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Gov. Josh Stein drove up to the Commonwealth development in Plaza Midwood on Wednesday in a green 1977 International Scout — a model that went out of production in the 1980s. But Stein is looking forward to Charlotte and the state playing a major role in bringing the off-road vehicle back to life.

Scout Motors, an American subsidiary of Germany-based Volkswagen, is making Charlotte its new corporate headquarters with a $207 million investment and a promise to create over 1,200 high-paying jobs, company and N.C. officials said Wednesday.

The new headquarters is going in the Commonwealth development in Plaza Midwood in two phases. The jobs will be created over a five-year period from 2026 to 2030, according to officials at the Economic Investment Committee meeting.

They said $172,878 is the expected minimum average wage, and Scout Motors anticipates investing $207 million by the end of 2029. The state is awarding Scout Motors a job development investment grant worth up to $46.5 million if it reaches its hiring and investment targets.

This is one of the biggest job creation announcements in Charlotte over the past decade, local officials said. And the average minimum wage for Scout Motors is nearly double the $86,830 average wage for Mecklenburg County.

Charlotte beat out sites in South Carolina and Virginia for the Scout Motors headquarters, the company told N.C. officials. Scout Motors’ headquarters is in Tysons, Virginia, near Washington, D.C.

Scout Motors already has a robust presence in the Carolinas. In 2023, the company announced it was investing $2 billion in an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Richland County near Columbia, along with 4,000 jobs. The company also received $1.3 billion in incentives from the state.

Production is targeted to begin at the S.C. site in 2027.

“Scout Motors has undertaken a nationwide search to identify a location for its new corporate headquarters from which it will lead and drive its company, brand and products,” Mark Poole of the NC Commerce Department, said at the meeting.

In Plaza Midwood, Stein and state Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley were joined by city and Mecklenburg County officials who are also involved in the deal, along with the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.

The Charlotte headquarters will serve as the home for executives, research and development, finance, IT, sales, marketing and other key corporate functions.

“We’re excited that you’re revitalizing an iconic American brand and building the next generation vehicle company right here in the Carolinas,” Stein said.

Over the next 12 years, the project will add nearly $5 billion to the state’s economy, Stein added.

“The way I see it, North Carolina was always the prefect choice for Scout’s new headquarters,” he said while boasting about the state’s universities, clean energy economy, quality of life and workforce.

Why Scout Motors chose Charlotte for HQ

Scout Motors President Scott Keogh talked about the reasons the company landed on Charlotte.

He cited the talent pool, local universities and a reputation as a launchpad for bold ideas.

“Charlotte offers the momentum we need to scale quickly and sustainably,” Keogh said. “We’ll build a headquarters that reflects our culture, empowers our team and connects us to a region that’s fast becoming a national hub for mobility and manufacturing.”

Scout Motors will establish its Charlotte presence gradually. Its plans for initial staffing and office development will start next year, with full headquarters operations scaling up over several years.

During the event Wednesday, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles spoke about how North Carolina is a top- ranked state for business and how the city reflects that success with its growth.

”This decision brings new energy to Plaza Midwood,” Lyles said. It brings jobs, it brings growth, it brings optimism to what’s next.”

Scout Motors in South Carolina

In February 2024, Scout Motors broke ground on a production center in Blythewood, South Carolina, off Interstate 77 and just outside of Columbia. It covers about 1,600 acres, with the main plant taking up 1,100 acres, according to a Scout Motors news release.

This location gives Scout Motors easy access to highways, shipping ports in Charleston and Savannah, and colleges known for automotive engineering.

Scout plans to start making vehicles by the end of 2026, with trucks and SUVs expected to go on sale shortly after production begins. Over 14,000 people already have expressed interest for the 4,000 jobs, the Columbia State reported.

Plans are also underway to build a Supplier Park on the site of its Blythewood production center. Located next to the main production center buildings, the Supplier Park spans nearly 200 acres and will feature more than 2.3 million square feet of specialized manufacturing and logistics space.

