Three sold-out home games, 6,700 booked hotel rooms, and an estimated 112,000 people attending watch parties helped drive a surge of fun and profits.
Lichtin Plaza has undergone several improvements designed to create a more welcoming arrival experience.
Four months after a fire broke out in an HVAC unit on the roof of the Raleigh Convention Center, repair work is continuing as the facility moves closer to a full recovery.
A tourist helicopter crashed on a remote beach on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, killing three people and injuring two others, authorities said.
This is the convention center's first major event since a December fire caused significant damage.
Raleigh continues to attract business, but some venerable retail names are pulling the plug in the Capital City.