Orthodontist in Concord NC

The Tar Heel State is getting a taste of Texas next year.

CONCORD, N.C. — A Texas treat is making its way to North Carolina, with a grand entrance set for 2024 in Concord.

Shipley Do-Nuts announced Wednesday it had signed a development deal with husband-and-wife franchisees John and Lillian Brijeski to bring a trio of stores to the Charlotte area starting late next year. The very first Shipley location in the state will open in Concord.

Shipley was founded in 1936 and has more than 340 locations across 12 states already. Rapid expansion across the American southeast has seen locations pop up in South Carolina, Maryland, and Georgia. Lillian Brejeski said a recent trip to the Palmetto State helped them decide to bring the do-nuts to the Tar Heel State.

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“After trying Shipley Do-Nuts for the first time in South Carolina, we agreed they were delicious and that we needed to bring the world’s greatest do-nuts to the residents of North Carolina,” she said. “We also fell in love with the company and the Shipley story after our visit to Houston to explore the opportunity to open locations of our own. We love the Do-Happy motto and want to spread that theme throughout the Charlotte area.”

The Brijeskis are both touted as seasoned franchisees according to a news release from Shipley. They both owned and operated a Kumon Math & Reading Center in Tarrytown, New York for nine years before moving to Charlotte in 2021. John Brijeski is a CPA and a hotel industry CFO, while Lillian Brijeski is a former educator. Lillian will directly lead construction, hiring, and operations for the new shops.

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“John and Lillian have experience in running a successful franchise business, a strong background in finance, a great first location and a passion for the Shipley Do-Nuts brand,” said Shipley Do-Nuts CEO Flynn Dekker. “Our focus is on growing our brand with high-quality franchisees, and they are the ideal partners to bring Shipley to North Carolina. We welcome them to the Shipley Do-Nuts family.”

In addition to selling more than 60 varieties of do-nuts, Shipley offers kolaches, hot coffee, and cold brew to patrons.

Beyond the southeast, shops are set to open in the Midwest for the first time, with territories offered in Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio.

CONCORD, N.C. — A two-alarm fire ripped through a Concord apartment complex Tuesday, the fire department said.

It happened just before 4 p.m. at the Creekside Apartments on American Avenue Northeast.

The Concord Fire Department said 20 crews responded three minutes after they got the call.

Firefighters said they were able to control the two-alarm fire in 22 minutes.

Derrick Ravenell lived in one of the 12 units that was destroyed.

“We just heard a popping noise from around back, and the next thing I know, my whole back porch is on fire, so we just grabbed my baby,” Ravenell told Channel 9 Tuesday night.

ALSO READ: Realty company’s Elizabeth building intentionally set on fire, investigators say

The fire destroyed much of the building despite the fire department’s quick response.

“I (saw) the fire, seen the blaze through the back door,” Ravenell said. “The next thing I know, the whole apartment was on fire.”

Victims emerged mostly empty-handed.

“I feel terrible,” Ravenell said. “I lost everything, just the clothes on my back. My baby is one year old, just the clothes on his back. I feel terrible. We don’t have nothing. We lost everything.”

A Channel 9 crew at the scene could see where flames melted the siding and scorched a balcony on the upper floor.

“There’s significant damage throughout floor two and floor three,” said Chief Jake Williams, Concord Fire Department.

The entire building was evacuated and it’s unclear how many people were displaced.

“All the occupants that currently reside here will be receiving assistance for the night,” Williams said.

“I thank God for what they have done,” Ravenell said.

No one was hurt, a spokesperson for the City of Concord said.

“Everybody came together and we helped make sure everyone was out of the apartments, and everybody was safe,” Ravenell said.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Monday morning, the American Red Cross announced that 40 residents had been displaced due to the fire.

It will be working to provide food, shelter, and relief items to those in need.

“We are looking at about ten families, forty people. We are trying to make sure those families are taken care of. Last night, we were able to give them immediate assistance. Now we are going to move forward with what other casework would be,” said American Red Cross Executive Director Sheila Crunkleton.

To donate to those affected, visit redcross.org.

(WATCH BELOW: 1 burned in northwest Charlotte fire, MEDIC says)

CONCORD, N.C. — A well-known historic home renovator is working to save a Concord home.

