Cannon Pharmacy North open

By Joanne Gonnerman
jgonnerman@kannapoliscitizen.com
The owners of Cannon Pharmacy are delivering more than medicine these days. Good service, patient education, and a properly trained staff are as important to the business partners as is filling prescriptions.
According to Tim Morley, one of four pharmacists who co-own and operate Cannon Pharmacy, a focus on being available to customers and business growth “beyond wildest expectations,” has created the need to open a second Cannon Pharmacy location. The newest pharmacy, at the corner of Ebenezer Road and North Cannon Boulevard, opened Aug. 27.
“It’s just been a blessing,” said Morley. “The community has been very supportive.”
Morley said the new pharmacy location will help serve the needs of customers living in China Grove, Landis and north Kannapolis.
To celebrate the grand opening of Cannon Pharmacy North, staff will host a special two-day event this weekend to welcome community members to its new location.
On Friday at 11 a.m., Mayor Bob Misenheimer will conduct a ribbon-cutting at Cannon Pharmacy North.
“We’ll have snacks and do diabetic and cholesterol screenings and have medical equipment on display,” said Morley. “We’ll do blood pressure screenings, too.”
Then, on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., grand opening activities continue with a hotdog cookout for the public and free health care screenings.
Morley credits the success of Cannon Pharmacy, which owners advertise as “Your Hometown Drugstore,” to providing good, personal service to customers. According to Morley, he and co-owners, pharmacists Brian Freeman, Matt Miller and Jason Price go the extra mile to help customers understand their medications or Medicare prescription plans.
“We are a typical community pharmacy,” said Morley. “We enjoy being there for our seniors and their prescription needs. We enjoy taking care of our pediatric and adolescent patients, too.”
Both Cannon Pharmacy locations provide free prescription delivery.
“It’s really free,” said Morley. “There are no hidden costs. We’ve embraced it. Building the volume has been good.”
Cannon Pharmacy is a full-service pharmacy. In addition to prescription services, store inventories include over-the-counter medicines, first-aid items, vitamins, snacks, personal hygiene products, school supplies and $1 items.
“We have the same assortment of every major category found in a typical drug store,” said Morley.
Store hours for both Cannon Pharmacy locations are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Cannon Pharmacy located in Market Square at 1706 S. Cannon Blvd. is open on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Rare pair coming to AutoFair this weekend

CONCORD — The word “rare” is used in the vintage car world to describe vehicles built by the dozens or hundreds, but a collector from Davidson has two cars whose production numbers measure in the single digits. The rare pair will be featured during the Sept. 4-7 Food Lion AutoFair at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Part minivan, part airplane, Tim Lingerfelt’s 1936 Stout Scarab is an automotive crowd-pleaser of the first degree, having recently brought home the People’s Choice trophy from the sixth annual Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival.
Looking at the aerodynamic shape and unit-body construction, it comes as no surprise that the Scarab’s creator, William B. Stout, was a pioneer in the aviation industry whose innovations resulted in the Ford Trimotor airplane.
Stout promoted his innovative machine vigorously, but the $5,000 price tag (about $79,000 today) hindered sales, and only five are known to exist today.
Lingerfelt’s other curiosity is a 1928 Worldmobile 8 six-passenger sedan, a car so rare that automotive experts often argue whether it existed at all.
In 1926, a new firm in Lima, Ohio, calling itself the Worldmobile Co. announced it would manufacture “sport and closed” cars around a 65-horsepower Lycoming eight-cylinder engine. Prices were expected to be in the $1,700 ballpark, at a time when Ford’s Model T was selling for less than $400. Worldmobile claimed to have produced seven prototypes of its new line, but there are no reports verifying this number. Only one Worldmobile has surfaced since the company came and went 80 years ago, and that one joined Lingerfelt’s eclectic collection of 1960s muscle cars and Porsche 930 Turbos in 2003.
The super-rare Stout Scarab and Worldmobile 8 will be displayed during the  AutoFair at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
The fall Food Lion AutoFair annually attracts more than 120,000 visitors. It features more than 50 car club displays and more than 7,000 vendor spaces that offer a plethora of automotive parts and memorabilia. More than 1,500 collectible vehicles of all makes and models will be available for sale in the car corral that rings the 1.5-mile superspeedway.
Food Lion AutoFair hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $10 for adults while children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Parking for the event is $5.
For more information, contact the Lowe’s Motor Speedway events department at 704-455-3205 or visit www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

