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Ballantyne Alive After Five Kicks Off With A Groove

Caroline Adams — Wed, 19 May 2010 03:29:34 +0000

Career Fair AT SPCC In Union County Expected To Draw Hundreds

ssherron — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:21:38 +0000

Union County, NC – The annual Union County Career Connections Fair is scheduled for April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at South Piedmont Community College’s Conference Center, 4209 Old Charlotte Highway.

Last year’s event drew 60 employers and 700 participants. The fair, which offers connections with career, educational and community resources, can be valuable for those seeking a job, for those looking to change careers and for students wishing to explore different possible careers. They will be able to attend professional workshops, learn about educational and training opportunities and meet with employers.

Professional dress is required and attendees are welcome to bring resumes. Because of expected large crowds, visitors are asked to prepare for long wait times.

The event is sponsored by SPCC, the Union County Department of Social Services, the Employment Security Commission, Union County Community Action, the Union County Public Library and Vocational Rehabilitation.

For information, call Linda Kappauf at 704-290-5215.

steve@monroescoop.com

2010 BallantyneScoop.com The Scoop Network

Movie Reviews By Bruce Kantor: Bounty Hunter | How To Train Dragons

ssherron — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:58:06 +0000

Bounty Hunter Movie Review

Stars Jennifer Anniston and real life boy friend Gerard Butler. Jennifer plays a reporter tracking down a hot lead. She inadvertently jumps bail for a traffic violation to chase the lead. The funny part is she bumped a police horse and was freed on $50,000 bond. It is hard to believe a judge is that strict but this is Hollywood. Jennifer Anniston plays the same character in most of her movies but we like that.

Gerard Butler’s character is her ex husband who was fired from the police force. He is a bounty hunter and is given the opportunity to bring in his ex wife. Along the way they work together eventually to solve the case. I felt the chemistry between the two characters.

Movie is very cute and predictable. If is good entertainment. Jennifer Anniston is her usually perky cute sexy self. This movie is okay for children. There are a number of sight gags and very little if anything to make a parent cringe.

I rate Bounty Hunter a 3.5 out of 5 as a comedy

How to Train Your Dragon Movie Review

This is an animated film from Dream Works. In a Viking village, there is a problem of fire breathing dragons everywhere. A young boy goes to school with other boys and girls to learn how to fight them. He discovers on his own a dragon with a broken tail stuck in a canyon. He and the dragon become friends and he helps mend his tail. The animation in the film, viewable in 2D or 3D is spectacular. I was in awe of the work that went into this. The waters look real, as does the fire and the hair and beards of the Vikings. I thought it would be too scary for the little guys but there were children in the theater as young as three and they were stunned. No one cried.

The story is good albeit predictable and simple however the visual effect make the film. As with a lot of good animated films, you forget after a while this is animation and your mind makes the characters real. I would recommend this for parent and of course their progeny. My grandson gave it a 10 on a scale of 1-5. If this is the future of animation, it is hard to imagine what come next.

I Rate How To Train Dragons a 4 out of 5 for an animated film for children and their parents.

bruce@kantorandassociates.com
Bruce Kantor owns Kantor & Associates in Matthews, NC.

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Rachel’s Boutique

ssherron — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:44:56 +0000

caroline@ballantynescoop.com

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Movie Reviews By Bruce Kantor

ssherron — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:07:50 +0000

Tooth Fairy

Dwayne Johnson, aka “The Rock” is past his prime minor league hockey player. His girlfriend played by Ashley Judd has a seven year old girl who lost a tooth. He starts to tell her that the tooth fairy is a myth and is stopped. The real tooth fairy contacts him and he is compelled to act as a tooth fairy (there are a lot of them) for two weeks. The head of the tooth fairies is played by Julie Andrews wearing white fairy wings. Billy Crystal does a cameo wearing a grey pony tail.

The story has a lot of action and like most of Johnson’s films, it ends on a positive note. This was not lost on my grandson Josh.
The movie was cute but not really for adults. Dwayne Johnson in tights and wings was funny for a couple of minutes but got old. My seven year old grandson Josh though the movie was great. It is highly recommended for children even if they still believe.

