And the only inkling of job growth is from….government jobs. Ta-da!.
We are well on our way to permanently crushing private sector job creation in much of the country — including North Carolina.
But I’m more convinced than every that we will stay on this path unless and until 1) [...]
Good thing those new Wells Fargo ATMs include that language, huh?
This is the clearest sign yet that WFC is just transferring its West Coast template to points East without any type of re-jiggering. ATMs with options for Hmong, Korean, and Vietnamese might make sense in California. In Waxhaw, not [...]
Facepalm.
That’s the Gray Lady folks, suddenly figuring out that high unemployment rates just might — might mind you — have something to do with the “new wave of foreclosures” out there. We’ve been trying to point this connection out, especially with regard to the housing market in Charlotte, for [...]
Forgive me if years of sitting in on Ways and Means Committee hearings and pouring over Tax Notes intrudes, but if some county DSS employee just got a X-month interest-free loan for $33K, there might well be tax implications.
Usually the gift tax obligation falls on the donor, but in [...]
Someone has to ask it.
With the revelation that two murdered women were known to each other the obvious question to ask is, do they share the same killer? I will be very interested to hear how Heather Catterton, 17, and Randi Saldana, 30, died.
And let’s not forget [...]
Looks like everyone is on the same page on this — except our elected leaders.
Bonuses — however defined — to City Manager Curt Walton and County Manager Harry Jones this year are just not supported by their performance. But hey, just wait until next year, when the challenges [...]
Whoa. Weren’t we just talking about the FHA?
That is Toll Brothers CEO Robert Toll telling everyone within earshot that we are indeed re-inflating the real estate bubble. When a guy building houses says this, you might want to pay attention.
[...]The empty freezer shelves at Teeter had me puzzled. Now I’m only concerned. Floods in Atlanta wiped out one of Kellogg’s waffle plants and another in Tennessee is also hurting. The result is not enough Eggos to meet demand.
Maybe we’re at the dawn of the frozen-waffle as an alternative [...]
When it is a TIGER.
You see, if you call it a regional, I-85 improvement the feds might hand you sacks of cash to help come up with the $300m. needed to finally replace the overwhelmed structure.
[...]A quickie supposition here. If GMAC’s mortgage arm ResCap is so unfixable that recognized fix-it guy Al de Molina could not fix it, and if Golden West is to Wells Fargo and Countrywide is to Bank of America as ResCap is to GMAC, what do we think is going [...]
Just a wild guess, but anyone working in the private sector who made $400,000 go poof while being told it would go poof would probably be told to pack up their desk. (Unless they had a federal backstop, which would then put them in America’s growing fascist economic sector.)
Yet [...]
Couldn’t help but notice that while at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Carolyn Flowers oversaw an expansion of service to “destination locations” last year which was funded by contributions from local businesses which expected to benefit from the service, not from local tax revenue. Hmmm, what [...]
I am done trying to explain why having the city of Charlotte buy Eastland Mall is a bad idea. I will stipulate that if and when the city buys the damn thing at least one of these entities will have a hand in the property’s subsidized “re-development” — Crosland, [...]
Sorry, this might only get a smile out of other owners of the quirky Swedish import. Nothing about Saabs is ever normal. There is always some little thing slightly out of whack, like having financing issues so opaque that you run out of cars while waiting for the EC [...]
Let’s give it up for a Panthers’ lineman who’s not earning the big bucks he’s making this year. I’m talking about a guy that went to the Pro Bowl last year and wears a “C” on his jersey as a team captain.
That’s right, take a bow, Jordan Gross. No offensive [...]
I used to think any big dismantle job of the mega banks was impossible — both for political and structural reasons. Now I’m not so sure of that. All we need is one more dip in the economy and pols willing to whip up “trust busting” fervor, and I [...]
The always entertaining Cedar Posts blog notes that when the UPoR posted the winning entry in the Charlotte Rent Seekers Guild skyline photo contest, someone left a giant mouse pointer attacking Uptown.
