Foxx will resign as mayor Monday after confirmation as DOT head

Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx says he will formally resign his position as the city's mayor after he was unanimously voted in as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

The US Senate confirmed Foxx as the nation's next transportation secretary in a vote of 100 in favor and none opposed at noon onThursday. The President was immediately notified.

"I am pleased that the Senate today voted unanimously to confirm Anthony Foxx as the next Secretary of Transportation," President Barack Obama released in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

"Anthony knows firsthand that investing in our roads, bridges and transit systems is vital to creating good jobs and ensuring American businesses can grow and compete in a 21st century global economy," he continued. "I welcome Anthony to my team, and I look forward to working with him as we aim to modernize the infrastructure that powers our economy."

After Foxx was confirmed by the Senate, North Carolina Senator Kay Hagan posted her congratulations to him on Twitter.

"Pleased the Senate has unanimously confirmed Mayor Foxx to become our next Secretary of Transportation. A proud day for NC," she tweeted. "Bipartisan vote indicative of Foxx's status as champion of transportation & infrastructure development that fuels economic growth."

Committee chair Senator Jay Rockefeller kicked off the vote in the Senate just after 11:30 a.m. Roll call began almost immediately due to the fact that there were no opposing speeches.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, the majority leader, took a break from debating the immigration reform bill and hold a confirmation vote on Mayor Foxx.

The vote comes 60 days after the President nominated Foxx for the position to lead the US Department of Transportation.

Foxx sent a letter out to city council members and staff Thursday afternoon calling a special meeting at 4 p.m. on Monday, July 1st where he will formally resign his position as mayor of Charlotte.

The mayor also plans to discuss transition plans for a successor until a new mayor is elected in November.

Sen. Kay Hagan spoke on the Senate floor earlier in the morning - listing off Mayor Foxx's accomplishments while in Charlotte. Chief among them was the Lynx Blue Line and the growth and expansion at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

"Today is a proud day for all North Carolinians and a positive step for our nation as we continue the important work of rebuilding our infrastructure," Hagan said in a release after Foxx was confirmed.

"I am pleased that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle could come together to unanimously confirm Mayor Foxx, a true champion of transportation and infrastructure development with a proven record of making smart investments that fuel economic growth. Jobs are my number one priority, and I have full confidence that Anthony will approach this new job with an eye for how we can grow our economy as we update our nation's infrastructure.? Though he will be missed in North Carolina, I am eagerly anticipating the strong leadership he will bring to the Department of Transportation."

"I would also take this opportunity to thank outgoing Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for his service," her statement continued. "I was honored to have Secretary LaHood join my transportation roundtable in Charlotte several years ago, and it was abundantly clear that his expertise and passion for keeping our nation's infrastructure updated is unparalleled. In particular, he is to be commended for his willingness to put politics in service to our country. His example of bipartisanship should be followed more often, and I wish Secretary LaHood the best in his next steps."

Amtrak Chairman Tony Coscia and President/CEO Joe Boardman issued a statement after Foxx's confirmation, as well.

"Amtrak congratulates Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx on his confirmation today by the U.S. Senate.? He will play a pivotal role in providing critical federal investments for advancing intercity and high-speed passenger rail projects that enhance service, improve reliability, expand capacity, reduce trip-times and increase speeds.

"We also welcome Secretary Foxx to the Amtrak board of directors where he will help shape the future of America's Railroad and further improve our record-breaking financial and operational performance.

"As a former mayor of Charlotte, N.C., an Amtrak-served community, we believe Secretary Foxx understands that intercity passenger rail is a vital and necessary part of the national transportation network and provides mobility, connectivity, and economic development across America in rural communities, small and medium sized towns, and major cities.

"The Amtrak family welcomes Secretary Foxx aboard and we look forward to working with him to deliver more and better intercity and high-speed passenger rail service to the nation."

The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing in May and approved the mayor's nomination earlier this month with bipartisan support.

