Business

Thirty productions claimed tax credits last year for filming in North Carolina, including some blockbusters like Iron Man 3 and the Hunger Games. Charlotte has become home to a couple of successful TV shows: Homeland and Banshee. By all accounts, the Hollywood business is booming here. But there's a dark cloud on the horizon – come the end of next year, North Carolina's film incentives program is set to expire. 

That prompted WFAE to take a close look at what filming brings to the state, and what it costs us to get those films here. Our two part series wrapped up Thursday morning and WFAE reporter Julie Rose joined host Mark Rumsey to answer a few questions.

Rotten peaches, drowned tobacco, moldy wheat and waterlogged watermelons.

Those are a few examples of how heavy rains in the Carolinas are decimating crops. Farmers are dealing with some of the wettest weather they've ever had, and all that rain is washing out a sizable chunk of the Southern economy.

Bank of America is eliminating drive-through teller service at some of its branches across the country – including six locations in the Charlotte region.

  A bank spokeswoman says the decision was made in locations where use was low. Drive up ATMS will still be available at those branches.  Retail banking analyst Will Weidman, vice president of Applied Predictive Technologies, says banks are trying find a balance between traditional services like drive-through windows and new technologies that let people bank from home and on mobile devices.

  Eastland Mall will be demolished to make room for a movie studio – maybe. The city council is moving forward, tentatively, with a proposal from Studio Charlotte, but a lot still needs to be worked out.

Attorneys for US Airways and American Airlines say they won't make the first move to settle a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice attempting to block the airlines from merging.

The Justice Department contends the merger will make it easier for the remaining mega-airlines – Delta, United and American – to cooperate on prices, rather than compete.  That means airfares will go up and service will decline, warns the lawsuit.  But an attorney for US Airways and American, Rich Parker, says the DOJ is "very wrong."

When we last spoke with August Turak, he'd just written his thoughts about concepts he learned from visits with Trappist Monks in South Carolina in a Forbes.com article. He laid out several "secrets" of the monks' practices that are centered on service and selflessness that could be used to make businesses better at what they do. Since then, he's written an entire book on the concept and has shared additional inspiring stories of the monks. Mr. Turak lays out how businesses could learn from the Trappist Monks' practices, and he joins us again to talk about bringing values and principles back into business, when Charlotte Talks.

Harris Teeter has finally found a buyer, and it's a big one. Kroger - the largest U.S. grocery store chain - is spending about $2.5 billion to buy the Matthews-based company. 

But don't expect a name change at your local stores. Kroger says it will continue to operate the Harris Teeter brand. 

Harris Teeter has been searching for a buyer for several months, and its CEO said in a press release the company is excited to become a part of Kroger. 

School is out for summer and teenagers across the country are on the hunt for summer jobs. However, some Charlotte teens have skipped the job application process by starting their own small businesses instead. How have these teenagers used their passions to turn a profit? What resources are available for youth in the greater Charlotte area to gain business experience? And how has the face of a business owner diversified over the past few years? A conversation about entrepreneurship when Charlotte Talks.