Latest news with #Charlotte-area
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Baby experiencing overdose also gets attacked by family's dog, NC sheriff says
A baby found in the midst of a drug overdose had also been attacked by a dog, according to investigators in North Carolina. It happened in the Gamewell area near Lenoir and resulted in the child's mother being arrested Tuesday, June 24, Caldwell County jail records show. 'A 9-month-old infant is in a Charlotte-area hospital after an apparent drug overdose and injuries consistent with a dog bite,' the Caldwell County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. 'Authorities say lifesaving efforts by Gamewell firefighters were crucial in stabilizing the child before transport.' Hospital staff found evidence the baby had 'been bitten by the family dog,' officials said. The child's 33-year-old mother has been charged with felony child abuse with 'serious physical injury' and bond was set at $200,000, records show. McClatchy News is not naming the mother to protect the identity of the child. 'Child Protective Services and local law enforcement are conducting a joint investigation,' the sheriff's office said. Gamewell is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.
Business Journals
02-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Wake Forest expands to Charlotte's innovation district, marking historic milestone in education
Wake Forest University is dramatically increasing its impact in North Carolina by developing a new academic campus in Charlotte's innovation district, The Pearl. Anchored by the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the expansion is poised to transform medical education, research and economic development in one of the country's fastest-growing cities. The promise of The Pearl Wake Forest's presence in the Pearl promises groundbreaking collaboration and innovation. It is a pivotal moment for both the university and the Queen City. 'We are proud of the role our university and alumni continue to play in Charlotte,' said Wake Forest University President Susan R. Wente. 'Wake Forest's presence in The Pearl allows us to train future physicians, researchers and leaders in a collaborative, urban environment that reflects the needs and opportunities of the communities we serve. This is more than just a new campus — it's a strategic investment in the future of health care and innovation.' Charlotte has long been the largest U.S. city without a four-year medical school. That will change this summer, when Wake Forest School of Medicine opens its second campus and welcomes the inaugural class of medical students in Charlotte. The medical school will be located in the Howard R. Levine Center for Education. Wake Forest also plans to move the Wake Forest School of Professional Studies and the School of Business' nationally ranked MBA program from the current location in Uptown Charlotte to The Pearl. Charlotte is home to the largest concentration of Wake Forest alumni outside of Winston-Salem. Advancing medical education 'Our Charlotte campus marks a transformative moment for Wake Forest School of Medicine,' said Dr. Ebony Boulware, Dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine. 'It brings our mission to life in new and powerful ways — advancing innovation, forging strong community partnerships and expanding access to top-tier medical education in one of the country's most dynamic cities. This new campus strengthens our reach across the Southeast and the nation, creating new pathways to improve health through learning, discovery and service.' While third- and fourth-year students have long completed clinical clerkships in Charlotte, the new campus marks a significant expansion. The initial class size of 48 students will grow to 100 students per class in the coming years. Fostering collaboration, leadership and professional growth The Wake Forest School of Business and the School of Professional Studies offer a broad selection of programs to Charlotte-area working professionals with a myriad of pathways to advance their careers. Each remains committed to close faculty-student collaboration, strong market connections and rewarding experiential learning that amplifies impact. Strategic expansion will provide students with learning opportunities aligned with the university's mission of character-based education and holistic development. 'Sharing a home with Wake Forest's School of Medicine and School of Professional Studies offers exciting cross-disciplinary opportunities for our MBA and other offerings," said Annette L. Ranft, dean of the School of Business. 'Integrating business programs within a health care innovation district can spark new ventures and foster entrepreneurship in the health technology and life sciences sectors.' The School of Professional Studies currently offers graduate programs 100% online. As the campus expands, additional formats may be introduced. In-person executive education courses, as well as student and alumni community events, could be hosted at The Pearl. 'Leveraging strong partnerships with Charlotte's leading industries — including health care and financial services — Wake Forest programs connect academic coursework with real-world applications, preparing students for successful careers,' said Charles Iacovou, vice provost, Charlotte programs, and dean of the School of Professional Studies. By integrating into this innovation district, these world-class schools will enrich the student experience and strengthen Wake Forest's role as a key contributor to Charlotte's thriving economy, aligning educational offerings with the region's most dynamic sectors. Innovation Corridor links Winston-Salem and Charlotte Wake Forest's move into Charlotte strengthens its broader academic and research ecosystem. The university's Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem already serves as a national model for public-private partnerships in biomedical research and technology. Now, with an enhanced presence in Charlotte, Wake Forest is extending the arc of innovation across the state. 'This new campus is yet another manifestation of Wake Forest's mission to serve humanity through knowledge and discovery,' Wente said. As construction at The Pearl moves forward and Wake Forest's Charlotte medical campus prepares to open, the project represents not just growth but transformation. It marks the beginning of a new era of possibility for the university, the city and North Carolina.