The mayor promised lawmakers at his hearing that he would work across party lines in his new position and work on continuing a multimodal approach to the nation's transportation network like his predecessor, Secretary Ray LaHood has.

Source: http://statesville.wbtv.com/news/politics/100782-foxx-will-resign-mayor-monday-after-confirmation-dot-head

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Telecom tycoon Kenny Troutt created the Texas Titans, the most indulgent and con...

Telecom tycoon Kenny Troutt created the Texas Titans, the most indulgent and controversial youth basketball team in the country. But as evidenced by this year's scholarships, those who make it are poised for success, in hoops and life. http://bit.ly/16GYdSC

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151668456237509&set=a.261046322508.142916.30911162508&type=1

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Mayor Bloomberg Says Minorities Are Not Stopped By Cops Enough (@MikeBloomberg)

Jun 30, 2013 | 7:30 AM??? Written By: Mike Hughes

Mayor Bloomberg has landed himself in hot waters after making some rather controversial remarks about minorities not being stopped enough by police compared to that of white individuals. ?Bloomberg stated on his weekly WOR-AM radio, that police "disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little." ?

Councilman Robert Jackson was highly displeased with Bloomberg's remarks, along with many others, and voice his opinion about the mayor's choice of words.

"Our mayor's comments prove he just doesn't get it." ?

How do you feel about the mayor's comments?

Source: bigstory.ap.org

Source: http://www.vladtv.com/blog/169293/mayor-bloomberg-says-minorities-are-not-stopped-by-cops-enough/

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North Texas' Tony Mitchell ready to begin his NBA journey

by DOYLE RADER

WFAA Sports

Posted on June 28, 2013 at 7:39 PM

Updated Friday, Jun 28 at 7:42 PM

For the first time in 37 years, a player who attended the University of North Texas will join an NBA roster. With the 37th overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons selected UNT's own Tony Mitchell. Mitchell was a standout forward for the Mean Green in his two seasons in Denton and was arguably the best player to take the court in the history of the men?s basketball program. Lee Winfield, who played from 1969-1976 with several organizations, was North Texas? last NBA player.

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Mitchell was a top prospect coming out of Dallas? Pinkston High School and was initially set to attend Missouri. However, academic eligibility issues led him to North Texas. Mitchell was predicted to flourish against the competition he faced in the Sun Belt, and in his first season he showed signs of doing just that. Yet, his second season was not as successful. His numbers dropped across the board and he finished the season with per game averages of 13 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. These struggles this can somewhat be attributed to new Head Coach Tony Benford and his staff being brought in. Injuries across the roster also factored into the dip in Mitchell's play as he became the primary focus of opposing defenses.?

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Mitchell remained one of the most athletically gifted players in the Draft, however. His performance at the draft combine especially stood out and many drew comparisons between him and the likes of Paul George and Shawn Marion. Due to this, Mitchell was projected by many analysts to be taken late in the first round. This would not be the case, though.?

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Since the combine, Mitchell worked out with a number of teams, among them the Knicks, Suns, ?Bucks, Pacers, Nets, Timberwolves, and Clippers. On the morning of the Draft, Yahoo! Sports? Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Flip Saunders, the coach of the Timberwolves, was very impressed with Mitchell at that the team could possibly draft him with the 26th pick. Instead, Minnesota found itself moving all over the board as they were involved in multiple trades. It was also widely rumored that the Knicks could take him in the late first round as Mitchell?s rebounding appealed to them after the Pacers manhandled them in that department during the Eastern Conference semifinals.

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Now, though, Mitchell is a Piston. Detroit isn?t a good team; they finished last season with a record of 29-53. They do have some good young players to build around, however. Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond hold down the interior while Kyle Singler operates along the perimeter. With the eighth overall pick in this year's draft, Detroit selected Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the SEC player of the year. The 2012 Pistons also featured a savvy veteran point guard in Jose Calderon, though he's now a free agent.

