TRUMP'S BLACK VLOGGERS SILENCED BY DEMOCRATS & GOP ESTABLISHMENT

TRUMP'S BLACK VLOGGERS SILENCED BY DEMOCRATS & GOP ESTABLISHMENT:

ONLY BLACK VLOGGERS WHO SUPPORT DEMOCRATS RECEIVE INTERNET
TRAFFIC.

Sources:  Fox News, Youtube

Is it a coincidence that during the 2016 Presidential election only Black political vloggers who support Hillary Clinton's campaign are receiving a decent amount of Internet traffic?

No it is not a coincidence!

It's not about using a better camera or SEO tricks, it's about Dirty 2016 Politics and limiting Freedom of Speech.

FYI:  Cable conglomerates Comcast and Time Warner are complicit in this political effort to stifle Freedom of Speech.

In the video above I clearly explain how Democrat and GOP Establishment leaders are intentionally trying to silence Black political vloggers who choose to support Donald J Trump's bid for US President.

ANTHONY FOXX ENDORSES HILLARY CLINTON (WOOS BLACK CHARLOTTE DEMOCRATS)

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY ANTHONY FOXX ENDORSES HILLARY CLINTON:

WOOS BLACK CHARLOTTE DEMOCRATS & HE PROBABLY WANTS TO SERVE ANOTHER TERM.

~ Anthony Foxx Endorses Hillary Clinton For President

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced his endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Fox, Charlotte's former mayor, called Clinton “a champion of American families.”

“Hillary Clinton is my candidate for President of the United States,” he said in a statement.

“She is best positioned to continue the progress made by President Obama on a range of issues — from strengthening our economy, to making the right investments in our infrastructure, to common-sense gun safety laws, to ensuring a fair criminal justice system.”

Clinton will join other Democratic candidates in Charleston this week for a debate.

Sources: CNN, Charlotte Observer

Wall Street Moves Jobs To North Carolina: Right-To-Work State & Lower Wages

Financial Giants Are Moving Jobs Off Wall Street

New York’s biggest investment houses are shifting jobs out of the area and expanding in cheaper locales in the United States, threatening the vast middle tier of positions that form the backbone of employment on Wall Street.

The shift comes even as banks consider deeper staff cuts here, which could undermine the state and city tax base long term.

“Places like New York or London will remain financial centers, but most of the players are taking a much harder look and asking whether they can move large numbers of jobs,” said James Malick, a partner at the Boston Consulting Group who advises banks on relocation. In addition to higher taxes in the New York region, employers face real estate and labor costs significantly above the national average.

Consultants say they have seen a sharp pickup in this trend, known as near-shoring, as opposed to offshoring overseas. Goldman Sachs, during a presentation to investors in late May, even boasted of the cost savings that relocating jobs can bring.

“Some functions need to stay in the United States, but they don’t need to be in New York City or near the client,” Mr. Malick said. And with most investment giants facing anemic revenue and more stringent regulation that cuts into trading revenues, relocation is more tempting than it was before the financial crisis.

Low-level jobs have already migrated to call centers and back offices overseas, while top-end traders and bankers are secure in the New York area, experts say. Instead, services like accounting, trading and legal support, and human resources and compliance are being shifted to places like Salt Lake City, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Fla.

Garry Douyon enjoyed his job helping process trades and working with clients and traders at RBS in Stamford, Conn., earning nearly $100,000 a year, but when the firm decided last fall to move his team to Salt Lake City with a salary of $60,000, he said he really didn’t have much of a choice.

“I didn’t even consider moving,” said Mr. Douyon, who founded a biofuels company, All-City Clean Energy, in Brooklyn with four partners. “I liked RBS but I have my roots here, I have a home, I have kids in school.” A few members of his team decided to go, he added, but most chose to stay in the New York area.

The potential shift has profound implications for New York’s tax base and economy because of Wall Street’s outsize financial profile. Last year, the industry contributed 14 percent of New York State’s tax revenue.

After peaking at 213,000 in August 2007, securities industry jobs in the state fell more than 15 percent in the wake of the financial crisis, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since then they have risen nearly 12,000, but at 191,200, employment is well below pre-crisis levels. By contrast, over the same period, Delaware gained 1,300 securities jobs while Arizona picked up 2,600.

The federal government does not specifically track securities jobs in Utah, North Carolina or Florida, popular locations for near-shoring. But data from firms illustrates the trend.

Since the end of 2009, Deutsche Bank’s work force in the New York area has fallen to 6,900 from 7,400 even as its staff in Jacksonville rose to 1,000 from 600. Credit Suisse’s staff in the New York region has dropped by 500 in the past four years, but the firm has added 450 positions in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, in the area of Raleigh, Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill. And last year, Bank of New York Mellon cut 350 jobs in New York City while hiring 150 people in Lake Mary, Fla.

New York’s status as a financial capital is not likely to fade, and the state’s share of securities jobs in the United States has held steady at about 24 percent in recent years. “Even as the securities industry goes through a difficult time, New York remains the financial capital of the world and I don’t see that changing anytime soon,” said Thomas P. DiNapoli, the New York State comptroller.

But regional offices perform more and more of the sophisticated work usually associated with Wall Street and nearby trading hubs like Jersey City and Stamford. This parallels a shift in some technology jobs away from Silicon Valley to Portland, Ore., and cities in Texas, said Michael Shires, a professor at the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine, who prepares an annual ranking of the best cities for employment.

“I expect to see an acceleration,” he said, noting that while these middle-tier jobs may lack the salaries and glamour usually associated with Wall Street, “these are the support people that actually make the stuff work.” What’s more, there are many more positions in the middle of the jobs pyramid at Wall Street firms than at the top.

Deutsche Bank’s office in Jacksonville started out in 2008 as a back-office service center, according to bank officials. Since then, technology workers, legal and compliance staff members, and trading support jobs have been added. More recently, some traders who deal directly with clients are being located there. Lower costs and taxes are behind the moves, the officials said.

