A newcomer to Charlotte is usually quick to learn just what a big deal the banking industry is here. But we don't hear much about another segment of the local economy. WFAE's Scott Graf reports now on the well kept secret that is Charlotte's shipping and warehousing industry.

A newcomer to Charlotte is usually quick to learn just what a big deal the banking industry is here. But we don't hear much about another segment of the local economy. WFAE's Scott Graf reports now on the well kept secret that is Charlotte's shipping and warehousing industry.

For those families who want to send their kids to magnet schools next year this is the last day to enter the CMS lottery.

CMS offers 10 different magnet programs at 37 schools. They include the International Baccalaureate program and specializations in science, technology, and the arts.

The district began taking applications in early January, when the school board was still considering budget cuts that could impact magnets.

Supporters and opponents of the Bright Beginnings pre-K program can cite statistics all they want, but "there is not sufficient or valid evidence to support a funding decision on research from CMS," Superintendent Peter Gorman writes in memo to school board members.

That's not to say that Bright Beginnings fails to deliver results, but past research isn't solid enough to label the program a success or failure, Ann Doss Helms reports in Sunday's Charlotte Observer.

Helms also reports on the memo in her Your Schools blog. She writes:

Employees of convenience stores and fast food joints continue to fight back. Late Friday, a convenience store clerk in Gastonia hit a robber in the head with an aluminum baseball bat.

"I knew I had to take care of the business. This is like my home," Guillermo Troncoso told the Charlotte Observer.

He also busted car windows as the robber was driving away.

Gastonia Police arrested 47-year-old Randall Scott Strait on Saturday. They saw the busted windows of his Mercury Cougar outside his home, and then found him inside asleep with a bandage on his head.

Chelsea Kellner of the Raleigh News & Observer examines whether the Southern accent is in danger.

N.C. State linguistics professor Robin Dodsworth has been documenting the change. She says her research shows that "over time in Raleigh, the Southern variant is disappearing."

Dodsworth records native resident of Raleigh of different ages and runs the sound through software that breaks down how they pronounce each word. Dodsworth then runs a statistical analysis that shows how speech patterns have changed over time.

Frank Renfrow gave away a lot of money in his will. He left $1 million for Matthews Presbyterian Church. He gave another $100,000 to First Baptist Church of Matthews. Alma matter Davidson College is receiving $10,000.

But Renfrow didn't want to leave behind everything. He instructed that his picturesque house in downtown Matthews, which his father built in 1926, be either burned or demolished.

The Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly has the story here, including pictures.

Renfrow died in December at 77. The paper reports his estate is estimated at $13 million.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina's Supreme Court is rejecting a lawsuit filed by a few taxpayers over tax breaks used to lure Google Inc. to Caldwell County.

Justices on North Carolina's highest court did not explain their decision Friday to allow a lower court ruling to stand. The state Court of Appeals ruled last year that three taxpayers were not adversely affected by the tax breaks, so they could not sue.