At a recent community meeting in Cornelius, church leaders presented plans for a 17-acre campus to be located along the I-77 service road on the west side of the interstate and just south of Exit 28. Designed in phases, Life Fellowship's new location would begin with a 600-seat worship center and could ultimately expand to include educational space, a chapel for special occasions, a gymnasium and an amphitheater designed for baptisms. Full build-out is anticipated by 2018.
A capital campaign to fund the project is under way, but Life Fellowship must first obtain rezoning approval to begin the project. It is expected that the church's rezoning application will be reviewed by the Cornelius Planning Board in January.
N.C. ranks third on best for biz list
For the second year in a row, Forbes magazine has labeled N.C. as the third best state in the nation for business. To determine its annual rankings, the magazine evaluated critical categories such as current economic climate, growth prospects, labor supply and quality of life. Only Utah and Virginia (numbers one and two, respectively) ranked higher.
Rankings for other Southeastern states include Tennessee at 21st, Florida at 24th, South Carolina at 28th and Alabama at 37th. Rhode Island, Hawaii and Maine made up the bottom of the list.
Melting Pot heats up at new locale
A new dining experience has arrived in Huntersville, with the opening this week of The Melting Pot of Charlotte-Lake Norman.
Locally owned and operated by Todd Dennis, the restaurant recently relocated from the University City area to the long-vacant building once home to Fuddruckers on Statesville Road. In a recent press release, Dennis said his new digs are a chance to reach a broader audience looking for a fondue restaurant experience.
"We're pleased to have the opportunity to relocate our University location to the Lake Norman area to serve our guests in an expanded space with an even more inviting atmosphere," Dennis said. "Our new location is further in distance from our Midtown location, and will allow us to reach new guests in addition to serving our loyal fondue fans."
Seating 187 people, the 6,400-square-foot restaurant features a large, attached patio with couches and club chairs, as well as an expanded private party room. The bar area features a separate menu as well as booths equipped with burners to offer the full fondue experience. There is also a section dedicated to more intimate dining, with private tables equipped with adjustable lighting.
The menu includes a choice of fondue cooking styles and a variety of entrees combined with dipping sauces. Diners can also choose from cheese fondues, salads, fine wines and chocolate fondue desserts.
The opening of The Melting Pot brings about 40 new jobs to the area, including servers, server assistants, bartenders and hospitality and kitchen staff. The restaurant is at 16625 Statesville Road in Huntersville. For more details, visit www.meltingpot.com.
Local hospital gets 'glowing' approval
Lake Norman Regional Medical Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in nuclear medicine as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material ingested by the patient to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease and certain other abnormalities within the body.
The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR practice guidelines and technical standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures and quality assurance programs are assessed.
The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 34,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians and medical physicists, with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services. Lake Norman Regional Medical Center is just off I-77 at Exit 33 in Mooresville. More information is available at www.lnrmc.com.
Ribbon cutting and mixer at InSouth
In conjunction with the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce, InSouth Insurance will host a ribbon-cutting event and "Coffee Connections" mixer at its new location in Huntersville, on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
Beginning at 8 a.m., InSouth will provide coffee, desserts and networking opportunities and cut the ribbon on its new office at 119 N. Maxwell Avenue. There will also be a door prize giveaway.
For more details, call InSouth Insurance at 704-948-7730 or visit www.insouthins.com.
LNRMC announces new nursing chief
Lake Norman Regional Medical Center has named Lorena M. Silva, BSN, MSN-L, MBA, RN, as the hospital's new Chief Nursing Officer (CNO). Silva began her CNO duties Nov. 15.
Silva received her undergraduate and master nursing degrees from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz. She most recently served as Chief Nursing Officer at IASIS Healthcare — St. Luke's Medical Center in Phoenix and Tempe St. Luke's Hospital in Tempe, Ariz., where she was responsible for the areas of emergency room, nursing services (including ICU, Tele, med/surg, and geropsych), customer service relations, wound care, education, acute rehab, infection control, environmental services and the ancillary services of lab, radiology, physical therapy, pharmacy and medical imaging.
— Compiled by Lori Helms