J. Keith Crisco, the North Carolina secretary of commerce, visits New York three to five times a year, meeting with executives from firms already in North Carolina, like Credit Suisse, while reaching out to prospects. Another trip is planned this month.

North Carolina provided Credit Suisse with roughly $14 million in incentives to bring it to the state.

Delaware, which announced in April it had lured up to 1,200 JPMorgan Chase jobs to the state, is set to pay the giant bank $10.1 million in cash incentives. Alan Levin, director of the Delaware Economic Development Office, estimates the typical salary for those jobs at $78,000 a year.

“These jobs will be here for a long time,” he said. “We want to create not just jobs but careers.”

The erosion of middle-tier jobs in the financial sector is not limited to New York. In a presentation to analysts in late May, the president of Goldman Sachs, Gary Cohn, described what he called the firm’s “high-value location strategy.” By looking outside hubs like New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, he said, the firm could save 40 percent to 75 percent on job-related expenses.

Over a third of Goldman hires in 2011 and 2012 have been in cities like Bangalore in India, Salt Lake City, Dallas and Singapore, Mr. Cohn said. Utah, with looser regulation and lower taxes than New York, has been a particular area of growth for Goldman.

While Goldman’s work force in the New York area has been flat since the end of 2009 at just over 10,000, full-time employees in Salt Lake City have doubled to 1,400, making that office Goldman’s sixth-largest globally. In addition to its technology and operations staff, Goldman has expanded activities like research and investment management there.

These days, Mr. Douyon is building a refinery at the Brooklyn Navy Yard that aims to make biodiesel from waste products like vegetable oil and grease from restaurants. While he says it is a more flexible way of life and, he hopes, more lucrative, he still feels the tug of the trading floor.

“To be honest, I miss working on Wall Street,” he said.


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Sources: Financial News Online, Fox News, NY Times, The Young Turks, Youtube, Google Maps

Charlotte's Duke Energy Cuts Off Power In Low Income Homes During Heat Wave! For Shame!!!

ATTENTION CHARLOTTE AREA HOMELESS CITIZENS, SENIOR CITIZENS & LOW INCOME CITIZENS! THERE WILL BE COOLING CENTERS OPEN TODAY IN THIS REGION! THANK GOD!

This Morning Local Media Stations are reporting that today in Charlotte, NC there will be Cooling Stations Open in Uptown Charlotte at the Hal Marshall Building for People with NO Access to Central Air or Air Conditioners.

Who do you think is Responsible for News about Cooling Centers being Open in Charlotte? The Mayor! An Elected Official!

The Mayor's Office is Responsible for Communicating to the Public about Cooling Centers being available & Open to help provide Relief for Homeless People, Senior Citizens & Low Income People.

Its funny how whenever there is any news about the upcoming 2012 DNC Convention, that information is quickly reported by the Local Media & Local Newspapers. So why not Broadcast information about Open Cooling Centers in this region too?

I Don't Apologize for anything because I sincerely Care about regular, everyday People, NOT rubbing elbows with Politicians!

Duke Energy Company the Greedy, Electricity Monopoly for North Carolina, is cutting off Electricity for people who in Low Income Communities and for people who often use Air Conditioners, just to Conserve Energy for Wealthier Citizens who reside in Wealthy Charlotte Communities.

Unlike the Mid-Atlantic where Dangerous Electric Storms knocked out power to more than 2 Million People this weekend, North Carolina did NOT experience such Inclement Weather until Sunday evening.

I repeat.

North Carolina did NOT experience any Inclement Weather (Storms) until Sunday Evening, so why did Duke Energy cut off the Power of many Low Income & Middle Class Customers on Friday and Saturday during an Extremely Dangerous Heat Wave?

Low Income Customers who use Air Conditioners or lack Access to Central Air.
For example: Low Income Senior Citizens.

So.....

Why did Duke Energy cut off Energy to 6,000+ Customers, mostly Low Income BLACK Customers this weekend during one of the Worst Heat Waves in History?

They did it to Conserve Energy for Wealthy Customers, mainly Wealthy WHITE Customers.

That's Right!

Duke Energy Company did it to help Conserve Energy for Wealthy WHITE Customers who don't want to Pay High Utility Bills.

Its okay for Low Income & Middle Class Citizens (mainly BLACK Citizens) to pay Higher Utility Bills, but NOT North Carolina's Wealthy WHITE Citizens.

This is Nothing New about North Carolina!

Such Racist Practices have been in force the entire 20+ Years that I've lived here.

Duke Energy prefers to use Coal because its a Huge Money Maker and is Angry at the Obama Administration over its New EPA Standards recently upheld by a Federal Appeals Court.

Yes! Duke Energy Officials Will quickly smile in Pres. Obama's Face but behind his back they are Extremely Angry over the Enforcement of his EPA's Administration's Carbon Emission Reduction Standards to improve the Quality of Air.

And in case you are wondering if those Low Income Citizens pay lower Energy bills than the Wealthier citizens in North Carolina you are sadly Mistaken & WRONG!

To the Contrary it is the Low Income Citizens who are often charged Higher Energy Bills than the Wealthier Citizens in North Carolina.

Wealthier citizens can have every Appliance, Gadget & Heated Swimming Pools in their Homes while only being barely charged $100. a Month by Duke Energy, if that much.

On the other hand Low Income BLACK, North Carolina will simply own an Air Conditioner and a Washing Machine while being charged almost $200. EACH Month by Duke Energy.

Please don't tell me this is due to Wealthier Citizens living in Energy-Efficient Homes or having Energy-Efficient Appliances because its NOT!

Instead its due to North Carolina Still being a Klan-Ruled, Segregated State in the 21st Century!

The same thing happens with North Carolina's Piedmont Natural Gas Company and the Water Supply Companies.

ALL of North Carolina's Utility Companies frequently Charge Low Income & Middle Class, BLACK Citizens much Higher Utility Bills than they Charge Wealthy WHITE, North Carolina Citizens.

Excuse me but isn't that considered Discrimination?

