We here at CLT Blog want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

Now back to the highlights from the 1979 Christmas parade in uptown.

According to the Economist and Reuters, American Airline’s recent bankruptcy filing could clear out some of the hurdles that have stood in the way of the AA and US Air merger. What are your thoughts on how this could affect Charlotte?

Since the Delta/Northwest and United/Continental mergers, American and US Airways have been considered logical partners for a potential combination, but analysts have said American’s high labour costs and unresolved contracts with its unions make any deal too difficult to negotiate.

Sweeping cost cuts in bankruptcy could remove one potential hurdle, but analysts and bankers noted that US Airways still has its own challenges of having to integrate labour groups following its 2005 merger with America West Airlines…

“From the standpoint of US Airways, it would be a huge opportunity,” said airline industry consultant Robert Mann. “It would take them into markets they don’t have access to today from a hub standpoint.

“Looking at it from the American Airlines’ perspective, it doesn’t make the combined American and US Airways network competitive with Delta or United (Airlines),” he said.

via Reuters

Not only have American’s main rivals shaken off their pension costs and other liabilities; some have grown bigger and trimmed expenses through mergers (United with Continental and Delta with Northwest). After losing a few pounds in its restructuring, American may become a more attractive marriage partner, perhaps for US Airways.

via The Economist

Looks like Jerry Orr and the Airport Advisory Committee will ask city council for $1.3 million to install a network of cell phone signal boosters in the airport. How has your cell signal been in the airport?

Charlotte’s airport director plans to ask the city council tonight for money to make life a little easier for the 38 million travelers who pass through the terminal each year using cell phones.

All the major wireless companies have cell towers at the airport, but Charlotte Airport Director Jerry Orr says service in the passenger terminal is deteriorating.

“The building has become so large and with so much electronic clutter that there are areas in the building where the reception is very poor,” said Orr at a meeting of the Airport Advisory Committee earlier this month. “Of course, the cell companies are very competitive and don’t like for their customers to get dropped.”

Tonight, Orr will ask the Charlotte City Council for $1.3 million to install a system of little antennas throughout the ceiling of the terminal building. The antennas will collect cell signals and transmit them to nearby carrier towers, making for consistent cell service from every corner of the terminal.

A neutral company called Wireless Services will operate the Distributed Antenna System and wireless carriers will have to pay to be part of it. Orr says those fees will eventually reimburse the city for the $1 million dollars it’ll cost up front to design and install the system.

via WFAE 90.7 FM.

Special thanks to Sobo Loft, whose support make this and other posts on CLT Blog possible.

I got a chance to check out Sobo Loft, a couple weeks ago, a new boutique in South End. They have a great selection of clothing, jewelry, home goods, stationary — stuff I could imagine my girlfriend getting lost in for hours. This place is made for going in and getting a gift for a special someone, even if it’s last minute (you can buy a card and they will wrap it on the spot).

Sobo Loft’s grand opening event is October 8th from 4-9pm, with light hors d’oeuvres, live music, and door prizes. They’re located at 1820 South Blvd, next to Pewter Rose.

Here is your chance to go see Taking Back Sunday on June 14th at the Fillmore. The contest is simple, all you have to do is post this message:

Hey @cltblog, I want to go see Taking Back Sunday (@tbsofficial) at the Fillmore! #contest #cltbloggiveaway

Contest will be open from now until noon onThursday, July 14th. At 12pm the winner will be picked and sent a DM (so make sure you follow us) where we can coordinate with you to email the tickets.

If you don’t win make sure to check out the Coke Secret Soundcheck, where you and 10 others can win a chance to get a private three song set just for you!

After the Memorial Day weekend riot that occurred uptown after Speed Street every media outlet has been buzzing about that will translate to security during the Democratic National Convention next September.

When ~100,000 descend uptown today, CMPD and the City will be prepared to not repeat of what happened during Speed Street in May. With lookout towers and 100s of plain clothed and uniformed officers uptown, CMPD plans to keep the keep the crowd controlled. CMPD is zeroing in on two things, loitering and a curfew for minors. Yesterdays Observer article also focuses on those two issues.

Uptown business and restaurants will be closing early to discourage loitering and CMPD sound like they will have a zero-tolerence policy with loitering. They will also use the city curfew to curb the amount of youth uptown after 11. Youth violating the curfew can be arrested and their parents/guardians can be charged with a misdemeanor and a $100 fine.

While these measures on paper appear to be an appropriate amount of force appropriated for the crowd uptown, many may raise concerns on who may be targeted during the festivities tonight.

With the transit station in the crosshairs of CMPD, some may claim that minorities and the underprivileged will be the target of the increased enforcement. The same could be said for the public areas that a great deal of people congregate to to hang out instead of going to the clubs at Epicenter or on College St. These public areas to congregate will be under the watchful eye of CMPD and will not be an exception for the loitering policies that will be in place. So if you are uptown it sounds like you need to be a patron at a establishment uptown to be able to enjoy the firework show and festivities.

