If you vacationed in Myrtle Beach last May, it was probably a lot quieter. A new motorcycle helmet law curbed turnout for two biker rallies that have divided the town in recent years.

Myrtle Beach officials expect turnout to also decline for this weekend's annual fall biker rally. That has some residents happy, and some business owners bracing for lower revenues.

WFAE's Dominic Ruiz-Esparza has more:

South Carolina state law only requires motorcycle helmets for bikers under 21.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today said the H1N1 virus is now in all 50 states. Swine flu is a particular problem in the South, where some hospitals have set up tents to keep patients from spreading the virus.

Today in Charlotte, the region's two largest hospital chains began prohibiting visitors under the age of 18. WFAE's Julie Rose reports:

Until word really gets out about the new visitor policy prohibiting kids under 18, scenes like this are going to be pretty common in Charlotte hospitals.

Beginning this morning, visitors under 18 are no longer allowed in Charlotte-area hospitals because of concerns over the spread of the H1N1 virus. The ban on visitors under 18 at all Carolinas Medical Centers and Presbyterian Hospitals in the Charlotte region will remain in place indefinitely. The Chief Medical Officer for Caronlinas HealthCare System, Dr. Roger Ray, explained the policy to WFAE's Julie Rose.

Charlotte's mayoral candidates are scheduled to show up at more than twenty mayoral debates and forums between now and Election Day. But a mainstay on Charlotte's political calendar, the League of Women Voters debate on public television and WSOC, is a no go. That was canceled this week after Republican candidate John Lassiter refused to go along with the League's ground rules.

Last night, he and Democrat Anthony Foxx faced-off for the first time since the controversy - although most of the members of the audience weren't old enough to vote.

http://66.225.205.104/0929Wachovia Story.mp3

In early September 2008, it was clear the U.S. financial market was in turmoil. AIG and Washington Mutual had failed. Bank of America had just bought a weakened Merrill Lynch. But the really bad things had all occurred somewhere else. That changed one year ago today, when Charlotte got news that put a big knot in the stomach of the city's banking community. A year later, some pain lingers. But Charlotte is still standing, and economists are optimistic about its future.