Charlotte, North Carolina Local News | ReportWire publishes the latest breaking U.S. and world news, trending topics and developing stories from around globe.
GARNER, N.C. — The race for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District is packed with 14 Republicans and one Democrat vying for that seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Veterans’ needs are a key issue for the candidates and voters in that district.
What You Need To Know
North Carolina’s primary election day is on March 5 and Spectrum News is taking a look at some of the key issues in each district
Based on population and demographics, veterans’ needs are a key issue for the candidates and voters in that district
North Carolina is home to more than 600,000 veterans, making them a big voting block in the state
By spring of 2025, at least 30,000 veterans will be able to access VA services at a new clinic in Garner
It will be the area’s largest outpatient clinic and serve 27 counties in Central and Eastern North Carolina
The Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System serves more than two dozen counties in Central and Eastern North Carolina. That includes Wake County, which has a high concentration of veterans, as well as Johnston County, one of the fastest growing counties in the state. Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is in neighboring Wayne County and Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, is just south of the district
When construction is done on the new VA clinic in Garner, it will be the area’s largest outpatient clinic and serve 27 counties in Central and Eastern North Carolina.
“This facility here is over 240,000 square feet. It will have various clinics here, mainly about 23 different types of services here,” Anthony Avery, the Wake Co. OPC Administrator for the Durham VA Healthcare System, said. “In our area we already have smaller clinics and their capacities are pretty full.”
Avery, a veteran himself, has worked for the VA for more than 15 years. He says the Durham VA Health Care System currently has a 70% penetration rate, meaning 30% of eligible veterans in the area aren’t enrolled in services.
Anthony Avery (right) watching construction progress at the VA clinic in Garner. (Spectrum News 1/Kyleigh Panetta)
“A lot of times it’s the access to care is just being able to get to a health care clinic that offers the specialties they need. Most community outpatient centers so far only offer very limited specialty care,” Avery said.
North Carolina is home to well over 600,000 veterans, making them a big voting block in the state. Having new resources, like this clinic, are key when many voters cast their ballots and while they’re deciding who they want making decisions about veteran issues in Washington, D.C.
By spring of 2025, at least 30,000 veterans will be able to access VA services at the clinic in Garner. For many, that’s much closer to home.
An aerial view of the construction progress at the VA clinic in Garner. (Spectrum News 1/Maurice Griffin)
“This is some of the best care you could get. So we want our veterans, we want to be able to provide that care to them right where they live so they don’t have to travel up 40 or some of these drive times up 70. They’ll come right here in their community.”
Spectrum News 1 asked the top candidates in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District about veterans’ needs and here’s what they had to say:
Republican candidate Brad Knott said, “We need to devote more time, more energy and more dollars to the veterans to make sure that they can receive the care that they need. Homelessness, drug addiction, mental illness of every of every kind. Veterans are suffering and we need to reallocate the dollars that we are putting elsewhere. That’s, I would say, for lack of a better term, wasteful [spending] and reapply it to the veterans.”
Republican candidate Kelly Daughtry said, “Veterans who defended freedom here at home and around the world deserve the highest quality of health care from the federal government…When we elect President Trump and send Joe Biden back to his basement, he will have a strong partner in me as your next Congresswoman to invest more on veterans and improving VA hospitals.”
Republican candidate DeVan Barbour said, “In order to ensure our veterans have access to, and receive, the best care possible Congress must allocate appropriate funding to the VA system to provide for adequate staffing, integration of care, and continuity of care. Doing this will ensure our veterans will be able to receive the care they need, when they need it, where they need it from.”
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Charlotte Hornets are signing Marques Bolden of the Wisconsin Herd to a 10 day contract.
The Charlotte Hornets are signing center Marques Bolden to a 10-day contract, agent Michael Johnson Jr. of All Day Group tells @TheAthletic@Stadium. Bolden is averaging 17 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks over a six-game winning streak for the G League’s Wisconsin Herd.
As Charania notes in the Tweet, Bolden is playing his best ball at the right time and has earned himself a callup.
He went undrafted out of Duke in 2019 but quickly latched on with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He spent a couple of years bouncing back and forth between the Cavs and their G League affiliate, the Canton Charge. He then spent a couple of seasons with the Jazz G League affiliate before signing a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks at the beginning of this season. He was waived by the Bucks in early January and signed a regular G League contract with the Wisconsin Herd.
Bolden is a decent shot blocking big that has good touch around the basket. He’ll also pop out and shoot the occasional 3-pointer. He’s averaged 13.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game for the Herd this season while shooting 56.5% from the field and 77.3% from the line.
The Hornets badly need big depth with Mark Williams still dealing with his back injury and Nathan Mensah not being good enough to absorb meaningful rotation minutes. Bolden will probably see limited to no time either, but he’ll at least be around should Nick Richards and/or Grant Williams get into some foul trouble. Last year, the Hornets signed Xavier Sneed to a 10 day then eventually a two-way contract as a reference for how unimpactful this signing is likely to be.
Still, it’s good to see the Hornets doing things they should be doing.
Grammy Award-winning bassist Christian McBride continues a long lineage of legendary jazz musicians using their craft to interpret social injustices in America with his album, The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons. Crediting pioneers of the genre like Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, and Charles Mingus, who inspired him to write and record the album, McBride pays homage to Black icons Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcom X.
Eight-time Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Christian McBride will perform his album, The Movement Revisited, in Charlotte with a 17-piece big band, a full choir, and four local narrators. Courtesy
McBride grew up as a sort of a musical prodigy in his hometown of Philadelphia, graduating from the famed Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA), where esteemed artists and musicians such as Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Black Thought, Jazmine Sullivan, Boyz II Men, and Leslie Odom, Jr. attended. After a short stint at the prestigious Juilliard School, McBride toured with saxophonist Bobby Watson and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, going on to collaborate with artists such as The Roots, D’Angelo, Sting, Paul McCartney, Queen Latifah, Chaka Khan, and James Brown throughout his career. He’s also the host of NPR’s Jazz Night In America and the Artistic Director for Newport Jazz Festival and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
Album cover for Christian McBride’s ‘The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons.’