Is this how CMPD expects the city to be during the DNC when tens of thousands people descend downtown for the convention? Considering the incident that happened in May, it is expected that CMPD needs to prove that that was a fluke and is not something that will happen again. But will this plan prove to be an over zealous attempt to control people uptown, notably those not privileged enough to hang out in Suite all night?

Undoubtedly CMPD actions tonight will be an example of what to expect next year during the DNC and into the future now that the fabric of uptown has changed tremendously from the days of tumble weeds rolling around after 5pm.

Have you ever wanted to autotune the news, or be a mystery guitar man? Well someone beat you to it, but CLT Blog is hosting a Q&A livestream with YouTube’s DigiTour stars, including the Gregory Brothers (of Auto Tune the News, Bed Intruder, etc fame), Mystery Guitar Man, Dave Days, David Choi, Destorm, Ricky Facarelli, and more at 3:30 today. These YouTube celebs have over 1 billion views and counting.

Want to ask them questions? Tune in at cltblog.com/live. This is a great opportunity for casual fans to internet marketing connoisseurs.

Want to see them in person? They go on stage at the Saloon at 5pm. You can get your $10 tickets here.

Stop by cltblog.com/live at 3:30 pm today, and hang out w/ some of YouTube’s most famous talent!

We stopped by Kalu and let Bryan give his pitch for why he is the Best New Chef in America.

Chef Bryan is the only chef in the competition representing Charlotte. Lets show them how great our city’s cuisine is!

Voting ends March 1st, so vote early and often!

Click here to vote!

Charlotte restaurant week is here again from July 16th-25th. It is your chance to partake in some of Charlotte’s finest dining establishments. Their are 88 restaurants to choose from in all parts of Charlotte.

We sat down with Bruce Hinsley to talk about what is restaurant week and all the hidden gems people should try.

Contest

We have gift certificates to some of the hottest places during restaurant week and you can win them by sending your best picture of your favorite restaurant week dish.

Grab your phone this week while enjoying your amazing meal and snap a quick pic. Then send it to “@cltblog” on Twitter with the tag “#CRW“.

That’s it. We will check out the photos and choose our favorite and you will receive a $50 gift-card to either Blue, Providence Cafe, The Capital Grille, or Pewter Rose.

Get out those camera phones and send in the deliciousness.

*The gift certificates were provided by Charlotte Restaurant Week and they are advertising on the site.

From questions about the upcoming Restaurant Week to the Panthers’ chances for success in 2010, folks in Charlotte have a ton of questions about their beloved Queen City.

Ask.com, a question and answer site that receives more than 1 million specific questions everyday, has been monitoring these ponderings for the past month. What is you top questions about Charlotte?

Top Questions Asked about Charlotte on Ask.com

1. What county is Charlotte, North Carolina in?

Charlotte, North Carolina is located in Mecklenburg County.

2. What is the population of Charlotte, North Carolina?

The population in Charlotte is approximately 756,912.

3. Who owns the Charlotte Bobcats?

Hall of Fame basketball player, Michael Jordan, is the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.

4. What is there to do in Charlotte?

Charlotte has something for everyone, from major sporting events to historic Carolina charm. Charlotte also boasts major shopping centers like SouthPark Mall and Concord Mills, as well as “NoDa” (Arts District north of Uptown), where you’ll find an assortment of cool galleries and a hot lineup of live bands performing almost every evening.

5. What is the closest beach to Charlotte?

The closest beaches to Charlotte, North Carolina are Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, and the Isle of Palms, Folly Beach and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.  The nearest beach would be around a 4 hour drive from Charlotte, which is about 178 miles from Myrtle Beach.

6. Why is Charlotte called the Queen City?

The city is named for Charlotte Sophia of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Germany, who became the bride of England’s King George III.  In 1768, founders named it “Charlotte Town” in an attempt to win favor with the crown.

7. Will the Carolina Panthers be super bowl material this season?

Most experts put them in the middle of the pack, with odds of winning the super bowl ranging from 30/1 to 55/1.

8. Are Justin Bieber concert tickets sold out in Charlotte?

Tickets for the August 8^th show at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte are sold out.  However, there are still plenty of tickets available via third party resale sites.

9. How much are tickets to the NASCAR Hall of Fame?

Adult tickets are $19.95.  Tickets for children are $12.95.

10. When is the next Charlotte Restaurant Week?

Charlotte Restaurant Week is Friday, July 16 – Sunday, July 25, 2010.

Reader David Platt is waiting in line for an iPhone 4 like so many others this morning. He sent in some photos from the South Park Apple Store in Charlotte, North Carolina. David tells us that he arrived in line at 5:30 AM and found “…a little under 1,000 people in line.”

via iPhone 4 launch: Line photos from Charlotte, NC.

Read the rest of this entry »

Coverage

We’ve set up a dedicated column to cover Southern Holiday, the arts & culture event kicking off tomorrow and lasting through May 23rd. Follow the latest updates at http://cltblog.com/soho.

Southern Holiday is online, with more info and an event calendar, at http://southernholidayisrad.com.

