The unemployment rate in the Charlotte region dropped again last month to 11.8 percent, leading some economists to declare the worst is behind us. WFAE's Julie Rose reports:

Many economists - including Wells Fargo's Mark Vitner - once predicted the Charlotte area unemployment rate would hit 13 percent before it got any better. Instead, the rate topped out at 12.5 percent in June and has declined every month since then. Layoffs have leveled off in the region in recent months, too, which leads Vitner to believe the unemployment rate has already topped out:

Duke Energy wants a judge to overturn a decision made by South Carolina regulators this summer that has effectively blocked the company's quest for another 50-year license on the Catawba River. WFAE's Julie Rose has more:

Before Duke Energy can get its hydropower license renewed by federal regulators, the company needs a certificate from both North and South Carolina approving the quality and quantity of water flowing through its dams. North Carolina already gave its approval.

Haleh Esfandiari
A conversation about the true story of Iranian-American Scholar Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, who was imprisoned in Iran in 2007 after a visit to her elderly mother. She'll share details of her more than 100 day incarceration, including interrogations, intimidation and fear of her tormentors.

Guest
Dr. Haleh Esfandiari - Iranian-American academic and Director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center

The City of Concord says it will "vigorously defend itself" against a lawsuit from the owner of Lowe's Motor Speedway over $80 million in tax incentives. But the city is also moving forward with road improvements that were originally part of that deal. WFAE's Julie Rose reports:

Race track owner Bruton Smith is angry that Concord and Cabarrus County want forty years to pay him back for $80 million in road improvements he'd like to make around Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The topic of illegal immigration stirs strong opinions.

From opposing sides of the debate, there are emotional reactions and well-reasoned arguments and concerns. And yes, you can throw some racism in there as well.

These reactions have certainly played out in the Charlotte area, but nothing like a particularly intense debate that occurred two years ago in Northern Virginia's Prince William County.

The documentary film 9500 Liberty captures this debate.