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Afternoon Observer | The latest on the gas shortage around town + The 2021 Panthers schedule comes out tonight

Kristen Kornbluth
·4 min read

It’s Wednesday, folks, and this is Kristen. Today, I’d like to ask for your help. Here at the Observer, we’re grateful for your readership, and we know that we couldn’t provide independent local news without supporters like you. If you’re able, please consider contributing to the fund for our continued work with Report for America, a partnership that helps with our COVID pandemic and recovery coverage. Your support will help us keep producing impactful journalism. We appreciate it!

Now, let’s get into today’s headlines:

1. What’s going on with gas around town?

Vehicles line up at gas station on South Boulevard in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday morning May 12, 2021.
Vehicles line up at gas station on South Boulevard in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday morning May 12, 2021.

Great question. We’ve got answers. Our team has been tirelessly working to figure out what’s going on locally with the Colonial Pipeline outage, outlining exactly what it means for Charlotte — and for you.

Here’s what we know:

  • As reported by the Observer’s Joe Marusak and Jonathan Limehouse, Charlotte drivers are snarled, for the second day, in long lines as they search for gas around town. Just how bad is the situation? About 71% of Charlotte gas stations had no gasoline as of Wednesday morning, GasBuddy.com reported.

  • Want to know where you can find gas in Charlotte? Check out this interactive map.

  • Delivery-based Charlotte businesses are feeling the crunch brought on by the gas shortage, as the Observer’s Catherine Muccigrosso and Jonathan Limehouse report.

  • Average gas prices in the US have reached $3 a gallon for the first time since 2014, AAA reports.

  • Out of gas and miles from home, this NC mom struck out on finding gas at multiple stations — with her kids in tow in the hot car. Finally, she found unexpected help at a Mooresville gas station.

  • A fight broke out at a packed NC gas station and was caught on video as lines — and tensions — grow.

Have you had issues getting gas over the past couple days? Is there anything else you want to know about the situation? Drop me a line to ask any questions or let me know what your experience has been like.

2. Full Panthers schedule comes out tonight

The Carolina Panthers officially have an opponent for Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season, and new quarterback Sam Darnold will get a chance to face his former team, the New York Jets, as reported by the Observer’s Alaina Getzenberg.

Here’s what we know now about the upcoming season:

  • As announced on CBS Wednesday morning, the Panthers will host the Jets on Sunday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m.

  • The remaining schedule will be announced later tonight.

  • Teams can share their schedules at 7:45 p.m., and the NFL will reveal the schedule in full at 8 p.m on NFL Network.

3. They bought ‘the ugliest building on Queens Road.’ Look at it now.

Artist Nico Amortegui’s work is displayed on the exterior walls and in the stairwells at 510 Queens Road.
Artist Nico Amortegui’s work is displayed on the exterior walls and in the stairwells at 510 Queens Road.

James Funderburk and his husband, Jim Hock own The Home Collection, which leases 45 apartment units in Dilworth, Elizabeth and Myers Park. The company’s newest asset? A newly-redone house at 510 Queens Road, which people thought “was the ugliest building on Queens Road” once upon a time, according to Funderburk. The house has been split up into 10 apartment units.

Each unit in the house is filled with local art, a fully-loaded kitchen and plenty of cooking tools. Also, for the aspiring artist, there’s also a paint-by-number in every apartment. And on the outside, the apartment building sports a mural by Nico Amortegui, a Charlotte artist.

Learn more about the building and see photos from Alex Cason in this story by CharlotteFive’s Melissa Oyler.

4. Hornets may get a key player back for final week of playoff push

The Charlotte Hornets could get one of their forwards back soon — potentially ahead of this weekend’s final two regular season games. Miles Bridges, who was out for the last four games with COVID-19, could be back on the court soon, said coach James Borrego. “We’ve missed him dearly,” Borrego said of Bridges’ absence.

The Hornets qualified for the play-in tournament and are in 8th in the East. They have two chances to win one game next week to advance to the NBA playoffs, as reported by the Observer’s Rick Bonnell, and Bridges could be back for road games Saturday and Sunday.

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