ReportWire

Tag: Claudia Puente

  • Businesses accepting bitcoin surge across North Carolina

    [ad_1]

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Cash, cards and now crypto. Using bitcoin to pay for a slice of pizza or a trip to the barber is becoming easier across North Carolina as more businesses begin to accept the digital currency.

    What You Need To Know

    •  A new feature from Square now allows millions of businesses to accept bitcoin as payment 

    •  There are more than 400 businesses in North Carolina that take bitcoin as payment

    •  The Great Wagon Road Distillery is one of roughly 90 businesses in Charlotte that accept bitcoin 


    According to BTC Map, a dashboard that tracks merchants accepting bitcoin, verified bitcoin businesses are already up more than 50% over the past year.

    The surge is in part to a new feature recently rolled out by Square that allows millions of businesses to take bitcoin payments at the tap of a button.

    For owner Oliver Mulligan, the feature also allows his business to reach new clients. Mulligan owns the Great Wagon Road Distilling Company, one of the oldest distilleries in Mecklenburg County.

    “We were the first people in Mecklenburg County to get a distillation permit, and we were the first company in the state to have its own cocktail bar,” Mulligan said.

    But if you ask Mulligan, creating a distillery from scratch didn’t just come on a whim.

    “My grandfather was arrested for making moonshine in Ireland, so myself and a buddy of mine decided I did enough of the engineering business, and we decided to open a distillery together,” Mulligan said.

    Thirteen years later, the distillery is still paving the way, pouring whiskey, vodka and accepting bitcoin.

    “I knew about bitcoin from my engineering days. And actually there was a bar in Dublin maybe 15 years ago that was taking bitcoin. So I thought, ‘this is interesting.’ So I said, ‘well let’s go, let’s give it a go,’” Mulligan said.

    Bitcoin can sound complicated, but at the distillery, Mulligan says it’s simple.

    “We process the payment through this little terminal and then we convert it to cash so we can pay our staff and pay our taxes at the end of the night,” Mulligan said.

    Bitcoin is digital currency that can be bought and traded online that does not involve a bank.

    “It’s a sound monetary instrument that allows people to take what they’ve earned while they’re working and hold onto it and not have it changed through inflation,” said Maxx Mannheimer, a bitcoin consultant with Sovereign Bitcoin Consulting.

    At the distillery, the cryptocurrency is also simple to use. Through Square, customers scan a QR code with their phone and the payment goes through in seconds.

    Mannheimer says it’s a win-win for customers and business owners.

    “When you pay for it, it’s the same to the business. They receive it in whatever currency they want. They get to reduce their fees through credit cards because credit cards are charging 3%, and bitcoin charges significantly less than that,” Mannheimer said.

    The Great Wagon Road Distillery is part of roughly 90 other businesses across Charlotte that take bitcoin as payment, a trend that Mannheimer says is not going anywhere anytime soon.

    “It’s gone from almost absolute obscurity into something that’s incredibly important. I think that trend will continue, everything’s going digital. That trend is not reversing,” Mannheimer said.

    For Mulligan, he says accepting digital dollars has brought new customers and conversations.

    “It is growing, which is good, and I think it’s worth the risk. And you know what? It’s kind of fun, because we hold on to the bitcoin, convert it to cash and pay our staff and our taxes and it’s fun to log in every now and again and see how it’s going,” Mulligan said.

    Right now, Mulligan says bitcoin only makes up a small part of the distillery’s sales but believes adding digital dollars to the mix is only the beginning.

    “As the old saying goes, the tide lifts all boats. So the more places that begin to take bitcoin, we’ll just see the whole industry grow,” Mulligan said.

    According to Bitbo, there are over 106 million people who own bitcoin and over 400 businesses that accept the currency across North Carolina.

    Follow us on Instagram at spectrumnews1nc for news and other happenings across North Carolina.

    [ad_2]

    Claudia Puente

    Source link

  • Teen honors Hispanic heritage using jewelry

    [ad_1]

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A family tradition in Charlotte is shining this Hispanic Heritage Month.

    Valentino Patria, a 13-year-old jewelry maker, is using tagua seeds from palm trees in South America to honor his Latin American roots while helping children thousands of miles away.

    What You Need To Know

    • Valentino Patria uses tagua seeds from palm trees in South America to create brightly colored jewelry 

    • Patria says he learned the craft from his mother and grandmother when he was 4 and that his pieces tell his family’s story

    • A portion of proceeds from Generation Jewelry go toward feeding children in Peru 



    “I normally try to mix the pieces and then see what colors match what colors,” he said.

    Patria designs brightly colored necklaces and bracelets and says the colored seeds are not just beads used for jewelry, they’re also pieces that tell his family’s story.

