that Dunbar had repeatedly poured beer and hot sauce into the mouth of a 3-year-old girl living in the home. The children living in the home, including Watson, are now in the care of DSS. (WCNC Staff) 


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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Joanne Spataro returns to YouTube with hilarious McCrory spoof

Posted By on Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 12:41 PM



Many people might remember Joanne Spataro – if not from in our pages as a longtime Creative Loafing contributor – from her successful web series "Pillow Talk," in which she interviewed the movers and shakers of Charlotte on her bed, Joan Rivers-style (full disclosure, yours truly was a guest before my days as a CL editor). 

And if Pillow Talk doesn't sound familiar to you, you've surely seen Spataro somewhere in the Queen City. Whether you recognize her as a regular panelist on WCCB's "The Edge" or from co-hosting Charlotte Pride festivities the past two years, Joanne's always involved with something. In her latest venture, however, she's only recognizable as North Carolina's often-disappointing Governor and former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory.

In "It's Pat," Spataro keeps with the political humor that went viral with her YouTube commercial spoof of former mayor Patrick Cannon's infamous HERS fragrance and landed her a spot on "The Edge." 

She first played McCrory during a skit about climate change at Pecha Kucha at Amos' Southend last April, and the crowd ate it up. 

"When I first appeared onstage, people started to boo because they thought I was going to have a conservative agenda," Spataro says. "When my version of Pat was a buffoon who only wants to be loved, they loved it. They found themselves loving someone they actually loathe in real life. That was a jolt for me." 

She closed that performance by drinking a cup of coal-ash-tainted water as McCrory and dying on stage. The crowd went crazy and that's when Spataro said she knew she wanted to revive the character and save him for regular use down the road. She believes parodying public characters like McCory is one of the most effective ways to confront the wrongs they've done in real life. 

"We need more satire in Charlotte," she says. "Often, satire tells the truth more than the actual truth does. I can say and do things as pretend Pat that I can't as myself." 

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Lunch Break (1/20/16): Arrest made in murder of 19-year-old Talisha Crowder

Posted By on Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 11:30 AM


Police made an arrest in the shooting death of Talisha Crowder just a day after the 19-year old Pfeiffer University student’s body was discovered in a parked car in Salisbury on Monday night. Crowder, a pre-med/biology major at Pfeiffer, was reported missing by her mother on Monday morning, and found hours later shot to death and left in a car parked in front of an apartment complex. Police were able to identify the car as belonging to Crowder’s ex-boyfriend, 20-year old Brandon Jerron Hawkins, and arrested the Salisbury man on first-degree murder charges. (Rad Berky, WCNC) 

A teenaged girl and her dog were rescued Wednesday morning in northeast Charlotte after a house fire left them trapped on the second floor. The 16-year-old, who was home alone when the fire broke out at around 6:45 AM, was saved along with her pitbull when fire officials responded to a call that someone was trapped in the house on Pickering Drive. Fire officials haven’t disclosed what caused the fire, and there were no reported injuries at the time of the rescue. (WBTV Web Staff) 

A Statesville man died Tuesday after being shot by deputies delivering a final eviction notice. The fatal shot was fired after the man charged at the deputies with a knife, a sheriff told reporters yesterday afternoon. A neighbor on the scene told reporters that the man struggled with mental health problems, and may have been trying to defend his home when he drew a knife on deputies. The Virginia Avenue house had been repossessed and recently sold to a new owner by the bank. (Fox46 Staff) 

A Rock Hill woman charged with criminal domestic violence after violently attacking her husband with nunchucks was released on $15,000 bond this morning. Police responding to a domestic assault call on Sunday found the woman’s husband battered, and their home covered in blood. The victim later explained to police that his wife, Sondra Earle-Kelly, was enraged when he declined to go to bed with her, and began “assaulting him with whatever she could pick up.” The attacks escalated when Kelly began striking her husband in the face and head with a pair of nunchucks. Kelly had reportedly taken Xanax before the attack, and told police she had no recollection of the events. She declined medical treatment and was taken into police custody overnight. (Teddy Kulmala, Rock Hill Herald via Charlotte Observer) 

The Cabarrus County Health Department has opened an investigation in response to weekend reports of a Concord Chinese restaurant bringing roadkill into their kitchen. The reports came when a woman recognized the restaurant’s delivery car stopping to pick up a dead deer on the side of the road, and watched as the carcass was loaded into the vehicle and transported to the China Fun restaurant on Concord Parkway. The county health director later visited the restaurant and confirmed “they had slaughtered a deer, or were cutting up a dead deer in the back of the parking lot and had already brought parts inside, into the sink.” He added that because there wasn’t evidence of cross-contamination, the restaurant wouldn’t be shut down, but would be subject to ongoing inspections and surprise visits. (Liz Foster, WSOC) 

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Today's Top 5: Wednesday

Posted By on Wed, Jan 20, 2016 at 10:44 AM

Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Jan. 20, 2015 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.

Mothers at Double Door Inn
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Explore Film Series at Free Range Brewing Company

The Emotron at Milestone

• Get to Know the Show: Dance Theatre of Harlem at Booth Playhouse

• Koresh Dance Company at Davidson College's Duke Family Performance Hall

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Today's Top 5: Tuesday

Posted By on Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 3:10 PM

Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Jan. 19, 2015 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.

• Meytal, Queensrÿche, Halcyon Way at Amos' Southend
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Crafty Hour at Petra's

• Fight Night Comedy Competition at The Comedy Zone Charlotte

• Charles Tillman reading and book signing at Morrison Regional Library

Trivia at Big Ben British Pub & Restaurant

Blumenthal to honor local artists via Spirit Square columns

Posted By on Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 1:45 PM

Blumenthal Performing Arts will honor eight artists from the Carolinas via the Spirit Square atrium columns and they're asking the public's help in finding the nominees. 

