WPTF Afternoon News

For the 10th year in a row, Durham teacher Turquoise LeJeune Parker is helping students who experience food insecurity. A nonprofit she founded, Mrs. Parker’s Professors Foodraiser, has packed over 4,800 bags of donated food, providing thousands of students with food over winter break. This biannual event happens during the spring and winter breaks for students. Parker joined Jeff Hamlin to discus...

‘Tis the season to travel, and AAA estimates 3.3 million North Carolinians will journey 50 miles or more away from home from December 23 to January 2. That’s an increase of 134,000 people over last year and a new record-high for the year-end holiday travel period in North Carolina since the pandemic. National travel figures are also stronger than 2021, yet slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels....

North Carolina Central University announced a $1 million grant from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, to establish the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Equity Research (IAIER). The Institute will serve as a first-of-its kind program for a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the nation. To celebrate Wednesday’s NCCU hosted an event on its campus, bringing together repr...

North Carolina is working to trying to close a deal with Bill Belichick to make the six-time Super Bowl champion the Tar Heels' coach. There are still come details to iron out. Sources added that the "ball is in Belichick's court" and that North Carolina officials are onboard with him becoming the coach. A resolution is expected in the near future. Dave Glenn is with the North Carolina Sports Netw...

The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees could hold an emergency meeting Wednesday, where the board is expected to discuss a contract for a new football coach, according to multiple news outlets, including two Raleigh area television stations. The school has offered legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick the job Board approval of a contract is a necessary step in the school's process of hiring a new foot...

A young entrepreneur plans to give back to the community this holiday season. Reggie Sanders operates Lil’ Reggie’s Cookies. He opened it when he was a teenager. As his business flourishes, he remains grounded in the values of giving back that his parents instilled in him. So, the 18-year-old entrepreneur is working with a social media influencer, his parents, and others to host a toy drive and gi...

‘Twas days and nights before Christmas and this Holiday Season, the Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina is rallying the community to bring joy to 1,000 foster children through the non-profit’s Holiday Hope Toy Drive. With more than 11,000 children in foster care throughout the state, this initiative aims to give every child a magical experience during the holidays, regardless of their circums...

The NCAA on Monday named Cary as the host site for future men’s and women’s College Cups through 2028. It also named the USA Baseball training complex as the host site for the Division II World Series, an event Cary has hosted in all but one year since 2009, making it the Omaha of Division II baseball. That agreement runs through 2038. In October, the NCAA awarded both the men’s and women’s Colleg...

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges voted Tuesday to remove St. Augustine’s University from membership, which would cause the school to lose accreditation. The vote is not a final action. SAU will appeal the decision. SACSCOC did find that SAU resolved all previous issues that placed them on probation, except those related to finances. Since the university is ap...

While Syria’s prime minister claims most cabinet ministers remain in their positions after rebels ousted President Bashar Assad, many state workers have not returned to their jobs, and the public sector has largely ground to a standstill, according to a U.N. official. Meanwhile, streams of refugees are crossing back into Syria, seeking a peaceful future and hoping to reconnect with friends and rel...

The potential downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad could pose both risks and opportunities for Israel. Israel is concerned that ongoing unrest in Syria might spill into its own territory, but it also sees the end of Assad’s regime as a chance to disrupt Iran’s weapons smuggling routes to Hezbollah. Abdallh Khadra, a Syrian native who celebrated recent developments in Moore Square in Raleigh,...

Bill Belichick, the former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion, revealed on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show that he's had "a couple of good conversations" with North Carolina Chancellor Lee Roberts about the Tar Heels’ head-coaching position. Belichick, who left the Patriots 11 months ago, mentioned he's been seriously considering a move to college coaching and gaining new insig...

A Manhattan jury has acquitted Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran who put an agitated subway rider in a chokehold, of criminally negligent homicide. The case, which stemmed from Jordan Neely’s death in May 2023, sparked a nationwide debate about public safety, vigilantism, and the role of everyday heroes. To explore the implications of this verdict, Jeff Hamlin spoke with Lee Turner, a former police...

