MINT HILL, NC (WBTV) - Dennis the Menace Illustrator Marcus Hamilton recently visited the WBTV studio to talk to us about how he got started drawing Dennis the Menace and to talk about why he likes drawing Christmas scenes so much.

"Dennis has a lot of respect and love for Santa Claus and he's probably thinking you know, when I grow up, I'd like to be Santa Claus," says Marcus Hamilton, Illustrator of the Monday through Saturday Dennis the Menace panels.

"It's just fun. I really enjoy the Christmas thing. I put more into the Christmas daily panels than the whole rest of the year," says Hamilton.

How Hamilton became a Dennis the Menace illustrator is quite a tale. He actually began his career at WBTV in 1965 in the art department. He was later a freelance illustrator for 21 years. Then Hamilton says computer graphics put him out of the illustration business.

MECKLENBURG COUNTY - AAA Carolinas reports the average price of gas in Charlotte is $2.95 with many stations already charging over $3 a gallon.  As gas prices continue to rise, people across the Charlotte region are searching for ways to keep more cash in their pockets.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) has a solution – let CATS do the driving for you.

CATS is in neighborhoods all around Charlotte making getting from your neighborhood to where you need to go... easy.

MATTHEWS - The Matthews Community Center will close December 23 at 5:30 pm and will reopen December 28.

December 28-30 the Center will be open from 9 am-5:30 pm.  December 31st the Center will be open 12 noon - 11pm for the Matthews Playhouse’s New Year’s Eve presentation of “Opening Night Matthews.”

The Matthews Community Center will be closed January 1 - 2, and will reopen on January 3 at 9 am.