Award-winning Charlotte author Amy Clipston returns to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, with a gripping new story about hope, faith and family with the first young adult novel in her ECPA and Christian Book Distributors bestselling Kauffman Amish Bakery series. In RECKLESS HEART (ZONDERVAN; April 2012; $9.99), Lydia Bontrager seems to have the perfect Amish existence—a loving family, a boy in whom she’s interested, loyal friends and a promising position as a teaching assistant that may soon lead to a full-time career. But following a night out with a group of “bad boys,” she finds herself carrying the burden of a shameful

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About 500 music scholars from around the world will attend the March 15-18 annual conference of the Society for American Music (SAM) in Charlotte and Davidson, which is being hosted by Davidson College. SAM is a scholarly organization dedicated to the study of U.S. music. Davidson College Professor of Music Neil Lerner serves as secretary of SAM, and, as the chair of the local arrangements committee, helped organize this year’s conference. More than 120 papers on U.S. music will be read at the conference. It will also feature a Friday morning panel of eminent African-American composers and a Friday evening

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Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation District will have its 41st Annual Tree Seedling Sale Saturday, March 3, from 9 a.m. until noon (or until seedlings are sold out) at the Hal Marshall County Services Center at 700 North Tryon St., Charlotte. A variety of seedlings will be available, including dogwood, green ash, loblolly pine, red maple, wax myrtle and more, ranging from $2 to $5 per seedling. Rain Barrels will also be available at $95 for a 60-gallon rain barrel, and $110 for an 80 gallon rain barrel. For more information about the sale, please contact Mecklenburg Soil and Water

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North Carolina’s often humid climate is not a favorite for allergy sufferers in any year. But even with recent cold snaps, the unusually mild winter the state is experiencing this year promises to make 2012 an allergy season to remember for all the wrong reasons. It turns out the stuffy noses, sneezing, coughing that many people have been mistaking for a cold are really allergy symptoms….arriving 4-6 weeks early. Trees and flowers are blooming earlier. In addition, dead plant material is decaying faster than usual (mold) which is adding to the problem. And because it has been a fairly dry

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Nearly 19,000 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students were assigned to magnet programs during the first student-assignment lottery. Families will begin receiving notification late this week. The letters inform parents of the school their child was placed in through the lottery process and how to ask for reassignment. Frequently asked questions: How many families participated in the lottery? CMS received more than 8,000 individual lottery applications through the online process and a total of 18,791 students were assigned to a magnet school. That includes students who were already assigned to magnet schools and automatically continue in those programs. Click here to see the

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A Mexican American War Militia Muster will be held at the James K. Polk site March 31. This program illustrates the life of a common citizen who has been called into service due the 1846 conflict with Mexico. From 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, visitors will see period costumed interpreters demonstrating military drills and practices, camp life, and even rifle firing. There will be living history vignettes featuring the roles that women would have played in supporting the military, such as spinning and weaving, soap making, and cooking. Other highlights of the free event will include a lecture entitled “Mexican

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The Echo Foundation announces the launch of echoING, the new young affiliates chapter of The Echo Foundation. Serving young professionals ages 25-35, the mission of echoING is to provide unique social, volunteer, and intellectual opportunities for members while working to build a stronger, more tolerant community in the greater Charlotte region. Members will support the work of The Echo Foundation by raising awareness and funds for all aspects of the Footsteps Global Initiative, a travel and leadership program for high school students. Unique networking events and service opportunities will also provide young professionals the opportunity to network with other globally-minded

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Brides booking weddings at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte have access to a dramatic new planning resource which turns event design into an exclusive and highly-personalized creative process. Planners of local Charlotte galas are invited to enliven their visions in the same new setting, which opens today and is called E.Y.I.or “Engage Your Imagination” Design Studio. Having transformed much of The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte’s sixth floor into a next generation in event stagecraft, E.Y.I. Design Studio lets brides and planners walk through a complete creative process, moving from room to room as each bride’s vision for a wedding and/or reception is visualized and

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Windstream has announced the launch of Merge, the company’s new high-speed Internet and streaming entertainment service. Merge allows consumers to customize their entertainment experience with high-speed access to their specific programming choices from the Internet directly to their television. “With the explosive growth of streaming content, the ‘information superhighway’ has become outdated,” said David Redmond, Windstream’s vice president of consumer marketing. “We created Merge to give our customers access to something better: what we call the ‘entertainment superhighway.’ From movies to first-run and classic television shows, gaming to social networking and more, our customers will use Merge to experience their

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Johnson C. Smith University will host its fourth annual Arch of Triumph Gala at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, at the Charlotte Convention Center Ballroom. The signature black-tie event of the university, the Arch of Triumph Gala honors distinguished JCSU alumni and notable philanthropic achievers. This year, the university will acknowledge those who have made a significant impact in the arena of foster care, a personal cause of Dr. Ronald L. Carter, president of JCSU and former foster parent of four youths. This year’s Arch of Triumph Gala Award recipients include: Mary and Carl Brown, executive directors of the

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