David and Amanda Burns and their two oldest boys.

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Friends of David Burns of Cornelius, a 1999 Davidson College grad and ex-Wildcat basketball player who passed away suddenly Oct. 29, have come together to help out as his family tries to adjust to life without him.

That effort includes seeking donations for a trust set up to aid his wife and three children. And Davidson College is in on the act as well: The trust will be be the beneficiary of Wednesday night’s Black Out Belk fundraiser, when the Davidson Wildcats men’s basketball team takes on Vanderbilt at Belk Arena. Read the full story

Lake Norman Realty's tree is in the lead in voting in the Davidson Rotary Christmas Tree Village.

Sponsors have decorated 16 trees in the Christmas Tree Village on the Davidson Village Green this week, and now it’s up to us to decide which one takes the top price. The year-old Davidson Rotary Club organized the event during Christmas in Davidson as its first-ever fundraiser, to help Ada Jenkins Center, Davidson Cornelius Child Development Center and other Rotary charities.

Visitors to opening night of Christmas in Davidson may have noticed the Christmas trees lining the Green’s Concord Road side. Votes are $1 each. Current votes put Lake Norman Realty’s tree in the lead, while a joint effort of Davidson Capital Corp. and Davidson Elementary Community Service Club is just one vote behind. Read the full story

John Montalbano has always loved his train collection, but six years ago it took on new significance, as the Cornelius man and his family turned their holiday train display into a fundraiser in honor of a friend with breast cancer. You can visit and help this holiday season. Christina Ritchie Rogers reports on CorneliusNews.net, (See “Cornelius family runs ‘Trains for a Cure.’”).

That's a big check - really. From left, Marcia Avedon, Ingersoll Rand's Senior VP for Human Resources and a United Way of Central Carolinas board member; Robert Zafari, an Ingersoll Rand division president and United Way sponsor; and Randall Rogers, an Ingersoll Rand executive who chaired the campaign, presented a check for $831,622 to United Way executive director Jane McIntyre. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Ingersoll Rand Co. isn’t the biggest employer in the Charlotte region, but on Thursday officials announced a milestone that could be hard for other area companies to top: Big gains in fundraising for its 2011 United Way campaign.

In a brief ceremony at the corporate headquarters off Beaty Street, company and United Way leaders said the 1,200-employee campus raised $831,622. That’s 74 percent more than a year ago and its biggest total ever. Read the full story

The 2011 Red and Black Ball is Friday.

Davidson College’s Warner Hall eating house will host the annual Red and Black Ball on Friday night, its annual fund-raiser for organizations that work on HIV/AIDS treatment and awareness. The gala comes a day after Thursday’s World AIDS Day commemorations. Read the full story

By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

The Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce is partnering with Our Towns Habitat for Humanity to raise money to build a Cornelius house in March. The project received a significant boost from Wells Fargo, that donated $30,000 and has guaranteed an additional $20,000 in matching grants. Read the full story

Life Fellowship Church, a large non-denominational congregation that currently meets in Davidson, is seeking zoning approval to build a 17-acre worship campus off I-77 Exit 28 in Cornelius. The $6 million project needs zoning approval, but could be started in 2012, the church’s lead pastor told CorneliusNews.net.

Erin Cobb (seated, third from left) surrounded by friends at Saturday's Cobb Workout of the Day in Concord. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

CONCORD – As Erin Cobb continues her recovery after being shot by her ex-husband at her Davidson home in September, she and her family say her good fitness has been a major advantage. A 28-year-old banker who served a tour with the U.S. Marines in Iraq, Ms. Cobb was a regular practitioner of CrossFit – short, intense group workouts focusing on strength and cardiovascular conditioning.

On Saturday, she saw another benefit of CrossFit: Support from the close-knit community of CrossFitters whose dedication is not just to their training, but to one another. Read the full story