I am assuming this could not be fixed from the Philippines or Malaysia or points unknown [...]
Just something to consider as the H1N1 vaccination process unwinds and we stampede toward government-run health care. First thought, how were the schools chosen who are receiving their doses first?
First up, Tryon Hills Pre-K, Amay James Pre-K, Starmount Pre-K, J.H. Gunn Elementary, Hidden Valley Elementary, and Billingsville Elementary.
[...]You know the drill. Start with the vaguely bait-and-switch UPoR story which chooses to emphasize that the number of homes sold went up in October rather than the fact that average sales prices fell again. And fell despite a sun-setting (or so buyers thought) $8000 federal tax credit.
The [...]
FOX News is the obvious move. But across the river from his New Jersey home, a vulnerable Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) is up in a special election. Just saying.
Update: The Christian Science Monitor pumps the notion that Dobbs might run for president. Gotta believe he is too smart [...]
US Airways isn’t the only airline that’s consolidating to its core strengths. Pretty much all of the “legacy” carriers (American, Delta/Northwest, United, Continental) have done so as well. And that makes any flight additions especially rare and thus notable.
And two additional flights from CLT have been announced recently, both [...]
If this series of dogs welcoming their masters home after they served our country does not catch you up a bit, you might be a complete bastard. Or a cat person.
[...]Another major professional sports team may seek public subsidies or relocate. The team playsin a medium-sized market. And the situation involves an NBA or NHL team. Imagine that.
Oh, and the Columbus Blue Jackets made the playoffs for the past time this past season. Guess winning more doesn’t fix everything.
[...]This is pretty funny.
A Wayne County middle school decides to raise money by selling off test points for every donation. Adults thought this was a good idea.
The N&O wrote about it, other adults thought a little harder, nixed it.
[...]Well, well. As expected the Uptown paper of record has dropped the matter of County Manager Harry Jones, Bank of America lobbyist Betty Turner, and probably BAC North Carolina market head Charles Bowman coming down on BAC employee Harry Lomax for daring to question the county’s financial oversight of DSS [...]
A thought experiment, re-writing the Uptown paper of record account of a supposed “compromise” adopted by a 7-3 Charlotte city council vote last night. The opponents were all Democrats who thought the measure too weak. Was it?
After nearly two hours of debate, the Charlotte City Council passed a limited [...]
As in Melbourne, Florida. Three flights a day. Begins in February. The airline had previously served Melbourne from 1989 to 1997.
Bonus Analysis: US Airways last went on a Florida expansion spree in 2008. Melbourne was the one place that you could make an argument for that the airline didn’t [...]
As the Uptown paper of record still cannot or will not identify the “charles” that Bank of America lobbyist Betty Turner told County Manager Harry Jones she had “alerted” over a what Turner termed “embarrasing” complaints about county management of DSS from a Bank of America employee, [...]
Over the years I’ve defended County Manager Harry Jones in public and private as a competent manager who seems to have the right goals and standards in place for Mecklenburg County. But his handling of the DSS mess is a firing offense, specifically his move to quiet a critic [...]
Aside from the crime of the NCHSAA and CMS managing to lock, oh, 10-15K fans out of this game, the most interesting thing is that at least some of the Butler kids trying to kill Indy tonight will play for Indy next year as East side reassignments kick in.
No wonder [...]
Remember that the “official” unemployment rate does not include those who are jobless but giving up looking or at working part-time and want full-time work. The official jobless rate jumped to 10.2 percent in October, evidently a surprise to those thought the economy had turned last quarter.
But the real unemployment [...]
That’s Republican city councilman Andy Dulin tweeting his outlook under Mayor Anthony Foxx and pledging “balance” from his approach. Let’s test that.
Suppose President Barack Obama heeds Mayor Foxx’s pleas that Charlotte “needs” the next CEO for Bank of America to locate in Charlotte and the feds essentially order [...]