Rising jobless numbers could mean more clients

Rising unemployment rates in Cabarrus and Rowan counties could lead to more clients seeking the services of the R3 Career Center.
Located at 164 Dale Earnhardt Blvd., the R3 Center is a career development center established by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) to assist workers who are unemployed or under-employed. The center’s mission is built on three Rs — a refocus on individual skills and interests, retraining and further education, and partnering with other workforce development agencies to secure career-oriented re-employment.
In July, the unemployment rate in Cabarrus County increased to 6.4 percent, up from 5.7 percent in June. In Rowan County, the July unemployment rate jumped to 7.9 percent, up from 6.3 percent in June.
Both counties followed a statewide trend. North Carolina’s jobless rate increased from 6.2 percent to 6.8 percent. From June to July, the number of people searching for jobs in North Carolina increased by approximately 44,500 — the largest one-month jump in 25 years.
RCCC encourages Cabarrus and Rowan County residents to take advantage of the services offered by the R3 Center. The center helps adult workers assess and profile their skills, aptitudes, training and academic credentials and future career interests to develop a plan for career growth. The center offers workshops each month. Topics have included interview techniques, resume writing, job-hunting tips, preparing for job loss, looking for work at age 50 and older, using computers in job searches, and personality assessments. All R3 Center services are offered free of charge.
Since it opened in early 2007, the center has served more than 1,900 clients. Those clients have made more than 4,800 visits to the center, seeking career counseling, attending workshops and getting referrals. In 2008, the center has averaged 138 new clients a month.
“We’re pleased so many people have heard about the R3 Center and have received assistance from the center’s staff,” said Jeanie Moore, RCCC’s vice president of continuing education programs.
The R3 Center partners with and makes referrals to other workforce development agencies, including the Centralina Workforce Development Board, JobLink Career Centers of Cabarrus and Rowan counties, N.C. Employment Security Commission and other area community colleges.
The R3 Center is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. For more information about the R3 Center and its services and programs, call 704-216-7201, or visit the center’s website at www.rowancabarrus. edu/r3center/.

Traffic alerts

<b>Speedway traffic</b>
Commuters can expect rush hour congestion Thursday and Friday with Lowe’s Motor Speedway’s four-day Food Lion AutoFair opening at 8 a.m. Thursday. Commuters traveling to or from work on Highway 29 or Bruton Smith Boulevard can expect increased traffic in the speedway area.
Rush hour commuters should plan accordingly by taking alternate routes or leaving earlier for work.
More than 6,000 cars and 7,000 vendors will be arriving at the speedway on Thursday and Friday for the Sept. 4-7 automotive extravaganza. Lowe’s Motor Speedway officials recommend show attendees use highways 29 and 49 to enter/exit the speedway area and to avoid Interstate 85 during morning and afternoon rush hours.

<b>Dakota Street</b>
Due to recent flooding caused by heavy rains last week, Dakota Street has been washed out. The street will be closed to through traffic until further notice.
Detours are set up on Cannon Boulevard and Ridge Avenue to help with the flow of traffic.

<b>Cloverleaf Plaza</b>
Due to the recent flooding, the access to shopping at Cloverleaf Plaza has been temporarily closed from South Cannon Boulevard.
Alternate routes to the shopping area at Cloverleaf Plaza are set up via Mount Olivet Road to Pennsylvania Avenue.

<b>Stadium Drive</b>
The bridge on Stadium Drive that leads people into Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium and also serves as a shortcut for many to get from Interstate 85 to the China Grove/Landis area received substantial damage and was nearly washed out during recent flooding.
Engineers are concerned that the bridge still could collapse and it has been closed to any and all vehicles. Repairs to the bridge have not been scheduled yet.
The Stadium Drive/Lane Street entrance to the stadium will be closed indefinitely. Folks needing to get to the ballpark for any reason are encouraged to use the back entrance to the ballpark by going down Lane Street to China Grove Road.  Make a right on Moose Road off of China Grove Road to Stadium Drive.

Chamber calendar

<b>Autumn in Afton</b>
The Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce presents “Autumn in Afton” on Sept. 18 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Stroll through the streets and visit Afton’s specialty shops, boutiques and dining venues, showcasing their specials.
RSVP by Sept. 12 to 704-621-0456.
The event is sponsored by Afton Village Sales & Leasing, Cannon Memorial YMCA, ENoodles, Elizabeth’s Treasures, Gregory Bialek, DDS; Lakeside Primary Care, Max’s Ally Restaurant, Modern Eye Care, Richard & Associates, Solace Natural Body Shop & Spa, The Village Blossom and The Wine Room.

