Huntersville, NC - To celebrate its 15th anniversary as the Carolinas’ biggest kingdom of outdoor entertainment, the Carolina Renaissance Festival has planned two months of non-stop entertainment, feasting and games, Saturdays & Sundays, October 4th through November 16th.

At the Carolina Renaissance Festival, the entire 22-acre kingdom forms the set for comic adventures, in which you can be both audience and part of the fun. With a cast of over 500 costumed characters, the festival is like a Monty Python movie come to life.

Festival fans can leave their cares behind and enjoy the pleasures of a simpler time in a storybook town where you can choose from continuous music, dance and comedy shows, shop for wonderful arts and crafts; plus games, rides and a feast of exotic food and drink.
 

Improved Infrastructure that is Critical for Economic Growth in Cabarrus County is Provided as Part of the FY 2009 Continuing Resolution

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Robin Hayes (NC-8) today announced that he has secured $468,000 to fund the Kingston Drive Culvert Replacement project in Kannapolis.  This new funding will be provided as part of the FY 2009 Continuing Resolution, which overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House of Representatives today.  This legislation will now be sent to the Senate for consideration, and then to the President’s desk for a signature.
 

This is National Manufacturing Week in Chicago, and that city will host more than 2,000 suppliers of every imaginable product and service. David Swenson, Charlotte Regional Partnership vice president of economic development services, will lead a delegation to this massive nine-in-one show that includes Plastics USA/Plastec Midwest and Design Engineering. Representatives from Duke Energy and Cabarrus, Gaston, Lincoln and Mecklenburg counties will join Dave over three days to cover 400,000 square feet that will feature products and services for everything from plant engineering and maintenance to medical design and manufacturing. In addition to working the show, our regional contingent has appointments to visit site selection consultants, trade officials and company executives. Show visitors not only will learn about showcased products, they’ll find out how locating in the Charlotte region could give them a competitive advantage.

CHARLOTTE - Sept. 19, 2008 - Margaret Morgan was selected Friday night as the 2008 recipient of the highest teaching honor bestowed by UNC Charlotte - the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence. Morgan, an associate professor of English, was chosen from a prestigious list of finalists for the honor, which was first awarded in 1968.

Pursuant to NC G.S. 143-215.1C, the City of Kannapolis hereby gives notice of an untreated wastewater spill to surface waters, which occurred on September 10, 2008.

The spill occurred due to torrential rain and water infiltration to the sewer system, resulting in a manhole overflowing within the Irish Buffalo Creek Basin.

It is estimated that the spill amount could have been as much as 11,250 gallons.  All repairs have been completed and no evidence of significant environmental damage has been identified.  Inspection and testing is continuing until a finding of no significant impact to surface water is confirmed. 

UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton will present his quarterly forecast for the North Carolina economy at a luncheon and press conference Tuesday, Sept. 16, at UNC Charlotte Uptown. Connaughton's presentation begins at noon.

Recent rain events have led to increased stream flows in the area. As a result, water use restrictions for customers of Concord, Kannapolis, Harrisburg, Landis and Mount Pleasant are amended effective 12:00 a.m.

Saturday, September 13, 2008.  These restrictions apply to the use of water sold by these municipalities.

UNC Charlotte Recruits Large Number of New Endowed Faculty Positions
Expertise Ranges from Business to Nursing to Cancer Research

CHARLOTTE – Sept. 9, 2008 – While it is customary for a large university like UNC Charlotte to recruit talented faculty members each year, administrators are energized by the quantity and quality of appointments to endowed positions for the 2008-09 school year.

“This is the largest number of endowed positions we have filled in a single year in the history of this institution,” Provost Joan Lorden said in her recent Convocation speech to faculty and staff.  “I believe this demonstrates the kind of confidence donors have in UNC Charlotte.”

The influx of new talent, which will augment an already solid faculty, portends a dynamic future for the University, she said. Some of the endowed positions are new and some are existing ones that are being filled. Their expertise runs the gamut from business to nursing to cancer research.

The highly anticipated zMAX Dragway @ Concord has its inaugural run this week. Kyle Busch and Tony Schumacher will face off Tuesday in preparation for the NHRA Nationals September 11-14. Four-day tickets, which includes a pit pass, area available through Ticketmaster or by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS. We welcome what promises to be a fan favorite that will draw thousands of visitors from across the country.

Due to the uncertainty of the weather with potential for rain, the celebration of the much-anticipated opening of the Rogers Lake Road extension to the Kannapolis Parkway tomorrow (Saturday, 9/6) has been cancelled.

The road will be open for regular traffic on Monday, September 8.

Announcements that were to be made by Kellswater developers and Merrifield Partners will be announced at a later date.

Residential neighborhoods and other suburban and urban areas now are able to apply for funds to fix soil erosion problems and improve storm-water runoff. In the past cost share allocations were available only to farms. Now, rural, suburban and urban areas are eligible for financial and technical assistance through the state’s annual cost share allocation for reducing ground water and surface water pollution associated with storm-water runoff.

New Kannapolis East-West Connector ‘Starts Off on the Right Foot’ with Kellswater Mile Fun Run

The much-anticipated extension of Rogers Lake Road to the Kannapolis Parkway opens to the public Saturday, September 6, 2008 with a special event that includes a one-mile fun run, complementary refreshments and entertainment. The event is sponsored by Kellswater developers, in partnership with the Cannon Memorial YMCA.  The event begins at 10:00 am with remarks from Kannapolis Mayor Bob Misenheimer, Cabarrus Regional Partnership CEO John Cox, and Jim Merrifield, Managing Partner of Merrifield Partners.

Cabarrus County rescinded its state of emergency at 3 p.m. today as imminent danger from damages by Tropical Storm Fay has passed. However, Cabarrus County Emergency Management personnel are keeping a watchful eye on Tropical Storm Hanna which may bring an additional six inches of rainfall to Cabarrus County near the second week in September.