The body of this Jim Morrill et al story was much more nuanced than the 30 McCrory precincts powered Foxx victory hed implied. The 30 city precincts that switched from red to blue absolutely do help explain how Anthony Foxx won. But when you put those flips in perspective, [...]
Rowan County voters just passed a quarter-hike in the county’s sales tax. Voters were told the additional $2m. a year in tax revenue would go to an $18m. jail annex and various infrastructure improvements. This despite absolutely nothing in the enabling legislation which earmarks the funds beyond the county’s [...]
…instead of tenure and credentials, it will be a big step forward for the system.
Note the if.
That is really all there is to say at this point.
[...]The local blog which kicked off close scrutiny of CMPD and the criminal justice system is asking for a little help:
I’m sure many of you have noticed the lack of updates (or limited updates) in the past several months. I was laid off from my job so I have [...]
John Lassiter pauses Election Day campaigning to grip-and-grin at the unveiling of Uptown’s new Disco Chicken. Pat McCrory is off shilling for trains in Tampa but hurries back in time to give Lassiter a consolation hug.
Local Republicans need to think long and hard about what comes next.
The turnout [...]
Well, what is done is done.
Looks like Anthony Foxx started the day with a 1800 vote lead thanks to early voting. Will that hold up? As we’ve said all along, depends. Turnout, turnout, turnout.
There looked to be something a late crush in East Charlotte at McClintock Middle, but we’ll have [...]
Bloomberg is reporting a possible doomsday scenario for the Uptown crowd: The next CEO of Bank of America might call Manhattan, not the 277 belt, home.
It is difficult to overstate what a blow this would be to Uptown pride and hubris. For the better part of a decade things [...]
To watch John Lassiter vote at 7am.
Kinda has become the symbol of modern American democracy, for good and ill. Where the satellite trucks go, eyeballs are sure to follow.
[...]OK, that one is done. The number of early votes this election cycle removes built-in excuses about the outcome for both the Uptown paper of record and John Lassiter’s campaign.
Turns out that 4400 more early votes were cast this year than in 2007, removing the Dilworth liberal fret that [...]
I think.
A Lassiter robocall this time and one decidedly issue-free. John’s work ethic, leadership, time management skills, and the values represented by Eagle Scouts are the turn-out drivers according to this one.
Please tell me someone else is getting these calls, otherwise I’ll chalk it up to (more) voices in my [...]
Whoa. That is some serious coin. Then again, 550hp mated to a lightweight carbon fiber chassis means drift party. And Charlotte’s very own Autosport Dynamics is responsible for making it happen.
The local race car fabricator is building the body to spec for the drift [...]
And a straight Democratic ticket for Charlotte city council.
Odd that I got the call as I am now officially registered as Libertarian and not unaffiliated. Might be a pretty massive blanket effort.
If so, state Dems could wind up spending close to $100K on Anthony Foxx.
[...]If you are not an NBA fan, you can skip this — but I think something weird is afoot in sports media.
The topic is imprisoned, ex-NBA referee Tom Donaghy. Donaghy is shopping a book with some explosive allegations about NBA refs and the way the NBA works. Some of those [...]
Time for a fluid-level check on the Dilworth-Uptown bubble. Yep, sure enough, Anthony Foxx’s ascendancy to the mayorship is threatened by greedy developers and their shill, John Lassiter. Only Foxx stands ready to protect Charlotte’s quality of life from bulldozers.
Translated, Foxx is more likely to support maximum control of [...]
Back in February we told you this was coming. The 27-story, 462 unit Catalyst tower has flipped from condos to apartments. In addition original developer Novare Group has been edged out, replaced by Crosland and Lehman Bros., according to The Charlotte Business Journal.
