WPTF Afternoon News

If you’re a Taylor Swift fan who attends East Carolina University, there’s a perfect course coming for you. This fall, “English 1500: Taylor’s Version” is coming to ECU. It will be taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30-1:45 p.m. by Dr. Anna Froula, a professor of English in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, according to the ECU News Services. It is a course that satisfies a ge...

The family of a UNC student killed in a car crash last October is using the tragedy to put others first. Elijah Jayden Hawkins-Maynor died in October after a car hit him and three other passengers while driving on Page Road in Chapel Hill. His family has decided to use the tragedy to help others. Rosalind Reddick and her husband Almer have formed The Elijah Jayden Hawkins Maynor Foundation. Rosali...

Kristin Hiemstra, Founder and CEO of AlightSuccess Coaching, an upskilling and coaching platform that provides individual training and coaching to employees at all levels. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer in Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at NCSU Poole College of Management with expertise in creating organizational culture, employee engagement, and emotional intelligence.

Kristin Hiemstra, Founder and CEO of AlightSuccess Coaching, an upskilling and coaching platform that provides individual training and coaching to employees at all levels. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer in Management, Innovation & Entrepreneurship at NCSU Poole College of Management with expertise in creating organizational culture, employee engagement, and emotional intelligence.

For the first time since 2019, the Museum of Life and Science in Durham has welcomed a litter of critically endangered red wolf pups. They were born on April 21. There are seven pups total. The three females and four males, all are in good health. They are with their mom in the red wolf habitat. Sherry Samuels, the Senior Director of Animal Care at the Durham Museum of Life and Science, joined Jef...

After a considerable amount of support on social media, an Orange High senior will be allowed to march for graduation in June. Earlier this week, Jaylan’s mother Ellen announced on Facebook that her son wouldn’t be allowed to march because he was enrolled at the Partnership Academy. That started a firestorm. Parents, students and even members of the Orange High staff sounded off against Orange pri...

On Saturday, the US House passed an expansive foreign aid bill which includes approximately $61 billion towards Ukraine. Olena Kozlova-Pates, who grew up in Ukraine, serves as Executive Director of Ukrainians in the Carolinas. She has family that still live in Ukraine and deal with the impact of the war every day. Kozlova-Pates joined Bruce Ferrell on the WPTF Afternoon News to discuss the latest...

Residents of eastern Wake County, local officials, and future students will get their first look at Wake Tech's newest location, in Wendell. Wake Tech East will officially open on Thursday night with food, fanfare and fun. The 106-acre site is located off Rolesville Road at 1-87. Wake Tech East will be Wake Tech's ninth location in Wake County. Although it has not yet received official "campus" de...

Natalia Bondarenko lived in Ukraine two years ago when Russian invaded. In 2014, when Russia initially invaded the country, Bondarenko volunteered at a military hospital. While she did not have plans to leave the country, she ultimately did so, ending up in the Triangle with her son. She is now the International Education Program Coordinator at UNC. Bondarenko joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Aftern...

April 22 is Earth Day, a day that's been recognized all over the world since 1970, raising awareness for environmental protection. One positive thing you can do for the planet is to compost. For more than a decade, a Raleigh based company known as ComPostNow has been on a mission to make composting more accessible. In turn, across all of its locations, the company says it's diverted more than 66 m...

The North Carolina Office of Recovery Resiliency has announced the launch of a new Heat Action Plan Toolkit that aims to reduce heat-related health impacts to North Carolina residents and workers. The toolkit launch coincides with Earth Day, a global event focused on environmental protection, which is critical to reducing climate impacts such as extreme heat. Chief Resilience Officer Dr. Amanda Ma...

Inflation is still on the minds of North Carolinians interviewed for the latest High Point University Poll. 52% of North Carolina residents responding to the survey said inflation concerns have affected a lot of their spending decisions in the last year. About one-third said inflation concerns have affected some of their spending decisions, and only 12% said inflation concerns haven't affected the...

