The Shops at Founders Hall in uptown Charlotte is launching a gift card program to provide customers with more options and greater convenience. The cards are available for purchase at select retailers in Founders Hall and are redeemable at any of the participating shops. “We’re excited to launch our new gift card program and provide our customers with greater variety,” said Niki Allen, manager of The Shops at Founders Hall. “When you give someone a Founders Hall gift card, you are giving them the gift of choice.” Gift cards can be purchased and redeemed at the following retailers: * Aria

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The Mecklenburg County Tax Collector will mail tax bills to approximately 379,300 property owners and mortgage companies on August 25, 2010. Tax bills are mailed directly to the owner of the property as of Jan. 1, 2010 or the mortgage company that requested the bill for property owners with tax escrow accounts. Property owners who escrow their property taxes with a mortgage company will receive a property tax notification from the Tax Collector. These owners should review the notice carefully to ensure the bill was sent to the correct mortgage company. Real estate and personal property tax payments are due

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Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association member Joe Rempson received honorable mention and was awarded $2,500 through the National Association of Realtors®‘ (NAR) Good Neighbor Award. The award is given through NAR’s official REALTOR® Magazine. Rempson’s service to the Charlotte community is immeasurable, and his latest volunteer leadership for Realtors® Care Day put him in the national spotlight. Realtors® Care Day, a project of the association’s Housing Opportunity Foundation, has helped 64 families over the last two years. The project was Rempson’s vision back in 2008, and with the help of a core committee, Rempson was event chair in 2009 and served

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An exciting new partnership between local Cabarrus County school systems, the business community and local government will bring a comprehensive recycling program to local schools beginning this school year. The Cabarrus Sustainability Council, Cabarrus County Schools, Kannapolis City Schools, the cities of Concord and Kannapolis and Cabarrus County have all partnered to provide recycling services to local schools. The effort, which was organized by the Sustainability Council, will provide the resources for schools to recycle paper, aluminum, plastic and cardboard. Prior to the program, each school had a varying level of recycling activity. This program enhances and formalizes efforts that

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Bearish sentiment among investors about the outlook for the global economy and corporate earnings has eased, according to the BofA Merrill Lynch Survey of Fund Managers for August. The survey shows a net 5 percent of respondents predicting that the global economy will improve in the next year. This represents a modest turnaround from July when a net 12 percent of respondents predicted the world economy would deteriorate. While the percentage of respondents expecting below-trend growth and inflation remained unchanged at 73 percent in August, the survey shows recession fears easing. A net 78 percent of respondents think a double-dip

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Assurance Wireless, a cell phone service from Virgin Mobile that provides a free wireless phone and 200 free minutes of wireless voice service monthly to eligible customers, has announced a new alliance with the North Carolina Community Action Association. The partnership will help North Carolina’s more than 454,000 unemployed residents determine their eligibility and enroll in Assurance Wireless. “Our community has been affected severely by current economic conditions,” said Sharon Goodson, NCCAA executive director. “We look forward to working Assurance Wireless to help North Carolinians combat these tough times.” The North Carolina Community Action Association (NCCAA) is a nonprofit, non-partisan

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Alexandra McArthur, a 2009 Davidson College graduate now working in the college’s community service office, was crowned Ms. Wheelchair USA at a pageant in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Saturday night. She won the Ms. Wheelchair North Carolina title in April, and was among 28 state winners at the national event. For more information, visit http://davidsonnews.net/2010/08/15/ms-wheelchair-america-crown-goes-to-alex-m…

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Recent regional employment figures were a good news/bad news scenario, according to the Charlotte Regional Partnership. The regional unemployment rate went down marginally between May and June, falling from 11.7 percent to 11.6 percent, with nearly all counties’ rates declining from the beginning of 2010. However, the total labor force also decreased slightly from a year ago, which may indicate that discouraged workers are still dropping out of the workforce. The Carolinas Survey of Business Activity indicates July activity remained flat, a reflection of national trends. The Institute for Supply Management’s Report on Business reflects growth during July in the

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Care Ring, formerly Community Health Services, has announced Susan Furtney as its new executive director. The search committee, comprised of board members, employees and donors, selected Furtney after a three-month nationwide search. Furtney is currently the career development services director at Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, based in Charlotte. She has 20 years’ experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, including a family clinic, major hospital system and a health insurance company. “As health care issues remain at the forefront, Susan’s varied medical exposure, track record of innovation and strategic management skills will benefit Care Ring and its

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The City of Charlotte seeks input on a proposed ordinance regulating non-consensual towing from private lots. An input meeting will take place on Thursday, August 19 at 6:30pm at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center in Room 267 in order to collect comments and clarify any specific questions about the proposed ordinance. Parking is available in the Davidson Street parking deck. The purpose of this meeting is to collect input on the draft ordinance, especially from the towing industry, parking lot owners, apartment complex owners, residents who have been towed, and anyone else with an interest in the topic. Comments from this

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