On Friday, February 23, McBride will perform in Charlotte for the first time since 1994. The evening at Belk Theater will be complete with his 17-piece big band, a full choir, and a collaboration with four local orators who will narrate the parts of his sonic portraits of the four icons.
The four Charlotte narrators will be Emmy Award-winning poet Boris “Bluz” Rogers, who will perform the part of Malcolm X; artist, producer and GrindHaus studio owner Jason “Jet” Jones will be featured as Martin Luther King Jr.; spoken word artist and playwright Hannah Hasan will narrate the voice of Rosa Parks; and fitness personality Corey “CYO” Brown will speak as Muhammad Ali.
The Movement Revisited, which was originally recorded in 2013 and released through jazz label Mack Avenue Records in 2020, features acclaimed poet and writer Sonia Sanchez, actors Wendell Pierce (The Wire) and Vondie Curtis-Hall (Chicago Hope), and award-winning narrator, Dion Graham. The 13-song album is considered to be McBride’s magnum opus, and the opportunity for these Charlotte community figures to participate in the live performance is historic.
“It feels like a high honor and a great privilege to be chosen to share the words of our ancestor Rosa Parks as a part of such powerful and important production with Christian McBride,” said Hasan, the co-founder of Epoch Tribe, a production company that organizes theatrical storytelling events such as I Am Queen Charlotte. “This performance is so special because it marries narrative with music… I believe in Black stories and Black history and utilizing the performance of art to remind people of the brilliance that has come from the hearts and minds of our people.”
Hannah Hasan, co-founder of Epoch Tribe, will narrate the voice of Rosa Parks for ‘The Movement Revisited’ in Charlotte on Friday, February 23.
Those stories and history are what inspired McBride to write The Movement. Growing up in West Philly, McBride’s grandmother saved old Jet and Ebony magazines from the ‘60s, which sparked his interest and fascination with Black icons in America during the Civil Rights era. While his grandmother’s collections taught a young McBride about important social and cultural figures, his great uncle taught him about the musical icons in jazz.
“When I started playing the double bass in middle school, he got so excited,” McBride said. “He played me Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall. He played me a couple of Mingus records…He played some Modern Jazz Quartet…and he played me some Ornette Coleman. My great uncle really is a true scholar of the music. He can speak on any era of Louis Armstrong, up to the present day.
Emmy Award-winning poet Boris “Bluz” Rogers will perform the part of Malcolm X in Christian McBride’s ‘The Movement Revisited.’
For Boris “Bluz” Rogers, an accomplished poet who has performed with countless internationally recognized artists throughout his career, he cherishes the opportunity to work with McBride and speak the part of Malcolm X for this groundbreaking live jazz performance in Charlotte.
“It feels empowering. I mean, we are getting to read the blueprints of freedom, civil rights, and liberation to a soundtrack composed by a musical genius,” said Rogers. “I think what makes this so special is not only is it Christian McBride, a phenomenal talent, bringing his vision to the stage, it’s him reaching out to creative Charlotte staples to help bring the vision to light.”
Singer-songwriter, producer and GrindHaus studio owner Jason “Jet” Jones will be featured as Martin Luther King Jr. in ‘The Movement Revisited.’
Another one of those creative staples is singer-songwriter, producer, and music studio owner/operator Jason Jet, who believes in the power of music, transcending history and time.
“Very rarely do you get a blend of musical vibes and real-life poetry crossing paths. This is so deep on so many levels, because of how the music will create an opening to the hearts and minds of everyone who is in the room… taking us back in time to the moment where these experiences happened,” Jet said. “Only music can do that and when you pair the right words with it, well, magic happens.”
Corey “C’Yo” Brown, founder of Urban Cardio Dance in Charlotte, sees the opportunity as an introspective experience allowing him to connect with history.
Corey “C’Yo” Brown, founder of Urban Cardio Dance in Charlotte will voice the part of Muhammad Ali in Christian McBride’s ‘The Movement Revisited.’
“It’s truly an honor and a very special moment. That’s because of the respect I have for Christian. His work along with the joy I feel as a result of reading as one of our historical heroes. I’ve been able to reconnect with myself, artistically and learn more about the perspective of my character,” Brown said.
With such a grand production, McBride’s The Movement Revisited will truly feel like history is being made. Influenced by long-form jazz pieces from Ellington, Rollins, and Mingus, who used music to reflect on the social climate, the performance harkens back to a time where brave and valiant heroes fought for simple freedoms in America. It’s inspirational on many levels, and McBride hopes it inspires a new generation of creatives.
Grammy Award-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride will perform in Charlotte for the first time since 1994 on Friday, February 23. Courtesy
“Whatever people feel, I just hope that it at least inspires them to either go back and do some research on one of the four people who we talk about, or maybe some young composer is sitting in the audience going, ‘You know, if I write a piece like that, maybe I can do a better job.’ Whatever it is, just do something positive.”
We all know that Charlotte has a LARGE and ever-expanding number of breweries, but the cocktail scene is also one to be reckoned with. From casual spots to hard-to-find speakeasies and everything in between, the Queen City truly does have it all when it comes to finding a good drink.
We have your list of cocktail bars to know about in Charlotte, organized by neighborhood for your convenience!
The newest addition to SouthPark’s bar scene, The Loft at Duckworth’s focuses on classic cocktails done well in a mid-century modern space. You’ll find a mix of seating options that offer a comfortable and cozy setting to hang out in. They also offer light bites, wine, and craft beer on top of their growing cocktail list.
Perfect for: Classic cocktails in an intimate, timeless setting.
This speakeasy is discreetly located inside of 800° Wood Fired Pizza at Phillips Place, and offers guests an extensive list of cocktails, each with a story to be told. You can also find live music on Monday and Thursday each week.
Perfect for: Sipping Japanese-inspired cocktails while overlooking the beauty of SouthPark.
This spacious rooftop and bar offers cocktails inspired by Japan, with ingredients like lychee, Sake, Toki Japanese Whisky, and more. You’ll also find comfortable seating and great views of the neighborhood. Don’t leave without trying a flame-grilled dish made on their Robata grill.
Perfect for: Tapas and cocktails on a spacious outdoor veranda.
