Updated Feb. 25, 12:20 p.m.

Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte speaks to a full room at the Chamber's Focus Friday event Feb, 24. (Christina Ritchie Rogers / DavidsonNews.net)

By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

Enlisting expert help may be the best hope for citizens appealing their 2011 property tax revaluations, Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte said Friday morning during the monthly “Focus Friday” issues session at Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce. One such expert, Buck Moody, told the crowd of about 30 people that recent independent appraisals can help, and so can a close attention to possible errors in the county’s calculations. Read the full story

Updated Friday, 10:26 p.m.
Last year when a citizen task force plotted ways to save neighborhood libraries and expand hours at regional libraries, one of the unfinished discussion topics was the future of the Main Library in downtown Charlotte. On Thursday, Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library CEO Vick Phillips announced the appointment of a new task force, to “explore possibilities” for the downtown branch.

The task force had been proposed by the Future of the Library Task Force. Davidson Commissioner Connie Wessner was a member of that group, representing Mecklenburg County’s towns. On Friday, she said:

I’m happy to see that the process that the original task force began is moving forward as we’d recommended. I’m also delighted to see that a representative from the towns has a seat at the table. I served with Carol Hull on the Future of the Library task Force and have a great deal of respect for her. She is very capable of representing the perspectives of the system’s small libraries and articulating their relationship to the Main Branch and the system as a whole.

Here’s the county press release: Read the full story

By JULIE ROSE
WFAE

Shareholders of Granite Falls-based Bank of Granite on Tuesday approved a merger with the parent company of CommunityONE Bank. The move is an effort to save both banks from crumbling under the weight of loan losses and regulatory action.

The warning to Bank of Granite shareholders in a letter from executives was dire: Without this merger, the bank is at risk of being taken over by regulators and you – the shareholders – could lose your entire investment. Read the full story

Davidson has won a $350,000 grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control for a three-year project to incorporate health assessments into planning and policies. The announcement came at a press conference Friday at Roosevelt Wilson Park. Read the full story in HEALTH & FITNESS»

With the job market highly competitive these days, job-seekers need all the help they can get. Davidson Parks & Recreation will offer a series of job-hunting seminars this fall, in partnership with a local psychologist who specializes in goal setting and self assessment. Read the full story

The top floor of Stowe's Corner in downtown Davidson is now available again, after the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of Grogan Associates. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Just a year ago, things were looking up for Grogan Associates, a Davidson-based firm that helps banks and other companies manage changes in their facilities during mergers and other transitions. Grogan was hiring, and had moved its offices from Davidson Cotton Mill on Delburg Street to the top floor of the Stowe’s Corner, a new landmark building overlooking downtown Davidson. Read the full story

The first 12 units of the Villages at South Main could be back on the market soon. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

The Villages of South Main, an on-again, off-again condo project near downtown Davidson, has passed to new owners yet again, and the first completed block of a dozen townhomes will be back on the market soon.

Davidson Village Investments LLC, a group of local investors, acquired the planned 39-unit project off South Main Street this week in a complicated foreclosure-related deal. The investment group is led by River Run resident Brad Bowman, of First Federal Properties Inc. in Cornelius. Read the full story

One of the most pressing issues for small businesses is how to finance their start ups and growth. State officials and local banks will talk about the state’s Access to Capital program for small businesses this Friday, Aug. 26, at the Lake Norman Chamber’s monthly Focus Friday session.

Focus Friday runs 8-10 a.m. at the Lake Norman Chamber offices, 19900 W. Catawba Ave., in Cornelius. DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net are sponsors of Focus Friday. Read the full story