I rate the Tooth Fairy 4 out of 5 for a children’s film.

Valentine’s Day

Starring Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Jessica Beil, Kathy Bates, Topher Grace, Patrick Depsey, George Lopez, Queen Latifah, Taylor Swift, Shirley McLain and a few others non named. This is a story taking place on Valentine’s Day and is a mish mosh of different stories some of which inter mesh.

A man gets engaged to his girlfriend only to have her dump him and take off with his border collie. A beautiful teacher is dating a handsome surgeon. She does not know he is also married. An older married couple’s marriage is shaken when the wife admits an affair thirty years earlier. A couple of high school students decide to lose their virginity after school but the plans are interrupted by the girl’s mother. A woman soldier is flying fourteen hours each way to have a one day visit with her boy friend. A star athlete comes out of the closet.

This is a cute story aimed toward women. Gary Marshall directed the film and Bobaloo Mandel was one of the story writers. It would have been a better film with less weak stories and more meaty action on a few. It had a lot of cute one liners. The critics did not like it but the audience did. Go figure. I found it enjoyable.

I rate Valentine’s Day 3.5 of 5 for a romantic comedy.

bruce@kantorandassociates.com

Bruce Kantor owns Kantor & Associates in Matthews, NC.

2010 BallantyneScoop.com The Scoop Network

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Ballantyne Residents Meet To Discuss Rezoning Request For Affordable Housing | Video

Caroline Adams — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:29:42 +0000

********************Update********************

Republic Development Group has filed a new site plan reducing the Ballantyne Affordable Housing site to 86 units.

Click here to download and print the revised plan.

Ballantyne, NC – The rezoning issue in the news for the Ballantyne area has gained a lot of community attention. Many are saying that Ballantyne residents simply do not want low income in their backyard. That really does not tell the whole story. The Ballantyne Scoop has been present at many of the community and government meetings regarding this issue and this is what we have learned.

Residents of the Ballantyne area met Monday night to discuss the rezoning request for a piece of land situated at the corner of Johnston Road and Providence Road West. The rezoning request has caused quite a stir in the Ballantyne area with residents clamoring for more information. The meeting was pulled together by a group called Johnston Road Community HOA. Their email contact is JohnstonRoadCommuntiyHOA@gmail.com. This group is made up of 11 surrounding neighborhood HOAs.

The meeting was called to help brief area residents on the rezoning process, what their rights are, and to share available details on what is proposed for the track. Republic Development has requested, on behalf of the property owner, that the property be rezoned from its current commercial designation to multi-family residential. If the rezoning is approved, this would clear the way for apartment style buildings to be erected.

Republic Development has also submitted an application to the Federal Housing Authority to qualify the site for affordable/low income tax credits for the property. If approved, the site would become Ballantyne’s first property of this type. The approval from the FHA is contingent on the rezoning request being approved.

Residents seemed most concerned about the impact this multi-family development would have on already overcrowded schools and roadways. Other issues on residents minds were the potential for increased crime and what affect it could have on already decreasing home values in the area.

According to a local realtor, as of last week there were at least 20 homes in the surrounding area that are currently in foreclosure. Many homes have gone through a short sale. There has been an increase in vacancy rates in the current apartment complexes that are located in the area. Property values have dropped dramatically in the Ballantyne area over the past year and residents seem sincerely concerned this will not help them rebound.

The track that is set for rezoning is located on one of the busiest intersections in Ballantyne. It has no immediate access to public transportation or sidewalks to accommodate pedestrian traffic. In an earlier meeting, the developer said they were hoping to provide a place to live for those in the service industry working in Ballantyne. According to the Charlotte Housing Authority this could not be considered in the application process for potential renters.

The only entities that can file a protest petition with the City Council are the adjacent landowners, of which there are 3. According to those present at the meeting, these landowners plan to file the protest petition which will force the City Council have 75% of members voting for the rezoning request for it to pass.

Not everyone in attendance at this meeting was opposed to locating such a development in the area. One resident spoke about how Charlotte had successfully implemented scattered site housing plans in the past, including in areas such as South Park.

If the rezoning request is approved and the Federal Housing money comes through, the CHA will purchase the land and contract out the management of this mixed income development.

