WPTF Afternoon News

Morrisville Town Councilman and political commentator Steve Rao and community leader Naresh Giri from the Hindu Society of North Carolina joined Anthony DeHart on the WPTF Afternoon News to discuss the significance of Indian Independence Day. They highlighted the importance of preserving cultural roots, fostering community integration, and supporting local causes. Naresh shared insights on how the...

As Tropical Storm Debbie approaches North Carolina, FEMA Media Branch Chief Michael Hart joined Jon Champion to discuss crucial storm preparedness strategies. Hart provided insights into the necessary steps residents should take to stay safe, the importance of having an emergency plan, and how FEMA is coordinating with local authorities to respond effectively. He also emphasized the significance o...

As Tropical Storm Debby approaches the Triangle, residents are preparing for the heavy rain and potential flooding expected over the coming days. The storm could make roadways particularly hazardous. Lumberton, North Carolina, experienced devastating floods from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018, underscoring the risks even far inland. Tiffany Wright of AAA Carolinas joined...

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spent their first full day as running mates in Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday. The Harris campaign announced that it had raised $36 million in the first 24 hours after the vice presidential announcement. Wednesday's trip focused on galvanizing support among younger, diverse, labor-friendly voters who were crucial in President Joe Biden’...

Kamala Harris has introduced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the nation as “the vice president America deserves” at a raucous rally in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania. Harris selected Walz as her No. 2 against the Republican ticket of Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance just hours earlier Tuesday. Terry Mahaffey is an Apex Town Council member and a delegate to the Democratic National Co...

The latest forecast says Tropical Storm Debby will restrengthen over the ocean and then move inland again in South Carolina by Thursday. Will Ray, the North Carolina’s Director of Emergency Management, says there's still time for people to prepare, including keeping documents in a safe place away from flooding and checking smoke alarms, as well as getting supplies like water and batteries ready, b...

North Carolina’s Democratic representation is reacting to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as the choice by presumptive presidential nominee Kamala Harris to be her running mate. Harris says Walz has “delivered for working families” in his Midwestern state. It was her biggest decision yet as the Democratic nominee and she went with a broadly palatable choice. State Representative Zach Hawkins, from Dur...

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ pick as her running mate, will need to introduce himself to the vast majority of Americans, according to recent polling. But while Walz is a virtual unknown, AP VoteCast data from his gubernatorial win in 2022 shows that he won with key demographics that Harris will hope to capture in the Midwest and outperformed Democrats nationally among...

The iconic and majestic Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, hosted Jim Crockett Promotions professional wrestling on a weekly basis for almost 30 years. Pro wrestling giants like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A., and many more excited fans and became legends, inspiring future pro wrestling stars from the area. On August 8th, PBS North Carolina will premiere ‘When Giants Walked Here,’ chro...

According to Laurie Hughes from the Triangle chapter of the American Red Cross, there’s an urgent need for blood donors. The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency shortage with the blood supply dropping more than 25 percent since July 1. Extreme heat advisories across the country have hampered donation efforts by impacting almost 100 drives in July in nearly every state. This has led to...

Parents and guardians are gearing up for kids to head back to school, but with the return to class comes the exposure to more people, which often results in a rise in respiratory illnesses, including flu and COVID-19. To set kids up for success, Dr. Kitty O’Hare, the senior medical director for Duke Primary Care Pediatrics, shared advice for parents and guardians. O’Hare says the seasonal flu vacc...

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris recently held dueling rallies four days apart in the same Georgia location. The competing events last week were staged in an Atlanta basketball arena and came three months before Election Day in the state that produced the closest margin of the 2020 race for the White House. There were distinct differences at each event on policy, tone, the types of voters in attenda...

N.C. State Economics professor emeritus Mike Walden joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoon News to discuss the historic tumble on Wall Street. Nearly everything on Wall Street tumbled as fears about a slowing U.S. economy worsened, triggering another sell-off for financial markets around the world. The S&P 500 sank 2.4% in midday trading Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 864 p...

Jon Champion talks with Zach Vander Veen OF Abre Inc. about effective ways to use data to solve challenges in the classroom.

Congressman Wiley Nickel of North Carolina's 13th Congressional District joined Anthony DeHart and Steve Rao to share his insights on Vice President Kamala Harris's recent nomination and its implications for the upcoming presidential race. The discussion covered Harris's vision for the future, including her stance on democracy, reproductive freedoms, and economic opportunities. Congressman Nickel...

Nihal Dwan, the national director for South Asians for Harris, joined Anthony DeHart and Steve Rao on the WPTF Afternoon News to discuss the electrifying engagement and excitement within the Indian American community for Kamala Harris's campaign. They talked about the shift from South Asians for Biden to South Asians for Harris, the unprecedented levels of engagement, and the impact of Harris’s ca...

John Walter was supposed to start at UNC-Chapel Hill next month. Instead, the 18-year-old Wake Forest teenager has been in the intensive care unit at WakeMed after he fell off the back of a pickup in mid-June. On Tuesday, his family gathered for a fundraiser at Rudino's in Wake Forest to raise money for John's medical bills. They also shaved people's heads in solidarity with John, who had his head...

Vice President Kamala Harris says former President Donald Trump’s false assertions about her race were the “same old show” as she emphasizes the need for Black women to organize for his defeat this November. Harris addressed the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority — one of the “Divine Nine” historically Black fraternities and sororities — in Houston. State Senator Jay Chaudhuri, who represents Wake County, j...

Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile. The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, had in the past only promoted her Indian...

Vice President Kamala Harris told a cheering, boisterous, packed Atlanta arena on Tuesday that the next 98 days will be a fight, but they’ll win come November. She taunted Donald Trump for wavering on whether he’d show up for their upcoming debate. In the state that delivered Biden his narrowest victory margin in 2020, Harris pulled off what has been a signature Trump event: a big, loud rally full...

North Carolina Department of Transportation and N.C. State University have partnered to map unmarked burial sites belonging to historically marginalized groups. Unmarked burial sites have been at risk as the state's population keeps growing, leading to commercial and residential development. Experts are also concerned that more frequent storms could make it more difficult to identify and preserve...

Temperatures are forecast to rise again this week in North Carolina and remain high across much of the United States as high school football and other fall sports practices get underway. It’s a time for football, soccer, and tennis players to return to the practice fields after summer break. Duke University heat health expert Jordan Clark talked with Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoon News to offer...

In September, hundreds of bike riders will gather in New Bern and travel across the scenic roads of eastern North Carolina. Bike MS is the largest fundraising cycling series in the world. The historic New Bern ride will include over 1,000 bicyclists with a goal to raise $1.6 million. It will benefit the fight against multiple sclerosis. People with MS can better manage their disease when they have...

Amid the twists and turns of this year’s presidential campaign season, the political divide continues to grow in the United States. According to a study published in Statista, the current level of polarization has reached unprecedented levels in the U.S., especially between Democrats and Republicans. It’s a big reason why two professors at North Carolina State University created an event called Di...

As young graduates embark on their post-college journey, one critical decision is where to work. Higher salaries in bustling metro areas might seem irresistible. But the actual value of a paycheck is more complex than it appears. And to get that paycheck in the first place, you need to get hired. Kristin Heimstra is the founder of alightsuccess.com and helped high school students find their path a...