The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has set a public hearing to discuss a new way to fund fire protection services throughout the unincorporated areas of the region. The hearing is scheduled for April 3 at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 East 4th Street, at 6:30 p.m. Currently 15 volunteer fire departments provide fire protection services outside Charlotte’s corporate limits, funded by a mix of County contract payments, citizen contributions, and in the case of volunteer fire departments that provide fire protection within the towns, contributions by those local governments. As urban growth in the County continues and volunteer

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On Wednesday, March 21, high school students across CMS will attend the inaugural Engage Summit, an empowerment initiative that brings the students and community together to promote positive climates in schools and the community. The summit, which coincides with National Youth Violence Prevention Week, March 19-23, will take place at the UNC Charlotte Center City Building (320 E. 9th Street, Charlotte) from 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Engage is part of the Make it Better campaign, which informs, educates and empowers students, parents, teachers and the community, in an effort to eliminate incidents related to school violence. At the summit,

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Turkeys and hams are needed to feed the homeless community for Easter Sunday Dinner Drop off turkeys and ham at the Charlotte Rescue Mission – 907 West 1st Street. (Diagonally opposite the Carolina Panthers practice fields). Enter through the glass doors at the 2nd building on the left. The Charlotte Rescue mission provides a free 90-day Christian residential program for men and women who are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol and are predominately homeless. Charlotte Rescue Mission main phone number: 704.333.HOPE

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Finnish manufacturer Vahterus Oy has opened its first U.S. office on Siskey Parkway in Matthews. Known as the inventor of plate-and-shell heat exchanger technology, Vahterus remains the global leader in its field and has installed over 32,000 heat exchangers around the world since its inception in 1990. North America accounts for 15 percent of Vahertus’ installations to date. The new U.S. subsidiary will focus on sales and technical service but also expects within three years to set up manufacturing operations in order to serve the Americas more efficiently. Vahterus Americas currently employs two and plans to add two positions by

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Caroline Calouche & Co. will perform a unique, contemporary dance concert at the Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance in uptown Charlotte on Friday, March 23 at 8pm & Saturday, March 24 at 3pm & 8pm. This innovative type of dance combines bungee, aerial silk hammocks, aerial cube and an invented apparatus to lift the dancers and the patrons to a level of art not often seen. Spring Forward is a repertory concert featuring the world premiere of “Free to Live” which is partially funded by the ASC’s power2give program. This new aerial and contemporary dance work by

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It’s a good idea to check the installation of child car seats periodically, as things like the weather, vehicle seat compression, and the motion from your vehicle moving can cause the seat installation to loosen. For installation help,come visit BRITAX USA headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina! A certified Child Passenger Safety Technician will teach you the correct way to install your seat, provide safety recommendations, and answer any questions you may have. This FREE event is scheduled to take place on Friday, March 16th, from 8:00 – 11:30 am. No appointment is necessary and child car seats from every manufacturer

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Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) invites you to attend Sensoria, a week-long celebration of the arts that will heighten your senses as it brings the best in literature, music, visual arts, history, culture (and food!) to the College. The 2012 event calendar includes appearances by distinguished poet Russell Goings, whose private collection of works by his friend Romare Bearden (artwork shown in image) will be part of a Sensoria exhibit on the Central Campus. Bearden’s life and work are the inspiration behind a collaboration between CPCC Dance and the North Carolina Dance Theatre presentation that will include workshops in conjunction

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Charlotte – Before the banks, Charlotte had textiles. And companies couldn’t move textiles without rail.  April marks the 100th anniversary of The Piedmont & Northern Railroad. Cousin to the streetcar, this electric, interurban railroad connected Charlotte with textile towns in North Carolina and the South Carolina upcountry. The P&N, which began as a project of James Buchanan Duke and the company now known as Duke Energy, was essential for developing business and bringing wealth to the region. Today, plans are afoot to revive part of the line running west from Panthers Stadium with the much-loved vintage Charlotte Trolley.  Learn more

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Do you know a nonprofit that could make great things happen with a new car? Applications are now open for Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good, a major national philanthropy program in which the automaker is giving away 100 cars to 100 nonprofits over the course of 100 days. Winners will be selected each day through public voting on Facebook. Last year, Charlotte-area had a great showing: Cindy’s Hope Chest nonprofit received a new Highlander Hybrid SUV to help transport local women battling breast cancer to treatments and doctor’s appointments. Toyota encourages Charlotte residents to build on last year’s success and

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The Institute for Entrepreneurship at Central Piedmont Community College announces two free seminars for the week of April 2: Tuesday, April 3 (6:30 – 8:30 p.m.) at Matthews, N.C. Business Plan BasicsSBX-7805-503 Turn your business ideas into a solid plan for financing and long-term success. Attending this seminar will only be the start of a process that will help commit your great ideas to paper. It will provide you with agood general overview and basic understanding of the components of a typical business plan, how marketing, operations and finance are inter-related and more. Wednesday, April 4 (6:30 – 8:30 p.m.)

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