    “My grandma and my mom used to do this jewelry business, so I said, ‘well, why not continue it, right?’ Because my mom and my grandma had expertise,” Patria said, “and that’s why I called it Generation Jewelry, because it was passed down from my grandma to my mom to me, and now my brother joined.”

    Patria first learned the craft at 4 years old and says his favorite memory was helping his grandmother carry the supplies and learn how to make the jewelry.

    “I love it because I think it kind of feels like a family tradition,” Patria said.

    Patria’s mother, Paola Vargas, carried on the family’s craft and says teaching Patria has been about more than jewelry.

    “Many years ago, my mom had started it in Colombia. Part of me passing it on to them is experiences that I’ve had in life, that they can learn from and they can continue until it’s time for them to live through them,” Vargas said.

    With Venezuelan, Peruvian and Colombian roots, Patria threads his family’s past into the future and says every piece carries his culture and his heart.

    “In my heart, it feels it feels like I’m continuing the legacy. You know, it feels like the next generation. And I really want to be that next jewelry maker for my family,” Patria said.

    Part of the proceeds from Generation Jewelry helps feed children in Peru, a mission that connects Patria more deeply to his heritage.

    For more information about Generation Jewelry, visit the website here.

    [ad_2]

    Claudia Puente

    Source link

  • ‘Aquamation’: N.C. funeral home sees growing interest in water-based cremation

    ‘Aquamation’: N.C. funeral home sees growing interest in water-based cremation

    [ad_1]

    HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — Aquamation, or water-based cremation, is growing in popularity as a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cremation. The National Funeral Directors Association reports that interest in green funeral options is up 55% since 2021.

    A funeral home in Hillsborough, North Carolina, is one company making the switch to the water-based cremation. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Interest in green funeral options is up 55% since 2021

    • Aquamation is a water-based alternative to cremation 

    • Cremation accounts for 1.7 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to the American Chemical Society


    “With aquamation, we’re not burning the body. We’re circulating an alkaline solution around it for about four hours so there’s no combustion and there’s no release of any toxic or carcinogenic gases,” said Hunter Beattie, owner of Endswell Funeral Home in Hillsborough.

    According to a publication by the American Chemical Society and the Green Burial Council, cremating one corpse emits about 418 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air, accounting for 1.7 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

    The large amount of carbon dioxide emissions are almost entirely eliminated through aquamation and are also a factor into why a Hillsborough couple opted for the method.

    “The thing about the cremation process is, it does so much damage to the climate and to the atmosphere and to everything. And so I found this to be a very peaceful way to say goodbye,” said Gwen Claire. Claire lost her husband earlier this year and he was cremated through aquamation.

    Today, Claire fills her homes with pictures of trips she and her late husband took, both serving as foreign service officers.

    “My husband was also fascinated by other cultures and we wanted to do in my case, we wanted to do what John F. Kennedy said, ‘do something for your country,’” Claire said.

    Claire said she also plans on using the aquamation service when the time comes. 

    “Eventually, my ashes will be mixed with Dan’s and will go into a lovely granite bench we have in Hilton Head under live oaks and surrounded by azaleas, so I just can’t say enough about what a peaceful process this is,” said Claire.

    At Endswell, Beattie said water cremation mimics the natural process that occurs in the soil at a faster pace and uses 90% less energy than traditional cremation.

    “We open the door to the vessel, which is sterilized after each use. This basket slides out, we place the body in the basket, covered entirely. We push the body back into the machine, we close the door and then we rotate the machine at a 45 degree angle. This allows us to use less water, and it keeps the potassium hydroxide off the seal,” said Beattie.

    [ad_2]

    Claudia Puente

    Source link

  • N.C. woman who stood behind Trump at Pennsylvania rally is in Charlotte

    N.C. woman who stood behind Trump at Pennsylvania rally is in Charlotte

    [ad_1]

    There was a look of confusion on supporters’ faces as shots rang out at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Many dropped to the ground as reality set in. The former president was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt.

    Boone, North Carolina, resident Renee White says she was directly behind Trump during the attack. “At his right-hand shoulder,” White said, to be exact. 

    “It was very surreal. Very kind of crazy, like I said, kind of like an out-of-body experience,” White said, describing the moments the would-be assassin fired his gun at the Pennsylvania rally. 

    “Everything was happening like so fast, and I didn’t, a lot of people went down around me,” White said, “and I kind of stayed up, was kind of watching everything, watching what was going on around me.”

    White was lined up early Wednesday morning outside the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, where Trump is expected to speak at 6 p.m.