Expect inventive cocktails that change with the season and their mood, a Spanish-inspired menu, and a modern outdoor space perfect for hanging out during the warmer months.
Dilworth Tasting Room SouthPark 4905 Ashley Park Ln Suite J
Perfect for: Classic and craft cocktails made with a touch of drama.
Dilworth Tasting Room’s second location features an open-aired patio, a comfortable yet classy interior, and beautifully crafted drinks that will have you coming back for more.
Perfect for: An intimate drink with exclusive vibes in a hidden spot.
This upscale speakeasy is tucked away in Park Road Shopping Center and requires a membership to enter (just $10/year). When you get inside, you’ll be met with a dark and moody interior, craft liquors and cocktails, and curated bites to enjoy. Note their business-casual dress code.
Known as one of Uptown Charlotte’s “best-kept secrets”, The Conspiracy is a dim-lit speakeasy that takes you back to an era of mystery and intrigue. Their menu features eight craft cocktails, plus wine and beer, and light bites.
Perfect for: A late-night drink with vintage vibes.
You’ll feel like you’ve traveled back in time when entering this underground space, with a prohibition-era feel, exposed brick, dim lighting, and staff attire. The cocktails are hand-crafted to order, making it a truly intimate experience.
SOUTH END
Elsewhere Cocktail Bar 101 W Worthington Ave STE 140
Perfect for: Adventurous drinks with styles and ingredients from other countries.
Elsewhere provides a cozy and intimate vibe with a rotating list of cocktails inspired by travel, with flavors, drink styles, and ingredients borrowed from other countries around the world.
Perfect for: Having options for everyone, from mocktails to craft beer and everything in between.
With the goal of having drink options for everyone in the friend group, Dram & Draught is a perfect spot to visit, no matter what you like. You’ll find a modern, upscale ambiance, an extensive whiskey selection, and a cocktail menu featuring classic, craft, and seasonal drinks.
The large patio garden makes this spot a go-to for sipping on fruity cocktails during the warmer months. Inside, you’ll find a more intimate, relaxed vibe with dim lighting and candles to set the mood.
Perfect for: A modern take on a traditional speakeasy.
BackStage Lounge offers the classic speakeasy vibe with a modern, romantically elevated take that you’ll feel upon entering. To get in, you’ll need to have the password of the week, which can be found on their Instagram page. Don’t miss out on all the fun events they host, like seasonal pop-up bars and live music nights.
Connected to the main building at Supperland, the Bar at Supperland features a bright and beautiful space to grab a drink before or after your dinner reservation.
Perfect for: A casual drink in the heart of Plaza Midwood.
If Irish pubs are your thing, this is the place to be. The Workman’s Friend brings diversity to the bar scene in Plaza Midwood, offering Irish-inspired cocktails and fare in a traditional Irish pub environment.
Perfect for: When you can’t choose which drink you want to order.
At Idlewild, there is no menu. Instead, you tell your bartender what flavors, notes, and spirits you like, and they make a one-of-a-kind cocktail made just for you. The speakeasy-like space is dark and moody while keeping an elegant presence, similar to what you’ll find in their drink presentations.
Perfect for: Elegant cocktails in a beautiful setting.
The Crunkleton’s large and spacious bar draws attention alone. The beautiful interior paired with expertly made craft and classic cocktails will you keep there for hours on end. P.S. you must become a member to drink and dine at The Crunkleton. Fees are $10/year.
BALLANTYNE
Hestia Rooftop 14819 Ballantyne Village Way 16th Floor
Perfect for: Sweeping views of Ballantyne and a sophisticated cocktail menu.
Best known for its 180-degree views over Ballantyne Village and the Omakase-style menu, Hestia also has an upscale and sophisticated cocktail menu crafted by expert mixologists.
This casual yet elegant cocktail bar doubles as a restaurant with modern American cuisine. Their drink menu features a variety of cocktails ranging from fun and fruity options to the classics we know and love. Fun fact: each drink is made with five ingredients or less.
Another option for a lake-side drink is at Hello, Sailor where you’ll find tropical favorites such as a frozen Piña colada, Mango Margarita Slushee, and C.L.S.D Negroni Slushee. Perfect for sunny days on their waterfront tiki bar.
Trains still roll through this historic rail town, which has developed a mix of bars, gourmet markets, and locally owned restaurants. Grab a cup of coffee, savor a lamb kebab, or stock up on imported Italian goods. The best meals are worth the drive.
This charming eatery is a sandwich shop by day and a cheese shop by night. Choose from more than 60 artisan cheeses and cured meats from the U.S. and abroad, along with gourmet products, wine, and local beer. Owner Chris Sottile treats cheese boards as an art form, and his catering trays prove it.
This 40-seat seafood grill and sushi bar serves an assortment of specialty rolls—the Spicy Dragon and Bamboo are colorful mouthfuls of bliss—and for less than its swankier uptown cousins.
The Teriyaki Steak Bento Box from New Zealand Cafe.
Stop in at lunch or dinner for a heaping portion of Pad Thai, or go for the Gaeng Panang: coconut curry with lemongrass, peas, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, chiles, and basil leaves.
This locally owned café and coffee bar serves made-to-order omelets, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, grain bowls, empanadas, burgers, wraps, and salads, plus cold brew and specialty coffee drinks.
Most menu items are vegan, plant-based, or gluten-free, but you don’t need a dietary restriction to enjoy the organic fare at this neighborhood bistro.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — One woman was killed and five more were wounded when an argument escalated to gunfire at a Waffle House restaurant in Indianapolis early Monday, police said.
Officers responded to a report of a shooting at the restaurant around 12:30 a.m., the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.
Five people with gunshot wounds were transported to a hospital, including a woman who was in critical condition and died, police said. The other victims — a woman and three men — all were listed in stable condition.
A sixth man who was shot traveled separately to a hospital and was listed in critical condition, police said.
Investigators believe an altercation between two groups at the restaurant escalated to gunfire. It was not immediately clear if any of the victims fired shots, police said.
No one has been arrested and police are investigating.
Two police officers remained at the scene Monday morning around 10 a.m. as members of the Indianapolis-Marion County forensic services agency crime scene unit entered the building. Law enforcement took down police tape that barricaded the restaurant’s parking lot around 10:30 a.m.
