In local news:
Cam Newton put his flashy style and big smile to work last night as he brought his annual Thanksgiving Jam to a new location — the recently opened Topgolf in south Charlotte. At the Carolina Panthers' star quarterback's signature event, more than 800 local, underprivileged kids and their families were treated to a full holiday meal as well as games, golf and an appearance by Panthers mascot Sir Purr.
“It’s extremely important for people of influence to use it in a positive way,” Newton said, according to a post on Panthers.com.
Families also were given ingredients to make a second Thanksgiving meal at home. The event is organized by the Cam Newton Foundation in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.
In other news, while Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) evaluates options for a planned $5 billion, 50,000-job second headquarters, the rankings of potential locations for the project continue to pour in. And the latest analysis — this one from CNBC, based in part on its annual "America's Top States for Business" study — puts Charlotte and North Carolina's other major metros out front.
The sites proposed by recruiters in the Charlotte region vying for Amazon's HQ2 have not been disclosed. But CBJ has been able to identify 16 of the 21 sites.
"The three largest metropolitan areas in the Tar Heel State, each submitting bids, benefit from a state with one of the best workforces in the country and a heritage of innovation dating back to the Wright Brothers," the CNBC article says, giving North Carolina a B — the highest overall grade of any state listed. However, the news service adds that the not-so-long-ago HB2 debacle could still hurt the state's chances. "Counting against the state is a lack of mass transportation and a nagging lack of inclusiveness," the article reads. "North Carolina repealed the most controversial parts of its so-called bathroom bill, but it still lacks statewide protections against discrimination and expressly bars them at the local level. North Carolina finished No. 5 in this year's Top States rankings."
Of course, this is just one of many studies on the topic of Amazon's HQ2, and the Queen City has been shunned on as many as have named it a frontrunner.
And The Charlotte Observer reports Jim Dulin, a prominent local real estate developer whose firm just opened a high-profile uptown project, plans to retire at the end of the year. Dulin is co-founder of The Spectrum Cos., which cut the ribbon last week on its 300 South Tryon office tower and Kimpton Tryon Park hotel. The local daily newspaper notes Dulin has seen Spectrum through several "boom-and-bust cycles" since it opened in 1982. He will continue to play a "strategic role" on some of the company's projects through 2019, but will soon turn his focus to addressing Charlotte's shortage of affordable housing, according to the report.
Yesterday's top-read story on the CBJ website: Queen City salaries: These 31 jobs in metro Charlotte rank tops in pay — at $115,000 or higher
In the national news:
- Justice Department files lawsuit challenging AT&T-Time Warner deal — The Wall Street Journal
- Tech boom creates new order for world markets — The Wall Street Journal
- Nebraska clears path for Keystone XL pipeline, in boost for Trump — Reuters
And the top-read story across the national bizjournals.com network comes from the Jacksonville Business Journal: Employed & Homeless: As CSX changes plans, dispatchers left in limbo during holidays
Weather:
Cloudy skies are in store today, with a 20% chance of rain this afternoon and a high of around 58 degrees. Tonight's low will be in the mid-40s, and while some patchy fog may linger in the morning, sunshine is expected to return and remain through the holiday and into the weekend. Expect daytime highs ranging from the low 50s to about 60 degrees and overnight lows dipping into the 30s. Find the latest Charlotte weather forecast here.
Traffic:
Get real-time updates on traffic conditions here.
Traveling for business today? You'll want to check the status of your flight before heading to the airport — you can do that here, at FlightStats.com.
Sports:
The Charlotte Hornets won 118-102 against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night at Spectrum Center uptown. Next up, the Hornets, now at 7-9 for the regular season, will host the Washington Wizards tomorrow before hitting the road again for next weekend's games. Get ticket info at nba.com/hornets.
And the Panthers — at 7-3 and still ranked second in the NFC South after a bye week — are on the road this weekend to take on the 4-6 New York Jets. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on Sunday, and fan-favorite Greg Olsen, who broke his foot in Week 2, is expected to return.
This week:
Lowe's Cos. Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is due to report earnings today for its third quarter. Wall Street analysts, on average, are expecting the Mooresville-based retailer to post earnings of $1.02 per share on revenue of $16.6 billion. Lowe's follows The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD), based in Atlanta, as the nation's largest home-improvement retailers. Last week, Home Depot reported strong third-quarter financial results and raised its guidance for the full year.
Looking for holiday festivities to enjoy this week? The fourth annual Panthers Tree Lighting event will take place tomorrow at 6 p.m., outside Bank of America Stadium at Mint and Graham streets. Also, the Holiday on Ice outdoor ice-skating rink is open next to the NASCAR Hall of Fame uptown; Charlotte Motor Speedway has fired up its annual light display and related festivities; and Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is underway with its Holidays at the Garden theme.
On Thursday, head uptown for the Novant Health Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Or if shopping is more your speed, here's a look at major retailers' hours on Thanksgiving and Black Friday — and those that are offering the steepest discounts.
These major retailers are offering the steepest discounts for Black Friday shoppers.
Upcoming CBJ events include a #NextGenCLT session and the Fast 50 awards program, which recognizes the region's fastest-growing private companies — register at bizjournals.com/charlotte/event.