Apple Store at Northlake Mall closes permanently: Thursday, March 2

Apple announced that as of Wednesday, the Apple store at the Northlake Mall has permanently closed.

Employees from the location will be shifted to work at the Apple Store in the SouthPark area.

Apple states the move is "in preparation for a new store we plan to open in the Charlotte area early next year," though, it comes just one day after the third shooting happened at the Northlake Mall in the span of around two and a half months.

Apple did not previously announce this location would be closing before Wednesday. The company has not directly stated the shootings are the reason behind the move.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/apple-store-closing-at-northlake-mall-day-after-shootings-at-the-shopping-center-charlotte-north-carolina/275-15a1d0ee-f5af-4ce9-b417-ec21ecb4a1b6

The Charlotte Hornets will have to go the rest of the season without their highest-scoring player.

On Tuesday, the team announced that LaMelo Ball underwent surgery to address a fracture in his right ankle. Ball will miss the rest of the season after undergoing the successful surgery, according to the team.

Ball fractured his right ankle in the third quarter of Charlotte's win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. He has missed over 25 games this season due to injuries on his left ankle.

Despite his absent stints, Ball has been a top contributor for the Hornets this season. Ball leads the current roster in points per game (23.3), assists per game (8.4), and rebounds per game (6.4). Mason Plumlee had 9.7 rebounds per game, but he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in February.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/nba/hornets/lamelo-ball-to-miss-rest-of-the-season-due-to-ankle-injury-charlotte-hornets-nba-basketball-injury-update-terry-rozier/275-9e4c53cb-4834-43c5-9136-08eec830fe5c

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