Addie's Charlotte Blog

Each Memorial Day weekend, five Charlotte area parks open up their spraygrounds for kids to cool off and run around in. The spraygrounds features water spouts, splash areas and a soft surface that are perfect for kids of all ages, especially younger ones who may be intimidated by swimming pools. Read more...

Charlotte-Mecklenburg will have a new police chief no later than June 16, as current Richmond, Va. Police Chief Rodney Monroe has accepted the job offer to lead the Queen City's police force.

"The chance to be the next Chief of Police of Charlotte-Mecklenburg is one of a lifetime," Monroe said in a news release Charlotte officials sent out this afternoon. "I have admired all that Charlotte has accomplished and respected CMPD from afar, and now I have the opportunity to take a great organization to the next level, creating an even safer community for citizens."

With crime on the rise, many neighborhoods and citizens are rising to the occasions and new neighborhood watch organizations are cropping up every week. Do you think Police Chief Monroe will have what it takes to get Charlotte's rising crime rate down again?

Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) is holding Walk Like MADD, MADD’s signature fun, community-driven 5K walk that raises funds and saves lives. Every step taken and pledge made will help raise funds and awareness for MADD’s programs and services that will serve to make the Charlotte community safer.

This year's walk takes place on Saturday, May 24 at Symphony Park just outside the SouthPark Mall. The ceremony begins at 8:30 a.m. with the walk beginning at 9 a.m.

Visit the Walk Like MADD website for information on volunteering for the event or participating in the walk.

To celebrate Mother's Day and our friendship, my girlfriends and I decided to give South Charlotte's Ilios Noche a whirl on Saturday night as none of us had tried the Greek eatery and bakery before. In hopes of a girls' night out filled with good food, drinks and a warm, inviting environment, we were not disappointed.

Our evening concluded with a trip to Cold Stone Creamery at Promenade on Providence (the corner of Providence Rd. and Ballantyne Commons Parkway) where we enjoyed the pleasant spring weather and took in some live music which they feature every Friday night throughout the summer.

Happy Mother's Day Charlotte!

As a mother of two -- soon to be three -- Mother's Day is the one holiday near and dear to my heart. And there is quite the dilemma on how to spend this holiday. Do you enjoy spending Mother's Day with your family or do you prefer your Mother's Day to be spent as a break away from your family? I'm very interested to hear the comments as my answer varies depending on the time of day.

In any event, Charlotte is a wonderful city for families and that includes providing many options for Mother's Day celebrations. Here is a list of ways to spend Mother's Day in Charlotte, including some favorite places to dine, relax and just plain enjoy the one day of the year dedicated to moms everywhere.

All eyes are on Charlotte -- well, North Carolina -- in the much-anticipated presidential primary that will help decide if Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama gets the official Democratic party nod.

But don't forget there's a race going on for North Carolina state governor, too. On the Republican side, Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory will look for the nomination over Fred Smith, Bob Orr and Bill Graham, while Richard Moore and Beverly Perdue will face off on the Democratic ticket.

For some helpful hints on voting in this primary election, visit the North Carolina Presidential Primary guide.

Jimmy Buffett played Tuesday night in Charlotte, but there's another chance for Margaritaville in the near future. While you may realize Monday is May 5, that means the Mexican celebration of Cinco de Mayo to many folks. While Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration of Mexican Independence as is commonly thought, it is a day to celebrate Mexican heritage.

What better way to do that than to dine on some amazing Mexican cuisine and drink a margarita or two! Here is a guide to some of Charlotte's Best Mexican Restaurants in case you're looking for somewhere to celebrate.

Photo provided by Cabo Fish Taco Baja Seagrill.

Changes are in the air for the Charlotte Bobcats once again as head coach Sam Vincent is fired.

Part-owner Michael Jordan has the final say on all basketball decisions and was the one who originally rolled the dice by giving Vincent his first NBA head coaching job just one year ago. Vincent coached the team to a disappointing 32-50 season.

Rumor has it that longtime NBA coach Larry Brown is interested in coming to Charlotte as his mother lives in town.

Tell me what you think about the future of the Bobcats by leaving a comment!

Many companies are headquartered in the Charlotte area and nine have made the 2008 Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations.

Three companies made the list's top 50 with the first two being no surprise. Bank of America Corp. was ranked No. 9 nationally, with $119.19 billion in revenue for 2007, while rival banking giant Wachovia Corp. finished at No. 38 nationally with $55.53 billion in revenue. Mooresville-based home-improvement retailer Lowe's ranked No. 48 with $48.28 billion in sales last year.

The other Charlotte-area companies on the list are:

• 151: Nucor Corp. ($16.59 billion)
• 204: Duke Energy Corp. ($13.13 billion)
• 298: Sonic Automotive Inc. ($8.85 billion)
• 358: Family Dollar Stores Inc. ($6.83 billion)
• 375: Goodrich Corp. ($6.54 billiion)
• 466: SPX Corp. ($5.12 billion)

For more on Charlotte-area companies, check out:

• Charlotte's Best Places to Work
• Finding a Job in Charlotte

It's kind of nice that North Carolina's late presidential primary is actually meaningful this time around. So don't forget to cast your vote! The board of elections has made it easy by instituting one-stop absentee voting which began on April 17. At one-stop absentee voting you may register to vote and vote at the same time.

But, if you'd rather wait until the actual election date, your normal polling sites will be open on May 6 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Visit the Presidential Primary How-To Guide for more information on this upcoming election.