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Detroit is a rebuilding franchise and has been for some time after dissolving the roster that took them to consecutive NBA Finals in 2005 and 2006. This season, like many of the previous ones, looks to be a struggle. How will that affect Mitchell? As a sophomore, when the Mean Green stumbled through the season, Mitchell often became disengaged. If he is to be the player he is capable of at the NBA level, he must be fully involved at both ends of the floor. He cannot afford to take a play off.?

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While the wins will be tough to come by in Detroit, Mitchell should see playing time under head coach Maurice Cheeks. The roster is young and the opportunities should present themselves. His athleticism and ability to block shots and rebound will be the biggest factors in Mitchell finding playing time. If he takes the time to develop a respectable outside shot (he already has a decent ? if unrefined ? post game) he could become a ?3 and D? player along the lines of a Danny Green. Mitchell already sees himself as a stretch four so it wouldn?t be a huge undertaking to mold his game to fit this skill set.

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Hopefully, Mitchell seizes the opportunity and joins the ranks of the many elite forwards that have come from the Dallas area. He has the physical attributes. Now, he just needs to put in the work. Based on the number of workouts he attended and the way he has composed himself since entering the Draft, he is ready to play and succeed at the next level.?

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Doyle Rader spends his time off watching, thinking about and writing about basketball. So when UNT gets a promising athlete, life is good. You can follow him as he follows Tony Mitchell's career at @thekobebeef.

Source: http://www.wfaa.com/sports/Mitchell-213603221.html

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PPL Park Beverage Power Rankings (Oh, and a Big Union Game)

Photo and hand by Enrico

The new beer stand in Ashburn Alley at Citizens Bank Park might be the city?s gold standard for sporting event beverage selection. But PPL Park is a close second, mostly because the Venn diagram comparing soccer ?snobs? (like me) and beer ?snobs? (also like me) has a rather large overlap.

So if you don?t have plans this afternoon, head to Chester and try my rankings on for size (only if you have a designated driver, of course).

5. Bud Light from a vendor: If you need a quick beer and only have a minute before kickoff, the vendors do a nice job of parking in the middle of the concourse. Keep your ears open around the 65th minute, as well, when the same vendors roll through the sections at lightning speed to beat the 70th minute last call. UPSIDE: Fast and easy. DOWNSIDE: It?s still Bud Light.

4. Victory HopDevil: I know there is one small kiosk near midfield on the south concourse, and I believe another on the north side. They?re set up on the opposite side of the concession stands, closer to the field. UPSIDE: HopDevil is always outstanding. DOWNSIDE: Is it greedy to request Victory Summer Love during these hot-weather games?

3. ?Snake & Shield: There?s 2 of these permanent stands (one just inside the plaza on south side). Their selling point? Double-size beers. They?re selection is somewhat limited to beers available in 24-ounce bottles, but the Blue Moon or Stella Artois is better than the Bud heavy, and with no stoppages until halftime for a refill, you?ll appreciate the big cup. If you?re a season-ticket holder, add some money to your card and use it to buy beer. A $14 ?premium? beer becomes $12 and change. ?UPSIDE: They even have gluten-free beer, if that?s your thing. DOWNSIDE: On a hot day, you?re left with warm beer at the end of the cup (drink faster).

2. Boddington?s: There?s at least one of these stands on the south side, and I assume another on the north. The guy working the tap knows how to properly pour it, and even (politely) corrected a customer in front of me last month who INSISTED that he should tilt the cup while pouring. UPSIDE: No beer screams ?I?m at a soccer game!? like Boddington?s. DOWNSIDE: The line can get a little long at halftime.

1. Parking Lot Beer: It?s cheaper, it?s colder and it?s usually accompanied by grilled meat. I?m partial to Lot A myself, but if you?re drinking beer in a parking lot with a river view on a summer day, you?re doing something right. UPSIDE: Philly?s best tailgating scene. Hands down. DOWNSIDE: Eventually, you?ll actually have to go into the stadium.

