World Class Ship Hole

Charlotte City Council is likely going to give David Tepper a $650 million dollar payday. 

But the clowns who make these decisions are no less arrogant than the Classless King Rube himself. 

Sure bright shiny new things are fun.Light rail,uptown parking benches, gay pride murals.

OK Fine whatever makes you happy.

But $650 million is comical at best.

Head out South Blvd, it doesn't take long go just four miles to Woodlawn. Along the way you'll pass a couple homeless camps and a dozen or so panhandlers. Trash lined streets and sidewalks in what was once a fairly OK part of Charlotte. But no more.

As long as it is not raining you can manage to navigate the area of South Blvd and Woodlawn but the lack of pavement markings around Woodlawn are confusing, more so if you are inbound approaching Woodlawn because the lack of lane markings makes it hard to tell which lane is left and which is a through lane.

Add a summer thunderstorm and the streets become a no-man's land of drive where you what if you dare. 

Outbound past Woodlawn is worse there are no lane markings whatsoever.

Between BofA stadium and Woodlawn there are 3 traffic lights with non functional bulbs.Street lights are pretty good after dusk with no more than every sixth or eighth light dark. 

Trash cans at bus stops haven't been emptied in weeks.

My father used to preach "start with your socks" in other words if you don't take care of the small things until later you'll look pretty funny with your socks over your shoes and under ware on top of your pants.

Maybe Charlotte City Council should start with their socks, fix the streets, take care of the homeless and repair some potholes, before giving a billionaire another 1/2 a billion?

 

CMPD More on the Outer Carrier Vests

 Local Charlotte media is portraying the discussion regarding CMPD's lack of outer carrier vests as a "battle" and "fight.

It should not be a fight or a battle. CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings is a solid opponent of the vests. 

His biggest argument is regarding the image it gives Officers.

The argument about image however is totally without merit. 

Here's a local example:

In tourist dependent Pinehurst, North Carolina where image is everything all Police Officers wear outer carrier vests.

Speaking with Officers yesterday at the US Open they agreed, the vests are far superior. They speak of  weight distribution, comfort, the lack of back injury from heavy duty belts and most importantly safety.

As one Office said "It is far better if you are thin and don't own at lot of real estate around your middle".

The same is true with next door Southern Pines, North Carolina where the small department has also adopted outer vests. As one Southern Pines Officer told me he was surprised that Charlotte "of all places has not moved past the antiquated duty belts of the 1900's" pointing out the tired design has been basically unchanged for the last 100 years. 

You can read and if you like sign the petition here.

Serious Question for CMPD

Morning

I'm going to bump this up a little.

"If you don’t sign this petition then I never want to hear any of you complain ever again about anything at CMPD. If a majority of your colleagues want to bring about much-needed change at the department and you decide not to help in their fight, then don’t speak another word about your grievances. We don’t care to hear them because we know you won’t stand with your brothers and sisters on a simple issues like true employee wellness."

https://www.change.org/p/approve-outer-carrier-vests-for-charlotte-mecklenburg-police-officers

So, what are your thoughts? 

Personally I don't buy into the "scary" tactical look or unprofessional aspect of the argument against switching to outer carrier vests. I see no merit to the "public will be intimidated" complaint either.

I get it Police Offices won't look the same or will they? Kinda hard to say given the photo above. But even if they do look different to some people sadly Police work is not the same as it was even ten years ago. Today's duty belt is crazy heavy and who knows what kind of additional weapons command will want you to carry around next. 

I'm not active duty so I have no skin in the outcome of this issue.

So you tell me.

Will a bunch of signatures on a this petition help?

Happy to promote if that's what y'all need.

And one more thing.....

"Let's be careful out there".