History

Southern Holiday was born out of the steaming humid days and cool candlelit nights of summer in Charlotte, NC. Sitting around having a conversation about how rad it would be to have a 24-hour extravaganza that would show the work of people we knew and work from people we admired, there was a palatable hunger hanging in the air. The conversation graduated from idle gin-induced chatter to a project that sprouted hairy legs and took off. This was the grand summer of 2009. With the help of Helena Saunders, Michael Southard, Ross Wilbanks, Iris Williamson, Andrea Brown, Bo White, Ben Gelnett and the extended Southern Holiday family, a 24-hour no holds bar event smaked Charlotte in it’s metaphorical ass.

About

May 14th through the 23rd marks the 2nd annual city-wide Southern Holiday, a 10-day arts feast of the senses providing a break from the monotony of the daily grind. Over 25 of your favorite established art institutions, grass-roots collectives, and exquisite businesses come together to inspire, enthrall, and foster the arts in the Queen City. Events comprise of community projects, art exhibits, lectures, workshops, film, music, dance, acting, athletics, cookouts, and other grand festivities.

Participants include PaperGirl, Culture Initiative, CLT Blog, Machine Theatre, Kinnikinnik Records, Point 8 Forum, The Light Factory, Charlotte Arts Catalysts, Dugg Dugg, Pura Vida, Furious Seasons, Interactive Surveillance, Sinergismo, Ink Floyd, Yoga Interventions, Women Centered Art Co-op, The McColl Center for Visual Art, Blu Magazine, and Roller Derby Girls.

It is the expressed goal of Southern Holiday to create a more unified, vibrant, and supportive art culture in Charlotte. Let’s make it happen! This is going to be the single most best week of your life!

For detailed information and a calendar of events visit southernholidayisrad.com.

Sponsored by: Niche and <a href="McColl Center for Visual Art

Read the rest of this entry »

photo credit: Justin Ritchie

CLT Blog and WTVI are hosting a 3-part series about the budget crisis facing Mecklenburg County. We, like many of you around town, were concerned and confused about how we arrived in our current economic position.

When all the fear-mongering and scare tactics subside, we’re left with questions about how we got ourselves into this mess. What are those questions? We need your help deciding what to ask our county leaders.

We will be interviewing:

• Management and Budget Director Hyong Yi
• County Manager Harry L. Jones Sr
• BOCC Chairman Jennifer Robert

You can submit your questions here using Google Moderator. These interviews will not be livestreamed, so now is the time to let us know so we can prepare.

Our first interview Thursday evening. Help us out!

But county staff and some commissioners say the project could potentially reduce paper costs and staff time used to produce documents for commissioner meetings. For a recent board meeting, the county spent more than $500 to copy agenda packets, said Brian Francis, an assistant to County Manager Harry Jones.

Staff say they’re still trying to learn how the iPads work and how useful they’ll be to commissioners. They have no clear timetable on when or even if they’ll ultimately recommend them to the entire board.

“People should want their government to try to find ways to do things better,” said Francis, who said money and time saved by not having the paper documents could potentially be redirected to other county services.

Read More at CharlotteObserver.com.

Read the rest of this entry »

More than a quarter-century later, the rest of us are about to find out. “Cold Storage,” his version of that theme with an eerie love story at its core, gets its national DVD release this week.

When Charlotte director Elwood and producer Paul Barrett shot the movie in 2005, seeing it in Wal-Mart and Best Buy seemed far-fetched. But Grindstone Entertainment, a video arm of Lionsgate, picked up their genre-defying drama.

Read more at CharlotteObserver.com.

Read the rest of this entry »

“The thing is that I’m open for anything. It’s a commitment. We have to go through the league. It’s a process. It’s a financial commitment. Am I willing to look at that and say can we go down that road? Yeah. If I get the understanding from the community, from the public, that we need it and it signifies change, yeah, I would do that. But once again, it’s a process. It’s a $3-million to $10-million investment to do that. I’m not afraid of that, as long as at the backside of that, the public is going to be happy about that, that it’s going to be great for the organization. I think it [could be] a new beginning. Yeah, I would do that. I would consider that.”

via The Hoop Doctors.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just got back from a sneak peak at Charlotte’s newest bar Wet Willies. It is much different from the last time we checked it out. For those of you that do not know, Wet Willies is a Daiquiri bar that has over 20 different types of drinks that range for the mild to the extreme.

Between this and the recently opened Black Bear Saloon the, NC Music Factory is not only just a place to go for concerts and nightlife. The Music Factory is morphing itself as a place that you frequent after work to get some food and drink the night away with your friends.

See you tonight at Wet Willies!

Five city employees told an investigator that Charlotte City Council member Warren Turner made sexually inappropriate comments to them, including a female staffer whose complaint sparked the probe, according to a report released Monday night.

Read more at CharlotteObserver.com.

Read the rest of this entry »

Almost 900 teachers, principals and other school staff, most working at Charlotte&apos;s most challenging schools, collected more than $2.7 million in bonuses during the past year, even as top administrators forfeited theirs.

New payroll data provides a snapshot of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools&apos; worst budget year in recent memory. The district&apos;s work force shrank by more than 900 people since last spring, while the number of six-figure salaries held steady.

Read more by Ann Doss Helms at the Charlotte Observer.

Read the rest of this entry »