A lingering arctic cold front potentially means more prolonged exposure of body parts to freezing temperatures in North Carolina. Severe cold can result in bad health outcomes depending on career, pre-existing conditions, age, amount of clothing and lifestyle choices. The medical director of emergency medicine at UNC Rex Hospital said there are reasons your body has to work harder to stay warm. Dr...

Diced, a locally-owned, woman-owned restaurant specializing in fresh, made-to-order salads, wraps and grain bowls, is excited to announce they will expand to Holly Springs in the spring of 2025. This will be the fifth location of Diced, which started in Cary in 2015. The 3,050-square-foot restaurant will be the restaurant group's first standalone location and will have seating for more than 30 ins...

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… is Cirque du Soleil’s first holiday show, based on the classic poem “A Visit from Saint Nicolas” . Created especially for families, ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE… features thrilling acrobatics, lovable characters - and a soundtrack including holiday classics re-invented by Cirque du Soleil. Its starts tonight at the DPAC and runs through December 15th . Gayle Hurd spoke with the sh...

The North Carolina Opera will present the Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson at the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater on December 13th, 14th and 15th. This gripping play with music sheds light on the incredible life of Mary Cardwell Dawson, a North Carolina-born trailblazer who defied barriers and broke new ground in the world of opera. As the founder of the National Negro Opera Company, Dawson’s vision an...

The Governor Morehead School’s women’s goalball team will represent North Carolina in the prestigious U.S. Youth National Goalball Tournament. Hosted in St. Augustine, Florida, the event will take place from Friday, December 6, 2024, to Sunday, December 8, 2024, bringing together the best youth Goalball teams from across the country. Goalball, a Paralympic sport designed for athletes with visual i...

Some big changes are coming to law enforcement across the state, as House Bill 10 goes into effect this week. The new law means sheriffs in all 100 counties in North Carolina will have to cooperate with federal immigration authorities for people arrested for serious crimes. The law passed after the GOP-led General Assembly overrode the veto from Governor Roy Cooper. The new law means anyone arrest...

Hydroponic farming is making a splash in the agriculture world, especially in urban areas. Agriculture is the top industry in North Carolina, and a growing sector of it is hydroponics: farming without soil or sunlight. Instead, it relies on a water-based nutrient solution. Trevor Spear took up hydroponic farming as a hobby in retirement, and soon found an unexpected passion. Nanue’s Farm is a clos...

The Thomas Wolfe Memorial State Historic Site will reopen to the public on Tuesday, December 10, more than two months after the site was forced to close in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. A 120-year-old silver maple tree fell against the “Old Kentucky Home” during the storm, causing minor damage to the structure and cracking plaster inside the house. Once the tree was removed from the historic...

The December deep freeze continues and its wreaking havoc across on heating systems across many Wake County schools. On Tuesday, students at seven different schools lost valuable instruction time because HVAC systems weren't properly working. The Wake County chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators says it is planning to ask county commissioners for additional funding for HVAC mainte...

The North Carolina Museum of Arts’ Samurai: Making of a Warrior exhibit blends art, culture and religion. With artifacts sourced largely from the Triangle, the exhibit explores the samurai world. Caroline Rocheleau, NCMA director of research and curator of the exhibition says it is “quite special.” From storytelling to armor and combat weapons, it fully embodies the art and tradition of the samura...

Billionaire Marc Lasry is no longer pursuing an acquisition of the North Carolina Courage of the National Women’s Soccer League. Lasry had previously offered to buy the team from Steve Malik at a roughly $108 million valuation. The two sides and the league, however, couldn’t agree on a deal structure that worked for everyone. The news comes at a time of struggles for the Courage both on and off th...

When it gets cold enough, officials declare a "White Flag Night," meaning emergency shelters open their doors to anyone who needs a warm place to sleep. Barriers that normally exist, like rules about pets or genders staying together, are dropped to make sure no one is left out in the cold. Pastor Vance Haywood, Senior Pastor for St. John’s Metropolitan Community Church, sees the issue of homelessn...