A spokesperson for Waffle House said the company is referring all questions about the shooting to local law enforcement.
“We are cooperating fully with the ongoing law enforcement investigation into this incident,” Njeri Boss, vice president of public relations, said in a written statement.
CharlotteEAST finds opportunities for growth and (just enough) change, with help from west side friends
Photo by Peter Taylor
If someone gripes that Charlotte lacks character, here’s a wager: They don’t live on the east side.
I’m a biased east-sider, sure, but to me, this is the heart of the city. It’s Charlotte’s most diverse area, with about a quarter of our neighbors born abroad—just listen to the languages mingling at Veterans Park on a summer evening. It’s the home of Lang Van, Manolo’s Bakery, and Red Sea. It’s where you cheer on the Checkers and sell your soul for a PBR at Bart’s Mart. Our dive bars reflect decades of patron loyalty, not last month’s brand strategy. We have a nature preserve just five miles from uptown. It’s so great, people willingly take Independence Boulevard to get here.
Greg Asciutto makes my east Charlotte love look like a childhood crush. For the past decade, he’s been an English teacher at Garinger High School, where he was instrumental in the effort to bring magnet programs to the school. As board chair of CharlotteEAST, an advocacy nonprofit, Greg backed plans to turn the vacant Eastland Mall site into the east side’s economic driver once again. Last October, the City Council allocated $30 million for an indoor-outdoor sports facility to join housing, shops, and offices there. Simply keeping up with Eastland news felt like a part-time job; Greg was among the main players doing the work—on top of his full-time job.
This year, Greg has become a full-time east-side advocate. He left teaching for a job as executive director of CharlotteEAST—its first paid staff position, courtesy of a United Way grant. After big victories last year at Garinger and Eastland, the group’s carrying momentum into 2024. It’s turning to smaller-scale wins that will contribute to one big goal: creating economic opportunities here that serve—and don’t displace—east-siders.
“We’ve been sitting here for 20 years waiting for economic development, either public or private. Now that things are moving, how do we make sure it’s sustainable?” Greg says. “We don’t want to be exclusive and keep others from coming in, but how do we make sure that those who come in aren’t pushing away the people who are already here?”
For inspiration, the east side looks west. The west side also suffered from a lack of public and private dollars for decades, but recent investments have kicked off development and growth—and gentrification. As the value of west-side real estate skyrockets, neighborhood groups like West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition and Freedom Communities work to make sure residents find upward mobility and opportunity, not just displacement.
“We have to extend our hand across center city … to figure out, OK, what’s working over here? What’s working over there?” Greg says. “How do we collectively strengthen our community this way?”
Greg says west-side leaders are among the east side’s strongest allies.
“An example: James Mitchell. Smuggie,” Greg says, referring to the at-large City Council member and his nickname. “This dude, west side to the T, did not miss an opportunity to call our team to make sure that our voices were heard throughout the Eastland process. We saw the importance of that collaboration, and we’re going to continue to build on that.”
Greg envisions thriving neighborhoods where people have access to quality education and good-paying jobs close to home. He envisions thriving mom-and-pop businesses on Central Avenue alongside new businesses run by young entrepreneurs. He envisions close connections between people in need and nonprofits that support them. He envisions a merchants association that promotes small businesses.
To get there, CharlotteEAST focuses on one idea: belonging. Instead of forcing one contrived brand on the area, Charlotte-EAST leans into the area’s rich multicultural identity. When it shares information and solicits ideas, it does so in both English and Spanish. Since Greg became chair two years ago, the board’s become younger and more diverse, looking more like the community it represents. He believes that building trust between neighbors and giving everyone a voice will be key to create a thriving area where everyone shares in its growth. Where they belong.
“Our diversity is our greatest strength,” Greg says. “If we can harness it in the right way, this could be a model for how you build multicultural community.”
In late October, The Duke Mansion hosted a Halloween party with all the essentials: music, costumes, food, and drinks, plus one noticeable addition: a dry bar with a variety of zero-proof cocktails, bruts, and craft beer.
This wasn’t a recovery event. Guests were drinkers and nondrinkers. The dry bar was simply a response to a trend that staff at the Myers Park venue had noticed: An increasing number of guests were passing on the booze.
“You’d be surprised how many people are leaning toward it,” says Kelli Taddonio, the mansion’s director of events. “It’s not just those who are pregnant. They could be training for something, or maybe they drank the night before. We host a lot of corporate events where people don’t want to overserve themselves with their bosses in the room. But perception is everything. If they look like they have a beverage in their hand, it avoids that awkward conservation of, ‘Why aren’t you drinking?’”
According to a 2023 Gallup poll, 38% of U.S. adults never drink alcohol, and many more are just occasional drinkers. That might sound like a lot, given some of the statistics that came out of the pandemic. In 2020, alcohol sales increased by 2.9%, the largest annual increase in more than 50 years, and women’s stress-related drinking was up 41%.
But the pandemic accelerated people’s drinking habits in the opposite direction, too. If they only drank socially, they gave it up naturally. Many people emerged from lockdown and decided to dial back their drinking. Others have become “California sober” and reduced or eliminated their alcohol intake and replaced it with substances like CBD to take the edge off.
Casey Dolan began leaning into this trend two years ago, when she moved to Charlotte from upstate New York. She knew her family had a history of alcohol abuse, and she was training for a half-marathon. “A lot of my friends were doing Dry January,” she says, “and it occurred to me that the zero-proof nightlife thing wasn’t a thing here.”
“I still drink occasionally, and I’m very vocal about the fact that I do still drink because I don’t want my customers to see me out and about with a drink and call me out,” says Casey Dolan. “But it’s very rare.”
In January 2023, Dolan founded The Roaring Social, a mobile nonalcoholic bar that serves Charlotte and the Lake Norman area. (When we speak in late October, Dolan is looking for a permanent location to open an NA dessert bar.) At her first event, at The Coterie Wellness Studio, she and her husband set up a table with zero-proof cocktails. “We weren’t expecting much, and we sold so much stuff, and the excitement and energy was unbelievable,” she says. “We thought this might actually be a thing.”
