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Local Arts

Requiem for the Double Door, Part 2: Veteran audience member Tommy Tomlinson recalls why the place meant so much to him.

Its last show will be Jan. 2.

Living
Karen Garloch
I'll Bite Blog
Kathleen Purvis
Health & Family
Religion
CLT Style

Local Arts

Requiem for the Double Door, Part 1: Veteran Spongetones rocker looks back over decades of performing there.

The very first thing you must know about is the stage. The stage is all about possibility, anticipation. The stage is a gift, but you have to own it. You have to claim it, take it from the previous band and then give it to the next.

Entertainment

This might be the best blues compilation you’ve heard in years

Review | Oxford American blues compilation scores with a smart selection of 23 songs that include Bonnie Raitt, Muddy Waters and Gil Scott-Heron, from the American quarterly literary magazine that features the best in Southern writing.

Karen Garloch

‘Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer?’ tells story of doctor who now lives in Charlotte

Dr. William Hurwitz, now of Charlotte, is the subject of a documentary “Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer?” In 2004, after years of practicing medicine in Virginia, he was convicted of more than 50 counts of narcotics distribution and received a 25-year prison sentence. After an appeal and a second trial, he was found guilty of 16 lesser charges and released from prison.

Moms

9 Reasons to Vacation on The Crystal Coast

Spanning 85-miles of North Carolina’s beautiful coastline, The Crystal Coast connects historic Beaufort to lovely Emerald Isle and offers many reasons to visit.

Moms

Bags + Dads + Brews events encourage fatherly camaraderie

Baby+Company is partnering with local breweries to host a monthly dads meetup, so dads and dads-to-be can find a community of other Charlotte dads.

Local

Feeding the Children

Martha and Preston Taylor started a program called Feeding the Children, which cooks and delivers lunches to elementary school children in need during winter and spring break. They helped volunteers cook,assemble and bag meals in the kitchen at First United Methodist Church Belmont, before volunteers delivered them.

Moms

Introducing American Girl’s 2017 Girl of the Year

Head to the American Girl Store in South Park Mall for the launch of The Gabriela McBride collection, which will hit stores January 1, 2017.

Health & Family

Aging and addicted: The opioid epidemic affects older adults, too

It took a lot of convincing for John Evard to go to rehab. Seven days into his stay at the Las Vegas Recovery Center, the nausea and aching muscles of opioid withdrawal were finally beginning to fade.

Movie News & Reviews

Movie review: 7 books you must read before they're movies in 2017

Hollywood's love affair with books isn't showing any signs of stopping in 2017. Big movie hits like the Harry Potter franchise, the Hunger Games trilogy, "Coraline" and "The Fault in Our Stars" show just how successful film adaptations of kids' books can be. Will the movie versions be better than the books? There's only one way to find out: Read 'em before you see 'em. Check out the list of what's headed for the big screen in 2017.

Health & Family

Game review: 'The Last Guardian': Charming adventure about a strong bond between boy and beast

Parents need to know that "The Last Guardian" is an action-adventure game. There's little parents will find objectionable, and while there are some fights with possessed suits of armor, they are crushed to bits in combat. There are some moments where Trico, the feathered beast, gets injured by these suits, and bloodstains appear on his coat. Otherwise, there's no excessive gore to be found.

Style

2017 fashion forecast: Predictions for the year ahead

There's nothing like a fresh year filled with new (and fashionable!) possibilities.

Health & Family

State develops innovative way to help first-time moms

One in five babies in South Carolina is born to a first-time, low-income mother. Many of the moms are young, like 18-year-old Zaria Wilson, who gave birth in February.

Home & Garden

Hot Property: 'Vampire Slayer' star's new blood

LOS ANGELES - Actors Alyson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof have capped off a busy year by buying a place in Encino for $7.95 million.

Health & Family

How a very determined foster child found self-esteem and her future

SEATTLE - It could have been easy for Noel Woods to become a casualty of her past.

Health & Family

Family Meals Matter: Pantry clean out

Give your family food bill a break after the expensive holiday season. Clean out the pantry and the freezer to create a week's worth of delicious meals for the whole family.

Health & Family

7 media resolutions your family should make in 2017

Working out and eating right are at the top of most people's New Year's resolutions. But as tough as those are, nothing compares with the challenge of a healthy media diet. There are screen-time limits to manage, new apps to investigate, bizarre social media trends to make sense of (what's with the mannequin challenge, anyway?), and, don't forget, plenty more Pokemon to catch. It's like a 24-hour all-you-can-eat buffet when all you really want is a carrot stick. But in a world where both parents and kids are racking up serious screen time, making a commitment to a healthy media environment is critical for family time, learning, relationships and digital citizenship.

Health & Family

Moms Gear: J.A. Henckels International cutlery set provides fresh start in the kitchen

Moms looking to create a fresh environment in their kitchen at the start of the New Year may want to try out J.A. Henckels International 14-piece knife block set. This affordably-priced set features silver end-capped knives set in a charcoal block that can be put to a variety of uses in the kitchen.

Health & Family

App review: Space by Tinybop: The sky's no limit on this stellar interactive solar system app

Parents need to know that Space by Tinybop is a visually multilayered interactive app that helps kids learn about our solar system through play. Kids can explore each planet, our moon, and the sun, comparing them by size, weight, and many other unique features, such as windstorms, volcanoes, and rocky rings. This app is part of Tinybop's Explorer's Library, and (like the other apps in that series) it includes a downloadable handbook with tips, more facts, and discussion questions for parents and teachers to help kids extend learning offscreen. Read the app's privacy policy (http://tinybop.com/privacy) to find out about the types of information collected and shared.

Books

Book review: 'Word of Mouse': Exciting, funny tale of Blue Mouse packs positive messages

Parents need to know that "Word of Mouse," true to the track record of its bestselling author team James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, is a fun, relatable tale with positive messages aplenty. With a central theme of Leave No Mouse Behind, the story offers lots of moments to cheer the good guys as Isaiah, a tiny blue mouse with unusual powers (like reading) escapes from a research lab, determined to save his still-imprisoned family from awful fates. The quest involves dodging cats, making new friends, proving his worth, and using everyone's skills to overcome the odds. There's more than a bit of science and history along the way, with a strong message about focusing on the things we have in common, not the ones that divide us. There's some bathroom and gross-out humor that will tickle the funny bones of kids at this age and stage. Adults in the story are involved in animal research, which is portrayed in scary-looking illustrations and may require some explanation.

Blogs & Columns

Karen Garloch

‘Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer?’ tells story of doctor who now lives in Charlotte

Moms

9 Reasons to Vacation on The Crystal Coast

Moms

Bags + Dads + Brews events encourage fatherly camaraderie

Food & Drink

9 things we love about Charlotte restaurants lately

Moms

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte to host inaugural WonderFest

Charlotte Things To Do

Videos

Feeding the Children

Martha and Preston Taylor started a program called Feeding the Children, which cooks and delivers lunches to elementary school children in need during winter and spring break. They helped volunteers cook,assemble and bag meals in the kitchen at First United Methodist Church Belmont, before volunteers delivered them.
Diedra Laird The Charlotte Observer
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Feeding the Children

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Charlotte Hanukkah celebration at SouthPark Mall

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Goodwill benefiting from end of year donations

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Forest Hill's viral holiday video on gratitude

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