The home is on Union Street South, just outside downtown Concord, and sits on land that a developer bought. But instead of just tearing it down, a man and his father have plans to save it.

″I remember just thinking how sad it was that it was going to be torn down,” Adam Miller said. “I’ve probably gotten 100 and something emails and messages of other people saying we wanted to save it.”

ALSO READ: Final pieces of 1983 plane crash removed due to unsafe conditions

Adam Miller, better known by his nearly 2 million TikTok followers as “Old House Adam,” stepped in to save the home and restore it to its former glory. It’s what he and his wife are known for.

“It’s a great home with great character; it’s worth saving,” Miller said. “And that’s always our goal, because they’re never going to build this house again.”

One of the most unique aspects about this renovation is that the house, instead of staying on the property, is being cut into pieces. It’ll get moved about 5 miles away to its new permanent home.

“I mean -- you’ve got to be out of your mind to do this. But we’re out of our mind,” said Dr. Joe Lockavitch.

Joe Lockavitch and his wife, Angela, are Miller’s in-laws and will live in the home on their property.

“The vast majority of the people in this community did not want that house torn down,” Joe said. “So the fact now that it is saved -- now won’t be on this land, but it will be beautiful. And it is still in Cabarrus County. And it will be given the new life that it should have.”

ALSO READ: Owners behind popular Charlotte restaurants working to save historic Dilworth building

The project is getting the attention of many community members. All day, they stopped to ask Miller what was going on because this isn’t the first time he has split a house apart to save it.

“We’ve got it to almost to a science,” Miller said.

The last house they saved was split in two and will move to its new location in just a few weeks. The same thing will happen to their current project; the top of the home will be cut off and all three parts will be transported.

It is Miller’s mission to keep the charm and history of the area alive any way he can.

“Anytime they see our sign, it means the house is safe. And even if it’s not safe -- where it’s at -- we’re going to keep saving these homes, and we’ve got really big projects, really big plans,” Miller said.

(WATCH BELOW: Saving South End: City, county leaders debate funding for historic area)

Saving South End: City, county leaders debate funding for historic area

CONCORD, N.C. — The only free community medical clinic in Cabarrus County has gotten a boost in funding. Lowe's is giving the clinic an $80,000 grant for necessary facility improvements. However, the assistance of one donor, volunteer and contractor, James Gerber, has allowed the clinic to see even further updates from patient-accessible changing doors to new windows.

What You Need To Know

Gerber, a part-time nurse and retired New York firefighter isn’t originally from North Carolina. He moved to the Tar Heel state to be closer to family and learned quickly that every community is in need of extra help.

“I grew up with a single mother raising twin sons, and I saw how much she struggled, and one of the things she actually did was she flipped homes to put us in a house,” Gerber said.

He credits his upbringing, and 20 years in the fire service, for his willingness to give back.

“It really was amazing that you could do so much for people in their most critical moment of need and be that person that really helps out. And that’s kind of what I’m doing here,” Gerber said.

He said when he realized the condition of the Community Free Clinic, which was built in the '70s, there was no question that between his handyman skills and access to volunteers, he was going to be a part of the facility's transformation.

“When we came into these rooms, they had a lot of stuff that wasn’t necessary or even relevant anymore. One of the things is they had x-ray boxes that were in here,” Gerber said.

The Community Free Clinic in Concord applied and was granted $80,000 from Lowe's in June. Gerber said he thought the facility needed more money for all the work that is done for people in need. That’s when he started a capital campaign in hopes of raising $100,000 for the Community Free Clinic.

“I understand that like they need some paint here, and that’s something that's important, but really what they need is you know, funding to be open five days a week. They need funding to replace some of the equipment through all this construction work that they’re doing here,” Gerber said.

Among Gerber, including volunteers from firefighters from Concord Station #2, a group from F3 Fitness Afton Ridge and the Hough High School Lacrosse team. Gerber said he began putting out the word to help raise more money and tells Spectrum New 1 that he's determined to keep showing up at the clinic until it becomes a place patients and workers can be proud of.

“One way or another, that’s what firemen do. They see a problem, and they fix it. Doesn’t matter how long it takes, doesn’t matter what they need to do. We’re going to be here till the end,” Gerber said.

