Episodes

North Carolina State University has experienced seven deaths by suicide of students since the beginning of the school year. Police say two students took their own lives within 24 hours of one another last week. The community—especially parents—is desperate to try and understand the mental health crisis that is leading to these tragedies. WRAL reporter Keenan Willard spoke to the family of one student who died by suicide. In this episode, he shares their powerful and emotional story. https://www....

Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo is accused along with his brother of shooting and killing Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd in August. Early Sunday morning, Marin-Sotelo escaped from a jail in Virginia. Another inmate from North Carolina in an unrelated case also escaped from the same jail later that day. Both escapes have prompted a massive manhunt. WRAL has multiple crews covering this developing story. In this episode, we speak to WRAL reporter Chelsea Donovan. https://www.wral.com/Ned-Byrd-murder-suspe...

In a major win for Republicans, the North Carolina Supreme Court issued opinions Friday on a series of cases involving voter rights. They could have major ramifications on future elections in the state, and they could even affect the balance of power in the U.S. Congress. WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain breaks down the cases and explains how they could affect elections across the state.

A December attack in a Moore County exposed a weakness in our power grid. Someone shot up two substations and plunged 45,000 people into the dark. Five months later some security upgrades are in place, but the reality is setting in: There's only so much we can do to beef up security, and some of it's expensive. WRAL Investigative Reporter Cullen Browder joins the Daily Download to discuss what's been done and what's to come.

Downtown Cary is the last place you’d expect to find a miniature redwood forest – but tucked away behind town hall is a secret world of dawn redwoods with fluted trunks, and rippling roots, a striking red sight against a hillside curtained with green ivy. It looks like something out of a fairytale. In this episode, WRAL’s Hidden History reporter, Heather Leah, takes us on an adventure to spot redwoods around the Triangle.

Faster bus service is coming to Raleigh. Regional rail is in the planning phases. Public transit is making a post-pandemic rebound, but can you get around in North Carolina without a car like many people do in urban area throughout the country? In this episode, WRAL’s Joe Fisher investigated the “carless” movement, and joins us to share what he learned.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson entry into the 2024 gubernatorial race launches what is expected to be a closely watched GOP primary battle. The big question Robinson’s opponents — and some of his supporters — will ask: Is he too extreme for moderate North Carolinians? WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran provides insight from Robinson’s campaign kick-off and interviews with others who have an eye on the Republican nomination.

When former WRAL anchor David Crabtree retired in 2022, he could have actually retired. But his commitment to service won out, and he became the interim CEO of PBS North Carolina — that position is now permanent. Today, Crabtree will be inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame. In this conversation, he talks with WRAL’s Debra Morgan about his next act at PBS NC and about the deep connection he continues to share with the communities he served from the anchor desk for so many years.

Since 1993, runners and walkers have been taking to the streets in Durham as part of the Angels Among Us 5K & Walk of HOPE to benefit brain tumor research at Duke’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. According to the National Brain Tumor Society, 700,000 Americans are living with primary brain tumors. More than 94,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed this year, and nearly 19,000 people with malignant brain tumors will die in 2023. In this episode, Brain Tumor Center Director of Devel...

With a major race this weekend in Chapel Hill, the Daily Download tackles running culture. What makes someone wake up at 3:30 a.m. to run 17 miles? We find out with WRAL runner in residence (and investigative data reporter) Ali Ingersoll, MC for this weekend's Tar Heel 10 Miler.

Did you know if you're a woman in North Carolina you are likely to pay more for car insurance than a man? A recent study shows that women pay more than men, even women with clean driving records and no other logical factors that could increase their rates. There's even a law in North Carolina that prohibits this, so why is it not working? WRAL's 5 On Your Side reporter Keely Arthur investigated this topic. In this episode, she shares what she learned and has tips on how women can be smart consum...

Wake County parents,students and staff see pros and cons in later school start times for middle and high schools and earlier start start times for elementary schools. Later start times could be better for academic performance, but extracurricular activities and bus schedules could be negatively affected. WRAL Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst explains the Wake County Public School System's ongoing debate over bell schedules.

