electrician in Indian Trailo, NC

Mending Pawz Rescue says the increase in supplies over the last year have gone up about 10%

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — The impact of inflation is affecting everyone in different ways, but for Mending Pawz Rescue of NC, the founders say rising costs are now making their mission much more challenging to rescue as many cats as possible and find their forever homes.

The rescue first started back in 2018. Typically Mending Pawz says donations cover about 20% of its costs. The rest is out of pocket. Now those out-of-pocket expenses are becoming much more costly.

“I’d say the increase in supplies overall over the past year has probably gone up about 10 percent," Matthew Szymanski said. “The average cost per cat from intake through placement is anywhere from $250 to $650 depending on the cat.”

WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.

Some of the necessary supplies to provide for the 40-50 cats in their care include food, litter, veterinary visits, cleaning supplies, beds, crates and more.

“Unfortunately it all comes down to money and if we can’t stretch thin anymore, we have [had] to turn away cats in the past -- which is the antithesis to our mission," Szymanski said.

Mending Pawz says they can make the most of one-time or recurring donations to help meet some of their needs.

“One of the benefits of having the recurring monthly donation versus just the one time is that it allows us to project out into the future how many cats we’ll be able to intake this month," Szymanski said.

But in addition to money, Mending Pawz is also looking for volunteers willing to offer their time or skill such as pro bono veterinary services or social media help.

For those interested in helping or donating, Mending Pawz has an Amazon wish list.

Carolina Green Corp. services dozens of college and professional teams from Indian Trail.

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — Last week, on a farm 30 minutes from Charlotte, Danny Losito made final, and precise checks.

"We're kind of putting eyes on it for the last time before it gets harvested for install," Losito said.

Losito is the Manager of Fields and Conversions for Tepper Sports & Entertainment.

For the last few months, the pitch for Charlotte FC's friendly against Chelsea FC grew on a 45-acre property in Indian Trail owned by Chad Price and his wife Kerry.

"Thirty-four years in the business now," Price, president of Carolina Green Corp., said.

It's called GameOn Grass.

And from right here in the Charlotte region they service major college football surfaces, and NFL teams like the Chiefs and Ravens as well as the Panthers practice fields.

Part of the pitch to get popular English Premier League side Chelsea FC to play in Charlotte was the installation of natural grass, which all EPL teams play on.

"The way we've kind of cultivated it here is going to kind of simulate the grass that Chelsea is maybe preferred to," Losito said.

It's a fairly new variety called Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass.

Now that the Garth Brooks concerts are done at Bank of America Stadium, the process of installing a natural grass field for one night only begins. The field for #CharlotteFC vs #ChelseaFC was grown locally. It will take 31 tractor trailer truckloads to bring it all to BofA. @wcnc https://t.co/Le3dvJtApC pic.twitter.com/JpBZxdD9mr

— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) July 17, 2022

It's not exactly what's used across the pond, but it should feel that way for the players.

"More of an upright plant growth," Losito said. "So their cleats are coming in and out. A little bit more leaf for better ball roll."

Rolls. Hundreds of them.

As Garth Brooks wrapped up his second concert at Bank of America Stadium, Price and his crew were harvesting the field at the farm.

Thirty truckloads of sod rolls were then brought to Uptown Charlotte overnight for installation on top of a protective event surface left behind after the concerts.

Each load grossed 80,000 pounds.

"14-hour period," Price said. "Which we've done before but it's quite a challenge."

The grass is actually born in South Carolina and grown in sand to simulate its final destination.

Then it moves to Price's property where it's grown on a bed plastic.

That, plus its weight (17 lbs. per square foot) gives this grass its greatest strengths.

"It makes the Bermudagrass intertwine the roots amongst themselves and it gets a really, tough, durable sod," Price said. "You can lay it on the ground and play on it immediately."

That's what they'll do Wednesday, under the watchful eyes of Losito.

"Players cleats are interacting how we want them to," he said. "And hopefully after the game is over, get some sleep."

Tepper Sports & Entertainment declined to give a cost for the project, but Carolina Green Corp.'s work at Texas A&M's Kyle Field in 2014 cost $300,000.

After Wednesday's match, some of the grass will be taken by members of the grounds crew for their own lawns, and some will be re-used on golf courses and the Panthers' practice fields.

