Charlotte Blogs

Today we explore an industry that fuels nearly $2 Billion in economic impact, creates near 20,000 jobs, is larger than the furniture industry in our region and does not involve race cars or banking. The equine industry in North Carolina is vast and growing. We are the tenth largest horse state in the nation and neighboring Union County alone has over 11,000 horses. Forces are coming together to grow and protect the current industry and some advocates want to bring back horse racing to North Carolina. We’ll explore an in-depth study on the Equine industry in our state with one of the researchers who conducted it.
Guests
Jim Cogdell – Owner, The Fork Farm and Stables Equine Training and Event Facility
Susan Grey – Executive Director, North Carolina Horse Council
Mike Yoder – Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Animal Sciences at NC State University

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Changes in leadership, questions about student assignment and problems with budget will have a major impact in voters’ minds when they make their choice for members of the Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board next week. We’ll talk about the issues, the candidates and the overall picture of the school system.
Guests
Simone Orendain – Education Reporter for WFAE
Ann Doss Helms – Education Reporter for The Charlotte Observer
Kathy Ridge – Executive Director of MeckEd: Mecklenburg Citizens for Public Education

• Map  |  CMS School Districts

Voting Resources

• WFAE  |  19 candidates running for CMS board seats
• Charlotte Observer  |  School Board Profiles
• Charlotte Observer  |  Education
• Mecklenburg County Board of Elections  |  Candidate List
• Meck Ed  |  School Board Candidate Profiles

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We’re joined by the co-host of NPR’s On The Media, Bob Garfield. He just completed a new book titled The Chaos Scenario: Amid the Ruins of Mass Media, the Choice for Business is Stark: Listen or Perish, which is the story of his round-the-world quest to discover “the answer for all institutions who wish to survive and thrive in a digitally connected, post-media age.” We’ll talk about the state of mass media today, where it’s headed and the effect it will have on us as consumers and on business around the world.
Guest
Bob Garfield – Co-host of On The Media, Author of The Chaos Scenario

• NPR’s On The Media website
• Amazon  |  The Chaos Scenario by Bob Garfield
• Blog  |  The Chaos Scenario

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This January, NPR named Vivian Schiller as its new President and CEO, after its board forced out former CEO Ken Stern. As a former head of the website for The New York Times and leading the Discovery Times cable channel, her new leadership at NPR is actually her first job in radio. But in a time when no one knows the future of the media, many in the company are encouraged by the choice of someone with multi-media experience. She joins us to talk about media, journalism and the future of NPR- as she sees it.
Guest
Vivian Schiller – President and CEO of National Public Radio

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North Carolina has the nation’s second fastest growing prison population. Prison construction puts a stress on state budgets and incarcerating prisoners is an expensive endeavor. Enter Scott Silverman, who for almost two decades has successfully helped to keep former convicts from a cycle of prison terms. His San Diego based organization Second Chance has helped reform thousands of California’s prisoners. He’s in Charlotte for a series of consultations and he sits down with us to talk about how to reduce North Carolina’s prison problem.
Guest
Scott Silverman – Founder and Executive Director of Second Chance

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You don’t have to look back too far to feel the impact of domestic violence in our community. In this economy, tensions are running higher than in years past, both at home and in the workplace. Workplace violence is on the rise, and more than just hurting the victims and other employees, this kind of violence can hurt a company’s bottom line as well. We’ll take a look at workplace violence in North Carolina, some of the trends and what employers are doing to protect their employees and their companies.
Guests
Johnny Lee – Executive Director of Peace @ Work
Lisa Yarrow – Program Director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Women’s Summit
Kelly Forney – Co-Director, Charlotte United Family Services Victim Services Division

• Event  |  The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Women’s Summit holds a domestic violence conference Oct. 27th at the Hilton Center City. More information.

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Our food writers are back to continue our popular series on the latest news regarding the gastronomical landscape in our region. We add a slightly new twist this time around by looking at dives, joints, eateries and bistros where folks can find comfort food. From macaroni and cheese to nachos and soups, we’ll look at new restaurants, long-standing gems, the latest restaurant news and more. Join us with your favorite spots for great appetizers, down-home cooking and other comfort foods.
Guests
Peter Reinhart – Chef on Assignment, Johnson & Wales University
Patricia Childress – Food Writer, Creative Loafing
Kathleen Purvis – Food Writer, The Charlotte Observer
Heidi Billotto – Food Writer, Charlotte Living Magazine

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List of Restaurants mentioned during the show (add your favorites here)

