WPTF Afternoon News

The Wake County Animal Center is full, with more animals arriving every day and fewer spaces available for pets in need. Meagan Frost of the Wake County Animal Center joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the latest developments.

The World Rugby Nations Cup is coming to Cary next Saturday. Dominic Besag is an American international rugby union player who plays as a center. A Danville, California native, Besag was educated at De La Salle High School and has played rugby from a young age. Besag joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss preparations for the Nations Cup.

CNBC has ranked North Carolina #2 in its Top States for Business rankings. Carolina is home to one of the country's most active university innovation ecosystems. 682 active UNC startups — 537 of which are headquartered in North Carolina — have created more than 131,000 jobs worldwide and over 14,000 jobs in the state in the 2025 fiscal year. Gerald Cohen, a professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan F...

A new Catawba College-YouGov poll finds that North Carolinians expressed broad concern about political violence, yet most remain confident elections will occur as scheduled and say they would reject candidates who violate principles of democracy and elections. Michael Bitzer, Catawba College Political Science Professor, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the survey results.

If you've ever planned a trip to the DMV, you've probably heard the phrase "pack your patience." But the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles says drivers may not need quite as much patience these days, as wait times continue to improve at licensing offices across the state. Marty Homan joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss what's behind the shorter waits and the steps the agency is taking to improve...

While summer is in full swing, the new school year is just around the corner. To help teachers prepare their classrooms, a seven-week school supply drive has kicked off in Wake County, collecting essential items for students and educators ahead of the first day of school. Keith Poston, Chair of the WakeEd Partnership, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss this year's school supply drive and how the commun...

In 2012, Pat McCrory became the first Republican elected governor of North Carolina in 24 years. During his term, the state's political landscape shifted dramatically as Donald Trump rose to national prominence, while McCrory's re-election campaign unfolded in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Andrew Dunn has chronicled McCrory's tenure and legacy in his new book, The Change Agent. Dunn joined J...

It’s been one year since Tropical Depression Chantal brought devastating flooding to Orange County. After the storm, FEMA pledged more than $11 million to support recovery efforts across the state, but Orange County officials say those funds have yet to arrive. Kirby Saunders joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the status of recovery efforts and the challenges the county continues to face a year later.

Temperatures surpassed 100-degrees several times in central North Carolina during the holiday weekend. Meanwhile, drought conditions continue as North Carolina will need over a foot of rain to catch up on the deficit. Gary Stephenson, Chief Meteorologist for Spectrum News One, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the record-setting heat that closed June and started July.

The search continues for suspects connected to a violent 4th of July in Raleigh. The Raleigh Police Department says the violence stemmed from a teen takeover that started in Briar Creek, moved to Glenwood South, then to Capital Boulevard. Nine people were shot over the course of six hours starting late Saturday night into early Sunday morning. Gerald Givens, the founder of Raleigh Boots on the Gro...

Downtown Raleigh business owners are demanding action following the violence on the 4th of July. Several business owners along Glenwood South say the scene has changed in recent years. Carey Kidd, the owner of Dirty V Restaurant, is among the people who feel frustrated over how gun violence has made its way into the area. Kidd joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the events from the holiday weekend.

Monday marked one year since Tropical Depression Chantal ravaged parts of the Triangle, including multiple neighborhoods in Durham. Holt Athletic Association President Don Daves says the storm left his nonprofit’s recreational sports complex in shambles. Daves joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss how he has rebuilt since Chantal.

It's been one year since Tropical Storm Chantal devastated downtown Chapel Hill. Businesses at Eastgate Crossing had to close for months. Some longtime businesses never reopened. Mary Stowe, owner of Yarn, Etc, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the long road to building her business.

The heat indexes soared over 100 degrees across central North Carolina over the 4th of July weekend. Air conditioners were on full blast in millions of households. How does this impact North Carolina power grids? Is there a possibility of a power blackout? Jeff Brooks from Duke Energy joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss how the power grids are holding up.

After several years of bidding wars and record-fast sales, Raleigh’s housing market is settling into a more balanced phase just as the summer buying season ramps up. For buyers who sat out the frenzy, the shift is changing what this season looks like. James Flanagan of Tri-Point Homes of Raleigh joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss Raleigh’s housing market.

Starting Thursday, most of North Carolina will be under a heat advisory. Wake County has opened more than a dozen cooling centers for anyone that needs to get out of the heat. Autumn Miller with Wake County Emergency Management joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the centers that are now open.

Schoor Johnson joined Jeff Hamlin to talk about the America 250 celebration planned for Saturday at the State Capital

For the first time since 2002, the United States men’s soccer team has won a game in the World Cup. The Americans success has led to increased interest from youngsters in learning the Beautiful Game. Ozan Gokdemir, the owner of the Durham Soccer Academy, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss how much interest he’s seen in recent years.

North Carolina lawmakers have released a long-delayed state budget proposal that includes higher pay for educators and state employees, along with new funding for community colleges. Durham Technical Community College President JB Buxton said the model would strengthen programs tied to the region's growing industries. Buxton joined Jeff Hamlin to

Leaders at ExCEL, a coalition of business leaders working to staunch NC's child care crisis, are weighing in on the state budget proposal that’s under consideration in the General Assembly. Neil Harrington, Policy and Research Analyst for ExCEL NC, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the group’s opinions regarding the budget.

As part of the America 250 celebration, the Rotary Club of Raleigh is launching the Oak Tree Ribbon Project — decorating 250 oak trees across downtown Raleigh. Kent Thompson of the Rotary Club of Raleigh joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss their 4th of July preparations.

A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship, rejecting President Donald Trump’s executive order declaring that children born to people who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. Andreina Malki of Siembra NC joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the ruling

The fireworks will be going off throughout the holiday weekend at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Independence Day weekend is always special with the Durham Bulls, especially when America is celebrating its 250th birthday. Mike Birling, the Vice President of CBC Sports, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss what’s ahead this weekend.

It is peak blueberry season in North Carolina. A new AI-driven app could help farmers determine the best time to pick berries and discover the bushes that produce the highest yield, saving on labor costs. Cody Craddock, a Randolph County Cooperative Extension Agent, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss how the app works.

The Supreme Court has delivered a mixed bag of results for President Trump. One decision would allow mail-in ballots to be counted if they are received up to five days after election day as long as they are postmarked before the election. The case, "Watson and the Secretary of State vs. the Republican National Committee," centered on whether those ballots should count at all. Stephen Greene, N.C....