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Photo by Logan Cyrus
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VITALS
Weather: 62. Partly cloudy. 10% chance of rain.
Stat: 4 million. Number of lights along a 3.75-mile course at the 10th annual Speedway Christmas at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord. The light show and Christmas Village open on Friday night, and run through January 5.
Do: $45. Cost of the Taste of Cuba at Discovery Place tonight. The event includes coffee and mixed-drink tastings and a chance to explore the museum's new exhibit on Cuban culture. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Details.
Charlotteans: Annie Ma and Fred Clasen-Kelly, for their three-month investigation into the sudden dismissal of CMS superintendent Clayton Wilcox last summer.
Happy birthday to Charlotte Agenda member Peter Mendivil.
ORIGINALS
People's Market opening a second location in a historic firehouse Uptown [Levans]
The building at 420 W. Fifth St. dates back to 1926 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has a wild past, including a purchase by former Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson in 2015, and a role as a decoy in the FBI's investigation into corruption by former mayor Patrick Cannon in 2012-2013.
Paul Verica's new Italian restaurant in NoDa will be 'not as high end as Stagioni and not as casual at Mama Ricotta's' [Williams]
Verica, who opened The Stanley last year in Elizabeth, will open his latest restaurant, Orto, across from the new Wooden Robot brewery in the Novel NoDa building. Verica expects to open in April 2020.
Lovely Bride, the 'cool girl' bridal shop, opens on Saturday in Wesley Heights [Levine Corriher]
The shop is Lovely Bride's 18th location, and it's already booked for appointments this weekend. Gowns range from $2,000 to $4,000.
Agenda Weekender: 40 cool things to do this weekend in Charlotte, including ice skating at the Whitewater Center [Crane]
Also, a "Golden Girls" puppet show at Booth Playhouse, a tree lighting in Concord, a Bulls-Hornets game at Spectrum Center, and an oyster roast at Birdsong Brewing.
TALKING POINTS
Two big public meetings tonight on topics that have people talking [Agenda]. Learn about the Rail Trail bridge over I-277, or the proposed Queens Park that organizers would like to see replace the railyard in NoDa.
Belk will not renew its title sponsorship of Charlotte's bowl game and college kickoff game [Charlotte Sports Foundation/Web]. The Sports Foundation says it's now seeking a new title sponsor for the college football games. Belk has been the bowl game's title sponsor since 2011, and before that, it was Meineke for six years.
Ava Pizzeria, a Florida-based, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza concept, quietly opened at Optimist Hall yesterday [Agenda/Instagram]. They've got six wood-fired pizzas to choose from right now, priced between $13-$19. In a few weeks they'll add more speciality pizzas, salads, and sandwiches.
KiKi, a new restaurant with a rooftop terrace and seated liquor lounge, is scheduled to open the week of Thanksgiving in the heart of Plaza Midwood [Agenda/web]. It comes from the owners of Soul Gastrolounge, and the menu features French and Greek small plates and a dozen seasonal, creative craft cocktails.
Investigation shows that Governor Roy Cooper may have "improperly used the authority and influence of his office." [N&O]. Republican leaders of the General Assembly started the investigation, which they say reveals that the governor used his power to influence the Atlantic Coast Pipeline's permitting process. Cooper's office called the investigation a "sham."
Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson will retire [NASCAR.com].
The longtime driver announced his retirement by posting a video on Twitter. He's become an involved Charlotte citizen in his time here. Jimmie's wife, Chandra, founded SOCO (Southern Comfort) Gallery on Providence Road in 2015.
#PARTNERNEWS
Atrium Health: The experts at Atrium Health put together a comprehensive guide to flu season, with the most popular questions answered and tips on how to stay healthy during this time of year. Check it out.
Wyndham Capital Mortgage: Get real buying power with Wyndham’s Priority Purchase Program – with underwritten pre-approvals, you can beat out the competition and win the offer. Plus, Agenda readers get up to $500 off closing costs, too.
THE CLASSIFIEDS
JOBS
Senior Account Executive at The Metiss Group.
Mortgage Loan Officer at TruLoan Mortgage.
Clinic Administrator at Novant Health Appel Plastic Surgery.
Development Coordinator at Grubb Properties.
Director of Installation and Warehouse Operations at Renewal by Andersen.
EVENTS
Now - Sun, Dec 1: The Play That Goes Wrong at Knight Theater / Don't miss this Broadway smash comedy. Pro tip: You can get BOGO tickets for November 28 with code TURKEYDAY / $25+.
Fri, Dec 6 - Mon, Dec 23: The Nutcracker performed by Charlotte Ballet at Belk Theater / See the holiday classic take the big stage in all its sparkly glory / $25-112.
Sun, Dec 8: Ri Ra 5K Santa Run at 208 N. Tryon Street / Every runner will be given a Santa suit and rewarded with holiday cookies and a pint afterwards / $35-45.
HOME OF THE DAY
Dickens Mitchener: Situated in Cotswold, this 5-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home offers luxury features throughout. The gourmet kitchen offers quartz countertops, Wolf and Subzero appliances, and a butler's pantry with a wine fridge. The large screened-in porch with fireplace is the perfect cozy spot for the winter months. Listed by Ashley McMillan at $1,500,000.
Still hungry? See more jobs and events. Post here.
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TODAY'S PHOTO
Behold, the new half-mile illuminated walking trail at the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
This isn’t your typical Christmas light show. The trail shines with otherworldly immersive light installations by Charlotte artist Meredith Connelly.
The path runs through the forest, and the light installations will be inspired by nature — like giant crystals, cocoons, and mushrooms.
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MAKING URBAN-RURAL CONNECTIONS
One of my favorite books of the past year or so came from Kansas native Sarah Smarsh. In "Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth," Smarsh's passion for working-class people in rural America rolls from page to page. And as someone who grew up in a place where we burned trash in the backyard to save on landfill fees when times were tight, I couldn't stop reading.
Smarsh is here in Charlotte today to give the keynote address at a neat program from UNC Charlotte's Urban Institute that's designed to highlight work being done to close the space between urban and rural areas.
The all-day forum runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the university's Uptown campus. Other discussions include a panel on bringing talent to rural communities, and harnessing natural and cultural resources.
The program is built around the results of Urban Institute's two-year study, The Carolinas Urban-Rural Connection, which was funded by Duke Endowment.
I reserved my spot weeks ago, but if you wake up today and want to join, walkup registrations open at 7:30 a.m.
- Michael
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