Children’s Hospital gets books

The new Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital has received nearly 200 books from members and friends of Southern Select CCU, headquartered in Kannapolis.

NorthEast Medical Center Foundation Campaign Director Adam Cook coordinated the presentation. Those participating at the hospital’s pediatric unit included Southern Select President/CEO Huyla Jackson, Vice President of Lending Willard McCombs and Marketing Director Rita Goins.

Accepting on behalf of the new hospital were Child Life Specialist Angel Roberts and nurses Julie Tennis and Ali Farabee. Eight-year old MacKenzie Honeycutt opened the boxes and selected the first book.

The titles were selected to entertain patients up to age 18 during visits at NorthEast. Jackson remarked, “Southern Select members are very generous. I wish they could have all been here to see the boxes opened.”

Cook invited Southern Select members and the community to the Children’s Hospital grand opening festivities this Saturday. “With many surprises planned for the entire family, there will be something to delight everyone. Events start at 3 p.m. The new Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital at NorthEast Medical Center is designed to bring specialized care to pediatric patients and their families in a calming, non-threatening environment,” Cook said.

“NEMC Foundation cannot thank members of Southern Select Community Credit Union enough for the generosity shown by leading such a successful initiative for our young patients.”

For more information about Southern Select Community Credit Union, visit www.southernselectccu.com.

Production group moves to Cary

CARY — LFHP Productions (www.LFHP.net) is moving from the New York City production arena and transplanting it to Cary.

The move will benefit the current and future clients of LFHP with more opportunities for small and large enterprises to use its services.

Robert Anderson is the creative director at LFHP Productions and has had previous experience with campaigns involving broadcast communications for Aleve, Macy’s, Sony, Barnes and Nobles and Nextel, to name a few. He has industry experience ranging from healthcare, nonprofit organizations, consumer and technology.

LFHP has non-linear HD capabilities with a background in digital distribution through various means. The capabilities range from B-Roll, VNRs, broadcast communications, editorial, internal and external corporate communications, training programs, customer testimonials, 3D animation, commercials and RSS feeds.

Langtree at the Lake approved

MOORESVILLE — Langtree at the Lake, a new $800 million mixed-use real estate development project, can begin plans for construction after the Mooresville Town Board unanimously approved its Village Center –conditional use rezoning.

Langtree at the Lake will be developed by Atrium at the Lake Development LLC, a partnership formed by Mooresville-based Land Acquisition and Investment and Columbia, S.C.-based Atrium Development.

Developer Rick Howard, a Mooresville native, said, “We are delighted to be able to move forward with this project. We have worked with the community and the town staff for more than a year to meet their goals and vision for Mooresville and Lake Norman. Their approval is a vote of confidence that this is the right project at the right time for this community.”

“Langtree at the Lake will be an incredible asset to this community,” said Howard’s development partner, David Jacobs. “We believe that Langtree at the Lake will create an upscale neighborhood that caters to professionals and active retirees, offers destination shopping combined with Class A office environments and meets the strategic economic needs of the community.”

The new, 128-acre development will be situated in three of the four quadrants off I-77’s future Langtree Exit 32.

The urban residential and commercial community will have a mixture of water views, preserved shoreline and other natural features. Opportunities include outdoor activities, shopping and working.

The plan calls for custom-built residences, upscale commercial spaces, a marina, yacht club and a four-star hotel, as well as additional amenities. To date, Atrium at the Lake Development has received nearly 100 luxury waterfront residence reservations.

Developers expect to break ground for Langtree at the Lake in spring 2007. Phase I will be ready for occupancy in late fall 2008. For more information, visit www.langtreeathelake.com.

Live nativity includes Santa

The Schattner Agency, an authorized Nationwide Insurance Agency in Kannapolis, will host a live nativity and visit from Santa Claus this Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. The rain date is Dec. 19.

Activities will include a live nativity with animals from Lazy 5 Ranch, the Kannapolis Fire Department and their large firetruck, a church choir singing carols and Santa Claus, who will be available for pictures.

Parents may bring their own cameras. Refreshments include hot chocolate, Christmas cookies and candy.

The event is free to the public, and will be held at The Schattner Agency property, 1811 S. Main St., across from Townhouse II restaurant.

For more information, call 704-933-8080.

Cornelius joins Concord firm

Andrew T. Cornelius has joined the law firm of Hartsell & amp; Williams in its Concord office as an associate attorney. He comes from the Raleigh law firm of James P. Lewis III, PLLC, where he concentrated in the area of construction law and litigation. Cornelius will assist clients with general civil litigation.

He is a member of the N.C. State Bar and the N.C. Bar Association. He is a native of Rockwell. He is a 2001 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a 2004 graduate of Campbell University Law School.

Due to its growth, Hartsell & amp; Williams has also hired Laurie Mueller, a third-year student at Campbell Law School, to join in fall 2007. At that time, James D. “Bert” Concepcion, who is in the U.S. Army in Iraq as a JAG officer, is expected to re-join the firm.

Hartsell & amp; Williams was formed in 1896 and, with 12 attorneys, is the oldest and largest law firm in the four-county region of Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan and Stanly counties.

It has an office at 71 McCachern Blvd. in Concord and at 708 McLain Road in Kannapolis. It provides legal services for clients and area residents in the areas of estate planning and administration; banking, business, construction, family, labor, motorsports, municipal, real estate, transactional and utility law; and commercial and general litigation.

