🌱 Firefighter Awarded Medal Of Valor + Local Restaurant Celebration

Morning, everybody! I'm back in your inbox this morning with your fresh edition of the Charlotte Daily, fresh off the presses. Come along to find out the most important things happening these days in town, including updates on:

• A Charlotte firefighter has been awarded the Charlotte Fire Department's Medal of Valor.
• Celebrate Diwali at Chai Pani Restaurant Group with food and drink specials.
• A local woman receives thousands of dollars to create content on social media.

But first, today's weather:

Sunny to partly cloudy. High: 64 Low: 34.

🏡 Attention, real estate pros in Charlotte! We're now offering an exclusive sponsorship opportunity for an agent interested in attracting local clients and standing apart from the competition. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top five stories today in Charlotte:

1. Around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, someone started shooting into a family's home in northwest Charlotte. Inside the home were a 15-year-old, 5-year-old and 3-year-old who were sleeping along with two others. "The family told WCNC Charlotte they now plan to leave the home. They had been renting for the past few months. From top to bottom, there were at least 20 visible bullet holes visible in the home off of Coy Court," WCNC reports. (WCNC.com)
2. "A Charlotte firefighter has been awarded the Charlotte Fire Department's Medal of Valor for exhibiting exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in an attempt to save and protect others during an active gun shooting incident. Firefighter Michael Cunningham received the medal from Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson during a ceremony on Friday. The medal honors Cunningham's actions on Oct. 4, when he left his firehouse, Station 41, to purchase groceries to make lunch for his fellow crew members. Exiting the grocery store on Berewick Town Center Drive in Steele Creek, Cunningham was walking through the parking lot when he heard shouts that gunshots had been fired in an area of the lot where a vehicle was in motion and running into another vehicle," City of Charlotte Government reports. (charlottenc.gov)
3. "A Charlotte mother is demanding justice for her son. Kashawn Johnson, 18, was shot and killed back in May. Two people were later arrested for his murder. But Johnson’s mom, Tianna Nelson, says the district attorney is not fully holding that teenager accountable. Nelson says she is trying to bring attention to what she calls the lack of action by the DA. She says Johnson was robbed and gunned down three months after graduating early from high school. Police charged two people in the case with murder and robbery," WBTV reports. (WBTV)
4. You're invited to celebrate Diwali at Chai Pani Restaurant Group! "This year Diwali, one of the most celebrated holidays in India, extends from Saturday, October 22 to Wednesday, October 26, with its biggest day of festivities on Monday, October 24. In North Carolina, prominent restaurateur Meherwan Irani (of Chai Pani Restaurant Group) has planned celebrations at his Charlotte spot Botiwalla and Asheville eatery Chai Pani. On Monday, October 24, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Indian street grill Botiwalla will offer food and drink specials, a free gift bag of sweets for each customer, festive decor with lights and flowers, a henna artist on site and sparklers," Eater reports. (Eater)
5. Shionda Farrell, a Charlotte woman who started creating content as a side-hustle is going full-time with this gig! "Farrell will be the first to say that she’s not an influencer; she’s a content creator. … Farrell shares her food, lifestyle and travel experiences with her more than 76,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. ... Brands and businesses pay Farrell in exchange for exposure to her large social media following," WBTV reports. (WBTV)

Today in Charlotte:

• Le Creuset Factory to Table at Park Expo and Conference Center (10:00 a.m.)
• Charlotte Job Fair at NCWorks Career Center-Charlotte (11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.)
• Dinner and fellowship at Red Sea Ethiopian Restaurant (6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)
• Live Music Thursday, featuring Steve Brown at SouthBound (6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.)
• Black Power Rangers Comedy Tour at Urban Reader Bookstore (7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
• Giulio Gallarotti Comedy Show at The Evening Muse (7:30 p.m.)
• Lizzo: The Special Tour at Spectrum Center (8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)
• Steve Lacy: Give You The World Tour at The Fillmore Charlotte (8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• CMS hosted the “Lunch with a Lawyer” program for the 17th year! About 50 middle school students and their parents had lunch with mentors from the Mecklenburg County Bar to learn about the life of a lawyer. (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools via Facebook)
• Thank you to everyone who joined us this weekend for Fall Works! We loved being back on the Knight Theater stage to kick off our 2022/2023 Season. Here’s one last behind-the-scenes video from Christopher Stuart’s “Under of Lights.” (Charlotte Ballet via Facebook)
• It's National Veterinary Technician Week and we couldn't let it pass without celebrating and thanking our AC&C health techs for the incredible hard work they do. (CMPD Animal Care and Control via Facebook)
• In addition to Fall Works this past weekend, Charlotte Ballet hosted our 6th annual Middle & High School Dance Festival! Schools from North and South Carolina joined us at the Patricia McBride & Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance. (Charlotte Ballet via Facebook)
• Need help? Meet Amanda Binder, Social Sciences and History Librarian. Access some of her Research Guides ➡️ https://bit.ly/3CjsNsA #CLTAtkins #AtkinsLibrary #UNCCharlotte #Charlotte #history #socialscience" (UNC Charlotte Atkins Library via Facebook)
• Do you have an idea that will help beautify your community? You can get up to $5,000 with Keep Charlotte Beautiful’s Beautification Grant! This grant supports projects on litter prevention. (City of Charlotte Housing & Neighborhood Services via Facebook)
• The Beatles, Bond and Beethoven? It's all about YOUR favorite music when you Create Your Own series! Curate your unique 6 or 8 concert experience and SAVE 25% by Nov. 11 with code CYO25. (Charlotte Symphony via Facebook)
• Mecklenburg County Fall General Election Early Voting begins today and continues through Nov. 5. A total of ten Charlotte Mecklenburg Library branches are early voting locations during this cycle.(Charlotte Mecklenburg Library via Facebook)
• Are you a survivor of sexual violence? Get the healing you need. https://bravestep.org/apply/ (Brave Step via Facebook)
• Meet Abby Moore, education librarian. Get Abby's research guides at https://bit.ly/3tpOQch #CLTAtkins #AtkinsLibrary #UNCCharlotte (UNC Charlotte Atkins Library via Facebook)
• October's E-spotlight features an intuitive citation-based research evaluation tool designed for researchers to get a glimpse at the current state of the scholarly playing field. https://bit.ly/3S9hvw0 (UNC Charlotte Atkins Library via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• 24hourgutters.com — (Visit website)
• Add your business here

Events:

• ACT Master Strategies In-Person Class (October 30)
• Add your event

That's it for today! I'll see you soon.

— Alexis Goring

About me: My name is Alexis A. Goring. I'm an East Coast Girl with a pulse for people, news and feature stories! I've worked as a freelance writer/editor/proofreader in the media industry for 15 years. I'm also a published author, experienced blogger, and founder of Writer at Heart Editorial Services. Visit my website for more details about me and my work. Here's the link: https://alexisagoring.jimdofree.com.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Charlotte Daily? Contact me at charlotte@patch.com