Considering how Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas Company and Charlotte Water Dept ALL receive Annual Federal Subsidies, isn't it ILLEGAL to Practice Discrimination against some Customers based on RACE????

This is why I'm NOT Biting my tongue about what REALLY goes on in the City of Charlotte or the State of North Carolina.

Some BLACK Charlotte Residents want to PRETEND that life is GREAT for BLACK People or GREAT for Low Income Citizens when its NOT!

Charlotte & the Entire State of North Carolina is still primarily a Klan-Ruled State and a Segregated, Klan-Ruled City.

BLACK and Low Income Citizens are frequently Mistreated & Thrown Under The Bus even by BLACK Politicians because those BLACK Politicians are Afraid to Change the Current, Racially Segregated, Unfair Institutional System.

During Election time BLACK Politicians often come knocking on BLACK Voters' doors with promises of FREE Fried Chicken, than after those Voters re-elect them those Same Selfish, BLACK Politicians throw their BLACK Constituents under the Bus to Appease North Carolina's WHITE Power Structure Officials.

What a Shame!!!

I Refuse paint a Rosy picture about life in Charlotte or life in the State of North Carolina when BLACKS & Latinos are still being treated as we were in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s.

Thus its imperative that people like myself who also live here, Expose to the World what's REALLY going on in this Region.

I am happy to report today that this Morning Local Media Stations are reporting that today in Charlotte, NC there will be Cooling Stations Open in Uptown Charlotte at the Hal Marshall Building for People with NO Access to Central Air or Air Conditioners.

Thank GOD!

I Thank God because I know he will protect me for doing what is Right.
NOT for doing what is Popular.

Please Keep Charlotte, NC in your daily Prayers.






Charlotte heat wave strains ailing, elderly and A/C

Tim Reilly says he knew there was trouble when he returned from work Friday evening and entered his University City townhouse.

Reilly and his wife Dana and their 108-pound bull mastiff Porter had joined the legions of Carolinas residents who lost their air conditioning at the worst possible time – on the day when Charlotte equaled its all-time heat record of 104 degrees.

Charlotte hit the 104-degree mark again Saturday, and the heat wave has air conditioning technicians scrambling to deal with calls from frantic customers who want cool air in their homes again. The situation isn’t likely to improve soon, with 101-degree high temperatures forecasted for Sunday and Monday in Charlotte.

Forecasters see only a gradual relenting of the heat over the next several days, as the powerful high pressure system responsible for setting hundreds of high temperature records across the eastern two-thirds of the nation gradually breaks down early this week. But high temperatures are still expected to be in the 90s all week – and in the upper 90s for the Independence Day holiday.

As of late Saturday afternoon, Medic had taken six people to Charlotte-area hospitals for heat-related injuries, spokeswoman Katie Rutland said. She said one person had life-threatening injuries and three others had potentially life-threatening injuries.

In northwest South Carolina, authorities in Abbeville County are awaiting autopsy results to determine if a 71-year-old man whose body was found in his trailer home near Calhoun Falls was a victim of the heat. When authorities arrived Friday afternoon, they discovered Billy Johnson dead in a home with no air conditioning and a small fan blowing.

If you’re looking for a glint of good news on the weather, and it’s just a glint, the Charlotte area will be under a heat advisory on Sunday, rather than the more severe excessive heat warning that was in place Saturday. That means a heat index of 105 degrees, rather than 110.

There will be one other difference Sunday and Monday. With the high pressure system weakening, clusters of thunderstorms that have been forming each day in the Midwest and pushing southward will be able to reach the Carolinas. That means there will be a chance of storms both Sunday and Monday nights.

All of that seemed very distant Saturday.

No escaping the swamp

Charlotte, Greenville-Spartanburg, Asheville and Raleigh were among many cities setting records for the date or the month. It was 107 degrees at 5 p.m. in Columbia, a day after it reached 108.

In the immediate Charlotte area, a number of automated thermometers recorded 105 or 106 degrees. Stacey Johnson, who lives off Rea Road in south Charlotte, said a temperature gauge there showed 111 degrees Friday. Even Boone, at 3,333 feet altitude, had a 91-degree temperature Saturday.

That was quite a test of air conditioning systems across the region. Like others without air conditioning, Tim and Dana Reilly had to make a decision Friday night – stick it out at home, or seek shelter with a friend or at a motel.

“We had offers from friends, but we didn’t want to bring our 108-pound dog with us,” Dana Reilly said. “So we stayed home.”

The got out several fans and slept on the floor, thinking the warmest air in their three-story townhouse would rise. The temperature slowly climbed to 83 degrees by the time Jeff Buhl, of All City Heat and Air Conditioning, arrived at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Reillys were the first of many service calls on Buhl’s schedule for the day.

Buhl got a “warm welcome” from the Reillys when he got out of his truck and walked to the rear entrance of the townhouse, where the air conditioning compressor was located. “I get that a lot during heat waves,” Buhl said. “I’m sort of a savior.”

This time, the fix was relatively easy. A capacitor had blown, and Buhl had the system repaired and running in 15 minutes.

“That’s fairly common,” said Buhl, who has spent about two decades in HVAC work. “A lot of times, they’ll blow from power surges.”

Within a half-hour, the temperature had dropped into the upper 70s at the Reillys’ residence. Buhl cautioned the couple that the cooling process would be a slow go, with temperatures climbing above 100 degrees again Saturday.

The most common problems with the systems are Freon leaks, blown capacitors and burned contactors, Buhl said. Occasionally, there’ll be a big problem – a motor or compressor failure.

Controlling the grid

But he saw several cases of another problem Friday.

“I had three calls from people with load boxes,” he said. Buhl said the boxes are installed by Duke Energy as a means of saving energy use during peak demand periods. Customers get lower electricity rates. In return, Duke Energy can cut off the power to high-use equipment, like air conditioning, for short periods of time, Buhl said. Typically, that is five to 10 minutes.

Buhl said some customers found their air conditioning units not working and immediately called for service.

“People get the boxes and don’t understand what they do,” he said. “There are tens of thousands of those boxes installed in the Charlotte area.”