“Since the Carolinas are so rich with talent we wanted to honor a few of the greatest artists from the area in a unique way,” Tom Gabbard, Blumenthal President and CEO, says. “We are particularly excited to pay tribute to legendary artists while also giving current visual artists in the Charlotte area an outlet to exhibit their talents.”

The public is invited to nominate artists that were born in or have a strong connection to the Carolinas. The nominees can be from a range of disciplines within the arts including visual arts, literature or the performing arts. 

Nominations can be made by visiting BlumenthalArts.org/nominate. All nominations must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 5 at 12 p.m.

The honorees will be selected and announced in mid-February, at which time local painters, organized by artist Matt Hooker, will begin painting the columns.

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Lunch Break (1/19/16): City council to vote on rezoning for Common Market site

Posted By on Tue, Jan 19, 2016 at 11:40 AM


Charlotte City Council will vote on a rezoning request at its meeting tonight that will allow developers to build a large office building that will be home to Dimensional Fund Advisors, among other companies. The site is currently home to locally owned businesses like Common Market and Black Sheep Skate Shop while also hosting the popular Food Truck Friday event. The council is expected to approve the rezoning at the 2.3-acre site. In the spring, Food Truck Friday will split into two locations; one at South Tryon Street and Kingston Avenue in South End, and the other at the Light Factory off Central Avenue in Plaza Midwood. (WSOC Staff) In August, Creative Loafing broke the story that Common Market would probably be forced to move in a feature about the changing face of South End. 

A man was transported to Carolinas Medical Center this morning after being shot in his third-floor apartment during a drive-by shooting near Uptown. Police said two bullets entered the window of his home on Siegle Avenue near Otts Street and hit him in the arm. He's expected to fully recover. Police are still investigating who may have carried out the shooting. (Fox46 Staff) 

Police already have a person of interest in the case of a teenage girl found shot to death in a car in Salisbury last night. Tanisha Danielle Crowder, 19, was found dead in a Honda Accord in the parking lot of an apartment complex on N. Long Street at around 7 p.m. after being reported missing by her mother earlier in the day. Detectives reportedly have a person of interest who is not yet in custody. They do believe it is a homicide and not a random act of violence. Anyone with information should call the Salisbury Police Department at 704-638-5333. (WBTV Web Staff) 

Carowinds has begun hiring for the 2016 spring and summer, and will be hiring up to 4,000 people for jobs that range from entry-level to supervisors in areas like admissions, aquatics, entertainment, maintenance, marketing, merchandise and rides. The newly expanded park will open in March and the new Carolina Harbor water park will open in May. Applicants 15 years old or older may apply online or go to the park's employment office, which is open most days during regular business hours. (The Herald [Fort Mill] Staff via Charlotte Observer) In August, Creative Loafing previewed the newly-announced additions at Carolina Harbor

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Monday, January 18, 2016

Lunch Break (1/18/16): MLK Day march in South Carolina celebrates removal of Confederate flag

Posted By on Mon, Jan 18, 2016 at 11:30 AM


An annual Martin Luther King Day march this morning in South Carolina that in years past called for the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds instead celebrated that removal, which came in July, and a call for money to be invested in education this morning. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin O'Malley all appeared at today's event, which was hosted by the NAACP and civil rights leaders from across the state. (Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press via WBTV) 

Airport workers across the country will hold organized protests to raise awareness of their fight for higher wages today. Workers at Charlotte-Douglas Airport aren't expected to be a part of the protests, but disruptions at other airports could have ramifications for travel delays across the country. Workers in Boston; New York City; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia; Miami; Chicago; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle are expected to take part in the protests, which will be the latest in workers' calls for a $15-per-hour minimum wage, among other things. (Luz Lazo, Washington Post via Charlotte Observer) 

A local man was arrested after hitting and killing a woman with his car on South Boulevard last night. Police charged 30-year-old Gregory Wheeling with driving while impaired and aggravated felony death by vehicle in the death of 28-year-old Kelli Sue Putman. According to a CMPD release, Putman was struck around the 2400 block of South Boulevard just after 5 p.m. yesterday after stepping out in front of an Audi S4 driven by Wheeling. Police believe both speed and alcohol were factors in the crash. There were four other people in the Audi with Wheeling at the time of the accident. (Ryan Pitkin) 

The Carolina Panthers are one win away from the Super Bowl after beating the Seahawks 31-24 in Charlotte yesterday. The Panthers took a quick lead and were up 31-0 at halftime before allowing the Seahawks to make it interesting down the stretch. The Panthers will now host the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game next Sunday at 6:40 p.m. It will be the Panthers' fourth appearance in the NFC Championship and the first since 2005. The Cardinals will be looking to avenge last year's wild card playoff loss in Carolina. (Steve Reed, Associated Press via Fox46) 

A man believed to have killed a police officer in Danville, Ohio late last night was bent on killing a police officer, according to his girlfriend. A woman reportedly called 911 30 minutes prior to the killing saying that her boyfriend, Herschel Ray Jones III, was armed and out looking to kill an officer. Police found officer Thomas Cottrell behind a municipal building shortly after he and his squad car went missing last night before midnight. Jones was arrested about two hours later after feeling from a house where police located him. (WHIO Dayton Staff via WSOC) 

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Saturday, January 16, 2016

Today's Top 5: Saturday

Posted By on Sat, Jan 16, 2016 at 7:00 AM

Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Jan. 16, 2015 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.

Lewis Black at Belk Theater
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Peter Hutton Film Screenings at UNC-Charlotte Center City

Eric Bibb at Davis Theatre

Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at Charlotte Museum of History

• Saturday Night Cine Club Series, screening Hitchcock/Truffaut at Theatre Charlotte

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