Community Spirit

CMS honors local police, firefighters, and EMS with First Responders Night

Monday, August 6th, 2012, 3:48pm

CMS honors local police, firefighters, and EMS with First Responders Night

Tuesday night, Charlotte Motor Speedway is honoring local police, firefighter and EMS employees with First Responders Night at the Jack in the Box Summer Shootout Series.

All first responders will gain free admission with their employee IDs, plus there will be a “Guns n’ Hoses” school bus race.

In addition to the usual slate of Legend Car and Bandolero Racing, fans can watch as area first responders compete in the last school bus race of the year.

Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $7 for adults and Free for kids 13 and under.

Participating departments include: Harrisburg Fire Department, the Albemarle Police Department and Fire Department, Cabarrus County Emergency Medical Services, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the Charlotte Fire Department.

Visit www.charlottemotorspeedway.com for more info.

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Local schools win big in national Lots2Give video contest

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Monday, August 6th, 2012, 2:08pm

A national video contest is over, and 37 schools across the country will start the school year with a little extra cash. When Big Lots announced the winners of the 2012 Lots2Give video contest, two local schools were on that list of 37 winners.

C.A. Furr Elementary in Concord and Woodrow Wilson Elementary in Kannapolis will each receive a check for $2,000. There will be a ceremonial in-store check presentation for each school on Saturday at 10am. The presentation for C.A. Furr Elementary will be held at the Big Lots store on Highway 29 South in Concord and the presentation for Woodrow Wilson will be held at the Big Lots on South Cannon Boulevard in Kannapolis.

A total of 179 schools competed for a piece of the $120,000 cash prize. This was the fifth annual Lots2Give video contest.

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Community Blood Center of the Carolinas launches Pints for Pencils Program

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Monday, August 6th, 2012, 10:41am

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas is supporting regional public schools through its Second Annual 'Pints for Pencils' campaign. For each blood donation in August and September, CBCC will donate $1 for school supplies to the public school systems in the 16 North Carolina and three South Carolina counties they serve.

Martin Grable, president and CEO of CBCC explains why the Pints for Pencils Program is important, "As blood is to patients, so are pencils to students. This is why we are committed to building and strengthening community through various collaborations throughout the region".

For more information on hosting a blood drive or donating blood in your area, click here.

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Annual Pride Charlotte Festival expands this year

Submitted by Jessica Sells, Web Producer

Monday, August 6th, 2012, 10:16am

Pride Charlotte comes back to Uptown later this month. This year, the festival is expanding to two days of wall-to-wall entertainment and community engagement.

The Festival is a project of the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte, and is known as the largest of its kind in the Carolinas. Pride Charlotte is a culmination of more than a week's worth of events designed to highlight the social, cultural, ethnic, artistic and political diversity of the area's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.

Pride Charlotte is scheduled to kicked off at noon on Saturday, August 25 on South Tryon Street between 4th and Stonewall. It will run until 10pm on Saturday, then run from noon until 6pm on Sunday, August 26. "Pride Week" runs Agust 17-27.

The theme for 2012 is "Out of Many, One". Pride Charlotte says the theme was chosen to honor one of the nation's and North Carolina's greatest principles - that we are made stronger when we are united in diversity.

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SHAKESPEARE CAROLINA AT WINTHROP TO STAGE A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Submitted by WBTV Web Staff

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012, 4:28pm

SHAKESPEARE CAROLINA AT WINTHROP TO STAGE A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Shakespeare Carolina will close its summer season at Winthrop with one of William Shakespeare’s most popular comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Director David Wohl, dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, said the play is fascinating on several levels.

“It has three very distinct groups of characters, none of whom really belong together. You’ve got these classic Athenian characters from Greek mythology – Theseus and Hippolyta – interacting with 17th century English working-class characters with names like ‘Flute,’ “Snug,’ and ‘Peter Quince.’” he said. “The third group consists of forest fairies – sprites and elves! Shakespeare throws them all together and creates situations and conflicts which are universally recognized.

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Volunteer opportunities available with the LGBT Community Center

Submitted by Jessica Sells, Web Producer

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012, 1:32pm

Volunteer opportunities available with the LGBT Community Center

The LGBT Community Center has several events coming up this summer, and you can help by volunteering your time.

General volunteers are needed for the Second Annual Trans Faith in Color Conference. The three-day conference runs August 17-19 at the University Place Hilton Hotel.

Preparations are underway for this year’s Pride Charlotte. Special volunteers are needed to ensure there is minimal disruption from protesters or anti-LGBT groups. The volunteers are called Partners in Peace. They are specially training to handle situations that could arise during the festival August 25-26. If you are interested in being a Partner in Peace for the 2012 Pride Charlotte, orientations are being held every Wednesday and Friday evening in July from 6-8 p.m. at The Center. The orientation takes about 30 minutes.

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York County Sheriff’s Deputies bring home awards from national competition

Submitted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 1st, 3:51 pm

YORK COUNTY, SC – Two York County Sheriff’s deputies bring home top honors from the National Rifle Association Tactical Police Competition in Fairfax, Virginia.

On July 21, 2012 Sgt. Heath Clevenger and Sgt. Buddy Brown attended the NRA Tactical Police Competition in Fairfax Virginia where out of 16 teams Clevenger and Brown finished in third place over all. Also out of 61 individuals in the County Law Enforcement Tactical Division, Sgt. Clevenger won 1st place.

For their accomplishments Clevenger and Brown were presented with plaques and Clevenger also was awarded with a Springfield XD Firearm.

Clevenger and Brown won over officers from across United States, which include those with the FBI and US Secret Service