Much of the field will no longer be usable after the match because the process to remove it is destructive to the grass.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Maryland redshirt junior quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has been named to the Davey O'Brien Award Preseason Watch List, it was announced on Tuesday. The list includes 35 of the nation's top returning college quarterbacks.

Compiled by a subset of the Davey O'Brien National Selection Committee, this year's list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2022 college football season.

Tagovailoa, who was named to the Maxwell Award Watch List on Monday, set seven single-season program records during a prolific 2021 season. The Ewa Beach, Hawaii native owns Maryland single-season records for passing yards (3,860), completions (328), completion percentage (69.2%), passing touchdowns (26) and 300-yard passing games (7) last season.

The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The 46th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

The official Davey O'Brien Midseason Watch List will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 18, and will contain all active quarterbacks from the Preseason Watch List, all players honored as a weekly Great 8 recipient through the season's first seven weeks and any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee.

The Midseason Watch List will then be pared down to the 35-player Davey O'Brien QB Class of 2022 on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Fan voting on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) will again play a role in the semifinalist, finalist and winner voting totals when combined with the national selection committee's ballots. Voting will begin on Oct. 25.

Sixteen semifinalists selected from the QB Class will be named on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Monday, Nov. 21). The 2022 Davey O'Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 8, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.

2022 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List Brennan Armstrong, Virginia, Sr., 6-2, 212, Shelby, Ohio Stetson Bennett, Georgia, Sr., 5-11, 190, Blackshear, Ga. Gerry Bohanon, USF, Sr., 6-3, 221, Earle, Ark. Logan Bonner, Utah State, Sr., 6-1, 230, Rowlett, Texas Chase Brice, Appalachian State, Sr., 6-3, 235, Grayson, Ga. Sean Clifford, Penn State, Sr., 6-2, 212, Cincinnati, Ohio Malik Cunningham, Louisville, Sr., 6-1, 190, Montgomery, Ala. Brett Gabbert, Miami (OH), Jr., 6-0, 209, St. Louis, Mo. Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma, Jr., 5-11, 204, Mililani, Hawaii Jake Haener, Fresno State, Sr., 6-1, 210, Danville, Calif. Jaren Hall, BYU, Jr., 6-1, 205, Spanish Fork, Utah Frank Harris, UTSA, Sr., 6-0, 200, Schertz, Texas Sam Hartman, Wake Forest, Jr., 6-1, 208, Charlotte, N.C. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee, Sr., 6-4, 218, Greensboro, N.C. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas, Jr., 6-3, 242, Sardis, Miss. Devin Leary, NC State, Jr., 6-1, 215, Sicklerville, N.J. Will Levis, Kentucky, Sr., 6-3, 232, Madison, Conn. Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina, Jr., 6-3, 210, Indian Trail, N.C. Tanner McKee, Stanford, Jr., 6-6, 226, Corona, Calif. Tanner Mordecai, SMU, Sr., 6-3, 218, Waco, Texas Bo Nix, Oregon, Jr., 6-3, 214, Pinson, Ala. Aidan O'Connell, Purdue, Sr., 6-3, 210, Long Grove, Ill. Spencer Rattler, South Carolina, Jr., 6-1, 210, Phoenix, Ariz. Chris Reynolds, Charlotte, Sr., 5-11, 210, Mocksville, N.C. Cameron Rising, Utah, Jr., 6-2, 220, Ventura, Calif., Will Rogers, Mississippi State, Jr., 6-2, 210, Brandon, Miss. Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State, Sr., 6-1, 210, Denton, Texas C.J. Stroud, Ohio State, Jr., 6-3, 215, Inland Empire, Calif. Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland, Jr., 5-11, 200, Ewa Beach, Hawaii Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA, Sr., 6-1, 205, Las Vegas, Nev. Payton Thorne, Michigan State, Jr., 6-2, 210, Naperville, Ill. Clayton Tune, Houston, Sr., 6-3, 215, Carrollton, Texas Tyler Van Dyke, Miami, So., 6-4, 224, Glastonbury, Conn. Caleb Williams, USC, So., 6-1, 215, Washington, D.C. Bryce Young, Alabama, Jr., 6-0, 194, Pasadena, Calif.

By Conference: SEC (7), ACC (5), Pac-12 (5), Big Ten (5), American (3), Big 12 (2), C-USA (2), Mountain West (2), Sun Belt (2), Mid-American (1), Independents (1).