    Known as the “Tiffany blue girl,” White was donning the same blue “Make America Great Again” hat that she wore at the rally in Pennsylvania, and at some of the 33 other Trump rallies she attended before that.

    Renee White (Spectrum News 1/Claudia Puente)

    White initially wasn’t planning to go to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but changed her mind, saying she felt she needed to be there after her experience in Pennsylvania. She also attended the rally that followed in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

    “A lot of people had asked if, you know, I would go back to a rally or not. Well, of course I will, of course I will. I love it. Something about it,” she said.

    The Charlotte rally comes less than a week after Trump accepted the presidential nomination at the RNC, and just days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race. 

    Biden officially dropped out of the race on Sunday. Vice President Kamala Harris, endorsed by Biden, is the front-runner to become the next Democratic nominee.

    Harris visited North Carolina last week as Biden was home recovering from COVID-19. 

    Top Biden campaign officials have set their sights on North Carolina as a possible pickup opportunity after Trump won the state by around 1% in 2020.

    Aerial photo of the Butler Farm Show, site of the Saturday, July 13, 2024, Trump campaign rally where former President Donald Trump was shot, shown Monday, July 15, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

    Wednesday’s campaign event is Trump’s second rally since the assassination attempt against him and his first since Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned. 

    Cheatle faced calls to resign as many questioned how a gunman was able to get so close to Trump at the outdoor event in Pennsylvania. Officials say a man armed with an AR-style rifle fired from a nearby rooftop. 

    Cheatle, who served as Secret Service director since August 2022, said she took “full responsibility for the security lapse,” the Associated Press reports. 

    A former fire chief attending the rally with family was killed, the Associated Press reports, as was the gunman. Two other people were critically hurt.

    The Charlotte rally will be held at an indoor arena, and security is expected to be top of mind. 

     

    [ad_2]

    Jennifer Gamertsfelder

    Source link

  • North Carolina’s formerly incarcerated at higher risk of suicide

    North Carolina’s formerly incarcerated at higher risk of suicide

    [ad_1]

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that North Carolina’s formerly incarcerated are twice as likely to die of suicide than those who never spent time behind bars.

    What You Need To Know

    •  N.C.’s formerly incarcerated are twice as likely to die of suicide 

    •  Those 18-21 years old reentering society had higher suicide rates than their general population peers 

    •  Freedom Fighting Missionaries hopes to help individuals facing challenges after release from incarceration 

    “To be away and to be confined in any kind of way takes a toll on your mental health,” said Kenneth Robinson, founder of Freedom Fighting Missionaries.

    At 24, Robinson was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, but despite looking forward to his release, he was met with more challenges on the other side.

    “The No. 1 thing that is on one’s mind when you’re incarcerated is that when you’re getting out, there are big plans that you have once you are released, but when that day comes, the harsh reality of survival hits almost immediately,” Robinson said.

    The harsh reality for Robinson included trouble finding housing, a way to get around, health care and even a job.

    “You can’t imagine the challenge of getting out of incarceration, getting a job in construction and can’t afford the work boots that are provided to you when you go to prison. So we’re talking about a lack of basic resources that are provided on the inside, but there’s no pathway to that on the outside,” Robinson said.

    Robinson believes these are common issues for men and women coming back into society, and the study published in the Journal of Epidemiology found that the biggest risk of suicide comes in the two-week period after release.

    “In the most severe cases where individuals may not have family, may not have support, and are tossed out into the street to fend for themselves, that can be tremendously burdensome on a person who has been incarcerated 5, 10, 15 years, and to finally be free and not even be able to take care of yourself on a day-to-day basis, unfortunately, men and women could succumb to those pressures,” Robinson said.

    As a result of these challenges, Robinson focuses on providing housing and mental health resources through Freedom Fighting Missionaries.

    “Within our organization, when we do send individuals and families into therapy, it is specific to those who have experience working with those who have been justice-involved,” Robinson said. “We provide free medical insurance to our employees, and we’re in the process of building our first housing development. It’s an apartment community of 24 units, specifically for families that have been impacted by the justice system.”

    Robinson has experienced the loss of four clients to suicide, poor health and drug overdose and believes that reentry begins the day individuals enter the prison system.

    “These things are going on in the community, that men and women and their families are being and continuously impacted by the justice system, and just by knowing what that person is face to face with, it helps us and our journey to move forward,” Robinson said.

    Earlier this year Gov. Roy Cooper signed an order aimed at helping people reintegrate into society after serving time. It includes resources to reduce homelessness while increasing education and employment.

    To learn more about resources offered through the Freedom Fighting Missionaries, you can visit its website here.

    [ad_2]

    Claudia Puente

    Source link