November 26, 2008 – As we officially enter the holiday season, food plays a key role in holiday festivities and gift giving. Lots of families will enjoy lovingly prepared homemade recipes – without stopping to realize that homemade does not necessarily mean fresh and local. How far did that turkey travel to get to your family’s table? Were the apples used in your homemade pie grown here in North Carolina, or shipped in from out of state?

A new movement is underway in North Carolina to make locating and buying locally produced foods easier for consumers and those in the food industry. The overall goal is to build a local food system in North Carolina that will supply the majority of local food needs, to provide more access to fresh foods and to increase the safety of our foods. The effort also can protect open space, decrease the use of fossil fuels and protect our environment by relying less on food shipped here from across the country.
 

CHARLOTTE – LASH, which is leading the development of the approximately 1,270-acre Epic community near Harrisburg, N.C., is passionate about providing learning opportunities for children. The firm and its employees are contributing books for children and young adults to various organizations in the area, including the Harrisburg Library and Nazareth Children’s Home in Rockwell.

“We are committed to building strong communities that support a family-oriented lifestyle,” says Frank DeSimone, principal of LASH. “We are pleased to play a role in offering additional resources to the children in Harrisburg and surrounding areas.”
 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) was recently recognized by Mecklenburg County’s Clean Air Works! for best use of available resources to help employees make better decisions that positively impact the environment.  Clean Air Works!, a government and business partnership in Charlotte under the guidance of the Regional Air Quality Board, awarded CHS as a Champion in the Large Employer Category.

CHS employees used alternative commuting options, reduced trips, and retooled operations and maintenance activities.  Dana Voss, Manager Employee Retention Programs, received the Project Leader Award for her efforts to build Commuter Connection, an on-line resource for ridesharing, public transit and other environmentally friendly programs and resources.
 

CHARLOTTE, N.C.  - Nov. 18, 2008 -  The UNC Charlotte Center for Real Estate celebrated the end of its fund raising campaign “Developing Talent, Building the Future” at the Duke Mansion Monday night. Campaign co-chairs Fred Klein, senior managing partner at Childress Klein Properties, and Todd Mansfield, chairman and CEO of Crosland LLC, announced that the campaign raised $4.4 million, surpassing its $4 million goal by 10 percent.

The campaign included funds for increasing scholarships and fellowship opportunities for students; expanding the real estate curriculum in the Belk College of Business; and creating programs for industry professionals.

Lead donors to the campaign who contributed at the $500,000 level were American Asset Corporation, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Bissell, Childress Klein Properties, Crosland LLC and the Wachovia Foundation. Other significant gifts included $250,000 from Batson-Cook Company and $100,000 each from Shelco, Inc., K&L Gates and Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP. A full list of donors is available at www.belkcollege.uncc.edu/real_estate/campaigndonors.html.
 

The University will celebrate International Education Week (IEW) Nov. 17-21. IEW is a joint initiative by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education “to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.”

According to Joel Gallegos, executive director for the Office of International Programs, IEW is an opportunity to highlight the range of initiatives that take place at UNC Charlotte and to engage the faculty, staff and students in discussions on important global issues. “UNC Charlotte has a strong tradition of international programming and achievement that extends throughout the year, and this week is a chance to acknowledge those efforts and emphasize the importance they play in creating a globally competitive University.”
 

Concord's  11th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held on November 21, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

The location is Market Street and Cabarrus Ave across from the Downtown Parking Deck.

Market Street will begin closing at approximately 1:00 p.m. from the intersections of Cabarrus and Market St. and Barbrick St. and Market St.
 

SALISBURY, N.C. — Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has received final approval to offer two associate-degree programs in biotechnology starting with its 2009 fall semester. RCCC has designed both programs to prepare students for many of the technical and research positions being created by the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis.

RCCC has gained approval from the North Carolina Community College System and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer an associate-degree program in biotechnology and an associated degree program in agricultural biotechnology. Both programs will open in August 2009 and take at least two years to complete.

 

The most any of us can wish for is to leave this world a better place for our having been in it. Soon the world will know how 12-year-old Hope Stout left this world a better place when she died of cancer in 2003. Her inspirational story is the subject of a feature-length film to be shot in the Charlotte region during December and January.
 
The cameras will start rolling at Bank of America Stadium during the Panther’s home game Dec. 8. Hundreds of local crew members will be hired, including some who will film Charlotte streetscapes for the movie’s holiday segments. Filming will be on hiatus over the holidays, then the more dramatic segments will be shot in mid-January when production resumes. Pre-production, which has begun, editing and finishing all will be done in Charlotte. Joanne Hock, co-founder of Charlotte-based Emulsion Arts, has written the original script. The cast, including some well-known stars, will be announced in a few weeks.
 

KANNAPOLIS, NC (OCTOBER 31, 2008) - The Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau projects this week’s World of Outlaws Finals events at The Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will generate $8 million in direct visitor spending in the Cabarrus County region. Ticket sales for the event reflect spectator attendance totaling 22,500 over four nights of racing that began Wednesday, October 29, and culminates with the final event on Saturday, November 1.

“The importance of these events cannot be overstated in terms of our region’s economy,” stated DeSales Wagster, President and CEO of the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We are fortunate to be able to host these events. The dollars they bring into our community are a boost to our local economy, particularly during this critical time.”