• Marvin’s Fresh Farmhouse (Mount Pleasant)
• Rooster’s (Pimento cheese, macaroni and cheese)
• Harper’s (Pimento cheese)
• Common House (Pimento cheese)
• Maddi’s Southern Bistro (Pimento cheese)
• Pewter Rose Bistro (Pimento cheese)
• Savor Cafe (Pimento cheese, roasted corn soup)
• Lupie’s Cafe (Wings, nachos, macaroni and cheese, chili, etc.)
• Gus’s Sir Beef Restaurant
• Courtney’s BBQ in Clover S.C. (Pork barbecue)
• EB’s Bar-B-Que in Indian Trail (Barbecue, peachy grits pie)
• Rockstore Bar-B-Q in Stallings (Barbecue, ribs)
• Barrington’s Restaurant (Mussels, roast chicken)
• The Flying Biscuit Cafe (Meatloaf)
• Ole Smokehouse (Smoked meatloaf)
• Fran’s Filling Station
• Dish (Chicken and dumplings, pot roast, smoky lima beans, meatloaf)
• Sonoma (Roasted chicken)
• Carpe Diem (Buttermilk fried chicken, biscuits)
• The Roasting Company (Rotisserie Chicken)
• Gleiberman’s Kosher Mart & Restaurant (Brisket)
• Katz New York Deli & Restaurant (Brisket)
• Miss Hazel’s Soul Food
• La’Wan’s Soul Food Restaurant
• Sadie’s Southern Soul Food
• Kentucky Fried Chicken
• Boston Market
• Harvest Moon Grille (Grateful Growers Farm)
• Carlos Cafe in Rock Hill (Authentic Cuban food)
• Owen’s Bagel & Deli (Steamed bagel sandwiches)
• The Chicken Box Cafe (Fried Chicken, collards, macaroni and cheese)
• Price’s Chicken Coop (Fried chicken)
• Moosehead Bar and Grill
• JO Mars Family Restaurant in Lancaster, S.C. (“All you can eat” soul food buffet)
• 521 BBQ & Grill in Indian Land, S.C.
• Cracker Barrel
• Divine Pies (Homemade chicken pot pie)
• Cajun Yard Dog (Hamburgers, steaks)
• Waldhorn Restaurant in Pineville (German)
• The Penguin
• Brevard Court Sundries (London broil special)
• Sweet T’s Diner (Bacon maple cupcakes)

**To the caller who has a blind date tomorrow, Maddi’s Southern Bistro in Huntersville and The Prickly Pear in Mooresville were recommended. Good Luck!!**

Part One: Street Beat
First, a “high-energy explosion.” We’ll be joined by the creator and performers of Street Beat, a percussion performance group that brings their drumming, hip-hop and break dancing to the new Knight Theatre this week. We’ll talk about the variety of musical and performance inspirations that helped get this show on the stage and about the importance of getting kids involved in music.
Guests
Ben Hansen – Creator of Street Beat and Performer
Tiffany Moore – Co-Director and Choreographer for Street Beat and Performer

• Street Beat performs & offers master classes Oct. 21-22 at the Knight Theater

Part Two:  Basic Training
We’ll be joined by the “one man” in a very autobiographical “one man” show. We meet Kahlil Ashanti, creator of Basic Training, now playing at the Stage Door Theatre. The production is the story of Ahanti’s experience in the Air Force and also about his family. Join us for a discussion of hilarious, real life moments on stage, and we’ll find out how Ashanti keeps the 23 characters in his one man show separate.
Guest
Kahlil Ashanti – Writer and sole performer in Basic Training

• Basic Training plays Oct. 21st – 25th at Stage Door Theatre

Tom Wopat is also in Charlotte this week

• Charlotte Talks  |  Hear our conversation with Tom Wopat
• Tom Wopat performs in Charlotte Oct. 20-25th at Booth Playhouse. More info.

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Charlotte has recently announced plans to create the Center City 2020 Vision Plan that will guide the growth and development of Charlotte’s “urban core” over the next 10 years. Similar plans have been made and, at least partially, implemented throughout Charlotte’s recent past. So today we’ll talk about whether these plans have, in the past, been realized and we’ll find out what the planners are recommending for Charlotte in the next decade.
Guests
Michael Smith – President and CEO of Charlotte Center City Partners
Debra Campbell – Director of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Department
Dr. Daniel Lacofano – Founding principal of MIG, an urban planning and design firm

• Information about the 2020 Vision Plan
• Event  |  There is a Community Workshop on Oct. 21st at the Charlotte Convention Center at 5:30pm. The public is invited. More information.

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We have recently done shows looking at the legalization of drugs, the war on drugs and on sentencing reform in our region and we generally examined the point of view of law enforcement. Today we invite the public defender of Mecklenburg County to the program to hear his point of view. Kevin Tully’s office defends drug users, dealers and many other citizens who may or may not be guilty. We’ll look at the other side of the court system.
Guests
Kevin Tully – Public Defender, Mecklenburg County
Gregory Tosi – Assistant Public Defender, Mecklenburg County
Jason St. Aubin – Assistant Public Defender, Mecklenburg County

• Charlotte Talks  |  Drug Interdiction in NC
• Charlotte Talks  |  Sentencing Reform
• Charlotte Talks  |  Legalizing Marijuana

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