<b>Business 2 Business</b>
On Tuesday, Oct. 7, from 4-8 p.m., at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, Chamber members will have the chance to visit displays of chamber members at “Cabarrus Treasures: The Hunt for Hidden Gems.”
Taste samples from members who specialize in food/beverages and hear seminars on topics ranging from “I Feel Like a Piece of Bologna,” a guide for the sandwich generation; “How to Avoid Identity Theft”; and “Top 5 Reasons Banks Approve Loans.”
Enjoy a plate of barbecue and build business relationships.
Display tables are still available for $225. Event tickets are $15 each. Call for reservations, 704-260-8106, or go online to reserve tickets for you and your employees.

<b>Golf classic</b>
The Cabarrus Regional Partnership Annual Golf Classic will be held Sept. 15  at the Club at Irish Creek. Tee times are 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. A limited number of spots are still available. Call to register today at 704-260-8106.
For more on Cabarrus Chamber events and news, visit the newly redesigned Web site at www.cabarrus.biz.

Kannapolis Calendar

<b>Today</b>
• The city of Kannapolis will host the Mammogram Mobile Van for its employees and the public today, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., in the Train Station parking lot.
An appointment is not necessary, but recommended. To schedule an appointment and begin insurance paperwork in advance, women need to call CMC-NorthEast at 704-783-1729.  Each patient is responsible for actually filing their individual insurance.
The city hosts the mobile van annually for the convenience of its employees. This year, they have opened it up to the public, giving them an additional opportunity to have this important screening.
• The final free outdoor concert of the summer events series will be offered this evening by the U.S. Navy Band’s Country Current group.
The concert will begin at 7 p.m. at the Village Park Amphitheater, between West A and C streets, off of Dale Earnhardt Boulevard.
The program will feature contemporary selections including country’s newest and hottest music by Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and George Strait; hot pickin’, fiddlin’, foot tappin’ and sweet harmony singin’ in an all-acoustic bluegrass set; and old time favorites by Merle Haggard and more.
For more information, contact 704-920-4343 or visit www.cityofkannapolis. com.

<b>Monday</b>
• The Kannapolis City Council will meet beginning at 6 p.m. in the Meeting Room at the Kannapolis Train Station, located at 201 S. Main St.
For more information, or for handicap accommodations, contact Bridgette Bell at 704-920-4303 or bbell@ci.kannapolis.nc.us.

Send your calendar listings to news@kannapolis  citizen.com or fax to 704-933-3453. Items can also be dropped off at 221 West A St., Kannapolis.

Cabarrus meets criteria for disaster assistance

Cabarrus County rescinded its state of emergency at 3 p.m. Friday as imminent danger from damages by Tropical Storm Fay passed.
However, Cabarrus County Emergency Management personnel are keeping a watchful eye on Tropical Storm Hanna which may bring an additional 6 inches of rainfall to Cabarrus County later this week.
County and state officials completed a survey today to determine the level of damage in Cabarrus County due to heavy rains and flooding from Tropical Storm Fay. According to the North Carolina Department of Emergency Management, the criteria have been met for qualifying Cabarrus County property owners  to be eligible for state or federal disaster assistance. A timeframe for providing assistance will be determined by the federal government when they review the request next week.
Seventy-five private properties in Cabarrus County were evaluated for flood damage. Of those, 25 properties are estimated to be major losses by county estimators. A major loss is considered to be 50 percent or more damage to the property. Four properties were estimated to be total losses. These are preliminary numbers by county estimators. Cabarrus County estimators have not evaluated every damaged property in the county, so those numbers most likely will increase once the application for assistance process begins.
The final numbers and the monetary value will not be known until the federal government completes its report. If Cabarrus County does qualify for any state or federal assistance, the state will set up a disaster assistance center in Cabarrus County in the next few weeks where qualified property owners may apply for grants or loans.
To qualify for assistance, privately owned structural damages must be uninsured or under-insured. Phone numbers and locations to apply for assistance will be determined next week.
In the meantime, those who have property damage are encouraged to contact their insurance companies and take photographs of damage before beginning repairs. Cabarrus County does not have resources to assist property owners with repairs.
For immediate needs, residents may contact the Cabarrus County chapter of the American Red Cross at 704-782-9022. The North Carolina Baptist Men also have offered volunteer services. Contact them at 1-800-395-5102, extension 5605. Other local non-profit groups or religious organizations also may be able to provide assistance.
For more information about flood assistance and recovery tips, log on to www.cabarrruscounty.us and click on the “Help for Flood Victims” link in the center of the page. The FEMA link on this Web page details instruction for applying for assistance once the disaster assistance center comes to Cabarrus County.
In addition to private property damage, Cabarrus County has been assessing damage to county-owned properties.  All Cabarrus County parks sustained damage from the storm. The county’s general services staff has been removing trees and repairing trails and boardwalks.
Frank Liske Park and Camp T.N. Spencer are now fully operational. Pharr Mill Road Park and North Cabarrus Park will reopen Saturday on a normal schedule. However, the trail at Pharr Mill Road Park will remain closed until further notice. Pharr Mill Road Park borders the Rocky River near Harrisburg and sustained significant damage to its boardwalk trail.
Damage to all county parks is estimated at approximately $25,000. Another $20,000 in damage is estimated for county buildings with the majority of that damage at the building which houses Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare on Lake Concord Road.
Two roads also remain closed due to culvert damage — Cold Springs Road at Miami Church Road and Zion Church Road at Cold Springs Road. The North Carolina Department of Transportation repairs and maintains county roads.