The Roaring Social sells a range of canned beverages like NA craft beers and spiritless whiskey sours and old fashioneds. Other sparkling drinks have kava root, nootropics, and adaptogens that claim to boost your mood and reduce stress. “I actually ask people at my events, especially Gen Z, why they’re not drinking and what they’re doing in place of it,” Dolan says. “At least 90% of those people participate in THC or delta-8 or delta-9. Botanical Brewing’s delta-8 and delta-9 drinks are top sellers.”
The reasoning behind this, she’s found, is a combination of financial stress, mental health, and social media. “Everything you do is posted now, so there’s that fear of embarrassment,” she says. “Plus, drinking costs money … and people don’t want to wake up feeling like crap.”
Like many of her customers, Dolan still drinks occasionally but opts for quality over quantity. She usually chooses a botanical drink that relaxes her without leaving her hungover. “I just don’t feel good when I drink,” she says. “I’m 37 now, and I don’t bounce back the way I used to.”
In Charlotte and across the country, restaurant owners and event planners are realizing that sobriety isn’t just about recovery—and nondrinkers aren’t anomalies. “At this point, with the trend being what it is,” Dolan says, “if you’re not offering zero-proof cocktails, you’re losing customers.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A 26-year-old man is on an epic journey across the country.
What You Need To Know
Holden Ringer is walking from Washington State to Washington D.C.
Ringer is raising money for America Walks, an organization dedicated to increasing walkability across the U.S.
So far, Ringer walked about 3,700 miles through 13 states since March 2023
Holden Ringer is walking coast to coast in hopes of educating cities about the importance of pedestrian and bicycle safety.
“So far, I’ve walked through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, and now we’re in the Tar Heel state of North Carolina,” Ringer said as he walked along Independence Boulevard in Charlotte.
Ringer’s journey started about three years ago. He was studying for a college exam and instead of hitting the books, he found himself surfing the web about those who’d taken on a similar journey.
“There were never any plans that ‘oh I’m going to go do that’,” Ringer said. “Just seeds were planted in that moment.”
Fast forward several months later, Ringer started thinking more about it while he was visiting his parents in Texas.
“I went on a 20-mile walk around Dallas,” Ringer said. “And I just thought to myself, you know what, I can do this every single day for a year.”
“I wake up every single morning, very appreciative, and very thankful for this opportunity to do this,” Ringer said. “I get to meet lots of great and wonderful people and see interesting things. But every single day is an opportunity not to try and get killed by a car.”
Ringer says this cross-country voyage has opened his eyes to walkability issues across America. He often finds himself dodging distracted drivers and dealing with poorly maintained or disappearing sidewalks.
“Walkability is also just the ability to cross the street,” Ringer said. “And I don’t think we’re crossing [Independence Boulevard] anytime soon.”
It’s why he’s partnering with America Walks. He’s asking people to donate to the organization that’s dedicated to increasing walkability across the U.S. – including in North Carolina.
“Maybe they don’t donate to America Walks,” Ringer said. “But maybe they do go to a local meeting and try and advocate for more sidewalks and advice for more crosswalks.”
With a couple of hundred miles left to D.C., Ringer hopes his mission encourages other to be active and walk more. He also hopes it inspires other to speak out about safety concerns in their communities.
“I hope people would care about these issues because it could be you, or it could be a loved one that doesn’t make it home at night,” Ringer said.
Ringer says his journey isn’t over once he reaches Washington, D.C.
After spending some time in the nation’s capital, he plans to continue walking northeast to New Haven, Connecticut.
Julio Gomez-Avila was arrested on Feb. 16 in connection with a home invasion and sexual assault at an apartment on W.T. Harris Boulevard on Jan. 12, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said. Gomez-Avila surrendered to police after a brief standoff, according to CMPD. He was charged with rape, kidnapping and several other charges related to the incident.
Detectives allege that Gomez-Avila and the victim knew each other, but say he concealed himself during the attack. The victim said the suspect demanded money from her before he assaulted her and ran from the home.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. All calls to Crime Stoppers are anonymous.
Note: WCNC instituted a policy in March 2021 regarding the broadcast or posting of mugshots.
WCNC will only air or post a mugshot if the person has been formally charged with a crime and in a few other cases. The exceptions include: If it appears the person could be a danger to themselves or others or if they are wanted by authorities; to differentiate between people with a common name; if the photos could encourage more victims to come forward. The news-editorial leadership may also decide to use a mugshot based on the severity of the crime(s) committed and/or the level of public interest in the crime and ensuing criminal proceedings.
All of WCNC Charlotte’s podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.
The Charlotte Hornets made a splash at the trade deadline acquiring Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic, Tre Mann, Seth Curry, and Grant Williams. Despite Williams being the only one of those players to have any sort of positive defensive reputation, the Hornets have sported the third best defense in the league during their three game win streak with those players in the lineup.
It’s simply been a matter of NBA players knowing where to be defensively, how to cover for each other, and how to communicate with one another. When the Hornets were playing with their mostly G League caliber roster, they were a disorganized mess that simultaneously left the perimeter uncovered and the basket unprotected. No one seemed to know what they were supposed to do. A three game sample is suggesting that was more an indictment on the players than on the system.
3-point Defense
We’ll start with this play against the Pacers on February 4th. This is a 3-point jumper that Aaron Nesmith is going to get with eight seconds left on the shot clock.
Granted, this was a somewhat busted play. Miles Bridges started the possession guarding Pascal Siakam, and both fell to the floor trying to corral a wayward dribble by Siakam. When Siakam got up, JT Thor drifted in his direction, leaving 45% 3-point shooter Aaron Nesmith unguarded. Not realizing this, Bridges recovered to Siakam as well, leaving Nesmith so open that he overthought it and missed the shot.
In the next game, the Lakers are able to get a similarly wide open look against a set defense. Seeing that the Lakers are about to run a guard-guard pick-and-roll, Nick Richards directs Leaky Black to set up to help. Black is guarding Rui Hachimura, who starts the play in the corner.
