Effective Date: May 15, 2025
Operated by Mercury Local
PO Box 18146, Charlotte, NC 28202
strollingballantyne.com
1. Welcome to Strolling Ballantyne
Thanks for stopping by. We are a privacy-first, people-powered local news site—part of the Mercury Local network—dedicated to the fine art of non-creepy journalism. These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of strollingballantyne.com and all associated newsletters, content, services, and marketing opportunities. If you use the site, you accept these terms. If you don’t agree, kindly close the tab and carry on.
2. Creative Commons License (CC BY-ND 4.0)
Unless otherwise noted, our original editorial content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-ND 4.0).
🟢 You may:
- Republish in full, without edits, with clear attribution and a link to the original.
- Share content far and wide—email it to your HOA, text it to your cousin, print it for your neighborhood fridge.
🔴 You may not:
- Modify, summarize, crop, remix, translate, or alter the content in any way.
- Use it for commercial purposes without prior written permission.
Attribution format:
“Originally published by Strolling Ballantyne, a Mercury Local publication. Used under CC BY-ND 4.0.”
🔒 Logos, branding, photographs, sponsored content, and materials not created by us are not included under this license. We reserve all other rights.
Licensing Media Content…
3. User Conduct
By using the site, you agree not to:
- Break any laws (local, state, federal, international, galactic).
- Scrape, hack, or copy content using bots or AI without permission.
- Upload anything false, malicious, offensive, or infringing.
- Pretend to be us, or anyone else.
- Use the site to sell magic beans or shady supplements.
4. Submissions and Community Participation
You keep ownership of anything you send us (photos, ideas, etc.), but by submitting it:
- You grant Mercury Local a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publish, modify, and share it on any platform.
- You guarantee it’s your work or that you have permission to share it.
We don’t allow public comment threads for now. If that changes, we’ll update this section.
5. Copyright & DMCA Agent
We comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you believe something here infringes your copyright, send us a takedown notice.
📨 Designated Agent for DMCA Notices:
Mercury Local – Legal Department
PO Box 18146
Charlotte, NC 28202
Email: hello@mercurylocal.com
We are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
6. Advertising and Partnerships
We partner with local businesses and nonprofits. Sponsored content is always labeled. We don’t do banner ads, tracking pixels, or programmatic placements.
See our Advertising Page for more.
7. External Links
We link to third-party websites for convenience. We’re not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites. We don’t endorse them, and they probably don’t endorse us.
8. Accessibility
We aim to meet or exceed digital accessibility standards. If you have trouble accessing any part of the site, please contact hello@mercurylocal.com
9. Privacy
We don’t use third-party cookies or trackers. Your data is not for sale. Ever. For details, see our full Privacy Policy.
10. Beta/Alpha Features
From time to time, we may test features labeled as “beta” or “alpha” (think new layouts, interactive maps, AI-generated blurbs, etc.). These are offered “as-is” with no warranties or guarantees of uptime, reliability, or accuracy. Use them at your own risk, and don’t expect them to stick around forever.
11. Children Under 13
We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from anyone under the age of 13. If you are under 13, please do not use the site or send any information to us. If we learn we’ve received information from a child, we’ll delete it. Contact us if you think that’s happened.
12. Disclaimers and Warranties
The site and all content are provided “as is” with no warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee accuracy, availability, or that your HOA president will behave responsibly after reading our coverage.
13. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent allowed by law, Mercury Local disclaims any liability for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of this site.
14. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Mercury Local and its affiliates from any claims, liabilities, damages, or expenses (including legal fees) resulting from your use of the site or violation of these Terms.
15. Force Majeure
We are not liable for any delay or failure caused by circumstances beyond our control—floods, fires, meteor strikes, power outages, rogue raccoons, etc.
16. Entire Agreement
These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Mercury Local regarding your use of the site and supersede any prior agreements or understandings.
17. No Waiver
If we don’t enforce part of these Terms, that doesn’t mean we waive our right to enforce it later.
18. Severability
If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest remain in effect.
19. Survivability
All provisions related to intellectual property, limitations of liability, indemnity, governing law, and dispute resolution will survive termination of this agreement.
20. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by North Carolina law. Any disputes will be resolved through binding arbitration in Mecklenburg County, NC. You waive the right to class-action suits.
21. Changes to These Terms
We may revise these Terms from time to time. We’ll update the Effective Date at the top. Continued use of the site means you accept the new Terms.
22. Contact Us
📬 Mercury Local
PO Box 18146
Charlotte, NC 28202
📧 hello @ mercurylocal.com
🧾 Contact Us Form
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Effective Date: May 15, 2025
Operated by Mercury Local
PO Box 18146, Charlotte, NC 28202
strollingballantyne.com