TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: Charlotte

  • Charlotte Wordcamp

    charlotte-wordcamp-2

    I had the opportunity and pleasure yesterday to attend Charlotte WordCamp. Basically, it was a meeting of bloggers to discuss ideas and network. You can read an article about it here.

    If you’re a blogger and you have a chance to attend a WordCamp do it. If you do go I strongly urge you to take at least two things, a notebook (like an actual notebook that you write on), and business cards. If you don’t have business cards get them printed up before you go. I lost count how many people asked me for a card and I felt like a total dweeb not having them.

    It was great to meet a lot of area bloggers and connect with them. I wish I could have remembered everyone’s name. Unfortunately, I have a mind like a wiffle ball. My Asus EEE PC, aka The Stealth Computer, was a real conversation starter too. It was weird having people ask me questions about my blogs only because I’m not used to wearing my blogger pants in public.

    The highlight of WordCamp for me was Mark Jaquith. Not only did he give us an in-depth preview of WordPress 2.7 but the best part was that he knew who I was. Granted we both do work for b5media but still, it was immensely cool.

    There was an afterparty at Ri-Ra but of about 120 participants at WordCamp, only 6 went to the afterparty.

  • Baby dumped in Charlotte McDonalds

    UPDATE: Baby Left In SW Charlotte McDonald’s Restroom:

    I love it when local stories make the national news and by love it I mean not really.

    Anyway, an hours-old newborn was abandoned in a McDonald’s restroom in Charlotte, NC today.

    A man took the infant into the women’s restroom and ran out of the building. A customer found the baby. The baby was rushed to the hospital, examined and was found to be healthy.

    What’s the problem you ask? Doesn’t North Carolina have safe haven laws? Why yes, yes we do. The baby can be up to seven days old but must be left with a responsible adult. A McDonald’s restroom is not a responsible adult.

    I wonder if the man was on his way to a responsible adult only to freak out at the prospect. Either way, police are saying that the mother could face charges.

    Which leads to another issue. State safe haven laws are too confusing from state to state. In some states, a police station is a safe haven. In some states, it isn’t.

    There needs to be a federal safe haven law.

  • No gag order in cop killing trial

    No gag order in cop killing trial

    Gag order denied in police slayings:

    Superior Court Judge Robert Johnston has denied the request from the defense to instill a gag order on the trial of Demeatrius Montgomery. Montgomery is accused of the shooting deaths of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers Jeff Shelton and Sean Clark.

    However, Judge Montgomery said that the defense could renew their request if they feel the media is hurting Montgomery’s right to a fair trial.

    I, for one, hope the media does not step out of line. I don’t want there to be any complications with this trial, whether Montgomery is convicted or not.

  • Williams or Wisham

    Williams or Wisham

    Girl’s affidavit says ex-publicist claimed sexual encounters with 50 kids:

    This story is actually back from the beginning of this year, but I’ll tell you later why I’m talking about it…

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A teenage girl who allegedly had a lengthy sexual relationship with a former NASCAR publicist told authorities the man claimed to have victimized more than 50 children across the country, court documents say.

    Richard “Chip” Williams, 48, was charged last week with raping a child — a 14-year-old girl whom he met on the Internet when she was 11 — and soliciting a minor for sex over the Internet. He is being held in lieu of $2 million bail.

    An affidavit says the 14-year-old girl said she knew the man who had sex with her as “John Wisham,” which police say is the identity Williams used online.

    She said Wisham claimed “to have been with over 50 children in various forms of sexual exploitation.”

    In the affidavit, Detective George Moore says he read a sexually explicit online conversation between the girl and “Wisham,” then watched as she engaged the man in another explicit online conversation.

    During another online chat, the girl introduced “Wisham” to an undercover officer, who posed as a 15-year-old girl, the affidavit said. It said “Wisham” discussed sex in the online chat.

    According to an anonymous tip I received, this is the MySpace used by Williams as “Wisham” but there isn’t a whole lot to see there.

  • Gas Panic

    Gas Panic

    This is the first time and last time you’ll see me talking about gas prices, unless to tell you what some assclown did because of it.

    Now I’m sure this is going on all over the south tonight, but I specifically want to address the people of Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas who rushed to the gas pumps today because of the downed pipelines in Louisiana…

    *ahem*

    You’re all a bunch of fucking idiots.

    You all panicked, thinking the area was going to run out of gas. So what do you do? You rush to the gas pumps to quicken the depletion. Did you ever think to conserve gas? How about driving less? Maybe not using your car’s air conditioner. No, you didn’t. You bought into the fucking hype. And I really wonder how many of you had an actual urgent need for gas and how many of you still had 3/4 of a tank.

    If Charlotte runs out of gas, it’s your fault.

    Assclowns.