Tim and Dana Reilly said it was the first time their air conditioning had gone out during a heat wave. “I hope it doesn’t happen again,” Dana Reilly said. “That was not pleasant.”

While the Reillys were able to cope with the lack of cooling, local officials are worried that some people – especially the elderly and those with chronic health problems – could be at serious risk without fans or air conditioning during the 100-degree weather.

Social service agencies opened cooling stations across the region, distributed financial aid so some people could pay their power bills and keep the air conditioning going and distributed fans.

In York County, sheriff’s office spokesman Trent Faris said deputies were delivering fans to those in need.

While residents without air conditioning are suffering, so are the technicians. Buhl spent two hours late Friday afternoon on the roof of an Eastway Drive restaurant, repairing a system. When he touched his knee to the roof surface, he received a burn.

“This is pretty hot stuff,” he said.





New Duke faces big tasks

As the new Duke Energy prepares to begin corporate life this week, after 18 months of regulatory filings and after-hours rulings, winning approval might start to look like the easy part.

In the years ahead, Duke’s leaders will have to mesh two corporate cultures into the nation’s largest utility and trim 1,860 jobs. They will spread $650 million in operating savings among Carolinas customers – while raising rates. They’ll decide the fate of a crippled nuclear reactor in Florida and try to settle the huge cost overruns of a new plant in Indiana.

The $32 billion merger with Progress Energy will give Duke the financial heft and political muscle that make hard problems a little easier to solve. It culminates decades of growth through mergers and acquisitions for both companies. North Carolina regulators approved the deal Friday; South Carolina’s utilities commission meets on the final piece Monday.

Wall Street is bullish on the deal, which diversifies Duke’s earnings and power sources. Duke’s stock price has surged 30 percent, and Progress’ stock 35 percent, since the merger was announced in January 2011.

For Duke’s 7.1 million customers, it’s a mixed bag. They’ll see a power company that’s leaner and, Duke hopes, more efficient. It will be able to borrow money at lower rates, saving money for customers.

But customers pay for what utilities build, and Duke is on a construction binge. After decades of little change, power bills are going up.

Old coal plants, some dating to the 1920s, will be shut down rather than upgraded to meet new environmental standards. Duke and Progress are building new natural-gas plants to take advantage of cheaper, cleaner fuel. Both want to build nuclear plants – price tags estimated in the $10 billion range – but may share new ones with other utilities.

“All of that is going to drive our prices up,” Duke CEO Jim Rogers told the Observer. “The reason you do a merger is to make you stronger financially, but also because anything that offsets a rise in price is a good thing.”

Before the merger, Duke already had invested more than $3 billion in three new power plants. It won a 7 percent North Carolina rate hike in January to pay for them, raising typical customer bills $7, and will ask for another this summer. This fall, Progress, which has nearly $2 billion in new plants to pay for, will seek its first base-rate increase since 1988.

For most Carolinas customers, the $650 million in fuel savings Duke will share with them over five to six years will come to about $1 a month.

The new Duke Energy will be the world’s second-largest private utility, the company says. If it were a nation, its generating capacity would rank 14th-largest globally, just behind South Korea. Rogers jokes that he’s ruled out applying for membership in the United Nations.

The combined political action committees of Duke and Progress would be the state’s largest, based on past spending, the watchdog group Democracy North Carolina has reported. Duke is likely to be interested in nuclear plant financing, environmental rules and carbon legislation.

Environmentalists insist that, with its new clout, Duke takes on a larger obligation to replace its coal plants with renewable energy.

“Duke has so much power that if they went in a new direction, it could change everything,” said Jim Warren, director of Duke’s most dogged merger opponent, the N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network.

Duke’s to-do list

While the old Duke prided itself on its engineering savvy, power plants on the northern and southern ends of its new range show how wrong construction projects can go.

In Indiana, the Edwardsport coal-fired power plant has leading-edge technology that will produce low emissions but is more than $1 billion over budget. Duke’s former No. 2 executive and Indiana’s top utility regulator lost their jobs after chatting by email about it.

In Florida, Progress’ Crystal River nuclear plant needed large new replacement parts called steam generators. Progress punched a hole through the reactor’s thick concrete containment structure to replace the components. Now the concrete is failing.

Repairing the damage is estimated to cost up to $1.3 billion. Progress is negotiating with insurers but could end up retiring the reactor.

Crystal River loomed as Duke’s directors considered the Progress deal. The merger agreement gave Duke the option of walking away if costs rose enough to affect about 15 percent or more of the combined company’s value.

“We don’t perceive it as being that big a problem, so we don’t perceive our right to walk has been triggered,” Rogers said. “So the short answer is, this is in the ordinary course of business that this has happened, and we’ll deal with it.”

He ranks it No. 1 on the new Duke’s to-do list.

Destined for marriage?

The corporate marriage of Duke and Progress seemed inevitable to some of the people who have worked for the companies.

Both were born more than a century ago. Duke built its first hydroelectric plant on the Catawba River near Charlotte. Progress’ oldest still-operating hydro plant dammed the Pee Dee River, just 65 miles east.

Duke electrified the cotton mills that fueled Charlotte’s industrial growth. Progress became synonymous with downtown Raleigh, moving only three blocks, from Martin to Fayetteville streets, since 1908.

From its beginnings, Duke prided itself on building its own power plants and running them well. Engineers or linemen could expect to spend their careers there.

“The motto was, ‘Do it yourself and do it right,’ ” said Cathy Roche, a retired senior vice president who joined Duke in 1983. “We looked down on the companies that hired the big construction firms to build nuclear plants, with huge cost overruns.”

Duke and Progress have had separate retail territories in the Carolinas but competed for wholesale customers. They also helped each other make repairs after storms in the turbulent Southeast.

Through the decades, both grew by combining with other companies. Now they’re part of a national trend. In 1995, 98 investor-owned U.S. utilities operated. Last year there were 55.