Respiratory group joins N.C. Research Campus

By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
A nonprofit corporation that works to prevent, treat and cure respiratory diseases will locate a research center at the N.C. Research Campus.
Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, a New Mexico-based company that specializes in studying allergies, asthma and other respiratory ailments, will move its Center for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research to Kannapolis, campus officials announced last week.
Pharmacoeconomics is a scientific discipline that compares the value of one drug to another. When conducting a pharmacoeconomic study, researchers consider not only the cost of a drug but also how much it improves the quality of life.
Dr. Christopher Blanchette directs the center, which should open at the N.C. Research Campus in October (see accompanying story this page).
Blanchette’s center researches the risk, cost and progression of respiratory disease and the effectiveness of pharmaceutical treatments for such ailments, according to a statement from the N.C. Research Campus.
Scientists at the center work in collaboration with government organizations such as the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as pharmaceutical manufacturers and contract research organizations.
The center’s staff study other diseases and health care issues including diabetes, epilepsy and breast cancer, according to its Web site.
Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute was founded in 1947 and employs more than 80 Ph.D.-level scientists and 500 technicians and support staff. Its 2008 budget is projected at $65 million, with funding coming from grants, contracts and philanthropy. Research areas include emphysema, lung cancer, inhalation toxicology, aerosol science, inhalation drug delivery and bronchitis.
The institute has a for-profit subsidiary called Lovelace Scientific Resources that conducts its clinical trials. Lovelace Scientific Resources works closely with the pharmacoeconomic research center that will move to Kannapolis this fall.
The N.C. Research Campus is a $1.5 billion, 350-acre biotechnology hub about to open in downtown Kannapolis. Founder David Murdock, owner of Dole Food Co. and Castle & Cooke, has partnered with several private companies as well as Duke University, the University of North Carolina System and the N.C. Community College System.