About Scout Motors and its history

The Scout was first made by International Harvester from 1961 to 1980. It was the world’s first vehicle designed for both off-road and family use, earning a reputation as a tough, all-purpose truck.

In 2022, Volkswagen introduced Scout Motors, a new company founded to bring back the iconic Scout brand by building a fresh line of all-electric trucks and SUVs.

Scout currently operates 1.3 million square feet of assembly space and body shops, according to its website. The company has more than 4,000 workers for production jobs.

A few years ago, Keogh said the company was just two employees with an idea.

“The idea obviously is not just to bring back a relic, but bring back a revolution and bring back getting America back to manufacturing things, dreaming things and doing things again,” Keogh said. “And that’s exactly what we’re up to.”

The Scout that Stein borrowed for the event is owned by Ainsley Lederfind of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Her parents, Howard and Stacie Lederfind of Ellenboro, came to Charlotte for the celebration.

“My daughter was ecstatic,” Howard said about the governor behind the wheel, with Keogh and Lilley as passengers. “It drives great to be an almost 50-year-old vehicle. It’s a daily driver for her.

Lederfind owned the truck for four years and had it partially restored. He’s looking forward to seeing newer models on the road.

“I think it’s pretty neat that it’s going to provide jobs for North Carolina and with the factory being in Blythewood, South Carolina, I know they’re excited about it as well,” Howard said.

“Big time snow” is headed for North Carolina’s mountains, with some peaks expected to get 18 inches by Tuesday morning, according to National Weather Service.

The dangerous weather is linked to a quick-moving arctic air mass bringing below freezing temperatures to most of the state on Monday night, forecasters say.

Hypothermia and frostbite are possible for people who risk prolonged exposure in the mountains, experts say.

The first round of snow reached mountains along the North Carolina-Tennessee state line late Sunday, the NWS said.

“More than a foot of snow appears likely across the higher elevations of the Smokies,” the NWS reported in a Nov. 9 Facebook post.

“There’s been a lot of chatter about the incoming snow, but don’t forget that with snow comes very cold temperatures. ... Wind chill values will be in the single digits over a good portion of the mountains Monday night, with the highest elevations dropping below 0°F.”

Snow flurries could extend along the Interstate 40 corridor as far east as Greensboro, with less than one-tenth of an inch of accumulation, NWS forecasters said.

As of 7:30 a.m. Monday, Grandfather Mountain was reporting gusts of more than 50 mph, and a wind chill of minus 12 degrees, the NWS reported.

“Winds will pick up out of the northwest (Monday) tonight as gusts of 35-45 mph are possible, especially at elevations above 3500 feet,” NWS Forecasters say.

Overnight gusts could reach between 36 and 44 mph in parts of Yancey and Avery counties, experts say.

The snow forecast prompted Great Smoky Mountains National Park to close multiple roads, including the US441/Newfound Gap Road, which serves as the main road traversing the park from Tennessee to North Carolina.

Temperatures will rebound Wednesday and beyond, with drier weather expected the rest of the week, forecasters say.

As chilly days return to North Carolina, the first reaction may be to nudge the thermostat a little higher. But that cozy boost comes with a price.

estimates that heating can eat up as much as half of a home’s energy use, and with fall settling in, that can mean steeper bills ahead.

To keep both your home and your budget comfortable, consider these energy-saving tips.

What is the best thermostat setting to cut costs during fall?

Turning your thermostat down just 7 to 10 degrees from your usual setting can actually save you up to 10% a year on heating costs, according to the .

“The smaller the difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall cooling bill will be,” the department says. “You can easily save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to around 68°F to 70°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home.”

Does it cost more money to set back your thermostat?

You might’ve heard that lowering your thermostat means your furnace will have to crank overtime to warm things back up, but experts say that’s not how it works.

“During winter, the lower the interior temperature, the slower the heat loss. So the longer your house remains at the lower temperature, the more energy you save, because your house has lost less energy than it would have at the higher temperature,” the Department of Energy says.

How can you save money during fall?

There are several other ways to save energy and cut costs during the winter, according to :

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —

As the federal government shutdown carries on, flights continue to face delays and cancellations amid staffing shortages.