Duke and Progress dabbled in natural gas as deregulation swept through the industry in the 1990s, but both have refocused on electricity.

Progress is considered the more conservative company.

It now owns only regulated businesses that provide service to state-designated territories, a model investors regard as less risky. Nearly one-quarter of Duke’s revenue last year came from unregulated commercial businesses, such as its western wind farms and international division in Latin America.

How merger talks began

Progress began talking about potential mergers with two unidentified utilities in 2009, according to securities filings. Duke identified Progress as a potential partner the next year.

An intermediary, Duke financial adviser JPMorgan Securities, put the companies in touch.

Both companies envisioned greater financial strength as a combination, including access to capital needed to build new nuclear plants. The Progress board would get their chief executive, Bill Johnson, as the new Duke CEO, and faster earnings growth. A move toward more regulated businesses appealed to Duke directors.

Rogers, then Duke’s CEO, called Johnson in July 2010 to ask for a meeting.

Over the following months, the companies sparred over the number of Duke shares to be swapped for each Progress share and the composition of the board. Negotiations continued until the eve of Jan. 8, 2011, when the merger agreement was signed.

Progress investors will get 2.6125 Duke shares for each of theirs and will own 37 percent of the combined stock. Duke will hold 11 of the 18 board seats and five of the top nine officers under Johnson and Rogers.

Phone calls came from other potential acquirers, to both companies, hours before Duke and Progress signed their deal.

2 cultures must become one

Now the new Duke, with more than 29,000 employees across six states, must make two cultures one.

“It’s not just about your asset and operational mix, it’s about how you do business,” Rogers said. “There’s a difference in the ‘how’ and we need to work together to find the common ‘how’ going forward.”

Some Duke workers contend the new company will be tilted toward Progress’ leadership, although executive charts roughly parallel the companies’ relative size.

“There is a general concern over why the Duke board of directors and Jim Rogers are allowing Progress to come in and run so much of the company when ultimately, we are bailing Progress Energy out,” one employee emailed the Observer last week.

Johnson, the new Duke CEO, says the utilities are more alike than not.

“They’re not so much cultural (differences) as style, maybe,” he said. “For example, Duke has a much broader business mix and they tend to think about a lot of issues, and we tend to think only about the utility business. Our scope of focus is a lot narrower, which allows us to really just focus on just one thing.

“That’s the difference between the two management teams that the Progress folks are going to have to adjust to, because all of a sudden we’re a lot broader and bigger.”

Johnson says he’ll work to soothe a workforce that’s jumpy after a long merger process that left some unsure whether they’ll have jobs.

True impact of mergers

Studies of past utility mergers show that predicted operating savings are often hard to achieve. Combined companies may not find real economies of scale if they’ve already slashed costs before merging.

“Pretty consistently, you could characterize utilities as putting forward claims that turn out to be optimistic,” said Peter Schwarz, a UNC Charlotte economics professor who studies the electricity industry. “The difficulties of operating the merged companies have typically been underestimated.”

Schwarz, who has researched electricity pricing for Duke, said the ultimate test of the merger’s impact is whether the company’s costs are lower than they would have been. If they are, he said, consumers as a whole should benefit.

Even then, he added, some customers could pay more.

Duke and Progress will operate separately in the Carolinas for a few years. Duke’s North Carolina rates are now lower than Progress’, but the rates will have to be roughly the same once the Progress name disappears.

North Carolina’s Public Staff, which advocates for retail customers, did its own studies of whether the $650 million in post-merger fuel savings the utilities projected are likely to be accurate. The staff will assess other operating savings when rate cases are filed this year.

“They’ve got every incentive in the world to achieve all the savings,” said Gisele Rankin, a Public Staff lawyer. “And if they don’t achieve them, we’ll ding them in the rate cases.”

The N.C. Utilities Commission, in approving Duke’s 2006 merger with Ohio-based Cinergy, ordered Duke to return 42 percent of its expected savings to customers.

That translated into a one-year, $117.5 million rate cut.

For decades, utilities used mergers to grow. Now they more often see combinations as a way to stay profitable amid slumping demand while building new power plants and upgrading older ones.

“The logic has changed from what mergers used to be about,” said Pattabi Seshadri, a Dallas partner with The Boston Consulting Group in Dallas. “It used to be about bigger scale, growth and access to different markets. Now it’s more defensive in preserving balance-sheet strength and building financial flexibility.”

Utilities that overpay for acquisitions, cede too much to regulators or don’t find post-merger efficiencies can fail to add value, studies show.

An analysis by the global management consulting firm found that fewer than half of the utility mergers from 1997 to 2005 met their savings goals. Total shareholder returns typically fell after mergers.

Despite that, the group says merger opportunities await. Five utility mergers were announced in 2011, including the Duke-Progress deal.

Rogers predicts Duke will be in no hurry to make more acquisitions.

“But you have to be opportunistic,” he added. “That’s one of the lessons I learned, that you have to be opportunistic in what may come your way.”


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Sources: CBS News, McClatchy Newspapers, Washington Post, WCNC, WRAL, Google Maps

DNC Convention In Charlotte Skipped By Some Key Democrats! Charlotte Is BORING & RACIST!

So why are many Key Democrat Leaders planning to Skip the 2012 DNC Convention in Charlotte, NC?

Because Charlotte is Extremely BORING, RACIST & SEGREGATED!!!

There is NOTHING Here to hold a Tourist's Interest for 5 Days.

Really!

If you think I'm Exaggerating please come visit Charlotte for yourself.

And don't just visit Uptown Charlotte & South Park, please also visit Southwest Charlotte, East Charlotte & West Charlotte then tell me if you noticed any 21st Century Progress.

Besides the little Light Rail System that is.

Its the 21st Century and yet Charlotte is still stuck in the 1950's with the Klan Still ruling EVERYTHING,

most BLACK People are still Afraid of WHITE people and a City still Segregated, with Most of the Property Tax, State Funding and Federal Funds being Invested ONLY in WHITE Communities.

And.....