As soon as Black turns his back, Hachimura, who is a 40% 3-point shooter this season, rotates to the wing. The Lakers swing the ball around the perimeter, making Black cover about 30 feet to recover the shooter. Richards stays glued to 28% 3-point shooter Anthony Davis the whole time.
You’d probably want to see Richards at least stunt at Hachimura or something. Fortunately Hachimura ends up missing the shot anyway. See the whole play here.
This next play starts with JT Thor sprinting to make it out to Taurean Prince after Thor was late to recover from his help defense responsibilities. He and Nick Smith Jr. do a weird thing where they’re seemingly both trying to stop the roller–usually you’d expect one person to do that while the other zones up on the weak side. Thor ends up all the way in the paint and doesn’t start running back out to Prince until after D’Angelo Russell has already caught the pass and started to swing it.
To stop the drive of Prince, who rarely attempts shots at the rim, all of Nick Richards, PJ Washington, and Brandon Miller sink in. One of Miller or Washington should be staying home. Instead, neither is guarding anybody. Prince has his pick of kickout passes, and elects to hit the wide open Austin Reaves.
Here’s one where the opponent actually makes the shot. On this play, the Bucks are running a pick and roll, and the Hornets are defending it in a way you’d more typically expect out of an NBA team, though it’s still a little hard to tell what the plan is. Richards has sagged way off into a drop coverage where he can contest a pass to the rolling Bobby Portis or jump out and contest a midrange jumper from Pat Connaughton if need be. That typically allows defenders away from the action to stay home. Still, Nick Smith Jr. has dropped down to tag the rolling Portis.
With Smith going to help the roller, you’d expect Leaky Black, who’s guarding Jae Crowder in the weakside corner, to be more ready to help should the ball swing to Patrick Beverley on the wing. Instead, Smith ends up responsible for both tagging the roller and getting back to his shooter that’s one pass away. That’s either bad defensive scheming or bad understanding of how to play basketball together.
As bad as the 3-point defense has been (was…hopefully?), the defense in the paint has been worse and more comical. We’ll go back to the Pacers game for the first example. The Hornets end up cross matched in less than ideal match-ups after Pascal Siakam quickly pushes the ball up the floor from a defensive rebound. Washington is guarding point guard TJ McConnell while Nick Richards is guarding the quicker Siakam.
A brush screen forces Washington and Richards to switch for some reason. You’d think that means the Hornets have established that they’re switching every screen action on this possession given the cross matches. Still, when Myles Turner sets a flare screen on Washington, Washington tries to fight over the top while Miles Bridges switches. It leaves Turner uncovered going towards the basket.
These next two plays might be my favorites. The first one made me laugh out loud when I watched it back. D’Angelo Russell just jogs past Bryce McGowens for an easy layup and none of the other Hornets budge to help.
It’s truly a work of art. And then Russell proceeded to do the same thing with Bridges guarding him about 90 seconds later. No communication. No understanding of what’s happening around them or what should be done to stop it. It’s just bad. Bad bad bad.
The Hornets ended up making a valiant attempt at a comeback in that game despite the shoddy early defense. However, that shoddy defense reared its head again late as the Lakers put the game out of reach. The Lakers run an inverted pick-and-roll where Russell kind of screens for the bigger LeBron James, but LeBron ends up rejecting the screen and Russell meekly backs out of the play. There is no reason for the Hornets to do anything to react to the half hearted screen, but they do. PJ Washington and Ish Smith guard it by like, vaguely pretending to double team LeBron in the way you’d expect young children to double team an opposing player.
LeBron swings it to the now unguarded Russell. Richards is forced to close out on Russell, who had been torching the Hornets all night. Smith is in no position to do anything at this point. Washington doesn’t sense the danger of Davis diving to the basket and simply watches it all unfold.
Bridges is also a step slow to react, but it’s hard to stop Davis from diving to the rim with that kind of runway. Easy two points for LA.
We’ll wrap up with an example of the Hornets inattention to detail when defending in transition. After a Cody Martin turnover, the Bucks get out and try to run without too much of a numbers advantage. However, it quickly turns into a 4 on 3 after Miles Bridges does whatever this is to try to slow down Damian Lillard.
So here’s the 4 on 3. Leaky Black seems to be directing Brandon Miller to close out to Jae Crowder. This is good. Black goes on to sprint to cover Malik Beasley in the corner. Also good. Behind the play, Cody Martin and Miles Bridges are jogging to get back. This is not good. Nick Richards is somewhere in the middle.
Richards is apparently completely unaware that Giannis is directly behind him. That is both a failing of his awareness and of his teammates behind the play that are not guarding anybody nor telling Richards that danger is lurking. He ends up sprinting out to Beasley as well, because why bother guarding Giannis. It’d be tough for the Hornets to get the stop at this point.
You could cut up clips of just about any NBA team making defensive lapses over the course of the season. It’s a long season and mistakes are bound to happen. But plays like the ones above have been the norm for the Charlotte Hornets for most of the season. The trade deadline infused some much needed NBA experience, and the defense has been significantly better since. Now the Hornets have 28 games left to prove that the defense is truly improved.
One of North Carolina’s prominent families has filed a lawsuit against Charlotte’s largest hospital over millions of dollars in inheritance.
Cannon textile mill descendants want to stop Atrium Health from receiving distributions from the family trust, according to a petition filed in N.C. business court. The trust was created in 1965 by Ruth Coltrane Cannon, wife of longtime Cannon Mills president Charles Albert Cannon, for her grandson Charles Albert Cannon III, who died Oct. 28.
Textile magnate Charles Cannon founded Cannon Mills in Kannapolis. It was the world’s largest producer of towels and sheets for decades. The mill, bought by Pillowtex 1982, closed abruptly closed in 2003 wiping out 7,650 jobs. It was the largest one-day job loss in the history of North Carolina and the textile industry at that time. The mill was demolished in 2005 and is now the site of the 350-acre North Carolina Research Campus.
Following Charles Cannon III’s death, Ruth Cannon said in her will that she wanted the trust to go to Cabarrus Memorial Hospital, according to the Feb. 7 petition. If the trust could not be paid “expressly” to the Cabarrus County-owned hospital, it would be distributed to “religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes,” the petition states.
The filing does not specify the trust’s value.
