Small businesses wrestle with inflation + Winning $300,000 lottery hasn’t been claimed
Hello! Sarah here. I hope your week is off to a great start.
If you happen to buy the winning $300,000 lottery ticket and claim it before it expires, I know your week will be off to a fabulous start. We can’t all be that lucky.
Anyways, let’s get into the news.
1. $67 for fryer oil? $78 for cups? For Charlotte small businesses, ‘something’s gotta give’
The United States economy — and, subsequently, Charlotte’s — is in an unusual place in 2022. There are lots of job openings, but consumers are smarting at the cost of gas, rent and groceries. By some measures the economy is healthy; by others, it’s in a recession already.
That strange set of economic conditions feels nearly custom-designed to bludgeon small businesses, several local owners told The Charlotte Observer.
Freshly recovered from the pandemic, they’re facing higher costs, fewer workers and supply chain snags that are squeezing their margins from every angle. It’s a daily battle to keep costs low for customers — and, in some cases, keep their doors open.
Hannah Lang has the full story here.
2. Winning $300,000 lottery ticket expires soon — but no one has claimed the NC jackpot
A North Carolina lottery player hit the jackpot — but hasn’t claimed the six-figure prize yet.
Now, the winner has about two weeks to cash in before the lucky lottery ticket expires, officials said on Monday, Aug. 15.
“Search everywhere you keep your tickets and double-check any you have to see if you have the winning ticket,” Mark Michalko, executive director of the N.C. Education Lottery, wrote in a news release. “We hope that whomever purchased this ticket comes forward to claim their prize soon so we can celebrate their big win with them.”
Simone Jasper has the full story.
3. Missing Charlotte man found dead at park, police say
The body of a 48-year-old man who went missing last week has been found in a Charlotte park, police said Monday morning.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police found Matt Sullivan at McAlpine Creek Park, according to a news release.
No foul play is suspected, police said. No other details have been released.
Jonathan Limehouse has the full story.
4. Power outages possible as severe thunderstorms move into Charlotte area, NWS says
Severe thunderstorms are expected to roll into the Charlotte area and cause power outages Monday afternoon, meteorologists said.
As of noon, the storms were in Tennessee and headed toward Charlotte before extending to Raleigh, National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Outlaw told The Charlotte Observer. The storms will persist into the evening, he said.
Showers and thunderstorms will likely touch down in the Charlotte area after 4 p.m., according to the NWS forecast. Straight-line winds, isolated large hail and frequent cloud-to-ground lighting could cause damage throughout the area, according to an NWS hazardous weather outlook said.
Limehouse has more details here.
5. Some more stories to read
The votes are in: Here is who you chose for the best ice cream in the Charlotte area.
Charlotte leaders must not sell out again over 2 fast food drive-thrus
The Observer’s annual ‘Sweet 16’ fall sports preview: top athletes, teams to watch
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