Student-athletes at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) are now able to register online to receive free sports screenings during Heart of a Champion Day on Saturday, June 5. The third annual event is a partnership between CMS and Levine Children’s Hospital, Carolinas Medical Center (CMC), Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute and OrthoCarolina. Rising 10th, 11th and 12th graders may complete the necessary forms, including a medical history, by visitingwww.heartofachampionday.org. Registration will close on May 31 or when enrollment reaches 2,000 students, whichever comes first. The screenings will take place at the Carolinas College of Health Sciences on CMC’s campus, 1200 Blythe Boulevard.

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BARNARDSVILLE, N.C. – NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES opens May 15, bringing a world-class canopy zip line tour to the mountains of western North Carolina. NAVITAT showcases the breathtaking natural beauty of a serene mountain cove, located just 20 minutes north of downtown Asheville, N.C. The canopy tour course is entirely tree-based and features 10 zip lines ranging from 120 to 1,100 feet in length — including one that sends guests soaring 200 feet above the forest floor. Our guests can expect an authentic canopy tour experience with spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, said Ken Stamps, Managing Partner of NAVITAT

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As more and more people regard their pets as family members, the decision to “put them to sleep” at the end of their lives or because of incurable illness becomes increasingly difficult. Now a Charlotte veterinarian, Dr. Julie Reck, has launched a new in-home pet euthanasia service called Home Farewell (www.homefarewell.com). To help people make the difficult decision to end their pet’s life, she has also published a new book, “Facing Farewell – How and When to Decide Euthanasia for Your Pet” (www.facingfarewell.com). She’ll be signing copies of her book and answering questions at the Pet Expo at Cabarrus Arena

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Have you seen the Coupon Mom, Stephanie Nelson, on the Today Show or Oprah or numerous other shows buying over $100 of groceries for less than $5 at checkout? CouponMom.com, her free website, continues to grow as shoppers learn to use web technology to save up to $6000 a year at the grocery store. CouponMom.com is the largest grocery savings website of its kind with over 2.4 million members, up from 200,000 in early 2008. Consumers are taking advantage of the recession coupon craze, as over $800 million more dollars were saved with coupons in 2009 than in 2008, according

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Yn Wine Café has announced its Emerging Artist Series schedule for the first four Sundays in May. The line-up for the Sunday, May 30 show will be announced at a later date. May 2—Andy Seets & Rene Russell Andy Seets Seets, a professional major recording label artist, was raised in Charlotte and continues to play locally. He has 15 years of music experience including being a musician, performer and teacher. Most recently, he was the guitarist for Black Market Radio and has performed all over the globe. He’s been signed to multiple recording labels and played sessions for Artista and

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On Thursday, social commerce leader LivingSocial.com launched its Deals program in Charlotte, making it one of the 18 cities to help people explore great things to do at even better prices. By signing up for LivingSocial’s free daily online service, people are saving an average of 50-70% at their favorite places, such as the hottest local restaurants, spas, sporting events, hotels, and other local attractions. The benefits of LivingSocial Deals are twofold – local merchants have the opportunity to connect with LivingSocial’s user base of more than 85 million, and customers are able to save on places they already attend

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Sun Valley High School Agricultural Teacher, Doug Latta, will be recognized as one of six top Ag Teachers in the country by receiving a 2-year lease of a 2010 Toyota Tundra Double Cab during the Regional FFA Competition awards ceremony on April 27th. At the event FFA Chapters will be rewarded for their efforts within their communities. Where: Union County Agricultural Center 3230 Presson Road Monroe, NC 28112-9162 When: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 The presentation is scheduled to start at 1pm. Who: Doug Latta, Sun Valley High School Agricultural Teacher and Award Recipient Chris Cady, Scott Clark’s Toyota General Manager

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Donald Haack Diamonds & Fine Gems (www.donaldhaack.com) added to the thrill of the race as a course partner and sponsor of the 15th annual Queen’s Cup Steeplechase, held April 24 to benefit Make-A-Wish. In addition to being a course partner, Donald Haack Diamonds & Fine Gems sponsored the annual Hat Contest and provided all the trophies for the races, the hat contest and the IAMS Terrier Races. Julie Haack, president of Donald Haack Diamonds & Fine Gems joined Wylie Fox of Sonitrol in presenting The Queen’s Cup trophy to Danielle Hodsdon, jockey of the winning horse NationBuilder in a special

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ROC Advisory Group, a full-service financial planning firm specializing in helping individuals and businesses build and protect their financial security, has opened an office in the Rotunda Building in SouthPark (4201 Congress Street, Suite 440, Charlotte, NC 28209). The company provides insurance, investing, retirement, estate planning, and wealth preservation assistance. ROC Advisory Group also offers free workshops to individuals wanting to learn how to better manage their money and save for retirement. These educational non-sales workshops are held every Tuesday from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. and every Thursday from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the ROC Advisory Group

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools celebrated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on Thursday, April 22, with a variety of activities held across the district. One of the activities included unveiling the district’s new recycling logo at Hawthorne High School. CMS students were invited to create a new recycling logo and slogan for the district’s recycling program. The district received 52 entries and eight judges from area businesses, the county and district helped select the winning artwork. The winning slogan was created by Harding University High School student Simone McDuffie and the logo was created by Hawthorne High School student Kyleigh Varvel. The

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