MECKLENBURG COUNTY - The Charlotte City Council has passed a new tethering ordinance for pets in Charlotte.

These new rules go into effect Tuesday, March 1 and are meant to keep pets free from injury and enhance their quality of life while they are restrained outdoors, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department's Animal Care and Control says.

• Use a chain or runner that is a minimum of 10 ft. long.
• Ensure the chain doesn't exceed 10% of the dog's total weight.
• Ensure all harnesses and collars fit properly. You should be able to fit two fingers snugly between the pet and collar. 
• Use swivel hardware to prevent tangles. 
• Clear the pet's area from obstructions to ensure the dog doesn't become entangled.

MECKLENBURG COUNTY - More public meetings concerning Mecklenburg County property revaluation have been announced.

Revaluation is the process of reappraisal of all properties within the County for tax assessment purposes, and is required once at least every eight years by North Carolina law. The last reappraisal in Mecklenburg County was in 2003.

Over time, the real estate market changes, and market prices deviate from the assessed values estimated during the previous reappraisal. A revaluation does two important things:

CHARLOTTE - Members of a local church denomination have created a display in the heart of downtown Charlotte to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake.

The display will measure 10' x 10' x 10', and it will be located on the plaza at Trade and Tryon Streets. 

The United Methodist Church says they hope to create more awareness with the display that more work needs to be done to clear all the rubble in Haiti and to rebuild what was damaged.

The display will be filled with an estimated five tons of rubble to illustrate the the magnitude of the destruction. 

The earthquake left behind 25 million cubic yards of rubble in Haiti.