If you are BLACK even with a College Degree, its still difficult to find Gainful Employment in Charlotte (unless you know someone in high places) because Charlotte Leaders are saving the Best Jobs for WHITE people.

REAL TALK!

These are just some of the reasons why many Key Democrats are choosing to skip the 2012 DNC Convention in Charlotte, NC.


Some Democrats To Skip Their 2012 Convention

A growing list of Democrats in competitive districts and states will not attend this year's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The elected officials said they intend to spend the time with their constituents, especially given the four-day event's close proximity to Election Day.

Rep. Mark Critz of Pennsylvania is up for election in November in a re-drawn competitive 12th Congressional District. In a statement, Critz said it is more important that he spend time in the district "listening to the people" instead of at the convention, scheduled to take place between September 3 and September 6.

"Since I was elected, my focus has been on creating jobs for people here rather than focusing on the agendas of the political parties in Washington and that will remain the case as long as I am serving in Congress," he said Thursday.

Two New York representatives made their plans clear this week as well. Rep. Kathy Hochul, who won a competitive four-candidate special election in 2011 to replace Republican Rep. Chris Lee after he resigned, said "I guarantee that my time will be better spent meeting the farmers, small business owners and other people who put me here."

Rep. Bill Owens also won a close special election in 2009 that received national attention to fill the House seat left vacant by Republican incumbent John McHugh.

His office said the congressman will spend the time working in his North County district.

These names were added to members of the West Virginia delegation who made their intentions clear earlier this week.

West Virginia's Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Sen. Joe Manchin and Rep. Nick Rahall earlier in said they will not attend the events.

Manchin, the conservative Democrat representing West Virginia who has distanced himself from the president in the past, said in a statement he will spend the fall "focused on the people of West Virginia, whether that's representing them in my official U.S. Senate duties or here at home" instead of on the next election.

The first-term Manchin won a special election in 2010 following the death of Sen. Robert Byrd and is now up for a full six-year term. He will face off this fall against Republican John Raese, who Manchin ran against in the 2010 special election.

Rahall's communications director said "Coming on the heels of Labor Day, Congressman Rahall prefers to spend that time in West Virginia with his constituents."

Sen. John McCain won West Virginia with 55.6% of the vote in 2008, and it went for former President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Successful Democrats in the state tend to be more conservative.

Representatives for the Democratic National Convention did not immediately respond to a request for comment.





Hillary Clinton, citing her job, will skip DNC in Charlotte

At the Democratic convention four years ago, her spirited speech helped unite the party behind Barack Obama. And four years from now, many Democrats hope she’ll be the White House nominee delegates rally around.

But as for the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte – Hillary Clinton won’t be coming.

This year, she’s secretary of State. And as the country’s chief diplomat, she’s expected to stay above all things partisan.

Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will be at the DNC in Charlotte, his spokesman, Matt McKenna, confirmed Friday.

But various federal statutes and the State Department’s ethical guidelines will keep Secretary Clinton in Washington.

“Given her current position, she will not be attending, consistent with her not engaging in any political activity whatsoever,” Philippe Reines, spokesman for the Secretary of State, told the Observer in an email Friday.

It’ll be the first time in decades Clinton will miss a Democratic National Convention, Reines added – “possibly all the way back to ’68 in Chicago.”

And Clinton isn’t the only Cabinet member expected to skip the Charlotte gathering. Federal statute also precludes the attorney general and the secretary of Defense from attending political gatherings, including national party conventions, Reines said.

“I can’t think of one (of those office-holders) from the modern era who has attended,” he said.

Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College in Salisbury, also doesn’t expect to see Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in town.

“The Big Four,” he calls these non-partisan appointees. “While they are political appointees, they are in a class by themselves,” he said. “They are representatives of institutions that are oftentimes seen as apolitical.”

And among that quartet, Secretary of State Clinton is maybe in an even higher class.

“She is certainly the president’s ambassador and personal representative around the world,” Bitzer said. “Getting involved in base partisan activities may leave a taint when she travels around the world.”

For years, Clinton and her husband were either the stars or marquee speakers at Democratic National Conventions.

In 1992, Bill Clinton was nominated. In 1996, when she was first lady, he was re-nominated. In 2000, she was a U.S. Senate candidate in New York. And in 2008, she was Obama’s foe-turned-supporter, urging her millions of backers – especially the women who saw her as an inspiring symbol – to unite behind the party’s nominee.

“She did a lot to open doors for women,” said Charlotte’s Pat Cotham, a member of the Democratic National Committee.

Cotham said the news that Clinton won’t be part of the upcoming party in Charlotte “is a disappointment, but we certainly understand. She’s served our country and has done an admirable job as secretary of State.”

Would Cotham like to see her continue serving the country in the White House?

“I would love that,” Cotham said.

Clinton has said publicly that she thinks her political days are behind her, and she has not openly encouraged talk about another run for the presidency in 2016.

But many Democrats would be thrilled if she changed her mind. That includes Bill Clinton, judging by some of his recent talk.

Bill Clinton showing up, Bitzer said, could help Hillary Clinton stay viable for 2016 even as she stays in Washington.

“We’ll get the surrogate of Bill,” Bitzer said. “In fact, it may be better for Hillary to send Bill … He could go before the delegates – those hard-core Democrats – and drop none-too-subtle hints that ‘We’d like to see you again in four more years.’ ”




Charlotte area's jobless rate rises to 9.5%

Charlotte-region unemployment rose in May, eclipsing the 10 percent mark in three surrounding counties, according to data released Friday by the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Division of Employment Security.

Unemployment in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metro region increased to 9.5 percent from 9.1 percent, just slightly above the statewide unemployment rate of 9.4 percent.

Rates are not seasonally adjusted.

In Mecklenburg County, the unemployment rate increased to 9.6 percent, up 0.6 percent from April and down 1 percent since last year.

May unemployment rose in 76 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, though compared to the same month last year, unemployment was down in 88.

