WFAE staff and wire reports

UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton on Monday discussed this past year’s economic activity, along with projections for this year’s economy.

Cabarrus County Commissioners couldn’t agree on a new chairman at Monday night’s meeting. The vote came after the county clerk of court appointed Jeff Jones to the board when remaining members couldn’t agree on a replacement for then-chairman Chris Measmer, who resigned to fill out a term in the state Senate. Vice Chair Laura Blackwell Lindsey got two votes last night, as did board member Kenny Wortman, while Jones got one. Lindsey will remain acting chair until the board takes further action.

The Town of McAdenville is mourning the passing of Mayor Jim Robinette. The town announced over the weekend that he died Friday. The 80-year-old had served as mayor since being appointed in 2016. He was elected in 2019 and again in 2023. Robinette had served on the Planning Board and Town Council for nearly 20 years. The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 10am to noon on Wednesday at Carothers Funeral Home at Gaston Memorial Park with a funeral service to follow.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have charged a juvenile in connection with a fire at a Harris Teeter grocery store last week in north Charlotte. No one was injured in the blaze, though it grew so large it set off three alarms and caused an estimated $500,000 in damage. The store on Davis Lake Parkway has been closed indefinitely as a result. Police are not identifying the juvenile because of their age.

Events are planned this week to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence — also known as the “Meck Dec.” According to local legend, the citizens of Mecklenburg County declared independence from Great Britain on May 20, 1775 — more than a year before the rest of the American colonies. However the document is said to have been lost in a fire in 1800 — leading some historians to question the story. A ceremony will be held Tuesday in uptown, from noon to 2 pm, at Trade and Tryon streets.

After a 2-1 overtime win Saturday night, the Charlotte Checkers are up two games to none in their best-of-5 American Hockey League Atlantic Division Finals series with the Hershey Bears. Game three is Wednesday night in Hershey.

With a 1-1 draw against Tampa Bay Sun FC on Saturday night, Carolina Ascent FC clinched the 2024/25 USL Super League Players’ Shield, awarded to the team with the most points at the end of the regular season. Carolina will enter the 2024/25 USL Super League Playoffs with the No. 1 overall seed, earning home field advantage for the semifinal match against the No. 4 seed on June 8.

Governor Josh Stein has some ideas about how the Federal Emergency Management Agency could be improved. Stein provided his input to the President’s FEMA Review Council in a letter in response to the Department of Homeland Security’s request for public input.

A new airline will start service from Charlotte Douglas International Airport this summer, a major expansion that marks the city's first nonstop service from a Middle Eastern carrier.

The South Carolina Supreme Court has upheld the state’s six-week abortion ban in a unanimous ruling against Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights activists. The plaintiffs had argued the law’s language banning abortions once cardiac activity is detected in a fetus could be construed to give women nine weeks to obtain an abortion. But justices were not swayed, finding it was the intent of lawmakers to ban most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Governor Henry McMaster is praising Wednesday's ruling as a “clear and decisive victory.”