Northwest School of the Arts (NWSA), an arts magnet in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, will begin a drive April 1 to collect gently used or new musical instruments for students at the school who cannot afford them. The school’s instrument drive, called “Recycle the Gift of Music,” will end May 5. At present, students must rent or buy instruments from area music stores in order to participate in the band or orchestra. There are students at the school who want to participate, but cannot because their parents can’t afford instruments and the school does not have an extra supply. The school needs

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Opera Carolina and Community School of the Arts announce a unique educational opportunity for young singing actors in the Charlotte region. This summer, they will host a week-long, music-drama workshop featuring hands-on instruction, coaching and training by professional artists highlighted by three special Master Classes conducted by internationally recognized opera stars. Opera Carolina Academy – 2010 Music-Drama Summer Workshop – to be held at Spirit Square, June 21-25 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. – is open to students who have completed grades 6-8 or grades 9-12. The next auditions for the workshop are on Sat., May 8 from 10

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Randolph OB/GYN, one of Charlotte’s most experienced obstetrics and gynecology practices, has opened a new third location in the EpiCentre in uptown Charlotte. They will share space with First Charlotte Physicians on the second level (Suite D-230) of the EpiCentre complex, built on the site of the former Charlotte Civic Center. The location is at the southeast corner of the complex, at the intersection of East Fourth Street and the College. “We are attracting an increasing number of patients who work and live uptown, and now are coming to our main office at 2711 Randolph Road,” said Dr. John McNamara,

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Because of a significant decrease in permits resulting in revenue that is 33 percent below projected levels for fiscal year 2010, Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement has notified its employees that 45 full-time positions will be eliminated, reducing the department’s staff from 175 to 130. The staff members who are affected by this reduction in force – including inspectors, plan reviewers and administrative personnel – were notified this week. Their last day of work will be May 4. These cuts reflect a long-term drop in construction in Mecklenburg County. In fiscal year 2007 (the 12-month period from July 2006 through June

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Mecklenburg County will have a new director of Internal Audit beginning next month. Joanne Prakapas has been hired by County Manager Harry L. Jones, Sr. for the position. She will begin work on April 7. She comes to Charlotte from Phoenix, Arizona, where she was chief internal auditor of the Arizona Department of Revenue. She previously served as senior internal auditor for the Automotive Club of Michigan in Dearborn, and auditor/analyst for the Arizona Office of the Auditor General, in Phoenix. Prakapas holds a Master of Science in Accounting and Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Eastern Michigan University.

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Mecklenburg County government offices and agencies will be closed on Friday, April 2, for Good Friday and open on a normal schedule Monday, April 5. This includes all units of the Department of Social Services, the Tax Office, Elections Office, the Register of Deeds Office, and the Land Use and Environmental Services Department. The Department of Social Services will also be closed on Saturday, April 3. CharMeck 311 is available 24 hours a day, and seven days a week for assistance. Mecklenburg County Substance Abuse Center (Detox) is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Department of

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The 16th Anniversary Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America is challenging community members along the 2010 Ride route to take part in a grassroots awareness and fundraising effort. The funds raised through the Charity Ride Dream Team Challenge will support Victory Junction, a year-round camp for children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses and other children’s charities. Teams are encouraged to register at www.kylepettycharityride.com/dream_team. Led by NASCAR driver and racing analyst Kyle Petty, the Ride will depart Indian Wells, Calif., on May 1, and travel east, making overnight stops in North Las Vegas, Nev.; Richfield, Utah; Durango, Colo.; Amarillo,

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At a time when more than one-quarter of North Carolina’s major roads are deteriorated, nearly a third of the state’s bridges are in need of improvement and traffic congestion continues to choke major roads, North Carolina faces a $65 billion transportation funding shortfall through 2030. Unless the state is able to close the funding gap, it will be unable to complete numerous projects that would improve road and bridge conditions and safety, or widen key roadways to support long-term economic growth in the state. Driving on roads that are deteriorated, congested or lack some desirable safety features costs North Carolina

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The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte will join with families and businesses across the globe to celebrate international Earth Hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27. Founded by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is a global phenomenon during which millions of people extinguish their lights for one hour in support of a cleaner, safer, less energy-intensive future. A record 20 states, 65 cities and 11 counties in the United States are expected to dim their lights on March 27 for Earth Hour 2010. Designed and constructed to attain LEED® Gold certification, The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte will support Earth Hour by

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Central Piedmont Community College’s (CPCC) Center for Sustainability (CFS) recognizes that environmental sustainability contributes to the overall well-being of the surrounding community and that as Charlotte grows, it will become increasingly more important for each individual to do their part and choose green. That’s why the CFS will host a variety of FREE classes at this year’s Charlotte Clean and Green celebration, being held in conjunction with CPCC’s week-long celebration of the arts – Sensoria. The following classes will be held on Sensoria Saturday to teach local residents how to be more environmentally friendly, while reducing their carbon footprint and

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