If you would like to make a donation to the Community Free Clinic, you can do so by clicking here.

CONCORD, N.C. — A Facebook post is getting attention after a woman claims she took her grandmother to breakfast at K&W Cafeteria in Concord and saw cockroaches inside the buffet window.

ALSO READ: Uptown Charlotte restaurants among Mecklenburg County spots to get ‘B’ on April health inspection

Shawntae Maxwell took her 91-year-old grandmother to K&W Cafeteria to celebrate Mother’s Day.

“Before I knew it, there were multiple live cockroaches moving around,” Maxwell said.

She said cockroaches were inside the service line window.

“I saw roaches and my first instinct is, ‘We have to get my 91-year-old grandmother out of there because her health and safety comes first,’” Maxwell said.

Channel 9 sent the post to the Cabarrus Health Alliance. Officials there said they were aware of it, and environmental health staff members are following up.

The agency inspected the restaurant Tuesday.

A report from that inspection notes: “Dead cockroaches were FOUND next to clean dishes, underneath equipment on the service line, next to the service trays and behind picture frames AND Live cockroaches were FOUND underneath equipment on the cook line and the prep kitchen AS WELL AS crawling into ceilings and coming out of power outlet holes AND equipment openings, gaskets and on the clean dish shelves.”

The cafeteria will be bug-bombed Wednesday night, according to the inspection report.

The inspection score was 87, the lowest out of the last three visits. Those inspections also pointed out there were cockroaches.

Channel 9 asked the Cabarrus Health Alliance what it takes to shut a restaurant down.

“An imminent hazard (something that would cause death or serious physical harm), such as an unsafe water source, or a lack of adequate refrigeration, a violation of conditions of the permit, or a score below a 70,” officials said.

Despite the cockroaches, the restaurant’s scores were well over 70 in the last three inspections.

However, the presence of insects isn’t that serious of a violation.

Cabarrus Health Alliance said, “If pest presence is found, it is a violation, and one or two points will be deducted depending on the severity of the problem and if it is a repeat violation.”

Maxwell said she was shocked.

“It is very eye-opening for sure,” she said. “I thought that pests and rodents would be something that would cause a restaurant to, at least, close temporarily until they get the situation under control.”

The Cabarrus Health Alliance said that in general, they are seeing lower scores and environmental health staff are spending more time during inspections. They are also seeing a staffing shortage and a lot of turnovers in kitchen staff.

Resident Wrenn Green, who was at the shopping plaza Tuesday, said she would be very upset if that happened to her.

She said she has seen the posts and won’t return to the restaurant.

“And then the pictures, it’s just like roaches everywhere in the food. On the plates. On the floor, alive. Not dead. Alive,” she said.

Bill Marler, who is a food safety lawyer and advocate, said bugs, mice, and rats carry pathogens, which can make humans sick or kill them.

Pests can find their way into some of the nicest restaurants but they must be taken care of immediately, he said.

“That’s not only on the responsibility of the restaurant, but frankly, it’s the responsibility of the health department to do something about it,” Marler said. “And that may wind up being shutting the facility down until they, you know, get their act together.”

Q&A with Cabarrus Health Alliance:

Is the health department seeing any trends in inspections? In general, we are seeing lower scores and, environmental health staff are spending more time during inspections because of the education we provide about these violations and so that we can obtain corrective action of priority and priority foundation violations during the visit.

What would it take to shut down a restaurant? What happens if roaches are founded? An imminent hazard (something that would cause death or serious physical harm) such as an unsafe water source, or a lack of adequate refrigeration, a violation of conditions of the permit or a score below a 70.

If pest presence is found, it is a violation and 1 or 2 points will be deducted depending on the severity of the problem and if it is a repeat violation. If food or equipment is being contaminated, then those violations will be documented and points will be deducted as appropriate. Any contaminated food will be discarded.

Are you seeing a shortage of workers? Does that contribute to poor sanitization? In general, we are seeing a staffing shortage and a lot of turnover in kitchen staff.

It is possible that a shortage of staff can lead to gaps in sanitation; however, our staff work diligently to educate the person in charge the importance of being in compliance with rules.

Live roach found in vanilla crepe filling at Denny’s in north Charlotte, inspection report says