Other fascinating little tidbits:
Looks like only [...]Don’t forget about this wave that is still building. Wilbur Ross, CEO of major real estate player WL Ross & Co., tells Bloomberg Radio that a “huge crash in commercial real estate” lies ahead:
“All of the components of real estate value are going in the wrong direction simultaneously,” said [...]
Here’s the flier sent out by the state Democratic Party to some 30,000 Democrat and independent voters. Crap “sprawl” buzz-word and dubious logic, but there is no denying that John Lassiter — along with most of city council — has been very snuggly with Charlotte’s developer community.
But does the [...]
Or at least that’s what the press release says. Essentially, the airline confirmed what we already knew: it’s now a four-hub operation (CLT, PHL, PHX, DCA) with very little else. Las Vegas gets cut some more, down to 36 flights by late February, down from 64 currently. The crew [...]
Follow me on this. Judge Bill Belk says that the N.C. Judicial Standards Commission has sided with Mecklenburg County Chief District Court Judge Lisa Bell and will recommend that the state Supreme Court remove him from the bench. Judge Bell filed a complaint claiming that Judge Belk violated the [...]
Even quicker. As I told you would happen, here comes the first of many more bailouts for the housing industry. An extension of the $8K “home-buyer tax credit” this time through April 2010.
Watch and see how many Republicans vote for this horror.
[...]Well, that didn’t last long. So much for John Lassiter wanting to undo the 2006 9-percent city property tax hike.
On Tuesday, Lassiter said he wouldn’t necessarily try to roll back the entire tax hike but would try to curb city spending.
Yeah, that’s a toughie. Try to curb spending. Make [...]
It is clear that both Anthony Foxx and John Lassiter think that whatever the Uptown paper of record says becomes fact. Their account of the 9-percent property tax hike adopted by the Charlotte city council in 2006 exactly tracks the received Uptown account. And it is wrong.
First, lets [...]
Weird.
Very long and involved poll on teacher and principal compensation, the $80m. funding “cut” CMS experienced this year, confidence in EdShed leadership, etc. One thing that did stick out was questions about CMS TV and the CMS web site. Does CMS understand that Google lets you by-pass the main EdShed [...]
I fervently await local GOP spin on this development. You cannot tell me that John Lassiter expected to have less cash on had at this stage of the race than Anthony Foxx.
We told you this was a high-priority race for the Dems and the money flowing to it [...]
The Uptown Paper of Record saw daily circulation fall by 13 percent in the most recent six-month reporting period through September. The average circ decline at the nation’s 379 newspapers was only 10.6 percent, which means circulation at the Uptown paper shrank 22 percent faster than the industry average. [...]
This may be the greatest advance in human health and happiness since antibiotics. A Piggly Wiggly in Myrtle Beach has installed beer taps. Beer taps in a supermarket. Genius.
And clearly whomever is picking the beers knows their stuff, all high-quality microbrews. 64-oz. of fresh Double IPA? Don’t mind if [...]
James P. Taylor is running for mayor of Matthews. Taylor is a registered Republican, although the township’s offices are ostensibly non-partisan. Taylor’s latest campaign finance report shows he has raised $7600 this cycle. Far and away the largest contribution to that total was $2000 [...]
Granted it is just a beta, but the early reviews are not good: “terrible” “horrible” “a yell fest” and designed by “a bunch of damn idiots.”
So what exactly is McClatchy trying to do with this new “Observer interactive” venture which seeks to “partner” with some outside content? I [...]
Thanks Bank of America and federal government.
Because the feds declared some interest charges on credit cards too high, banks like BAC are looking at simply slapping all cardholders with annual fees. Especially if you never incur interest interest charges by promptly paying off your bill.
Right now BAC’s credit card [...]
It is crooked and corrupt. Who says so? The SEC league office.
I snapped off the hard-hitting and tight Arkansas-Florida tilt on Saturday as it was obvious SEC officials were favoring the #1 ranked — and potential league cash-cow — Gators at home. The final straw was a completely phantom [...]