North Carolina lawmakers passed a law that increases penalties for protesters and broadens arrest powers for police during protests. The American Civil Liberties Union claims the legislation is unconstitutional and could lead to the arrests of peaceful protesters. The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit against the state in response to the new law. In this episode, WRAL state government reporter Will Doran explains the lawsuit and how it could impact the new law.

North Carolina’s shelters have the second highest kill rate in the country. In 2022, 14,000 animals were euthanized. The main reason is that the number of animals being taken in, more than 120,000 last year, far outpaces the resources of the shelters. WRAL multiplatform producer Delaney Eyermann shares her investigation of this issue and possible solutions.

A 27-year-old customer has died at WakeMed after being stabbed, according to witnesses, by the owner of a downtown Raleigh convenience store last week. As of this recording, Raleigh Police have not charged anyone. Witnesses told WRAL the clerk who also owns the store accused Mark Garrity of shoplifting. He left the store and collapsed on the street where a witness gave him CPR. The victim’s mother spoke to WRAL reporter Keenan Willard. In this episode, he shares what she had to say and brings us...

Republican lawmakers filed half a dozen bills last week dealing with transgender youth. Two would ban transgender girls from playing on girl sports teams, basing eligibility on what a student’s birth certificate says. Others limit hormone therapy and medical procedures. All of them draw North Carolina further into a culture war raging across the country.

North Carolina Republicans scored big last week when Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham decided to change parties. Her bombshell decision gives Republicans a veto-proof majority in the chamber, making it easier for them to write their agenda into the law books. Cotham vows to hold onto some of the beliefs that got her elected to a deep-blue district in the Charlotte suburbs. That has political observers wondering: Will she flip on any hot-button issues? WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran discu...

The Paycheck Protection Program funneled billions of dollars to companies in need during the pandemic to allow them to pay their rent, keep their lights on and keep workers on the payroll even when their doors were shut. But now, US Attorney of the Eastern District of North Carolina Mike Easley says the money didn’t all end up in the right hands. In this episode, WRAL Investigates Senior Producer Randall Kerr tells us about the investigation into PPP fraud and the effort to get the money back.

Many of us use Raleigh-Durham International Airport to travel to see friends and family, but did you know there was an airport in our area before RDU? The Raleigh Municipal Airport operated from 1929 to 1973. Famous pilots, including Amelia Earhart, landed there. And there was a romantic nature to early air travel that defined the facility. Development has obscured most of the remnants of the airport, but WRAL’s Hidden History reporter, Heather Leah, reveals what is still there, and shares the s...

Demand for real estate in fast-growing North Carolina is pushing up prices of homes and apartments. So state lawmakers are proposing a series of bills that would loosen building regulations in an effort to speed supply, and possibly push down prices. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran breaks down the bills, who's behind them and whether they have a chance of becoming law.

North Carolina's General Assembly is on the cusp of legalizing mobile sports gambling, letting people bet on just about any sport, from their phones, 24 hours a day. Other states have done the same, boosting gambling across the country. Some worry it's too much of an addicting thing. WRAL's Brian Murphy takes a hard look at gambling addiction.

The fentanyl crisis affects families across North Carolina, taking a record number of lives in the state. It's a crisis that impacts everyone, even the man behind the lens of WRAL's latest documentary, Crisis Next Door. I nvestigative documentary reporter and producer Cristin Severance talks with WRAL photojournalist Jay Jennings about his work on this documentary, and his deep personal connection to one of the families interviewed.

North Carolina lawmakers are working up a new state budget. And mixed in with the raises for teachers and state employees: A major partisan policy fight over climate change, abortion and public schools. WRAL's state government team breaks down the new proposed budget, and how it's being used for leverage.

It’s never been more of a concern. This week’s deadly school shooting in Nashville has people across the country heartbroken and wondering how we can make schools safe from these tragic events. In this episode, WRAL’s investigative producer Randall Kerr tells us about new technology that allows school staff to barricade doors and prevent shooters from getting into classrooms.