These impacts are being felt here in North Carolina. On Saturday, a ground stop was issued at several airports, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport. This caused record delays with reports of more than 400 flights impacted.

Impacts were still being felt Sunday.

Iven King, a D.J. from Charlotte, took a trip up to Washington, D.C., over the weekend for work. He was on his way to the airport saturday, when his flight was hit with a 30 minute delay initially, which then became an hour and a half delay.

"We get to TSA and get a notification while we're eating," King said. "Now we're close to two and a half hours. Then it went back back to hour and a half, and then a few minutes later, we're at a three hour delay."

Luckily, his return trip wasn’t that bad. It’s a similar story for Florence Omoregie, who was waiting to get on her flight back home to new jersey.

"I got an email around 9 a.m. this morning, saying that there was a one hour delay," she said. "I did speak to other people who had, you know, worst experiences. Their flights were three, four hours delays."

Still, some people were lucky. Dr. Anthony Bleyer of Wake Forest School of Medicine and his daughter say their flight was unaffected.

"I was really worried," he said. "Because I saw on the news that Houston International Airport, the lines were tremendous, and that there were problems in Charlotte. So we got to the airport early, and to our surprise, it was very smooth, no lines at all."

With thanksgiving now two and a half weeks away, air travelers everywhere are hoping things return to normal as soon as possible.

On Sunday, more than 1,000 flights have been canceled so far, according to FlightAware.

Here's a look at flight cancellations and delays at North Carolina airports as of 6 p.m., according to FlightAware:

Delays: 319

Cancellations: 97

Delays: 149

Cancellations: 43

Delays: 22

Cancellations: 22

These flight concerns come as the busy holiday travel period approaches, with Thanksgiving less than three weeks away.

LEO Impact Capital, JBG SMITH’s workforce housing investment management platform, has acquired Sharon Crossing, a 144-unit, garden-style community in Charlotte, N.C., for $20.7 million. LEO partnered with the nonprofit Lotus Campaign for the acquisition.

This is JBG Smith’s first property outside the Washington, D.C. area, and is the inaugural purchase of the $150 million LEO Impact Housing Fund, intended to preserve long-term affordability for middle-income residents. The fund specializes in capitalizing workforce housing in neighborhoods that don’t qualify for federal subsidies. The communities are geared towards renters with everyday jobs such as teachers, firefighters and nurses who are unable to purchase homes . The investment vehicle is still raising money for acquisitions in areas such as Raleigh, Atlanta and Nashville and Washington, D.C.

According to Yardi Matrix data, the previous owner, Ginkgo Residential, purchased Sharon Crossing in 2018 for $14.6 million. Moving forward, Ginkgo will continue to provide on-site property management services. The property also has a $10.8 million CMBS loan from Prudential Financial set to mature in December, the same source shows.

Originally constructed in 1984, Sharon Crossing includes 20 buildings with one- and two-bedroom layouts. Each apartment features full kitchens and walk-in closets, and select units have fireplaces and balconies. With the partnership between LEO Impact Capital and Lotus, 30 units will be reserved for Lotus clients through its Landlord Participation Program. Shared amenities at the property include a swimming pool, pickleball court, playground and dog park. Sharon Crossing is 97.9 percent occupied with an average rent of $1,292, Yardi Matrix shows.

Located at 2123 El Verano Circle in Charlotte, N.C., the community is about 9 miles away from downtown Charlotte and 15 miles away from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

LEO Impact Capital growing investments

With the acquisition of Sharon Crossing, LEO now has 11 properties in its portfolio, spanning 3,200 units across Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Washington D.C. While this was the first purchase with the LEO Impact Housing Fund, the company made an equity investment at the 118-unit Haven Columbia Pike in Arlington, Va. back in August. The investment was made through Impact Pool, another workforce housing investment vehicle.

JBG SMITH is also expanding in the D.C. area. In July, the company received approval for its third adaptive reuse project to transform two office buildings in the National Landing area into a mixed-use development that will include a 195-unit apartment building. The project will bring 195 units to market, and is expected to break ground by the end of the year.