Former WBT afternoon host Jeff Katz has evidently landed the 3-6pm gig at WFTL 850AM in South Florida.
[...]Larry Summers, too.
They manifestly engaged in a conspiracy to puff up Bank of America stock. They deceived investors with a massive shell game designed to keep BAC afloat and strong enough to take on Merrill Lynch. Forget about any SEC charges against Ken Lewis or Brian Moynihan for misleading [...]
Halloween used to be so much simpler.
Is this offensive? Besides being a bad pun, I mean.
Hispanic activists in California have already succeeded in pressuring Target into pulling the Illegal Alien costume and are after Walgreens and Amazon.com to do the same. As if that’ll stop [...]
Inevitable once we knew that Raleigh was cutting folks loose the other week.
“We haven’t seen any sort of bottom,” says Ann Caulkins.
Then why do her real estate reporters constantly spin the numbers in the most positive manner possible?
[...]In case you have not been paying attention — why would you, it is positively painful — there are several candidates for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board spouting the “diversity” and “equity” code words. Big deal, you say, nothing new. Maybe. Or maybe forces have aligned to start to [...]
The Panthers pull out one of the more maddening NFL wins you’ll ever see, immediately followed by Metallica vaporizing the Uptown arena. The timing of the two events reminded me just how small Uptown really is — it would’ve been frightfully [...]
Forget federal pay czar. No cossacks here.
We’ve crossed over from regulatory overreach to overt fascism with a government official decreeing that BofA CEO Ken Lewis shall not receive any compensation for his work this year.
Are the banks private entities or not? That we even must ask such a question [...]
Something is bad wrong in the Mecklenburg County DA’s office. We’ve known that for some time, you say. But the Royce Mitchell and Matthew Morgan situations are entirely new and different levels of dysfunction.
In Mitchell’s case, the DA based charges against Mitchell solely on the presumption of DNA evidence — [...]
The latest on some things we’ve talked about previously:
• US Airways announced yesterday the sale of 10 of its 25 99-seat Embraer E-190s to Republic Airways, which owns (among other things), Frontier Airlines and Midwest Airlines. This move does not come as a surprise.
• As we speculated [...]
Says here Sue Myrick and the Anti-Terror Caucus had a press conference.
All I’m going to say Sue is be very careful. You are shopping in the party snacks and mixed nuts aisle. Steer clear of the filberts.
[...]
Blame musicmax, he got me curious.
Recall that District Court Judge Donnie Hoover reduced the bond for accused McClure home invasion ring-leader Matthew Morgan.
Morgan is now out walking the streets of Charlotte despite multiple felony arrests — some while he was out on bond [...]
Boom boom, a lot going on. Let’s hit it:
Never been happier to be the ex-owner of a 1999 Ford Windstar. Jon Stewart takes CNN apart for fact-free reporting. And we’ll leave it there. Did ya know that a white panel van packed full of illegal aliens is actually [...]Notice something missing from this Uptown paper of record statement of the obvious on the Dell subsidy gone horribly wrong? Aside from the abject, groveling apology I mean.
You might have heard of her. An original sponsor of the Dell bribe and proud defender of the deal. [...]
Let’s be clear here. The Obama administration and the Democrats in Congress absolutely want to unionize as many sectors of the economy as possible. The legislation which would pre-empt state bans on collective bargaining for public safety workers is a step in that direction, but only a step.
Charlotte would [...]
CMPD and Charlotte city staff are operating way, way out of their depth. The suppressed assumption in this proposed landlord registration law is that landlords are rolling in money. That they have an extra $335 a year to hand to the city for the privilege of renting out their [...]
Just playing connect the dots, but the dots are at least in focus. The new CEO of the Playboy empire wants to expand branded products like nightclubs. Likely targets are cities with multiple pro sports franchises and party destinations like Miami. In fact, Miami is already slated to get [...]
Jeff A. Taylor, Michael Lowrey
