WPTF Afternoon News

St. Augustine’s University is in a fight for its accreditation. A recent audit revealed that the university can’t account for $10 million. The report shows the university frequently disregarded processes that require authorization for wire transfers and it’s unclear how the $10 million was spent during the 2021 fiscal year. Renee Pollum helped Morris Brown College in its accreditation fight in 200...

N.C. State’s chemistry department has created the Rob-O-Chem. It allows students a chance to participate in research and they don’t even have to go into the lab to do it. Students can fully participate and physically coordinate live movements using machinery through a computer to conduct experiments. Ryan Chiechi, associate professor of chemistry at N.C. State, joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF After...

Art in Bloom is back for the 10th year at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. The event, which started Wednesday and runs through Sunday, is the museum’s only annual fundraiser. Dozens of local florists created live floral installations that can be found throughout the museum’s West Building. Laura Finan of the North Carolina Museum of Art joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoon News to...

Some North Carolina students with disabilities are getting a taste of what it’s like to pursue a career in STEM as they work towards a future that beats the statistics. The Catalyst program creates free STEM opportunities for high school students with disabilities. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. It is funded through N.C. Vocational Rehabilitation. Joann Blumenfeld, Dire...

Consumer prices in the United States picked up last month, a sign that inflation remains a persistent challenge for the Federal Reserve and for President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign, both of which are counting on a steady easing of price pressures this year. Prices rose 0.4% from January to February, higher than the previous month’s figure of 0.3%, the Labor Department said Tuesday. Compared...

Mobile and online sports wagering across North Carolina took off on Monday, as several licensed gambling operators started taking bets nine months after legislation to authorize such activity statewide became law. Some of the interactive sports wagering operators, which include big names in the growing field of legalized gambling, and their affiliates held special events to highlight the new gambl...

It's been nearly a week since Super Tuesday, but there are still reverberations across North Carolina's political landscape. In the state superintendent of public instruction race, Michele Morrow is now the republican nominee after stunning incumbent Catherine Truitt. Tom Jensen of public policy polling looked at this race and many others. He joined Jeff Hamlin on the wtf afternoon news.

it has been nearly four months since Poe Hall at N.C. State university was shut down after 123 reports of cancer in people who worked there were released. Tremaine Brittian worked at N.C. State as a student and as an employee for ten years. She later was diagnosed with cancer. She says she relayed her concerns to university officials. Brittian joined Jeff Hamlin on the wtf afternoon news on Monday...

On paper, Michele Morrow didn’t look like an Election Day threat. The Republican candidate for state superintendent didn’t have a career in education, let alone experience as a public school parent in North Carolina. But Morrow pulled a stunner on Super Tuesday, defeating Catherine Truitt in the State Board of Education race. Jeff Hamlin talked with Amy Kappleman with Moms for Liberty's Chatham Co...

Starting Monday, North Carolinians will be able to legally place sports bets online, the effects are already evident with ads virtually everywhere: social media, billboards, television and even podcasts. A member of UNC-Chapel Hill's Department of Psychology and Neuroscience is concerned about the impact that the availability of gambling online could have on young people. Rosa Li joined Jeff Hamli...

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson made history, winning the Republican gubernatorial primary and becoming the first Black nominee in the state. Robinson says he will focus on reforming education across the Tar Heel State. Robinson faces a showdown with Democrat Josh Stein in November. Longtime North Carolina Central law professor Irving Joyner joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoo...

A new multi-sport simulator bar will be opening this spring at American Tobacco Campus in Durham. State of Golf integrates Full Swing Golf's advanced technology to offer an immersive experience where guests can play virtual golf on the world's most prestigious courses, as well as enjoy 30 other sports simulations, like baseball and soccer. Brandon Baker, the co-owner of the State of Golf, joined J...