Cabarrus Memorial has not existed since the 1980s and became part of Atrium through a series of mergers in the 2000s, according to the petition. Atrium is now part of Advocate Health with revenue of more than $27 billion.
Since Cabarrus Memorial does not exist, “the trustees have preliminary concluded that Atrium Health is not the proper remainder income beneficiary,” and trustees should proceed with alternative income distribution, according to the petition.
“Atrium Health does not meet the trust’s express condition that remainder income be paid out for ‘charitable purposes,’” the petition states.
On Jan. 24, Atrium objected to the trust’s interpretation of the will and laid claim to it, threatening legal action if income distributions did not begin on Feb. 15.
The trust is represented by Kearns Davis, James C. Adams II and Agustin M. Martinez of Brooks Pierce McLendon Humphrey & Leonard LLP.
The petition requests a jury trial.
Atrium Health officials and attorneys representing the trust did not respond by Friday afternoon for requests for comment.
Law360 trade publication first reported the case.
Related stories from Charlotte Observer
Catherine Muccigrosso is a business reporter for The Charlotte Observer. An award-winning journalist, she has worked for multiple newspapers and McClatchy for more than a decade.
The former Johnny’s Farmhouse on River Highway (N.C. 150) is now Mooresville Family House. The new sign went up on the building Thursday and the restaurant has been closed a few days while crews continued refurbishing the interior.
The restaurant will reopen at 7 a.m. Monday and will be open daily until 9 p.m., management said.
“Breakfast classics and everything in between,” Mooresville Family House posted on Facebook Saturday afternoon, promising to post its menu later in the day.
Mooresville Family House also has added vegetarian and weight-watching meals, according to its Facebook post earlier in the week.
The restaurant has “upped the quality” of its food while reducing prices, according to the post.
Mooresville Family House is affiliated with the China Grove Family House farm-to-table restaurant on Main Street in China Grove, Rowan County, management said.
“Our new menu is something that our owner has worked extremely hard on!” according to the Mooresville Family House Facebook post. “With definite improvements! We have options for everyone. We have mainly focused on quality products and pricing for our customers!”
Related stories from Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
ROCK HILL, S.C. – A driver died in a single-vehicle crash in Rock Hill on Saturday night after striking a culvert and a tree, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
It happened two miles south of Rock Hill at approximately 8:08 p.m. on Saturday, February 17th.
Authorities say a driver, operating a 2016 Ford F-350, was traveling west on East Rambo Road near Sims Road. The driver ran off the right side of the road, struck a culvert and then a tree.
The driver was the sole occupant and died as a result of the crash.
The launch comes a day after a judge in New York ordered Trump to pay a whopping $355 million in penalties.
PHILADELPHIA — As he closes in on the Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth.”
Trump was met with loud boos as well as cheers at the Philadelphia Convention Center as he introduced what he called the first official Trump footwear.
The shoes, gold lame high tops with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold as “Never Surrender High-Tops” for $399 on a new website that also sells Trump-branded “Victory47” cologne and perfume for $99 a bottle. He’d be the 47th president if elected again.
The website says it has no connection to Trump’s campaign, though Trump campaign officials promoted the appearance in online posts.
On Friday, a judge in New York ordered Trump to pay a whopping $355 million in penalties, finding that the former president lied about his wealth for years, scheming to dupe banks, insurers and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements.
Trump’s appearance was met with clashing boos from his detractors and chants of “USA!” from supporters who arrived at the sneaker event decked out in Trump gear. The dueling chants made it difficult, at times, to hear Trump speak. Some held signs that read “SNEAKERHEADS LOVE TRUMP.”
“There’s a lot of emotion in this room,” Trump said of the reaction, after holding up and showing off a pair of gold shoes, then placing one on each side of his podium.
“This is something that I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years,” he said.
As he spoke, the smell of weed occasionally wafted through the room.
Some of those who attended said they were unaware Trump would be there, and continued to shop as a crowd gathered around the stage. Many in the audience said they were not from the city and instead hailed from nearby states and Washington.
The attendees skewed younger and more diverse than Trump’s usual rally crowds. Trump’s campaign is hoping he will be able to win over more young and minority voters, particularly young Black men, in a likely rematch against President Joe Biden in November.
This isn’t the first money-making venture Trump has announced since launching his third campaign for the White House in 2022. Trump last year reported making between $100,000 and $1 million for a series of digital trading cards that portrayed him, through photo editing, in a series of cartoon-like images, including an astronaut, a cowboy and a superhero.
Trump’s new sneaker website says it is run by CIC Ventures LLC, a company that Trump reported owning in his 2023 financial disclosure. A similarly named company, CIC Digital LLC, owns his digital trading card NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.
The website states the new venture “is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign.”
A Trump spokesman did not respond to questions about the event, including whether Trump was paid to attend.
The website describes the shoes as a limited-edition, numbered “true collector’s item” that is “Bold, gold, and tough, just like President Trump.”
“The Never Surrender sneakers are your rally cry in shoe form,” the description reads. “Lace-up and step out ready to conquer,.”
Among those in the crowd were Jonathen Santiago, 21, and Danea Mitchell, 20, Trump supporters who drove from Monroe County in the northeastern part of the state for the sneaker event. They said they were excited to see the former president and praised how he interacted with the crowd. They also had kind words for the sneakers.
“The red bottoms were a really nice touch,” Mitchell said.
She shrugged when asked about Trump’s legal troubles. “I think it’ll be an interesting four years if he’s found guilty, but I have no doubt he’ll be president,” she said.
Also in attendance was a group of “cheer moms” from New Jersey who said they were in town for a cheerleading event and decided to stop by for a chance to see Trump.
Karla Burke, 48, said she heard some people booing and making noise, but that most people around her had been supporters. “At the front was a different vibe,” she said.
As for Friday’s penalty in Trump’s civil fraud trial, Burke said it doesn’t change her support. “I think it was unfair,” she said. “They’re just going after him so he’s not the Republican candidate.”
Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler slammed the appearance, saying: “Donald Trump showing up to hawk bootleg Off-Whites is the closest he’ll get to any Air Force Ones ever again for the rest of his life.”
