Synopsis
When it comes to diversifying

Charlotte 's economy, many area boosters point to biotechnology as an industry with a lot of potential.

Yesterday, the Charlotte Biotechnology Conference at UNC Charlotte focused on this potential and some of the research taking place.

There was also a scientific competition among some top next-generation scientists. It's actually called a poster competion, and it's sot of like a mini-science fair for adults.

Public radio and public television talk show host Tavis Smiley will be in Charlotte tomorrow. He's bringing with him a message of financial literacy the he especially hopes attracts the interest of African Americans. Smiley has partnered with Nationwide Insurance to host seminars around the country on how blacks, and others, can better prepare themselves for a more stable financial future.

But again, Smiley is a talk show host. WFAE's Scott Graf began by asking Smiley why people should listen to him about financial literacy.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools yesterday scrapped a proposal that would shift students from the overcrowded Eastover Elementary to Myers Park Traditional. The district is trying to bring Eastover's attendance below 500. WFAE's Simone orendain reports the news brought calm to parents who attended a meeting last night on redrawing Eastover's boundaries.

With 589 students, Eastover Elementary is overcrowded. The school in Eastover, is within close proximity to First Ward uptown and the Myers Park, Elizabeth and Dilworth neighborhoods.

A company in Davidson is relocating 7 miles away after the city of Mooresville and Iredell County commissioners approved $138,000 in economic incentives.

Liburdi Dimetrics produces high-tech precision welding equipment. Its equipment is used in the manufacturing of products in the medical, nuclear power and automotive industries.

It employs 80 people in Davidson. By the end of the year, Liburdi officials expect them to be working at an 86,000 square-foot-building in Mooresville the company is in the process of purchasing.