If your household is anything like mine, one of the most challenging parts of the day is figuring out the answer to, “What’s for dinner?” That’s one of the reasons I always enjoy hearing about new restaurants coming to town especially when they’re bringing something a little different to the area.

The former JJ Wasabi’s building at the corner of Main Street and Moore Avenue is being transformed into Deepwell, a brand-new steakhouse from the highly regarded team behind Kindred, Hello Sailor, Albertine, and Milkbread.

Last July, I shared the story of my friend, Ruel Malubay, who lives in the Philippines. For those who may not have seen it, view the the original story in its entirety here.

Many of you may remember reading about Ruel, his family, and the small church congregation he faithfully serves in a remote mountain village outside Davao del Sur.

Since then, God has continued to work in remarkable ways. Together, we have built another church in the Philippines, bringing the total to three churches that Ruel now oversees. Each week, he travels between these congregations to lead worship services, preach the Gospel, and minister to people in communities that have very few resources but a tremendous faith in God.

The past year has brought significant challenges for Ruel and his family. Last year, he suffered a stroke. Thankfully, he survived, but he continues to require ongoing medications and medical care. In addition, his mother depends on twice-weekly dialysis treatments to stay alive. I currently send approximately $1,000 each month to help cover the cost of Ruel’s medications and his mother’s treatments.

Several days ago, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region where Ruel lives. His aging concrete home sustained severe structural damage and is no longer safe to enter. For now, he and his family are staying in the church that we built beside his home.

True to his character, Ruel has not asked for help rebuilding his house. Instead, he continues to focus on serving others and caring for his congregations despite the hardships he faces personally.

As I think about his situation, I’m reminded of how much we often take for granted. Most of us never have to worry about losing our homes overnight with no insurance, no government assistance, and no realistic way to rebuild on our own. For families like Ruel’s, a disaster of this magnitude can be overwhelming.

Because of that, I am reopening a GoFundMe page for Ruel and his family in hopes of helping them repair or rebuild their home and regain some sense of stability. If you feel led to help, any contribution—large or small—will go directly toward helping them recover from this disaster and rebuild what was lost. As I’ve shared before, even a small gift goes a long way in the Philippines and can make a tremendous difference in the lives of this faithful family.

Thank you for your prayers, your generosity, and your willingness to help those in need.

Thank you.

I’ve been hearing rumors for a couple of years about a new high school being built to relieve overcrowding at Lake Norman High School, but I honestly had no idea where it was going to be located or how far along the plans actually were. As it turns out, this is no longer just talk construction is well underway.

The new school, called Weathers Creek High School, is being built off Overcash Road in Troutman and is currently scheduled to open for the 2027–2028 school year. The campus is expected to eventually serve around 1,600 students and is specifically intended to relieve pressure from both Lake Norman High School and South Iredell High School.

What surprised me most is how large and modern the project actually is. Plans include science labs, career and technical education spaces, performing arts facilities, gyms, and eventually full athletic complexes for football, baseball, softball, soccer, and tennis.

Of course, one of the biggest questions is how this could affect local athletics. For years, Lake Norman High has been one of the area’s athletic powerhouses, largely because of the massive student population feeding into the school. But whenever a new high school opens, athletic talent naturally gets redistributed.

That raises an interesting possibility: could this actually benefit Mooresville High School? Since Mooresville Graded School District operates separately from Iredell-Statesville Schools, Mooresville High may avoid much of the rezoning turmoil while Lake Norman High potentially loses part of its athlete pipeline to the new school.

Nobody really knows yet how it will all play out, but one thing is certain- by 2027, the high school landscape around Lake Norman could look very different than it does today.

Not long ago, I shared an update on the redevelopment plans for Queens Landing, which are set to bring a fresh new chapter to that part of Lake Norman. At the same time, the two former cruise vessels that once operated there—The Lady of the Lake and Catawba Queen—have become the focus of an ongoing legal dispute. After the property was sold in 2022, the boats were left behind and are now anchored about a mile southwest of the Lake Norman Yacht Club.

In October 2025, Duke Energy filed a federal lawsuit seeking their removal, citing concerns over safety, environmental risk, and the possibility of the vessels breaking loose. The owner has pushed back, arguing the case belongs in state court and that there’s no clear evidence of current issues, and as of now, there have been no confirmed reports of environmental damage.

I’ll be honest—I do like seeing these boats out on the lake. They’re a reminder of what that area used to be. But it also raises a fair question: how long can something like that realistically sit out there, essentially abandoned? It’s not all that different from leaving a car in a private parking lot and expecting it to just stay indefinitely.

I was once part of a conversation between a waterfront homeowner and a Duke representative over a shoreline dispute. The homeowner said, “You’ll be hearing from my attorney,” and the response was, “Go ahead—you’ll be hearing from our 200 attorneys.” That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about how these situations tend to go.

Guess we’ll have to wait to see how it all plays out.

Rock the Park is back in downtown Mooresville, bringing another season of live music to Liberty Park. It’s one of those simple summer setups that just works—food vendors open around 6:00, music starts at 6:30, and the park fills up fast with a great crowd.

