SALISBURY – The Rowan Chamber will feature the annual State Legislative Breakfast at its Power In Partnership program on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 a.m. at the Country Club of Salisbury, 747 Club Drive.

State legislators confirmed to attend are Sen. Carl Ford, Rep. Julia Howard, Rep. Wayne Sasser, and Rep. Harry Warren.

The purpose of the event is to hear from state legislators on how they are going to help move Rowan County forward during the 2022 legislative session.

The Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Committee has developed a list of priority projects and business advocacy issues for the legislators to discuss. The event will be sponsored by Hotwire Communications.

Other PIP speakers/programs include:

• March 17 – Salute to Agri-business; Sponsor: F&M Bank
• April 21 – Health Care; Sponsor: Novant Health Rowan Medical Center
• May 19 – Leadership Speaker; Sponsor: Duke Energy

If you are not a Power Card holder, individual reservations are welcome; the reservation deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 15 by 5 p.m. The cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. The price includes the cost of breakfast and the program. Contact the Chamber for information on reservations or sponsorship opportunities at 704-633-4221 or info@rowanchamber.com.

Kannapolis Farmers Market accepting applications for vendors

KANNAPOLIS – The Kannapolis Farmers Market is looking for vendors including farmers, artisans, crafters and bakers to participate in the market.

The market is seeking individuals who offer a wide variety of fresh local produce, as well as cheese, ice cream, honey, baked goods, spices, jewelry, soaps, candies, crafts, pottery, hand crafted wood items, art and more. Vendors pay an annual membership fee of $30, and a weekly rental fee of $10 per 14-square-foot space.

The market is open May thru Sept. and operates every Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at the corner of Vance Avenue and Dale Earnhardt Boulevard.

 

Four new officers added to Kannapolis police force

KANNAPOLIS – Four new officers have completed their basic law enforcement training and are now starting their field training at Kannapolis Police Department.

The new officers are Evan Anderson, Austin Purser, Devin Steele and Ataurus Tennyson. As part of their field training each officer is assigned to two experienced Kannapolis Police officers in the patrol division for the next five months.

Anderson is a graduate of the basic law enforcement training at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. He is engaged to Nayla Honeycutt and the son of Danny and Donna Anderson of Kannapolis.

Purser is a graduate of the basic law enforcement training at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. He also graduated from Mars Hill University with a B.S. in criminal justice. He will graduate from Mars Hill University in the spring with his masters in criminal justice. A native of Monroe, N.C. he is the son of Richard and April Purser.

Steele is a native of Charlotte and a graduate of the basic law enforcement training at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. He also graduated from Shaw University with a degree in sociology and criminal justice. He previously worked as a detention officer with the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Department and as a youth counselor with the Salvation Army. He is the son of Lisa Steele and Alvy Hughes.

Tennyson is also a graduate of the basic law enforcement training at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. He is a native of Lockport, N.Y. where he graduated from Bryant and Stratton College with an associate degree in criminal justice. He and fiancée, Crystal, have four children and are also raising their niece and nephew. He is the son of Lois Tennyson and Dennis Franklin.

Passenger traffic at Charlotte airport climbs to 43 million in 2021

CHARLOTTE – Charlotte Douglas International Airport served 43 million passengers in 2021.

That’s 86% of the record-breaking 50.2 million passengers who flew to, from and through CLT in 2019. It’s also up 59% from the 27 million passengers in 2020, the height of the pandemic.

“Our 2021 passenger numbers are pretty impressive considering the twists and turns we’ve experienced over the past two years,” CLT’s CEO Haley Gentry said in a news release. “While COVID-19 impacts continue, CLT has bounced back quicker than many other airports nationwide thanks to the strength of the American Airlines hub, strong partnerships we have with all our airlines and tenants and the unwavering support of our passengers.”

The Airport remains focused on creating an airport experience that gives travelers the confidence to fly and implementing safety initiatives that deter the spread of COVID-19.

Last year, aircraft traffic jumped 31% over 2020. CLT logged 519,895 arrivals and departures combined in 2021 compared to 397,983 in 2020 and 578,263 in 2019. Airlines began rebuilding their flight schedules when demand for air travel increased and international travel returned. Daily departures averaged 672 in 2021. Currently, CLT offers nonstop flights to 188 destinations, including 36 international locations and three U.S. territories.

Cargo saw a minor dip of 4% to 168,566 tons of goods transported through CLT in 2021 versus 174,913 tons in 2020 and 184,449 tons in 2019.

The missing puzzle piece at CLT for a full recovery has been the return of business travel. Last year, leisure travel comprised 76% of passenger traffic. Business travel was 24%. In 2019, those numbers were 34% business travel and 66% leisure travel. As more people take to the skies again, Charlotte Douglas is predicting a 100% recovery by 2023 – a year earlier than previously forecasted.

“There’s excitement about what lies ahead for CLT, especially as we reach Destination CLT milestones,” Gentry said. “This year alone the airport is opening an expansion of Concourse E, the west end of the expanded terminal lobby, The Club CLT on Concourse A and new concessions throughout the terminal. Our plans also include installing several new art pieces and beginning construction on a 10-gate expansion of Concourse A. We’re looking forward to sharing these big moments with our passengers in 2022.”

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