WPTF Afternoon News

The fight over a newly revived 1864 Arizona law criminalizing abortion throughout pregnancy unless a woman's life is at risk has engulfed the state's lawmakers. The Arizona Legislature devolved into jeering Wednesday as Republican lawmakers shut down discussion on a proposed repeal of the law. Shouts of "Shame! Shame!" erupted in the state House. It has also led to the issue being a focal point in...

Hundreds of Raleigh police officers have signed a petition ahead of Tuesday's City Council public comment session to ask for more competitive salaries. Rick Armstrong is the vice president of Teamsters Local 391, the union that represents many Raleigh officers. Armstrong said officers that signed the petition are asking for a 15% pay increase. Armstrong joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the need for p...

America's employers delivered another outpouring of jobs, adding a remarkable 330,000 workers to their payrolls and bolstering hopes that the economy can vanquish inflation without succumbing to a recession in the face of high interest rates. Last month's job growth was up from a revised 270,000 in February and was far above the 200,000 jobs that economists had forecast. Mike Walden, N.C. State Ec...

In an emergency, people count on access to 911 services regardless of their location or the communication technology they use. The N.C. 911 Board, a division of the N.C. Department of Information Technology, recently completed a years-long effort to modernize the state's 911 system, helping ensure that everyone in North Carolina can quickly reach emergency services. Tom Rogers, North Carolina Boar...

Thomas Farr, a longtime North Carolina redistricting and election law attorney who regularly defended Republican interests but whose 2018 federal judgeship nomination was scuttled by two GOP senators, has died. He was 69. Farr, an Ohio native who attended law schools at Emory University and Georgetown University, arrived in North Carolina in the 1980s. Retired North Carolina Supreme Court Justice...

The Rialto Theater turned into Wolfpack Central over the weekend. The Theater, which has been homes to movies and stage performances in the past, welcomed college basketball fans as the N.C. State men's basketball team played Duke on Sunday. They also watched on Sunday afternoon as the N.C. State women defeated Texas to earn its first trip to the Final Four since 1998. Hayes Permar is the operator...

A retired psychology professor from Duke University has written a new book about his experience spending a summer hosting for the Durham Bulls. Dr. Harris Cooper has written "Finding America in a Minor League Ballpark: A Season Hosting for the Durham Bulls." A lifelong New York Yankees fan, Cooper spent a season as a seating host at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Cooper joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF...

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time when organizations and advocates come together to raise awareness about services available to help children and families thrive. This April, you might see pinwheels planted outside as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month campaigns across the Tar Heel state. Sharon Hirsch is the President of Positive Childhood Alliance North Carolina. She joined Jeff Ha...

With summer on the horizon and temperatures rising, Wake County inspectors are hard at work to ensure the safety of 1,393 public swimming pools throughout the county. From city municipal pools to apartments, condominiums, subdivisions, homeowner associations and clubs, 74 inspectors visit each pool to conduct inspections and issue permits. Jessica Sanders, Environmental Health Program Manager for...

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is back in downtown Durham this Thursday. For the first time since 2019, the event will be held in person. More than 60 films are expected to be screened at multiple locations across the Bull City. The festival was held virtually from 2020-to-2022 because of the pandemic and was put on hold last year. Emily Foster, the co-founder of the Full Frame Film Fest...

Last year, N.C. State Wolfpack play-by-play man Gary Hahn announced he would retire at year's end. Last month, it appeared that Hahn would say goodbye without ever seeing the Wolfpack win an ACC Tournament win a title. But now, his final days on the job are ones he will remember because of one of the greatest runs in NCAA Tournament history. This weekend, Hahn will call his first Final Four in Pho...

The Durham Bulls are set to start a new season on Tuesday night. The Bulls have been the most successful minor league franchise in America since they moved up to Triple-A in 1997. They have won eight International League championships and 16 division championships. Mike Birling, the General Manager of the Bulls, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss what's on tap for Durham's first homestand of the season...