Its attorneys include Sen. Fletcher L. Hartsell Jr., chairman of the N.C. State Senate Judiciary Committee, and H. Jay White, who was recently elected to the Cabarrus County Commission. David C. Williams and K. Todd Phillips manage the Concord office, and J. Merritt White III and Thomas M. Grady manage the Kannapolis office. Other attorneys include Samuel F. Davis, Michael R. Burgner, and Christy E. Wilhelm.

Loans available from farm group

Loans on agricultural commodities are available through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). To be eligible for a loan, crops must be produced on a farm by a producer who has filed a crop acreage report for 2006, meets conservation compliance and has filed a person determination application.

2006 loan rates

* Wheat — 2.66 per bushel.

* Oats — 1.37 per bushel.

* Barley — 1.60 per bushel.

* Corn — 2.18 per bushel

* Grain sorghum — 3.66 per cwt.

* Cotton — .5390 per cwt.

Soybeans — 5.07 per bushel.

Loans and Loan Deficiency Payments (LDPs) are available on 2006 crops of wheat, barley and oats through March 31, 2007, and for 2006 crops of corn, grain sorghum, cotton and soybeans through May 31, 2007.

The interest rate for loans disbursed in December is available by contacting the FSA.

Loans provide immediate cash for farmers and allow them sufficient time to make important marketing decisions, or to hold the grain for feeding later. The program guarantees participating farmers a minimum price, but not necessarily a profit.

Producers and any socially disadvantaged individual or Group are encouraged to contact the Cabarrus-Mecklenburg FSA for additional details. Cabarrus County producers should call 704-788-2107, ext. 2 or visit the FSA Web site at www.fsa.usda.gov.

The FSA fax number is 704-720-9221

The FSA office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Time to sign up for farm program

To participate in the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP), producers are required to designate shares and sign the Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program Contract (CCC-509) on a yearly basis.

The annual DCP sign-up period runs from Oct. 1 to June 1 of the applicable program year. The CCC-509 must be submitted by June 1 of the program year. In cases where a farm is reconstituted, all resulting farms will need to enroll (signatures obtained) if the producers intend to participate.

CCC-509s with signatures obtained after June 1, but by Sept. 30, will be accepted, but the farm will be assessed a late-filed sign-up fee of $100. All supporting documentation, such as CCC-502, AD-1026, and CCC-526, must be submitted before payments can be issued.

Annual acreage reports indicating uses of all cropland on a farm must be filed by the applicable established reporting dates. Acreage reports filed after the applicable final reporting date may be accepted if all requirements are met and a late-filed fee is paid.

DCP payments are calculated by taking 85 percent of the base acres, multiplied by the farm yield, times the applicable payment rate, times the producer share. Producers may receive an advance of the direct payment, beginning on Dec. 1 of the program year. Final direct payments will be made on or after Oct. 1 following the contract period.

Counter-cyclical payments may also be authorized for one or more covered commodities, depending on the projected and actual market prices. Producers may elect to receive up to two counter-cyclical payments per year: the first partial payment, if any, is available after the first six months of the marketing year, and final payment, if any, is made after the end of the marketing year for each eligible crop.

Producers who do not elect to take the first advance payments will receive the entire counter-cyclical payment at the end of the marketing year. The amount of a counter-cyclical payment is dependent upon the average of the actual prices received by farmers during the marketing year.

Contact the Cabarrus-Mecklenburg Farm Service Agency (FSA) for additional details. Cabarrus County producers should call 704-788-2107, ext. 2 or visit the FSA Web site at www.fsa.usda.gov.

The fax number is 704-720-9221.

The FSA office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Special accommodations will be made upon request for individuals with disabilities, vision impairment, or hearing impairment. Call Turner Morrison at 704-788-2107, ext. 2, or 704-333-0023.

Cabarrus worker earns certificate

Debbie Brannan, IT director, Cabarrus County, has graduated from the 2006 Chief Information Officers (CIO) Certification Program from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The CIO Certification Program is the first local government specific program for CIOs in the nation.

It is designed for local government Information Technology Directors and CIOs whose responsibilities require a broad understanding of management, leadership and enterprise topics.

The course is approximately 240 hours in length. Course instruction covers enterprise issues, strategic technology planning, communication, project management, emerging trends, risk assessment and management, acquisition management, change management, leadership, security, grantsmanship and financial trends.

Brannan was one of 28 public sector technology professionals who graduated the course in this year and has received the national designation of Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO).

Dream Dinners plans light meals

Dream Dinners, the originator of the meal assembly concept, will offer lighter, leaner meals in January.

The goal is for entrees to contain less than 350 calories and 10 grams of fat or less per serving.

Dream Dinners is carrying the healthy menu requirements even further during February in honor of National Heart Month. The entire February menu features items meeting or exceeding the National Cholesterol Education Program’s (NCEP’s) Heart Healthy standards.

According to a recent publication by the NCEP, to keep your LDL and your risk for heart disease low, you should start on the Heart Healthy Diet. The Heart Healthy Diet, suitable for people ages 2 and older, is an eating plan that can help keep blood cholesterol low and decrease the chance of developing heart disease.

Dream Dinner is at 3387 Cloverleaf Parkway; daytime phone, 704-784-2144; evening phone, 704-784-2144; fax, 704-784-2154.