For Raleigh teen Reggie Sanders, business has been booming. Sanders is the owner of Lil’ Reggie Cookies in Raleigh. This now-18-year-old has had an LLC since he was 15 thanks to his parents, and also secured a commercial kitchen to prepare his products. Right now, his cookie stand is set up on Glenwood Ave. and Willard Place in downtown Raleigh. Sanders joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss how he started...

The CDC reports measles cases in 18 states across the country, and some doctors believe it’s only a matter of time before the illness appears in North Carolina. Now, the Orange County Health Department is preparing doctors to identify and treat an illness most of them have never seen. These days, many doctors have only seen measles in textbooks. Dr. Erica Pettigrew, the Medical Director of the Ora...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy related cause than white women. This week is Black Maternal Health Week, which is recognized every year from April 11 to 17. It’s a way to raise awareness about that inequity and improve Black maternal health in the future. Jekisha Elliott is the owner of Jendayi Doula Servi...

The holiday of Passover celebrates the Exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Ancient Egypt some 3,330 years ago. The Exodus was preceded by ten plagues inflicted on Egypt after Pharaoh refused Moses’ demand to set his people free. When the Jews finally left Egypt, they did so in a hurry and their bread did not have time to rise. In commemoration of that, Jews don’t eat any leavened products...

The Pentagon has confirmed that units from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro were among the jets that helped shoot down dozens of Iranian missiles launched towards Israel in an attack over the weekend. Local international political experts said a broader conflict in the region could have major implications for North Carolina-based troops. Dr. Jeffrey Martinson, a professor of Internation...

Dr. Christina Rahm is a clinical and research scientist, entrepreneur, and author. She is a cancer and Lyme disease survivor who has focused her work on health and wellness – for humans and now for animals also. Dr. Christina Rahm joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoon News to discuss what the best foods are for your pet, how to read labels so you know what to avoid, and what supplements to give...

The North Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled that the state’s mandatory business closures in the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic were partially unconstitutional. The court ruled that once Governor Cooper allowed restaurants to partially reopen but kept bars closed, he violated the rights of North Carolina citizens. The suit was brought by the North Carolina Bar and Tavern Association. Zack Medf...

Tiana Joyner, Durham Habitat CEO, is hosting the Durham Habitat for Humanity Spring Kick-Off Event today. Habitat for Humanity of Durham is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization that is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating, and preserving homes. Homeownership in Durham, like the rest of America, is a catalyst to wealth b...

There were residents of North Carolina in Israel when Iran launched a missile attack last weekend. For many in the Triangle area’s Jewish community, the news of the drone strikes was even more terrifying given that it happened on its Sabbath when some were unplugged from their phones. However, Sabina Sager has lived in Durham for 40 years and was visiting her daughter when the attack happened last...

A native of Hillsborough has been named Billy Joel’s biggest fan. And Fred Maske has a trip to Madison Square Garden in New York to prove it. Maske was on hand for the final show of Billy Joel’s residency in New York and appeared on CBS on Sunday night during a presentation that aired nationwide. Maske, who now lives in California, had a whirlwind trip to be named Billy Joel’s biggest fan, but he...

The President of Durham’s Beth El Synagogue was in Israel when dozens of unmanned Iranian missiles and drones were launched. Dan Schnitzer made his second trip to Israel since the October 7th attacks that launched the war with Hamas. That tension comes as business and civic leaders in the Triangle gathered for a third annual Inter Community Seder ahead of the Passover holiday. Schnitzer talked wit...

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or 'Bird flu' has been detected in a dairy herd in North Carolina; according to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. State veterinarian Dr. Michael Martin says bird flu has affected every state in the U.S., except Hawaii and Louisiana. According to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, it's been found in a dairy herd in North Carolina...

For the first time in over 70 years, the Prime Minister of Japan is visiting North Carolina. Fumio Kishida arrived in the Tar Heel State on Thursday. It led to an exciting time for organizers at the North Carolina Japan Center, who organized two events at North Carolina State University. Kishida met with students at N.C. State's Nagoya University campus in Raleigh. Stephen Sumner is the Director o...