The N.C. State Wolfpack is moving on to the NCAA Final Four and how they've done it is incredible. N.C. State has won nine straight elimination games to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1983. On Sunday, the Wolfpack defeated Duke in the first-ever meeting between the two rivals in the NCAA Tournament. The run is reminding many people of State's run to the National Championship in 1983...

Liz Johnson is the Affiliate Chair and Volunteer for the Raleigh-Durham, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Liz's father passed away from pancreatic cancer and got involved with this wonderful organization. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) leads the way in accelerating critical progress for pancreatic cancer patients. Johnson joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoon News to talk about...

It's a big weekend for women's basketball. Duke will face off against Connecticut in the Round of the 16 of the NCAA Tournament in Portland. It's the first time that Duke has reached the Sweet 16 under head coach Kara Lawson. Meanwhile, the N.C. State women's basketball team is back in the Sweet 16 for the 16th time in program history. They will face Stanford, also in Portland. Chris Edwards, the...

An NC State engineer said they are looking at ways to make bridges safer and more effective and will look to learn from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Dr. Greg Lucier says engineers design bridges to absorb or deflect impact but not from something as large as a cargo ship. One piece is from a bridge in Sampson County that was replaced just a few months ago. Dr. Lucier joined Jeff Hamlin on...

North Carolina may not be in the path of totality, but we should still get quite the spectacle during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 - if viewed safely through specialty solar filter lenses, of course. This will be the first total solar eclipse to cross the United States since August 2017, and the path of totality is expected to run straight through Indianapolis, Indiana; Cleveland, Ohio...

The catastrophe in Baltimore has also brought one of the most important trade hubs in the country to a standstill. N.C. State Professor of Supply Chain Management Robert Handfield says it's not just a hit for the automobile industry, but also the farming community. Combines, tractors and hay balers all come through Baltimore. Handfield joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoon News to talk about ho...

Duke Health has announced it has received $33 million in funding to develop osteoarthritis treatment that regenerates joints. Duke is part of a multi-institution research team that has been awarded funding from the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. The team is working to develop an osteoarthritis treatment that regenerates joints. Dr. Benjamin Alman, chair of the Department of...

Gene Bennett, aka Mickey Severson is the author of "We Did Not Deserve the Crapper" and is an Iraqi Freedom veteran (two deployments). After being discharged in 2011, Gene returned to his home state of Wisconsin. He now lives in Salisbury, North Carolina. From 1994-1998, Gene served in the USMC 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment; the same unit that so bravely defended Afghan civilians until the la...

It was a big weekend for the Atlantic Coast Conference in men's basketball. For the first time since 2015, North Carolina, N.C. State and Duke all advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Plus, Clemson advanced to the regional semifinals, as well. Brad Brownell became the first Tigers coach to lead Clemson to the Sweet 16 twice. This comes as many college basketball experts felt that the A...

A breathalyzer test enables law enforcement to quickly determine whether a driver is impaired by alcohol, but as drug problems continue to plague the state and THC products become increasingly easy to access at North Carolina convenience stores and smoke shops, law enforcement is contending with an increase in drivers impaired by drugs. In February, for example, a 19-year-old Raleigh woman believe...

Clemson, a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference from its opening in 1954, is making a move to leave the league. Clemson has filed suit against the ACC, based in Charlotte, in a courtroom in Pickens County, South Carolina. It's the second lawsuit that the ACC has faced since the end of college football season. Florida State is suing to get out of the Grant of Rights agreement. Clemson's...

The N.C. State men's basketball team pulled off the impossible last weekend. The Wolfpack became the first team in history to take the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament by winning five games over five days. To make it even sweeter, the Wolfpack defeated its Triangle rivals-Duke and North Carolina-en route to its first ACC tournament title since 1987. With it, the Wolfpack claimed its first ACC title...

NCFC Youth Announces the Starting XI of All-Star 50th Team. Katharine Eberhardt, NCFC Youth Chief Marketing and Development Officer joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoon News to talk more about what NCFC Youth is and about the All Star 50th team