Unemployment rates in Charlotte’s surrounding counties:

- Gaston County- 10.3 percent; down from 11.5 percent in May 2011

- Union County - 8 percent ; down from 9 percent in May 2011

- Cabarrus County - 9.1 percent; down from 9.8 percent in May 2011

- Iredall County - 9.8 percent; down from 11.3 percent in May 2011

- Catawba County - 10.8 percent; down from 12.4 percent in May 2011

- Lincoln County - 10.1 percent; down from 11.6 percent last year


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Sources: AOL, CBS News, CNN, Huffington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps

Warren Turner Wins Wrongful Termination Lawsuit! Re-Hired! Next: His Council Seat?

Former Charlotte Councilman Warren Turner reinstated to state probation job


Former Charlotte City Council member Warren Turner, fired in July 2010 from his job as a state probation officer, has been reinstated.

Turner began working again with the state probation office earlier this month as a judicial services coordinator in Gaston County.

Pamela Walker, the N.C. Department of Public Safety's deputy director of communications, told the Observer in a prepared statement Friday that Turner had been reinstated after the N.C. Department of Correction reviewed the appeal of his firing.



"After careful consideration of the issues raised by both Mr. Turner and the DOC, the parties have reached a mutual settlement agreement," Walker said in the statement. "The department reviewed Mr. Turner's level of career experience and agrees to his reinstatement."

The settlement agreement calls for Turner to receive back pay between the time of his firing and reinstatement. The state also will pay $10,000 to Turner's legal counsel to cover the cost of his appeal.

Walker said the settlement that led to Turner's reinstatement was reached before the appeal came before the N.C. Office of Administrative Hearings.

She also said Turner's annual salary of $41,451 is the same pay he received as a probation officer.

Judicial services coordinators are responsible for the intake of new probation cases, preparing pre-sentence reports and conducting initial risk-needs assessments.

Turner, 47, could not be reached for comment Friday. His attorney, Eric Montgomery, declined comment.

Montgomery said in 2010 that Turner would appeal his firing. He said the reasons listed by the DOC in the letter to Turner were "procedural BS."

Montgomery said the DOC decided it wanted to fire Turner and then looked for a way to do it.

Turner and his attorney have repeatedly said Turner didn't do anything wrong.

Turner, after eight years on the City Council, lost his bid for re-election in 2011. His last term was marred by accusations of sexual harassment.

A city investigation in 2010 found Turner had made sexually inappropriate comments to at least five female staff members. Turner denied the allegations. The City Council declined to censure him.

Turner was fired from his probation officer job for missing meetings or drug screenings with at least 14 probationers, according to a termination letter released by the DOC.

The DOC said Turner falsified at least one record of a home visit with a probationer. The agency also said Turner reported visiting with probationers on days that he was on leave or wasn't scheduled to work.

Turner also had been told not to conduct city business on state time, but then spent hours on his city-issued cellphone conducting city business during state work hours, according to the DOC. His actions, the agency said, were a "blatant disregard" of the earlier warning.

The DOC said it didn't find any evidence that Turner had made sexually inappropriate comments or harassed female probationers.

The Observer reported that in 2009 Mecklenburg County officials told Charlotte City Manager Curt Walton that they believed Turner had misrepresented himself as a county building inspector.

A woman told the Observer that Turner visited a construction site on South Tryon Street and showed his gun to laborers working there. She said he told them he was a building inspector and threatened to put them in jail if they didn't stop working on the house.

After the report, the DOC moved Turner to a desk job and took away his state-issued gun and car pending an investigation. The termination letter didn't address the allegation that Turner showed the laborers a gun.

Turner began his new job as judicial services coordinator Feb. 6. Coordinators do not carry weapons.

Turner has said repeatedly that he did nothing wrong.

Turner, a Democrat, had been a probation officer for 20 years. He was first elected to the City Council in 2003.


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Sources: McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps

Charlotte's Elizabeth Community Wealthy Residents vs Low Income Housing (Another Battle?)

Low income housing hoping to move in to Elizabeth


People who build low income housing want to move into Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood.

The proposed development would be right behind a school and next to a park, so neighbors want to make sure the apartments will be a good fit.

Elizabeth is considered one of the Queen City's hidden jewels, and neighbors want to keep it that way.

“It’s pretty much the closest I think you can be to a small town in Charlotte,” said Beth Haenni, the Vice President of the Elizabeth Community Association.

“We have an eclectic neighborhood, smart, and lots of people who are thinking hard about this project and want to know a lot more details about it before we'll blindly support it.”

The new project is low income housing that would be built right near Elizabeth Traditional Elementary School. There’s already a similar complex on North Davidson Street.

“Residents come here, they lease an apartment, they are able to stay as long as they want and we wrap supportive services around them to help them be successful,” said Pam Jefsen with McCreesh Place.

It’s called permanent supportive housing. People at risk for homelessness pay 30 percent of their income to live here and get a one bedroom apartment.

We are very selective about who can come here and live in a community like this one,” Jefsen added.

Jefsen says crime is a non-issue.

NewsChannel 36 checked and found very few calls for service to the facility.





Elizabeth Area Plan Moves Forward


The tree lined streets, the beautiful old homes, the walkability to bars and restaurants. Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood is one of just a few of its kind in the Queen City.

There are many stakeholders, from the residents to the nearby hospitals to the colleges to the businesses. Many have the same goal: growth. "We said we need to take a step back and make sure that we've got an overall picture for the community that we wanna push forward in the next 25 years," says Andy Misiaveg, the president of the Historic Elizabeth Neighborhood Foundation.

This week, the Elizabeth Area Plan was adopted by Charlotte city council. It's been in the works for four years. Its focuses include preserving residential areas close to busy streets and promoting the commercial development of Elizabeth Avenue. That's good news for Mike Dawson, co-owner of Crown Station Coffee House. He says, "A lot of things are directed toward Uptown businesses and it's nice to see them take care of the businesses on the outskirts of the Uptown area."

Independence Park is another important part of the Elizabeth Area Plan. Community leaders want to enhance the green space and protect it. Misiaveg says, "We feel like the park is in a pretty precarious position between the Elizabeth Avenue development, the hospital, CPCC, all encroaching right around the park land."