CP

By the way here are just a few of the Law Enforcement agencies using the vest currently:

Los Angeles Police Department,  Chicago Police Department,  Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Torrington, WY Police Department,  Nevada Highway Patrol DPS,   Arizona Highway Patrol DPS, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Forest Service,  Kentucky State Police Troopers,   Mesa, AZ Police Department,   Champaign, IL Police Department, Manhattan Beach Police Department,   The Oceanside Police Department,  Las Vegas Police Department,   San Diego County Sheriff's Department,   The Hawthorne Police Department,   The Santa Monica Police Department,   The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department   Orange County Sheriff's Department, The Kern County Sheriff's Department, Kingsville, TX Police Department   California Department of Motor Vehicles  The Pasadena Police Department   The Redondo Beach Police Department   The Chico Police Department   The Stockton Police Department 

File this under Mom's Gonna Be Pissed - Avery Sehorn Arrested

According to local media, the daughter of actress Angie Harmon and ex-NFL star Jason Sehorn has been arrested after being accused of breaking into a Charlotte night club.

Harmon's daughter, 18-year-old Avery Sehorn, was arrested after police say she and two others broke into World Night Club on Music Factory Boulevard.

One of the club owners said that Sehorn and two 17-year-old boys broke in through a back door, then hid behind his bar and drank his liquor.

According to the warrant, the trio is accused of stealing six bottles of liquor worth $500 last Thursday. The owner says one of his cleaning crews caught them. He says the teens ran off but were caught by police shortly after.

Social media posts show Avery graduated from Charlotte Christian School on June 2nd. She is set to attend the University of Alabama this fall.

                                                                            Angie Harmon with daughters Avery, Finley and Emery. 

A post on People Mag's website states:

"On Sunday, June 2, the actress, 51, shared a post in honor of her daughter Avery Grace, 18, who graduated from high school."

The post goes on to add: “We are all immensely proud of you Avery!,” Harmon wrote in her Instagram caption as she posed alongside her three daughters Avery, Finley Faith, 20, and Emery Hope, 15, who she shares with her ex-husband Jason Sehorn.

The club owner says surveillance video of what happened does exist, but he doesn’t plan to release it.

 

I'm Not Crunk! Marion MacPhail

Marion Ayliffe MacPhail had big Friday night in Charlotte. Too bad it ended with her being "Cuffed and Stuffed" just after midnight and then transported to the Mecklenburg County Intake Center.

She finally checked in around 0700 but after a short nap was on her way home to Greensboro around 1100 on Saturday Morning.

Charges include Driving While Impaired, Assault on a Government Official and Resisting. 

More details as provided by our vast and wide ranging "field agents".

Another Uptown Shooting? And Then Another? Plus One More?

Reports by local media say that was a shooting in Uptown Charlotte early Saturday morning that left four people injured.

The incident occurred just before 2 a.m. outside of a business on N. Tryon Street, near W. 10th Street.

Police said one victim had life-threatening injuries, while the other three victims only sustained non-life threatening injuries.

All four victims were taken to area hospitals for treatment, according to police.

Police said initial reports indicate that an argument occurred before a man went to his car, retrieved a gun, returned to the area, and started shooting.

That man then left the scene before officers arrived, according to police.

The second shooting happened around 5 a.m. on East Trade Street near South College Street. Medic said one person was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries from that incident.

Meanwhile hours earlier outside of uptown, another person was shot in northeast Charlotte on Ryan Jacobsen Drive, in the Pavilion Village apartment complex off North Tryon Street. That person also sustained life-threatening injuries, according to Medic.

It is unclear what led up to the East Trade Street or Ryan Jacobsen Drive shootings, or if anyone has been arrested in connection to the incidents.

Kylie Nicole Mast Let's Get Ready To Rumble!

 

It seems that the BF of the rather diminutive Kylie Mast was worried he'd end up like John Bobbit at the hands and knife of former wife Lorena Bobbitt.

Perhaps being nick named "Stubby" wasn't something the perhapes now ex Lucas was interested in and so he filed a complaint against Ms. Mast for misdemeanor domestic violence and the Cornelius Police Department was happy to transport her to Garry McFadden's Mecklenburg County Hilton.

She has since been released but no word on court date or if the charges will be dismissed.

Update:

By Popular Request (Your Mileage May Vary) (Props to North Division Guys)