Early voting began Aug. 25 for those voting in the City of Charlotte Primary Election. The primary location for early voting is the first floor of the Hal Marshall Annex at 618 North College St. and additional locations are being added after Labor Day. Dates and times are as follows: Aug. 25 – Sept. 2 (Weekdays) 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Sept. 6 – Sept. 9 (Weekdays) 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM Sept.10 (Saturday) 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM In observance of Labor Day, there will be No Early Voting Monday, Sept. 5. Additional Locations: Beatties Ford Road Library 2412

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Fall is almost here, and there’s no better time for the residents of Mecklenburg County to go natural and learn to make rich fertilizer for spring gardening. In their ongoing effort to reduce waste, experts from Mecklenburg County Solid Waste Management have announced a series of workshops in composting and other methods of residential organic waste control. Anyone can compost almost anything organic – from vegetable peelings to yard waste. Instead of relegating all that organic matter to the garbage can, learn how to put it to good use. The workshops are held the following Saturdays from 10 a.m.-noon and

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America’s children are facing a major health crisis of obesity. The Centers for Disease Control reports 32% of American children are overweight. That number has doubled from the 1980s. What’s worse, 17% of the nation’s children and teens are considered obese. That number has tripled in the same time span. Our kids are locked in a vicious, unhealthy cycle that can create lifelong medical problems unless there’s a dramatic lifestyle change. “I am bringing PowerPlay™ to the Queen City because I believe it is critical to intervene at an early age to disrupt this dangerous cycle,” says Dr. Matt Neulander,

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During the 2011 Legislative Session the North Carolina General Assembly cut over $5 million from the state’s driver education allotment. Local school systems were given permission to charge each student enrolled in driver education a fee of up to $45.00 to make up for lost funds. Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System will charge a fee of $45.00 to students taking the classroom phase of driver education. The behind-the-wheel phase will still be free of charge to the student. The CMS driver education office is in the process of setting up a system by which the

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On September 11, the City of Charlotte will be joining with Mecklenburg County to host an event in remembrance of the attacks on September 11, 2001. The event, which pays tribute to those who lost their lives, will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 11, at Freedom Park (1900 East Boulevard) and is a part of the 9/11 National Moment of Remembrance. The 9/11 National Moment of Remembrance was established through the unanimous approval of a Senate resolution introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey and co-sponsored by all 100 United States Senators. “Ten years after the tragic

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Easter Seals UCP (United Cerebral Palsy) is holding its 12th annual Walk With Me event at Freedom Park on Saturday, October 8th. This annual fundraiser for the Charlotte area benefits critical programs and services for children and adults with disabilities and special needs. Registration opens at 9:00 a.m. and the 5K family-friendly walk starts at 10:00 a.m. followed by festival activities and food for all participants. Walk With Me is an event where individuals and families of all abilities can participate, including honorary ambassadors who have benefitted from Easter Seals UCP programs and services and offer inspiration to others. The

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Toyota is pleased to announce that Petey’s Promise, an organization in Concord, North Carolina that provides financially challenged pet owners with pet food and supplies, has been selected as a winner of Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program. 100 Cars for Good is a major new philanthropic initiative from the automaker that is awarding 100 cars to 100 U.S. nonprofits over the course of 100 days. Petey’s Promise will receive a new Toyota Tundra, which will be used to pick up pet food and supplies from local retailers. The organization was selected as one of 500 finalists from thousands of

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Warrior Dash is the ultimate event for thrill-seeking athletes and party-goers. On Saturday, Aug. 27 and Sunday, Aug. 28, fearless runners will head to 4431 Neck Road, Huntersville, to take on 11 intense obstacles over 3.08 miles of extreme terrain and celebrate with friends and family during an all day festival with live music, food and beer. Warrior Dash will have participants jumping through fire, crawling through mud pits, climbing over vehicles and working their way through nine additional grueling obstacles. The first wave of the race will begin at 10am, followed by waves of 500 racers taking off to

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus drivers will practice their routes for five days each morning and afternoon before the first day of school, Aug. 25. Around 950 school buses will conduct dry runs over the five-day period, starting Aug. 15. Drivers will practice driving their routes to become familiar with the street network and bus stop locations. Drivers will not be picking up students during the dry runs. As the buses will be on the roads from approximately 6 a.m. to noon, it is important that the motoring public plan for a little extra time in their morning commute next week. Beginning

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State ABC calculations made public Aug. 4 showed that academic growth declined from a year ago in CMS, but still outperformed the state average. CMS had 85.4 percent of schools making expected or high growth, compared to 94.1 a year ago; the state average dropped to 81.4 percent from 88 percent a year ago. Overall, the district had 82 schools making high growth, down from 108 a year ago. The number of schools making expected growth increased from 51 to 64 and the number of schools with growth less than expected was 25, up from 10 a year ago. The

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