Episodes
Oct. 17, 2023
Online scams are hurting businesses and customers; how to protect yourself
Imagine booking a hotel for the weekend and showing up at the address only to learn it’s not a hotel at all, but a personal injury law firm. Or you make a hair appointment and pay a deposit online only to learn that the perso...
Oct. 16, 2023
Sex education in North Carolina: Are we getting it right?
Sex education is a controversial topic in North Carolina, from legislation that school districts believe requires them to get parental permission to teach it, to the limited messages it includes, there are big concerns about ...
Oct. 13, 2023
Mother, wife, teacher, runner: Raleigh mass shooting victim Sue Karnatz is remembered for kindness and compassion
It’s hard to believe that it’s been one year since witnesses say a teenage boy opened fire on a Raleigh greenway in the Hedingham community killing five people. To mark the anniversary, WRAL has been speaking with people whos...
Oct. 12, 2023
North Carolinians in Israel witness the violence; they share their terrifying stories with WRAL
The images on television and online seem unreal, a world away. But for many Americans, including North Carolinians, what is happening in Israel is very real to them because of their personal ties to the country and its people...
Oct. 11, 2023
Can eating beans help combat climate change?
Tiny but mighty, some scientists say beans can help fix the future. “Beans is How” is a global effort to double the consumption of beans, peas, and legumes by 2028. These foods are some of the planet’s most sustainable protei...
Oct. 10, 2023
What’s the deal with the recession? Is it happening or not?
Recession is a word that’s been thrown around a lot over the past two years. It’s left a lot of people concerned about their economic futures. 5 On Your Side has been asking experts what their forecast is for the economy. In ...
Oct. 9, 2023
Could beer and bipartisanship repair Congress?
Interim U.S. House Speaker Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is poised to lead his fractured Republican Party through the election of a permanent chamber leader starting this week. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran ex...
Oct. 6, 2023
Memories of a young Taylor Swift performing at a Raleigh high school before she was a superstar
In 2006, way before she was a superstar, a 16-year-old Taylor Swift shared her music with students at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh after they won a concert from a local radio station contest. Little did they know at th...
Oct. 5, 2023
Could Raleigh get a Major League Baseball team?
Major League Baseball is likely to expand by two teams in the near future. The owner of the Carolina Hurricanes wants Raleigh and North Carolina to be part of this conversation. North Carolina is home to franchises in the NHL...
Oct. 4, 2023
The case against the Hedingham mass shooting suspect, one year later
One year ago this month, the unthinkable happened in Raleigh. Five people were killed and another person was critically injured after witnesses say a teenager opened fire on a greenway at the end of the workday. The suspect, ...
Oct. 3, 2023
How do schools make decisions about when to cancel school because of weather?
As a parent, or an employer, it can be extremely frustrating. A big storm is predicted, schools are closed, and parents are home with their kids trying to balance work and child care. And to make it even worse, sometimes that...
Oct. 2, 2023
NC’s $3 billion bet on economic development
When Republican lawmakers crafted the North Carolina budget, they set aside a big chunk of change for ambitious economic development projects. One-tenth of the $30 billion spending plan is devoted to projects meant to attract...
Sept. 29, 2023
IVF wait times are stressful for women trying to have children
About 100,000 babies are born in the U.S. every year thanks to invitro fertilization known as IVF. But as the interest in IVF increases, so does the wait times for treatment. It can take up to six months just to get an initia...
Sept. 28, 2023
Raleigh’s Catholic bishop shares the church’s growth and the sacredness of slowing down with WRAL anchor Debra Morgan
Raleigh’s Catholic Diocese is about to celebrate its one-hundred-year anniversary. The area is now home to half a million practicing Catholics. In this episode, WRAL anchor and reporter Debra Morgan shares her experience inte...
Sept. 27, 2023
North Carolina lawmaker Mickey Michaux recalls the 1963 March on Washington, friendship with MLK
A quarter of a million people gathered in our nation’s capital 60 years ago on August 28, 1963, for the March on Washington headed by Dr. Martin Luther King. The historic event is largely credited as helping pass the 1964 Civ...
Sept. 26, 2023
Storm damage: How to handle property damage after a hurricane
First there is the relief…you’re okay, your family is okay. Then there is the realization that your property is not okay . Hurricanes can wreak havoc on your home. From downed trees, to holes in your roof, to flooding, knowin...
Sept. 25, 2023
Virtual teachers: Are they the wave of the future?
Remote teaching during the pandemic wasn’t the best way for many students to learn, but it was a stopgap measure to help schools get through the crisis. Now, some schools across the state are finding themselves turning to vir...
Sept. 22, 2023
Back on Track: A book about what parents can do to help their children thrive at every stage of life
The pandemic set children back in so many areas—academically, socially, and emotionally. For many parents, helping their children regain what they lost and thrive has been a major struggle. In this episode, we speak to local ...
Sept. 22, 2023
The State budget battle comes to an end
For months, Republicans have been battling over items in the $30 billion state budget. The biggest obstacle was a plan to expand gambling in North Carolina. GOP lawmakers finally agreed to table this for now so that the budge...
Sept. 21, 2023
The Raleigh Christmas Parade will look very different one year after a child died
It was off, and now, it’s on again. One year after 11-year-old dancer Hailey Brooks was accidentally run over and killed by a pickup truck pulling her dance school’s float as thousands of people watched, the status of the Ral...
Sept. 20, 2023
Explore North Carolina's majestic lighthouses with the Tar Heel Traveler
Who doesn’t love lighthouses? The North Carolina coast is almost synonymous with the majestic structures that have been maritime beacons for centuries. Most of us have not visited every single lighthouse in the state. WRAL’s ...
Sept. 20, 2023
UNC-Chapel Hill graduate student accused of killing professor ordered to have second mental evaluation
A mental evaluation revealed that the man accused of shooting a professor at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill lacks the mental capacity to be tried for the crime. Tailei Qi, a 34-year-old doctoral student, is c...
Sept. 19, 2023
Thousands of North Carolina elevator inspections are overdue
Nearly 5000 elevators, escalators and lifts are behind on their inspections in North Carolina. A large portion of them are in Wake County. While accidents are rare, they can be fatal. WRAL spoke to the husband of a woman who ...
Sept. 18, 2023
Hefty costs for UNC’s Supreme Court loss
The lawsuit that ended race-based admissions at universities around the country cost the University of North Carolina nearly $25 million to defend. Most of that money went to an international law firm whose attorneys charged ...