Tagged: Carolina Panthers

  RALEIGH A day after speaking to a top Carolina Panthers official, the main sponsor of a bill to help finance improvements to the team’s stadium said Thursday there’s “a natural sense of urgency” to the effort.

Republican Rep. Ruth Samuelson said Panthers President Danny Morrison, just back from NFL meetings in Arizona, told her about public financing plans for stadiums in Atlanta, Buffalo and Minnesota.

The Republican-run General Assembly has been busy in North Carolina. Less than half-way through the six month session and we've no shortage of controversial topics to tackle. Voter ID laws and tax reform are biggies. Then there's the frost relationship between Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and his predecessor who's now in the Governor's Mansion. Charlotte finds itself scraping for state support to renovate Bank of America Stadium and prevent a takeover of the city-owned airport. We take it all in with a panel of political experts, when Charlotte Talks.

Coaches can have a big impact on kids on and off the field.  With that in mind, a group working to prevent domestic violence gathered together a couple hundred coaches in Charlotte Thursday. They discussed how to grow players into respectful, young men.  

The group A Call To Men knows how to get coaches to listen up.  Call in Carolina Panthers Coach Ron Rivera.

“When I started here, the very first thing I put up on my first PowerPoint: be a man,” Rivera told the coaches.      

 Charlotte is up to bat again in Raleigh tomorrow on its other big legislative battle – this one to get approval for a tax hike that would help renovate Bank of America Stadium. Lawmakers balked at the city's initial request to double the local restaurant tax for a period of 30 years.  Now the city is offering a compromise.

The Carolina Panthers, who are seeking more than $200 million in public funds for stadium renovations, said Thursday the team made $66.5 million during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, after an audit of the team was published by the website Deadspin.

State lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow the city of Charlotte to pay for renovations to Bank of America stadium, but not the way the city wants to.  The bill sponsored by four Mecklenburg County lawmakers gives the city flexibility to redirect tax money earmarked for the convention center.