Access to town's public email system temporarily closed
The Town's "public mail access" system is down and not accessible to computer users for a period of time. The public mail is an internal communications system for town officials that is open to citizens.
The women of NorthCross Church invite you to come and sew with them 6:30 p.m. Thurs., Aug. 5. They are making dresses for young girls in Haiti to be shipped by Hancock Fabrics to Double Harvest, a ministry in Croix des Bouquets. Anyone is invited to help by bringing sewing machines, cotton fabric, simple children’s dress patterns, notions, trims and buttons. Please RSVP to Lynn Whitehill. NorthCross church is located at 11020 Bailey Rd. Ste. H, Cornelius.
July 17: Hunter Construction and Rea Paving will begin working on the asphalt paving and road widening associated with Robbins Park along West Catawba Ave this weekend. The widening will encompass the area between Kings Point Drive and Bluff Point. The road will be one lane with flagmen directing traffic. Crews will be working during the day Saturday and Sunday. They will also begin doing night work next week. This project is expected to take 60-90 days to complete and will require numerous times of traffic control in order to install the curb and gutter, and roughly 700 tons of asphalt. Crews have been instructed to attempt to minimize back ups and allow quick responses for emergency traffic.
New farmer's market
A farmer's market will be held 5-8 p.m. every Friday through October at the gazebo in Jetton Village. There will be produce stands, baked goods with jams and honey, jewelry, herbs and plants, flower bouquets, organic beef, cheeses and seafood.
The Cornelius Youth Orchestras (CYO) are holding three informational open houses and auditions this summer. Open houses will be held 6:30-8 p.m. July 20, July 27 and Aug. 10 at Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 W. Catawba Ave. Reservations are requested; please contact Nanette Haraden 704-576-7270.
Davidson alumni, parents and friends have demonstrated their belief in the importance of the college and its mission through record contributions to the college’s Annual Fund.
In closing the books recently on the 2009-10 fiscal year, Davidson fundraisers announced Annual Fund contributions of $10.776 million. Despite the gloomy national economy, that substantially surpassed the goal of $9.25 million, and set a new record for total gifts to the Annual Fund.
Moreover, a record 10,055 of Davidson’s 16,497 active alumni were donors, giving Davidson a 61 percent participation rate — the highest of any college or university in the nation this year. It also marks the eighth year in a row of contributions by 60 or more percent of alumni.
Austin Felker was recently recognized as a member of the Sigma Alpha Lambda National Leadership and Honors Organization at UNC Chapel Hill. Felker will begin his sophomore year at UNC Chapel Hill in August.He is the son of Eric and Sandra Felker of Cornelius.
Sleep, like exercise and nutrition, is essential for good health and general well being. We always intend to get the job done, but more often than not, we just can’t get a good night’s sleep.
Oh, we use excuses like “now that I’m older, I don’t need as much sleep.” Or:
“I snore a lot but I don’t think that’s a problem.”
“I’ll catch up on my lost sleep by sleeping longer tomorrow.”
“My obesity, hypertension, diabetes and depression have nothing to do with my poor sleep quality.”
“I sleep during the day so it’s OK that I don’t sleep well at night.”
What does the month of February bring to your mind? February reminds me that the Bradford Pears will be in bloom in four or five just four or five weeks. Mostly, February is the month of hearts in bloom, Valentine's Day and National Heart Month.
Because there is no heart disease in my family, I never gave cholesterol much thought. All my years of teaching fitness classes at the YMCA kept me healthy and active and kept my cholesterol below 200. Now that I have a less active job, my numbers have been climbing to the point where it is time to do something about it; heart disease is the No. 1 killer of American women. In my case, a change in lifestyle and aging were two risk factors, one over which I had no control and the other I knew would take some focus and planning. The first thing I did was visit a nutritionist; the second was to find time in my schedule to start moving.
But what is cholesterol and why can it be so dangerous if it is not controlled? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is found in all cells of the body. Cholesterol is found in some of the foods you eat. Your body uses cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D and substances that help you digest foods.
Too much cholesterol in the blood, or high blood cholesterol, means people have a greater chance of getting heart disease. Since high blood cholesterol on its own does not cause symptoms, many people are unaware their cholesterol level is too high, thus the importance of getting it checked by your doctor.
A variety of things can affect the cholesterol levels in your blood, some of which you can control and others you cannot.
You can control:
• What you eat: If you stick to fruits, vegetables, and heart healthy grains you'll be doing a lot for your heart.
• Your weight: Being overweight can cause havoc with your LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels, raising your total cholesterol to an unhealthy level.
• Your activity: Regular exercise can help you lose weight, lower your LDL level and raise your HDL level.
You cannot control:
• Heredity. High blood cholesterol can run in families.
• Age and sex. As women and men get older, their LDL cholesterol levels rise and after age 55, women have higher levels than men.
There is a lot of education about cholesterol from which to learn, whether it is from your doctor, pharmacist, and books or on-line at www.americanheart.org. I believe lifestyle changes can be made by all of us and may be the key to a healthy heart. I made diet changes, including using more whole grains, foods high in protein and drinking a lot of water. Adding that daily walk helped and by the next time my doctor checked my cholesterol it had taken a nose dive of 60 points. I have now added fish oil to the mix and hope to get that pesky number down less than 200.
Joanne Ahern is director of North Mecklenburg Senior Center. You can reach her at 704-892-4041.
The third annual Hawaiian Luau will be Wednesday Aug. 18 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Mecklenburg Senior Center, 18731 West Catawba Ave. The Luau, which will include food, games, entertainment, a bake sale and a silent auction, is open to everyone in the community. Proceeds from the event will benefit all older adults in the Lake Norman community in the form of creating new programs, lectures, exercise classes and social events. Admission is $10 in advance and $15 on the day of the event.
Kiwanis golf outing has sponsorships opportunities
The Lake Norman Kiwanis annual golf tournament is Aug. 30 at Cowans Ford Country Club. Sponsorships are available, including the gold level, which includes two free golfers and on-course signage, as well as recognition in advertising. The price is $600. Silver level includes one free golfer for $300. Individuals are $95. Net proceeds will benefit local community causes such as the Ada Jenkins Center and Barium Springs Home for Children. More info: Brenda Carsey, 704-942-5020 or brendacarsey@kw.com