Axios
14-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Trader Joe's plans to open in Matthews
Trader Joe's plans to open a fourth Charlotte-area store in Matthews. Why it matters: Cause people go nuts for Trader Joe's. Just try to move your cart around the midtown store on a Sunday, and you'll understand. What they're saying: A Trader Joe's spokesperson confirmed to Axios Charlotte that it does plan to open a store in Matthews but could not yet share a location or timeline. However, signs point to the Matthews Gateway development off East John Street as the location. Driving the news: Monday night, the Matthews town board considered approving some architectural changes for the development, where "we still expect to be a Trader Joe's," planning staff said. Last July, the board reviewed designs for a grocery store resembling a Trader Joe's. The submission included renderings for a building that used the grocer's unique font but only spelled "Grocery Store." Zoom out: Trader Joe's joins a list of other local, highly anticipated grocery store announcements, from Wegmans' first Charlotte location (opening late 2026) to Sprouts in NoDa (August).
Business Journals
21-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Brown Bag Seafood closes two Charlotte restaurants
By submitting your information you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and User Agreement . Brown Bag Seafood has trimmed its Charlotte-area restaurant portfolio after making a big entrance into the market just a few years ago. Brown Bag Seafood has trimmed its Charlotte restaurant portfolio, shuttering a second location here in less than two months. The Chicago-based, fast-casual seafood chain closed its restaurant at Birkdale Village in Huntersville on April 15. It had been open less than three years. Another location at the Lowe's Tech Hub in South End closed in February, says Zach Flanzman, president and chief operating officer. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events 'We just weren't where we needed to be. At some level, you just can't make the bottom line if the top line is not where it needs to be,' he says. The brand cracked into the Charlotte market in 2022, opening three restaurants in a six-month span. Flanzman says Brown Bag will continue to operate its remaining uptown uptown, which has been open a little over two years. That restaurant is at the Ally Charlotte Center at 601 S. Tryon St. 'We have no plans to exit Charlotte fully. We still feel very confident there's no one else doing what we're doing in the market,' he says. 'We think the concept has every reason to be successful there — we just have to be smarter with our future real estate decisions.' That 2,756-square-foot uptown restaurant leans into Brown Bag's strength as a brand. In its DNA it's a downtown-based lunch concept, relying on the office crowd to drive traffic. 'Uptown is such a clone of where we really feel like we offer the best value and feel most comfortable as a brand,' Flanzman says. He says the Brown Bag brand is versatile and poised to compete well with the lunch and dinner crowds, but location is key. In South End, office traffic didn't materialize as expected to drive sales. At Birkdale, efforts to be family oriented fell flat. 'In short, we got ourselves, I think, into some real estate we thought we were comfortable with and turns out it wasn't our best choices,' Flanzman says. He says the brand expects to grow in Charlotte; it will move cautiously when it comes to choosing future restaurant sites. 'We're still opportunistic about real estate opportunities. If there was something that hit my inbox tomorrow, it's possible. Right now, the name of the game is making the right choices and doing it in the right way.' Brown Bag Seafood got its start in Chicago in 2014. The chain is known for its quick, fresh and sustainably sourced seafood. Its restaurants serve the same high-quality seafood found at a white-tablecloth restaurant — just in a quick-service setting. It has grown to 12 locations in Chicago, Atlanta and the Charlotte market.
Axios
21-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Average Charlotte apartment rents drop by $1
With a record number of new apartments opening in Charlotte, rents were expected to fall as supply briefly outpaced demand. And they $1. Why it matters: Renters expected a breather from high prices as excess supply came onto the market. But the relief was minimal. Demand was higher than anticipated, and asking rents have returned to their most stable level in nearly two years. By the numbers: Charlotte's average monthly asking rent at the end of Q1 2025 was $1,644 — just $1 less than the first quarter of 2024, according to commercial real estate information company CoStar. Vacancies are relatively stable at around 12.8%, per CoStar's report — another reason price changes are steady. What they're saying: A tight for-sale market is keeping people in place, which has prevented a plunge in demand for rentals, says Chuck McShane, senior director of market analytics at CoStar. Charlotte-area home prices now exceed the national median, according to a recent report from "People are less likely to put their homes on the market now, which I think is keeping prices rising in the for-sale market, while leveled off in the for-rent markets," McShane says. State of play: More than 17,000 new apartments opened in the Charlotte area in 2024, and roughly 4,400 new units opened in the first quarter of 2025. The heightened competition drove annual rent growth down in the second quarter of 2023. Rent growth stayed negative for seven consecutive quarters, though the declines began slowing after a 1.4% drop in early 2024. Zoom out: Suburban areas with less supply saw rents rise, according to CoStar. For example, Gaston County rents are up 2%, and rents in the Huntersville-Cornelius market grew by 2.2%. The suburbs have seen slower construction activity than hot urban neighborhoods. For instance, Lower South End, which expanded its multifamily inventory by more than 50% over the past year, saw rents fall by 3.1% to an average of $1,777 a month. Reality check: Renters are increasingly offered promotions, such as one-month free rent, reducing the overall rent. This past March, 37% of properties had concessions, slightly up from 32% a year earlier. In November 2024, competition for tenants became so intense that more than 50% of landlords were advertising deals, the highest rate in five years. What's next: Expect more impacts on rents as apartment construction continues to slow through the rest of the year and into 2026.