About the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award The Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The Davey O'Brien Award honors candidates who exemplify Davey O'Brien's enduring character while exhibiting teamwork, sportsmanship and leadership in both academics and athletics. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, the Davey O'Brien Foundation has awarded more than $1.2 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field into leadership in life. For more information, visit www.DaveyOBrien.org.

RICHMOND, Va. – Six University of Richmond student-athletes were named to the 2021-22 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Academic All-State Team. In order to qualify, student-athletes must be a sophomore in academic standing with a minimum of a 3.25 cumulative grade point average.

Junior men's golf student-athlete Lou Baker (Timonium, Md.), women's basketball sophomore student-athlete Addie Budnik (Highland Park, Ill.), soccer and track senior student-athlete Taylor Coleman (Indian Trail, N.C.), junior swimming student-athlete Claire O'Shaughnessy (Laurel, Md.), redshirt sophomore football student-athlete Robert Rolfe (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and junior women's lacrosse student-athlete Arden Tierney (Port Washington, N.Y.) were honored with the best of the state.

Baker earns his first Academic All-State selection as a business administration major. He is an Atlantic 10 Conference Academic Honor Roll recipient and ended his junior year fourth in Richmond's career scoring list with a stroke average of 73.77. He was one of three Spiders that played in every event this year, leading the team with three top-10 finishes. His best finish was a fourth place showing at Ross Collegiate Classic.

Budnik also earns her first academic All-State honor. The pre-business major is a two-time A-10 Academic Honor Roll selection. She earned the sophomore GPA award for the athletics department at the annual Spidys Awards. She was named Second Team All-Conference in 2021-22, leading the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game and ranking second in rebounding at 5.9 boards per game.

Coleman earns her second-straight Academic All-State accolade. The four-time A-10 Academic Honor Roll recipient was an environmental studies major. She took home the Presidential Citation Award at the Spidys for the top senior GPA and was named the Spiders Scholar Athlete of the Year. The two-sport letterwinner (soccer and track) minored in Latin America, Latino and Iberian Studies.

O'Shaughnessy has also earned two-straight Academic All-State honors. The psychology major is a three-time A-10 Academic Honor Roll selection and an Academic All-Conference selection this year. She finished fourth in the 100 butterfly with a 54.27 and took home silver in the 200 butterfly with a 2:00.60. She also medaled twice as a relay member, finishing third as the fly leg in the 400 medley relay (3:40.59) and helped the Spiders set a new program record in the 800 free relay (7:16.97) when she swam the opening 200 meters.

Rolfe picks up his first career Academic All-State honor. He earned the top GPA Award for juniors at this year's Spidys. He is a three-time Colonial Athletic Association Academic Honor Roll recipient. The wide receiver played in eight games this past fall as a business administration major.

Tierney adds her second Academic All-State award in as many years. The business administration major is a three-time A-10 Academic Honor Roll recipient. She was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 this season and was named to the A-10's All-Academic Team. She ended the season second in the conference in points per game (4.0) and second in draw controls (98). She tallied 72 points on the year, scoring 39 goals and handing out 33 assists.

There were 37 schools in the state represented and 222 student-athletes honored. --UR—

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The number of grocery stores overcharging for items has skyrocketed, state audits show, and officials believe staffing shortages could be to blame.

According to state records, seven Charlotte-area stores received fines for overcharging in the first quarter of 2022. They include four Walmart stores, in Belmont, North Charlotte, Matthews, and Indian Trail, two Dollar Generals, in Marshville and East Charlotte, and a Dollar Store in Northeast Charlotte.

“Normally we hand out nearly $40,000 to $50,000 in fines where stores have been overcharging, and this past year it was over half a million,” Chad Parker, the Standards Measurement Manager for the Department of Agriculture, said.

This map below shows 42 stores fined across North Carolina during the first quarter of 2022.

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services conducts periodic, unannounced inspections of price-scanning systems to ensure accuracy. There could be penalties involved if a store fails a follow-up inspection.

The goal of the inspections is to keep stores honest and accurate.

"Stores have had a very big problem keeping up with the price changes," Parker said.

Consumers who would like to file a complaint about scanner errors can call the Standards Division at 984-236-4750.

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