Here’s the 2026 lineup:

• Friday, May 1 – The Entertainers (classic beach music, R&B, and dance hits)
• Friday, June 5 – Sail On (Beach Boys tribute with all the summer favorites)
• Friday, July 10 – The Legacy Motown Revue (Motown and classic soul)
• Friday, August 7 – Yacht Rock Radio (smooth ‘70s/‘80s yacht rock hits)
• Friday, September 4 – Big 80s Tribute Band (high-energy 80s throwback)

It’s free, family-friendly, and one of the better excuses to spend a Friday night downtown. We like tp reserve a table outside at Savannah Oyster Company or Aqua Raggazza and listen to the music in the shade!

For years, I’ve been intrigued by this sign.

It sits at the railroad crossing at the intersection of Langtree Road and NC Highway 115, and I pass it every time I take my son to school. Beneath the standard DOT railroad warning is a small rider that simply reads: “Haunted.”

Naturally, the kid in me goes straight to the obvious conclusion- some long-forgotten train accident on a cold, rainy night, headlights flashing, a car stalled on the tracks… you get the idea. But Norfolk Southern has no record of a fatal incident at that crossing. Yes, I checked.

Regardless of why the sign is there, it makes for a perfect segue into a lesser-known but very real piece of local history that happened in the exact same area.

You can’t spend much time around Lake Norman without eventually running into one of these bad boys. After all, when a lake was built for the sole purpose of generating power, you’ve got to be able to move that power to where it’s needed.

These aren’t your everyday neighborhood power lines. They’re high-voltage transmission lines, and in our area they typically operate at around 230,000 volts.

From a real estate standpoint, there are plenty of homes around Lake Norman that sit close to transmission lines. Over the years, I’ve found that buyers usually fall into one of two camps: those who absolutely don’t want to be anywhere near them, and those who couldn’t care less.

I currently have a home listed on Lake Norman that sits roughly 400 feet from a transmission line. After receiving feedback from a potential buyer who was uncomfortable with the proximity, we decided to do something most people never actually do—we brought Duke Energy out to take real-world EMF readings.

They measured EMF (Electro Magnetic Field) levels directly beneath the transmission lines, throughout the yard, and inside the home. They also measured common household appliances for comparison. And to be honest, the results surprised me. I think they’ll surprise you too.

Now, I won’t argue that transmission lines are pretty—they’re not. But I’ve also found that once you spend any amount of time around them, you tend to stop noticing them altogether. More importantly, contrary to what many people believe, these lines pose no measurable health risk to people living nearby.

Before getting into the readings, a little context helps. In the United States, transmission lines typically carry anywhere from 69,000 to 765,000 volts. In North Carolina, the highest-voltage lines in use are 500,000 volts, but the vast majority of transmission lines in and around the Lake Norman area operate at 230,000 volts.

Additionally- while EMF exposure is driven more by current than voltage, voltage is easier for most of us to understand, so we’ll use voltage.

Below are the actual measurements provided by Duke Energy after testing directly beneath the transmission lines and inside the home located approximately 400 feet away. The lines run in front of the house.

For decades, the old Queen’s Landing property along River Highway was a familiar landmark on Lake Norman. I first started visiting Mooresville in 1985 and moved here permanently in 1999, and I honestly can’t remember a time when Queen’s Landing wasn’t part of the lake. From ice cream and Putt-Putt to Sunday lunches at Saragonis, it always seemed to be there — just part of everyday life on Lake Norman. Since its closure in the summer of 2023, the site has sat quietly, fueling plenty of speculation about what might come next. Now, the wait appears to be over, and the next chapter for this iconic location is shaping up to be one of the most interesting waterfront redevelopments Mooresville has seen in years.

The project is being led by Vitale Hospitality Group, headed by Gennaro and Susan Vitale. From what I’ve read, the group is investing more than $3 million to reimagine the property as a true destination rather than just a single restaurant. The vision blends casual lakefront dining with elevated nightlife, creating a space that works for families during the day and transitions into a livelier atmosphere in the evening.

At the heart of the redevelopment will be Vitale Lakeside, a ground-level waterfront restaurant offering a menu that includes seafood, steaks, burgers, pizza, and more. Plans also call for expanded docks, allowing guests to arrive by boat and reinforcing the site’s long-standing connection to Lake Norman’s boating culture.

The second floor will be home to the Bonnie & Clyde lounge, an upscale cocktail lounge with panoramic lake views. Bonnie & Clyde isn’t a brand-new concept. The original Bonnie & Clyde built a reputation for stylish interiors, great cocktails, and a lively social atmosphere that blends lounge culture with nightlife energy. The Mooresville location is expected to carry that same DNA, but with a lakefront twist where sunsets and water views become part of the experience.

Plans for the site also include a floating bar, rebuilt docks, and approximately 38 boat slips, reinforcing the idea that this is a destination designed to be accessed from both land and water. Vitale Lakeside and the Bonnie & Clyde lounge are expected to open as early as May 2026. And honestly, it makes me even more excited for boat weather to get here. It’s been cold and gray long enough. I’m ready for summer!

…It’s a shame that the Catawba Queen and the Lady of the Lake couldn’t be rescued from their watery exile and be re-homed here if for no other reason than nostalgia.