East grad ready to go at new respiratory center

By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
Dr. Christopher Blanchette, a rising star with the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute that will join the N.C. Research Campus this fall, credits several teachers at East Rowan High School for his success.
Blanchette, 29, holds three master’s degrees and a doctorate. He grew up in Rockwell and graduated from East Rowan in 1997.
He directs the New Mexico- based Lovelace Center for Pharmacoeconomic and Outcomes Research, which will relocate to Kannapolis in October.
At East Rowan, Blanchette enjoyed Eugene Sloop’s chemistry and physics classes.
“He inspired my interest in the sciences by providing a common-sense approach to the subjects,” Blanchette said.
Sloop took things that were complicated and explained them in simple terms, Blanchette said.
“I try to use that same approach with my students,” he said.
Blanchette has taught at Campbell University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has an adjunct faculty appointment with the UNC School of Pharmacy.
At East, Blanchette was active in the Junior ROTC program for four years.
He credits his sense of adventure to Rollins Collins and his humility to Richard Sisk, “both wonderful mentors and teachers” in ROTC, he said.
Blanchette now serves as a captain in the Army Reserves, studying military suicide rates as a research psychologist.
When he graduated from East, Blanchette planned to become a mental health counselor.
But while earning a master’s degree in medical sociology from UNC-Charlotte, he became interested in a scientific discipline called pharmacoeconomics.
“It’s looking at the benefits and value of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of chronic disease,” Blanchette said, “not only the cost for payers like insurance companies, but also the value of the drug to the patient.
“Is it helping them in their lifestyle? Is it reducing their symptoms? Is it improving their quality of life?”
As a graduate student, Blanchette worked on a team that studied patients with heart failure and the drugs they took.
He interviewed patients at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte about their quality of life, their medications and their out-of-pocket cost.
He realized he wanted to dedicate his career to ensuring that patients “get the best available drug,” he said.
“I studied the impact that cost has on people, not just what you’re paying at the pharmacy but how health plans force you into taking one drug over another,” he said. “They have a lot of control over what drugs you take.”
Now pharmaceutical companies and government agencies hire his research center to learn which drugs have the most value.
While he earned a doctorate in pharmaceutical research from the University of Maryland and completed his post-doctoral work at Duke University, Blanchette began consulting in 2005.
He worked for pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmith-Kline until joining the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute a year ago.
One of only two scientists with the pharmacoeconomic center in August 2007, Blanchette has hired four additional researchers and taken the center from no revenue to more than $1 million, his boss said.
“We expect to see great things from him,” said Dr. Bob Rubin, president of the Lovelace institute. “Chris adds the public health side of the equation.”
Although Blanchette’s center is based at Lovelace headquarters in Albuquerque, most of his researchers work from home.
Blanchette lives in Davidson with his wife and child. His parents, Robert and Charlon Claxton, live in Salisbury.
So when his center started booming, he started looking for nearby office space.
“We were growing pretty aggressively, and I wanted to set up an office about the time that I started seeing the development of the N.C. Research Campus,” Blanchette said.
The promised collaboration on the biotechnology campus between eight universities and numerous private companies appealed to Blanchette and Lovelace.
Lovelace looked at several locations in North Carolina before choosing Kannapolis.
“Rather than just pick a regular office site to lease, we wanted to be located near companies that could be potential clients or partners,” president Rubin said.
Blanchette hopes to collaborate with Duke University on a groundbreaking health study named for Research Campus founder David H. Murdock, offering his center’s expertise in epidemiology.
“My first initiative is to work with Duke on the MURDOCK Study, to attempt to support them,” Blanchette said.
He also would like to collaborate with Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc., another newcomer in Kannapolis that runs human clinical trials.
Blanchette said he will hire five to 10 technicians and support staff over the next year. He’s already posted a job for an administrative assistant on the Lovelace Web site, www.LRRI.org.
His center will take over N.C. A&T University’s temporary office in Cannon Village once A&T moves into its permanent facility in October, when the campus officially opens.
Lovelace is a nonprofit corporation that works to prevent, treat and cure respiratory diseases like asthma. The company conducts all phases of drug research, from initial animal studies to Blanchette’s inquiries into patient outcomes.
“Part of that equation is documenting whether a given therapy does anybody any good,” Rubin said. “That’s the kind of thing Chris and his colleagues do.”
Rubin predicted that Blanchette’s center will make an impact on the N.C. Research Campus.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s going to be a big deal.”

People will remember this Fay

In case you missed it, Cabarrus and Rowan counties sustained significant damage last week due to torrential downpours left over from Tropical Storm Fay.
Close to 11 inches of rain fell on Kannapolis and Cabarrus County from Tuesday morning to Wednesday. As a result, roads were washed away, homes and parks flooded, and bridges are still closed. Dakota Street, Stadium Drive and the entrance to Cloverleaf Plaza are still closed.
This is pretty bad, but not so horrible as it could have been. Yes, Dakota Street residents and users will have to use the detour set up along South Cannon Boulevard. The Intimidators had their last two games of the year washed out, so people won’t be lined up at the back entrance to get into games. The biggest problem may be lost business for the shops at Cloverleaf Plaza.
You can still get into the plaza if you are only wanting to visit IHOP, Home Depot, Auld Golf or one of the other shops in the front of the center. You have to use Pennsylvania Avenue to visit Hancock Fabrics, Benjamin Franklin or any of the shops past the stoplight.
The physical damage can be fixed. Luckily, there was no loss of life during these floods. For the most part, people were smart, not driving over roads covered in water for fear of having their car wash away or worse, and homes and other structures were evacuated swiftly.
It could have been much worse. Much, much worse.
I didn’t get any significant damage at my home, and I feel extremely lucky after driving around on Wednesday, surveying the damage and getting stories. Others weren’t as lucky as my family and I were, and they lost everything they had. State and federal officials may be able to help them get some of that back, but I’m sure the after affects of the flooding and losses will be felt for a long time.
Joanie Morris is editor of the Kannapolis Citizen. She can be reached at 704-932-3336 or jmorris@kannapoliscitizen.com.

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