Hopewell High School biology teacher Cynthia “Cindy” Rudolph recently earned her National Board Certification, but “it was no walk in the park,” she admitted. Although she completed the program in one year, her most trying obstacles evolved around self-evaluation. The process required Rudolph to take a video camera to class and tape her classroom interactions. She was often her own worst critic, but in the end her instruction improved, students were more engaged and her biology students have a greater understanding of science. “Sometimes as a teacher you can’t see the forest for the trees. [Evaluating] allows you to see

Read more

US Airways has made a donation of $10,000 to the Charlotte Rescue Mission (CRM) to help men and women struggling with homelessness and chemical addiction. This gift will be used to provide food, shelter, clothing and professional counseling for more than 500 men and women who come to CRM each year. “Hundreds of lives of desperate men and women will be changed in the coming year because of this generous gift from US Airways,” says EJ Underwood, director of development at CRM. “This is especially significant as CRM does not receive government or United Way funding.” “US Airways’ support of

Read more

Rising consumer interest in extended warranties for used cars, vans and trucks has prompted Warranty Direct (www.warrantydirect.com) of Charlotte to produce a free “Consumer’s Guide to Extended Vehicle Warranties and Service Contracts.” “With the economy like it is, more and more people are holding on to their cars longer and realizing that an extended warranty or service contract can be an economical way to protect their investments,” said Tara Williams, Executive Vice President of Warranty Direct’s Charlotte operations. “Once the manufacturer’s warranty expires, the burden is on the consumer to pay for any repairs, which can run into the thousands

Read more

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas (CBCC) is teaming up with The Helping Hands of Baxter Village to host a community blood drive in honor of two young residents who are undergoing treatment for cancer. The blood drive will take place on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 from 9:00AM-3:00PM at the Village Hall in Baxter Village in Fort Mill, S.C. Sign up to donate blood at www.ncdonor.com/donate and use sponsor code: “helpinghands.” For questions, contact Amanda Ballog at 704-972-4712 or at AB*****@**cc.us. The drive is in support of two Baxter Village girls – 13-year-old Justine Farinick Seibel and almost three-year-old

Read more

Mecklenburg County budget staff plan to hold an information session for nonprofits to learn how the Request for Proposal process works for Community Service Grants. The County is looking for nonprofit organizations that can provide services in the following areas: • Improve the high school graduation rate • Train and place unemployed workers • Prevent health risks and diseases • Promote financial self-sufficiency At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, staff will be on hand to explain the County’s RFP process. The information session is in Room 267 of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center, 600 East Fourth Street. The grant

Read more

Are you in the path of the Monroe Bypass? Attorneys at the law firm of Horack Talley in Charlotte have begun representing homeowners and other property owners who will lose their property to the state of North Carolina. Through condemnation and eminent domain, the state will be taking property for the new Monroe Connector/Bypass project, a 19.7 mile toll road. The road will stretch from US 74 and I-485 in Mecklenburg County between Matthews and Stallings to US 74 between the towns of Wingate and Marshville in Union County. “If the state takes your property, you’re entitled to compensation based

Read more

At approximately 1:00 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, CMPD’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team (VCAT) along with the Fayetteville Police Department apprehended and arrested Mark Anthony Cox, DOB: 11/05/1989 at 770 Hedgelawn Way in Cumberland County. Danielle Marie Watson’s vehicle was located at a nearby apartment complex. CMPD Homicide Detectives traveled to Fayetteville, NC to interview Mr. Cox before being transported to Intake in Mecklenburg County. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department would like to thank the Fayetteville Police Department for their assistance in the apprehension of Mr. Cox. Following was the course of the investigation: During the course of the investigation, it

Read more

The historic Hester Store near Greenville, S.C., has been purchased from the Palmetto Trust by an innovative Charlotte restoration company that plans to restore it and use it as their Upstate S.C. headquarters. A special renovation launch is scheduled for Jan. 18. Built in the late 1800’s, the Hester Store – a sort of roadside country store once typical throughout the South – is 20 minutes from downtown Greenville at the busy intersection of Thomas Mill Road and Hester Store Road in Pickens County. Vacant and in disrepair for many years, the old Hester & Sons Grocery store once served

Read more

To ensure efficient holiday collection, the City of Charlotte Solid Waste Services reminds residents of the following: · Garbage, recycling and bulky item collection services will be provided. All Curb It! collection services – except yard waste – will be provided according to the regular schedule. · Yard waste collection will resume on Monday, January 2. · Extra garbage will collected until December 30. Extra garbage outside the rollout cart must be bagged and placed beside (not on top) of the cart. · Christmas tree collection begins January 2. Residents can place natural Christmas trees curbside for yard waste collection

Read more

The Mint Museum is launching its first-ever Contemporary Architecture + Design (CAD) series with an event on January 5 at 7 p.m. that brings the architect who designed the new Mint Museum Uptown building and the artist who created the monumental five-story work on display in its atrium together to discuss “The Marriage of Art + Architecture.” The series continues throughout 2012 as part of a slate of innovative programming that will broaden the museum’s audience and reach deeper into the community than ever before. “We believe it is important to launch a new architecture and design series to serve

Read more