City Councilman Warren Cooksey of District 7 (Ballantyne area) has said he will hold off taking a stance on the issue until all of the public meetings and comments have been made.

Dates of note:

February 22, 6:00pm – Community Meeting with CHA and property developer at Harrison United Methodist Church.

March 18, 6:00pm – City Council Public comment session. Call ahead if you are interested in addressing the council.

April 19, 6:00pm – City Council set to vote on the rezoning application.

**Reporters Note: Caroline Adams is a resident of the Ballantyne area.

caroline@ballantynescoop.com

2010 Ballantyne Scoop The Scoop Network

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Presbyterian Physicians Join Charlotte Medical Team To Bring Healthcare To Haiti Earthquake Victims

Caroline Adams — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:15:41 +0000

Matthews, NC – Presbyterian Novant Medical Group Physicians Join Charlotte area Medical Team to bring health care Services to earthquake victims.

Local physicians heading to Haiti will be Roy Blank, MD, internal medicine physician with Southern Piedmont Primary Care and Howard Guthmann II, MD, family medicine physician with Waxhaw Family Physicians & Sports Medicine. They will be joining a team of Monroe and Charlotte-area physicians and healthcare workers hosted by El Shaddai Ministries International (ESMI) to provide health services to victims of the Haiti earthquake.

The medical team will offer health care services including orthopedic care, treating infections, high blood pressure, diabetes and additional conditions to the victims of the disaster.

The team was organized by George Collins, physician’s assistant with OrthoCarolina, who felt a calling to provide care for the victims of the disaster.

The group is comprised of physicians and health care professionals from a multitude of disciplines, all focused on providing care to the people of Haiti. In addition, eight students in their second year of PA School at Wingate University will be traveling with this group.

The group plans to return to Charlotte on Saturday, February 20.

caroline@ballantynescoop.com

2010 Ballantyne Scoop The Scoop Network

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First Snow Of 2010. A Ride With Caroline Around Ballantyne

ssherron — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:47:33 +0000

I couldn’t resist driving around Ballantyne this morning to capture the first snowfall of 2010. I hope you are enjoying the video over a warm cup of hot chocolate.

First snow of 2010 in Ballantyne

caroline@ballantynescoop.com

2010 Ballantyne Scoop The Scoop Network

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Warning: The Following Video Will Put A Smile On Your Face

ssherron — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:56:25 +0000

The internet has a bazzillion (is that a word?) videos available for your viewing pleasure. Every now and then a video comes along that goes viral. Here is one the best internet videos I have seen in a long time. If you need a smile today, just click the “play” button.

The Pink Glove Dance

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Caroline’s Movie Review | The Blindside

ssherron — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:23:36 +0000

“The Blind Side” depicts the story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American youngster from a broken home, taken in by the Touhys, a well-to-do white family who help him fulfill his potential. At the same time, Oher’s presence in the Touhys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. As a football player and student, Oher works hard, and with the help of his coaches and adopted family, becomes an All-American offensive left tackle.

The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw is a heartwarming movie not to be missed this holiday season. While Bullock and McGraw give good performances, Quinton Aaron (Michael) and Jae Head (SJ) have breakthrough performances. The movie is long, about 2.5 hours and is slow to get started. Overall a very heartwarming tale of a family that reached out to someone for no reason other than to help (or so the movie tells us).

I found myself growing a bit antsy in my seat in the beginning due to the fact the movie has such a slow build. If you are the type of movie goer that enjoys story building, you will enjoy this most of all. I on the other hand, prefer a movie that gets right to the point and often times wish movies would start from the end and work backwards. I will say this by the end of the movie I was crying tears of happiness in seeing that one person can make a difference in another’s life.

Other than the movie starting slowly the only other complaint I have is that when Lou Holtz was featured in the movie recruiting for the University of South Carolina he asked Michael to wear the “Carolina Red”. Well since I am fourth generation South Carolina grad this offended me to no end…..Lou Holtz who coached at South Carolina should know better we are Carolina Garnet! Maybe that is why he went to Mississippi State and Lou is no longer our coach.

Caroline gives the Blind Side 4.5 Scoops out of 5 Scoops

caroline@ballantynescoop.com

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