Charlotte boil advisory lifted + Hornets season opens tonight

Happy Wednesday, everyone. This is Kristen. Good news: This morning, Charlotte Water lifted a boil advisory in effect since late Monday after a water main break temporarily disrupted service across the city. Find out more here, and stay hydrated!

Now, let’s talk about today’s news:

1. Get ready for Hornets season to start

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) smiles prior to an NBA preseason basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) smiles prior to an NBA preseason basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

It’s happening, Hornets fans — the season opens tonight at the Spectrum Center with a match against the Indiana Pacers. Here’s what you need to know before tipoff:

Charlotte Hornets president has ‘never been this excited’ for an NBA season. Here’s why, by Rod Boone

  • Hornets president/vice chairman Fred Whitfield spoke with the Observer about what he expects for the season, covering topics like fan attendance, in-game entertainment and more.

Hornets games are again unavailable on TV to many fans in Charlotte, by Rod Boone

  • Bally Sports Southeast is the exclusive regional network of the Hornets for 2021-22. It’ll televise all regular-season games and is available on Spectrum, DirecTV and AT&T U-verse.

  • But if you don’t have those streaming services, you can’t watch the Hornets on TV.

  • Can you watch Hornets games on TV this season? Let us know in our survey.

Find more Hornets reporting here.

2. Exclusive Observer reads

Our reporters work hard to bring you exclusive looks at stories breaking around the state. Dive into a couple with us:

‘A terrible accident.’ 911 calls reveal race to revive 6-year-old after fiery crash, by Ames Alexander

  • After a brutal June crash in Gaston County that killed 6-year-old Liam Lagunas, the Observer petitioned the court to release 911 call recordings the Gaston County District Attorney sought to keep confidential.

  • On Tuesday, state Superior Court judge Forrest Bridges ordered local officials to release nine calls made after the wreck.

  • In this story, we dive into the contents of the 911 calls.

Beasley campaign returns corporate PAC money to maintain fundraising pledge, by Will Wright

  • Cheri Beasley’s campaign for U.S. Senate returned a $2,000 check from a corporate PAC on Wednesday.

  • This comes about three months after the campaign received it. Beasley, along with other Democratic Senate candidates, had promised to not take corporate PAC money.

You can always find our exclusive stories on charlotteobserver.com.

3. More things you need to know about today

A rendering of the Seventh and Tryon project, which will include housing, offices and retail, above-ground and underground parking.
A rendering of the Seventh and Tryon project, which will include housing, offices and retail, above-ground and underground parking.

This North Carolina grocery chain is expanding again in the Charlotte market, by Catherine Muccigrosso

  • Winston-Salem based Lowes Foods will open a 52,000-square-foot grocery store in Concord.

More affordable units get money from massive uptown land sale. Here’s where they’ll go, by Lauren Lindstrom

  • Mecklenburg commissioners approved nearly $3.8 million for four projects underway by nonprofit developer DreamKey Partners.

  • The money will come from the sale of the 1.5 uptown blocks designated for the $600 million Seventh and Tryon project.

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