TODAY?S GAME

Philadelphia Union (7-5-4, 25 points) vs. FC Dallas (8-3-5, 29 points), 5:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

This will likely be the last game for Jack McInerney until August, after being called up to the U.S. National Team for the Gold Cup. The Union will miss his finishing touch, but if Sebastien Le Toux and Conor Casey keeps playing like they have been of late, the Union should be able to survive until his return. Expect McInerney to get a big send-off from the crowd today, and expect him to find the back of the net at least once.

Prediction Sure To Be Way Off:

McInerney gets at least one, and Casey gets another. Whether the Union can keep Dallas off the board will be the real question. But I think they do just enough to get stay hot heading into a tough mid-week game in Salt Lake City.

Union 2, FC Dallas 1.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/The700levelcom-PhillySportsMinutiae/~3/_q0YDabKnWs/

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J. Cole's Born Sinner Success Is 'The People Speaking'

'The second-week numbers are fantastic too,' Cole tells MTV News on BET Awards red carpet as sales projections look bright.
By Rob Markman

J. Cole at the 2013 BET Awards
Photo: MTV News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709809/bet-awards-2013-j-cole-born-sinner-success.jhtml

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PFT: Prosecutor says all men in car with Lloyd in custody

AP

The Bills hosted a road race with a finish on the 50-yard line at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The Dolphins have adopted a quiet confidence in recent weeks.

The Jets want free labor for their training camp.

Roughly a dozen former Patriots will host a football clinic this weekend in Durham, New Hampshire.

The third suspect in the stabbing of Steelers OT Mike Adams, arrested earlier this month in Florida, has been extradited to Pennsylvania to face charges.

Here are some images from the Bengals? NFL Play 60 Character Camp at Paul Brown Stadium.

The Browns and the NFC rookies attending the 2013 Symposium partnered to present a youth football clinic for 150 children.

Could all the changes to the Ravens help them avoid a Super Bowl hangover?

The 911 calls placed from the location of a fight allegedly involving Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew have been released; like the video surveillance from the incident, the audio reveals nothing.

A former Titans cheerleader accused of trying to seduce a 12-year-old boy rejected a plea deal and is scheduled to go to trial on November 12.

Colts S John Boyett still derives motivation from his late sister, who died in early 2011 after a 14-year battle with a brain tumor.

A pair of Texans finished in the top 10 of NFL Network?s player-determined Top 100 players.

Broncos president Joe Ellis justifies the new bag policy by calling the Boston Marathon bombing ?a game-changer.?

Raiders P Chris Kluwe will serve as the grand marshal of the Minneapolis Pride parade on Sunday.

The Chiefs, with only two wins in 2012, nevertheless have five of the NFL?s Top 100 players.

CB Shareece Wright is ready to step up for the Chargers.

An Arby?s in Richmond, Virginia has reserved a parking space for Redskins QB Robert Griffin III.

Giants LB Aaron Curry hopes the ?greatness? surrounding the franchise helps him fulfill his NFL potential.

The Eagles have posted a very early preview of the Week Five game against their division rivals from New York.

The omission of Tony Romo from NFL Network?s Top 100 list raised the most eyebrows this year.

The dorm the Vikings have used for training camp since the 1960s is being imploded.

Laingsburg High School will host one of the Lions? youth football camps.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and ESPN apparently have buried the hatchet.

Catching up with former Bears RB Raymont Harris.

Saints fans can win a pair of season tickets in a raffle that costs $100 per ticket.

Panthers QB Cam Newton is hosting a 7-on-7 high school football tournament; the winning team gets $2,500 in equipment.

Buccaneers CB Darrelle Revis continues to rehab his knee in Phoenix.

The Falcons rookies got an up-close look at the trophy the entire team aspires to finally clutch.

The stalled L.A. stadium project means that the Rams have less leverage in St. Louis.

The Honey Badger nickname could return for Cardinals S Tyrann Mathieu.

Not every football coach in California has an issue with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

An honest worker at the San Jose airport found former 49ers OL John Macaulay?s Super Bowl XIX ring in a restroom and turned it over to airport officials.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/06/28/prosecutor-says-all-men-in-car-with-lloyd-are-in-custody/related/

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