Trump planned a rally later Saturday in Michigan in the suburbs of Detroit.
Are you going to one of the Queen City’s many charitable Galas and Events this spring and wondering, of course, What to Wear? You are not alone. It’s the first question anyone asks after they ask…Are You Going? Always next is What Are You Wearing?
If you are joining us at this Saturday’s Fashion Breathes Life Gala, to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis and enjoy a fashion show modeled by local celebs along with plenty of fun, you know that the attire recommendation is Cocktail Couture. We interpret this to mean that we need to step up our idea of a cocktail outfit, going for something a bit more stylized, higher-fashion, glam. But not ballgown. After all, the event was conceived of and is hosted by one of the QC’s fashion mavens, Jill Sloan Pleune. Jill’s son, Oliver, has CF, and Jill started Fashion Breathes Life 9 years ago to help raise awareness and funds for the CF Foundation.
We asked FBL committee members Amy Scibelli, Meghan Hampton, Chantal DePraeter, and Jennifer Jackson to model What to Wear to the Fashion Breathes Life party, styled by FBL Fashion Director, Chantal DePraeter, the owner of Chantilly Style.
All Outfits are from Sloan + Revolve, with jewelry accessories by Kristen Hayes. Brand pictured below and available at Sloan are Alexis, Alice + Olivia, Halston, Zhivago, and Black Halo.
Tickets remaining to FBL are very limited, and no longer available online. You’ll need to contact Rachel Staton at rstaton@cff.org for info.
#SPONSORED. ARTICLES ON SCOOP ARE SPONSORED BY THE BUSINESSES MENTIONED AND/OR OUR ADVERTISERS. FOR MORE INFO ON OUR POLICIES CLICK HERE.
Charlotte police deployed pepper spray to disperse 200 people at an “unlawful” protest at a cultural festival on private property off Monroe Road on Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024.
WSOC
Police closed a major Charlotte road on Saturday and deployed pepper spray on a crowd at what officers called an “unlawful” civil rights protest at a cultural festival on private property.
They did not identify the cultural festival.
“The pepper spray hit a few protesters as well as a few officers who are being treated on scene,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said just after 3:30 p.m. on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Police said they arrested seven people. Three men were charged with impeding traffic, and a woman was charged with impeding traffic and inciting to riot, according to CMPD.
At 6:18 p.m., CMPD said the woman arrested in the incident also faces a charge of assault on a government official after she was accused of hitting an officer.
Police said they seized a firearm from the woman protester.
Three more protesters also were arrested, and police seized a second firearm, CMPD said Saturday night.
“Officers had given dispersal orders for nearly an hour prior to deploying the pepper spray,” according to CMPD.
Police deployed the pepper spray “to get protesters who were blocking the street out of Monroe Road,” CMPD said on Twitter.
“This protest is on private property and was declared unlawful,” police said.
Monroe Road remained shut down between McAlway Drive and Alliance Drive as CMPD monitored the protest, police said at 3:17 p.m. on X. “Dispersal orders have been given and any protesters remaining are subject to arrest.”
Just after 5 p.m., CMPD said the inbound lanes of Monroe Road had reopened.
“The gathering is still ongoing,” police said on X. “Please continue to avoid the area.”
Protesters told WSOC that two groups showed up at the scene: One group supported the government of Eritrea, bordered by the Red Sea on the Horn of Africa.
The other group claimed the president of the country is a brutal dictator, according to the station.
Monroe Road remained closed at 7 p.m.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published February 17, 2024, 4:34 PM.
Related stories from Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
CLEMMONS, N.C. — Teacher Frann Paige is urging others to be on the lookout for signs of heart disease.
What You Need To Know
The American Heart Association says Black and Hispanic women are disproportionately affected by heart disease and stroke
According to the American Heart Association, the warning signs of a heart attack include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, cold sweat, lightheadedness, nausea and discomfort in the arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach
Frann Paige, a Clemmons art teacher who was hospitalized after a heart attack, says some of the things she’s done to improve her health include reducing sodium intake, cutting down on caffeine and exercising
Paige is an art teacher at Clemmons Elementary, and her students have become a part of her life.
“The love notes I get and the drawings I get every morning make my day,” said Paige, who was hospitalized in 2015 after a heart attack. “When I was sick in the hospital, I kept saying every day, I want to get back to my classroom. … It was the new normal, but I wanted to get back to what I thought was normal. I needed to get back with the kids.”
February is Heart Health Month, and the American Heart Association says cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, claiming more lives than all cancers combined.
In June 2015, Paige’s life changed after a doctor’s appointment
“I got there very early. Doctors weren’t really ready yet. And with that, the nurse started taking vitals and within 5 minutes, a doctor ran on with a portable EKG machine and they called the ambulance at the same time. I already had a heart attack and was walking around with it for a few days,” she said.
It was a heart attack she didn’t know she had on the last day of school
“Started really Friday night. And I didn’t go to the doctor until the next Thursday. And the last thing I remember is being wheeled into an emergency room. And then I woke up a month later from an induced coma,” Paige said.
She had every symptom that should have been an alert, but she had an excuse for each one.
“I was pale. My excuse — it was summer. I was hot. My excuse was summer, wasn’t feeling well. The kids gave me something,” Paige said. “But if you take all these symptoms and add them up, I should have known better. I should have known to go to a doctor.”
And heart disease runs in her family.
“My father passed away at an early age of a heart attack. I have aunts with pacemakers. It should have been on my radar. It wasn’t,” Paige said.
Now, she’s urging women to be aware of the symptoms and to have their affairs in order.
“What I can tell you is take your body seriously and know your body,” she said. “Know if it’s not right and you are having more than one symptom.”
“I had a pain, but I had a pain in my jaw, so I made an appointment with my dentist,” Paige said. “I didn’t have a pain in my arm like men have.”
And now, to stay on top of her health, she has a defibrillator that helps regulate her heart, and she makes better decisions day to day.
Paige says some of the things she’s done to better her health are reducing sodium intake, cutting down on caffeine and exercising as much as she can.
The American Heart Association says Black and Hispanic women are disproportionately affected by heart disease and stroke.
As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are more likely than men to experience other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting and back or jaw pain.