Leaders will try to secure a historic preservation designation for the park to permanently protect it from development.

Elizabeth Community Association President Monte Ritchey says the entire 25 year plan is a model for other Charlotte neighborhoods, as this area tries to grow responsibly but maintain it's unique identity. He says, "We still tend to get nipped away at year after year at the edges, we lose 2, 3, 4 structures a year."

Another priority in the Elizabeth Area Plan is pedestrian improvements along 7th street, especially after the recent deaths of people trying to cross the busy road. For starters, they want to add more cross walks ASAP.


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Sources: Charmeck.org, Fox Charlotte, WCNC, Google Maps

Charlotte's "Moore Place" Offers HOPE For The Homeless

A walkthrough of Moore Place, Charlotte’s first real solution to homelessness

Billy Joe Shaver, 59, spent seven years on the streets of Charlotte, living in makeshift camps, most notably his “semi-permanent” home, a dwelling he constructed out of warehouse pallets and lived in for four years.

Shaver managed his basic needs to the best of his ability, despite bouts with mental illness and difficulty managing his medications. He found solace everyday at the Urban Ministry Center, where he would get a hot meal and an occasional shower.

It was there that Shaver became acquainted with Joann Markley, case manager for Urban Ministry Center’s Housing Works program providing housing and supportive services to chronic and disabled homeless individuals.

Markley recognized Shaver to be a perfect candidate for the program, which was launched in May 2008 to test the “Housing First” approach, a philosophy that says every person has a fundamental right to housing no matter their condition, physical disability or addiction.

Housing First offers permanent supportive housing to the chronically homeless meaning there is no time limit on residency and individuals receive supportive services to assist with their conditions.

Billy Joe Shaver moved into his permanent home September 2010 and still resides there 16 months later. He receives on-going case management and assistance with his mental health appointments, including transportation to pick up his prescriptions, help with paying his bills and regular check-ins by Markley.

Shaver says he was “spellbound” when he was first told that he would no longer have to live on the streets and describes the services he receives as “invaluable.” Today, he enjoys taking a shower whenever he wants, watching television (his favorite show is the Price is Right) and having the ability to wash his clothes on site.

The bigger picture is that Shaver is no longer part of the 10-20% of Charlotte’s chronically homeless who drain 50% of the available resources and valuable tax-payer money. Shaver along with 24 other individuals who participate in the scattered site program (formerly called Homeless to Homes) are a living testament to what homeless people need most, a home.

More than that is the combination of a permanent housing option coupled with supportive services.

As Markley puts it, “Chronic homelessness is a different animal, there is a wide chasm of transition, much like culture shock” that must be tended to.

In Charlotte, the issue of homelessness is old hat and the conversational path well-worn. For over a decade now, key organizations and agencies have collaborated, brainstormed, task forced and thrown a myriad of services at Charlotte’s growing issue.

Caroline Chambre, Director of Housing Works at the Urban Ministry Center comments on the longstanding problem, “There are great agencies doing good work, but emergency shelter and transitional housing are not a solution for the chronic population.”

Overflowing shelters and rising taxpayer costs, despite new services and strategies, are a clear indication of the persistent problem.

Until now, the ultimate solution, a home for the homeless, has been elusive, a white rabbit darting just out of reach.

Zoning issues, a weakening economy and political opposition paired with an antiquated perspective that the chronically homeless need to be “housing ready” before they are worthy of housing have contributed to the city’s inability to effect visible change.

On January 29, Moore Place opens to become Charlotte’s first permanent supportive housing complex to use a “Housing First” model and the first in Mecklenburg County to target the chronically homeless. Located off North Graham Street, Moore Place represents an important beginning toward visible change in the city’s housing landscape.

More importantly, it is home to 85 previously destitute individuals.

The complex sits on a 2-acre lot and boasts 85 individual apartments along with on-site case management where residents will have access to services and a supportive community.

The new development follows a model for housing that has already been implemented successfully in cities such as New York, Seattle, Portland, Denver, Salt Lake City and Richmond. Data shows that the taxpayer cost reductions are staggering.

The average daily cost for an individual housed in a residential unit at Moore Place is $29.50 compared to a night in jail which costs taxpayers $110 per night or a visit to the emergency room which carries a price tag of $1,029 per visit.

Moore Place enters the housing scene nearly six years into Charlotte’s 10-year Plan to End Homelessness which set a goal to have 500 permanent supportive housing units by 2016. Although the development barely scratches the surface of the number proposed in October 2006, Moore Place is the pioneering first step toward the achievement of that goal.

To Caroline Chambre, who has nurtured this project for close to 2 years along with an incredible community of dedicated and talented individuals and organizations, the development of Moore Place gives Charlotte a chance to affirm that homelessness is a solvable problem, that permanent supportive housing is a viable solution worth replicating.

“Housing First honors people for who they are, where they are,” says Chambre. “It is a just and compassionate solution to homelessness. With this approach, chronic homelessness is a solvable problem.”

For the city of Charlotte, Moore Place is revolutionary progress. For Charlotte’s homeless, it is hope.

Moore Place will hold a community open house on Sunday, January 29 from 3:30 to 5 PM. Contact Katie Church at 980-224-9256 for details.





New housing helping to eliminate Charlotte's homelessness

Charlotte took a big step forward in the effort to help the homeless get back on their feet.

The Urban Ministry Center held its grand opening Saturday afternoon for Moore Place.

The facility is located in northwest Charlotte and offers 85 efficiency apartments. Those apartments will be used for permanent housing for homeless men and women in the community.

It also offers on-site case management and other support services.
Stephen McQueen explained “...case manager... full-time nurse... all the services they need to transition from the streets into housing,” said McQueen.

Residents will pay 30 percent of their income for rent and utilities. They’ll also be responsible for their own cooking and cleaning of their homes.

Officials tell NewsChannel 36, the first resident is expected to move in on Wednesday.


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Sources: Charmeck.org, Clt Blog, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps