The City of Charlotte pulled away from its competitors to win the checkered flag in its bid to become home of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The City's proposal, racing history and fan base all added up to victory.  Those three components, coupled with the following facts and figures, made Charlotte the obvious choice for the Hall of Fame: 

• 62 racing teams in North Carolina, with 90% in the Charlotte area
• 10 race tracks within 60 miles of Charlotte. Another 10 tracks within 120 miles
• 1.25 million racing fans visit the region every year
• 24,000 jobs are held by motorsports employees who live in the Charlotte region
• 73% of all motorsports employees in the USA live/work in our region
• 6.1 billion dollar impact in North Carolina.

The Hall of Fame will reflect the unique history that Charlotte alone shares with motorsports.  Ground will be broken for construction in spring 2007.  The NASCAR Hall of Fame will open by spring 2010.

To learn more about the NASCAR Hall of Fame, visit www.belongshere.com.

When commuters hop aboard the Charlotte Area Transit System's (CATS) first-ever light rail line in fall 2007, they'll be stepping on to LYNX, Charlotte's rapid transit service.

The new rapid transit service brand, LYNX, is comprised of five rapid transit services outlined in CATS' 2025 Transit / Land-Use Plan.  LYNX currently is under construction and already has seen more than $400 million in new development along the corridor in anticipation of light rail service.

For more information, call 704-336-RIDE or visit www.ridetransit.org.

Safe Kids, in partnership with the Charlotte Checkers, offers a new way that you can help support the efforts of the local Coalition.  Purchase tickets to the following hockey game at a discounted price of $12, and $6 from each ticket sold will benefit Safe Kids Charlotte Mecklenburg.

Charlotte Checkers vs. Gwinnett Gladiators
Friday, March 10 at 7 pm
Charlotte Bobcats Arena

Only tickets purchased online will benefit the Coalition.  For more information, visit www.safekidscharmeck.org.

Join Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) for a public workshop regarding the latest developments on the Center City Streetcar project:

Thursday, March 16 at 6:30 pm
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center
600 E. 4th Street, Room 267

During this meeting, your input will be requested on the: 

• Overview of the project
• Concept for the Trade Street Vision Plan and Design Elements
• Concept for the streetcar shelters
• General specifications and various types of streetcar vehicles.

For more information, call 704-336-RIDE or visit www.ridetransit.org.

The vitality of our 1,400 neighborhoods makes Charlotte a truly great place to live, work and play.  To ensure a sound quality of life in our communities, the City initiated the Good Neighbor Program.

The program connects residents with information and resources necessary to maintain or improve conditions in their neighborhoods.  The program also offers a range of services from full scale training to helpful tips in keeping your community healthy and stable.

For more information, call 704-336-2061 or visit http://goodneighbor.charmeck.org.

If you want to help steer Charlotte's transportation future ... now is the time to get involved.

The Charlotte Department of Transportation (CDOT) is recommending $3.5 billion be spent to address transportation issues the City will face over the next 25 years.  A draft of Charlotte's first, comprehensive transportation plan, known as the Transportation Action Plan (TAP), was presented to City Council last month. The next step is to engage the public in the process.

Residents can participate by taking a transportation funding and priorities survey or by attending public workshops. The survey will be available on-line through Friday, March 31.

Solid Waste Services currently is working to update its website.  The goal is to provide all customers with essential solid waste information in an engaging and educational format.

Take a tour of the website and complete a brief survey to let us know what you think.  Your feedback is important, and will be used to give you more than what's already offered.  The survey deadline is Friday, April 7.

You're invited to join neighbors from throughout the city for an enlightening and energizing day of community building at the 11^th Annual Neighborhood Symposium:

Saturday, April 22
8 am – 4 pm
Charlotte Marriott City Center, 100 West Trade St.
Theme:  Showcasing Model Neighborhoods

The Neighborhood Symposium provides opportunities for neighborhood leaders and residents to learn about resources, share ideas and network.  The registration deadline is Friday, April 7.

For more information, contact Cynthia Woods at 704-336-2646 or cwoods@ci.charlotte.nc.us.

Nominations are being accepted for the 27th Annual Police Community Relations Awards sponsored by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee.  The award recognizes Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers and work teams for building positive, problem-solving relationships with the community.

To nominate an officer, call 704-336-3056 or submit an online nomination form by Monday, April 3.  Officers selected will be honored at an awards ceremony on Friday, May 19. 

Tune in to The Government Channel – Cable 16 for the latest government news and information.

City Source – Thursday, March 9 at 5:30 pm
Take a closer look at how and why Council plans to make your neighborhood a safer and more vital place to live.  Also, find out why a six-year-old was selected for a commendation from CMPD.

To learn more about The Government Channel, visit http://govchannel.charmeck.org.