Raleigh city council members were split 4-4 on Tuesday in a surprise resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Council members Mary Black, Jane Harrison, Christina Jones and Megan Patton voted for the resolution, which wasn't on Tuesday's agenda. Previously, Raleigh mayor Mary Ann Baldwin had said the issue would not be up for vote. Swarnali Sengupta has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in...

Now that Mark Robinson is the first Black gubernatorial nominee in North Carolina history, how big of a milestone is it? And what can we expect in the upcoming gubernatorial race between Robinson and Josh Stein? Longtime North Carolina political observer Tom Campbell joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the 2024 gubernatorial race. 

President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump are poised to have the biggest day of the primary campaign move them to the brink of winning their party's presidential nominations and setting up a historic rematch. Voting is taking place in 16 states and one territory. Hundreds of delegates are at stake, the biggest haul for either party on a single day. Catawba College political science professor...

Court storming is a college basketball tradition - as well as a safety hazard and legal risk. Recently, the issue came up when Duke men's basketball forward Kyle Filipowski was run into by several Wake Forest fans at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem. What are the legal ramifications of a court storming. Eric Haase, an attorney with the law offices of the James Scott Farron, joined Jeff Haml...

A new High Point University Poll finds North Carolinians likely to vote or those reporting they voted in the 2024 North Carolina Republican primary for president prefer former President Donald Trump (69%) to other candidates on the ballot. Meanwhile, the Republican race for governor appears to be in favor of Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. Brian McDonald, from the High Point University Survey R...

On Tuesday, North Carolina voters will vote in the primary gubernatorial election. The two most popular candidates, Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, are expected to face off in the general election. If it does come down to Robinson and Stein, political analysts expect it to be a close race. Mac McCorkle is a professor of Public Policy at Duke University...

Regardless of socioeconomic factors and tumor variables, Black women with triple negative breast cancer have a significantly poorer response to chemotherapy than white women. That's according to researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute. The report recently appeared in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. It suggests that this type of aggressive cancer may not be the same tumor in all patients, contri...

On Monday morning, Alamance-Burlington Schools Superintendent Dr. Dain Butler resigned. It's the latest in a string of senior officials who have left the district in the past month. In February, Chief Financial Officer Kim Mc Vey left the system amid the financial crisis and investigation, and Deputy Superintendent Lowell Rogers was suspended with pay after charges of failure to report a crime aga...

A private lander has made the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. Intuitive Machines' lander touched down Thursday, but left flight controllers scrambling before gaining better contact. Tension mounted in the company's Houston control center when there was no immediate word from the lander following the designated touchdown time. A faint signal finally was acquired. Chris Katella, a spo...

A new indoor pickleball and golf center opening in Raleigh this summer. It may be the largest in the state. Pinpoint Raleigh is set to open later this year at 2201 s. Wilmington St., south of downtown Raleigh. Pin Point Raleigh bills itself as "the largest indoor pickleball and golf facility in North Carolina." Garrett Leatham and Jacob Starritt of Pinpoint Raleigh joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF A...

Nearly 1,000 volunteers gathered at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds on Thursday for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina’s annual Sort-A-Rama event. With the support of more than a dozen Triangle-area companies and organizations, volunteers united to sort and package culturally meaningful and versatile pantry staples like rice, lentils, and pasta. Jennifer Caslin of the Food...

The Wake County Animal Center is once again at capacity and is urging people to consider adopting a pet. The plea comes weeks after the center changed its policy amid the ongoing overcrowding issue. There are 144 dogs, three puppies, five cats and one kitten at the Animal Center. Megan Frost with the Animal Shelter joined Jeff Hamlin on the WPTF Afternoon News to discuss the situation.

ESPN came out with a report that shows Raleigh is a potential target for a Major League Baseball expansion franchise. Major League Baseball hasn't expanded since 1999, when it added Arizona and Tampa Bay. Since 1980, the only professional baseball in the Raleigh-Durham area has been the Duhan Bulls. One group is advocating for Major League Baseball to come to Raleigh. Ryan Foose is with MLB-Raleig...