WPTF Morning News

There's a special event happening this weekend in downtown Raleigh, called the African American Cultural Festival. And it kicks off with a very special guest performance tonight. Rob Connett and Jon Champion talked with a board member of the festival, Dia Harris.

We will be getting a beautiful look at what fall has in store for us this weekend, followed by temperatures back into the 90s on Labor Day. Laura Smith, CBS17 meteorologist, joined Rob Connett to discuss the details of the forecast for the Triangle.

WPTF General Manager Carolyn Carver reports from Wilmington on Tropical Storm Idalia's impact on North Carolina's coastline.

CBS 17 Meteorologist Lance Blocker calls into the show from Wilmington to report on Tropical Storm Idalia's affect on North Carolina's coast, including severe flooding.

While parts of North Carolina's coast received several inches of rain and continue to deal with flooding from Tropical Storm Idalia, the Triangle got lucky Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. CBS 17 Meteorologist Laura Smith discusses the details of how the storm impacted our area, and what type of weather we can expect Labor Day weekend.

Ella Park is a freshman at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and was not too far away from where the shooting took place on campus Monday afternoon. She shared her story of what it was like for her and her roommates during the tragic event, and what the next step will be for UNC students and staff.

The coast of North Carolina is the part of the state that will be hit the worst by hurricane Idalia. Lance Blocker with CBS17 is in Wilmington waiting for hurricane Idalia to hit the coast, and is preparing for his live coverage of the storm. They are expecting severe wind and rain and possibly even tornados forming. He joins Rob Connett to urge people to stay safe and what we can expect during an...

Hurricane Idalia has made landfall over Florida and has already started to cause some serious issues. It is expected to hit North Carolina Late Wednesday night and Thursday morning with high winds and storm surges. Laura Smith with CBS17 speaks with Rob Connett to discuss the extent of danger we should expect and which parts of the state are going to get hit more then others.

The UNC and Chapel Hill communities are grieving after Monday's shooting. Sarah Coates, a counselor with "One-80 Counseling" here in the Triangle, joined the WPTF Morning Show to share her thoughts on how everyone grieves differently, and how we can move forward.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein gives his thoughts on Monday's shooting on the UNC campus, along with some tips and advice for the incoming tropical weather.

Olivia McCall, Director for Wake County Board of Elections is hosting an event on September 9th from 10AM to 3PM for new voter ID policies. The public will be able to check voter status and get a new photo taken if needed. She also discusses other forms of ID that can be used.

Hurricane Idalia will be passing by North Carolina Wednesday night, and Thursday morning, we will get hit with some storms and heavy winds. Laura Smith with CBS17 Discuss what we should expect with the upcoming Hurricane with Rob Connett and how we should prepare.

Fall is on the way and so are cooler temperatures, but in the mean time we have more tropical storms to look foreword too. There is a new gulf storm in development around Cancún that is expected cause us some issues. CBS17 Meteorologist Laura Smith tells you everything you need to know to stay informed.

David Pokorny of Playa Bowls talks about the opening of their Durham, North Carolina location. Interviewers: Mike Davis and Jon Champion. Original Air date: August 25, 2023

We are all looking forward to the cold front that is going to hit next week, but first we have to get past these final few days of heat index's around the 100s. A chance of storms later this afternoon and some tropical storms devolving in the Atlantic. Laura Smith CBS17 Meteorologist is here with the details.

Urban-farming has been on the rise in the past few years here in North Carolina, it offers a great year round solution to some of the problems that modern farmers face. Carolyn Rose-Seed, from MamaSprings Farm and the market manager of the South Durham Farmers' Market joins Jon Champion to discuss what exactly urban farming, and what her duties are at the Farmers Market.

Back to more hot weather today and tomorrow. CBS17 Meteorologist Laura Smith brings you your daily weather forecast and the reason why we have been experiencing such high temperatures.

Republican strategist and Purple Door Aesthetics Founder Michele Woodhouse analyses the first GOP Presidential Debate of 2023, held on August 23, 2023, notably missing former President Donald Trump.

Campaign Connections President Brad Crone analyses the first GOP Presidential Debate of 2023, held on August 23, 2023, notably missing former President Donald Trump. Interviewer: Jon Champion, Mike Davis. Original Air Date August 24, 2023

The National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has been around for over 5o years and has been looking out for businesses and organizations, that are taking advantage of consumers. Pete Sepp, the president of the NTU, joins the WPTF morning show to talk about an on going lawsuit with google and how they handle their search results. There are also multiple other tech companies are coming under fire from the gov...

The town of Zebulon has just received a grant from $500,000 to spruce up Little River Park. Kaleb Harmon from the town of Zebulon joins Mike Davis to tell us what they are planning on doing to modernize and update this park and what are the future plans for the fasting growing town in the triangle.

We are finally out of the 90s today, and even more good news tomorrow is going to start out in the 60s. Next week should be more of the same but before that we are going to hit temperatures nearing the 100s again. Laura Smith. meteorologist from CBS17 has all you need to know.

The morning crew played a new game during the ROUNDTABLE today, as Rob puts everyone to "grocery list" test, to see if they know which item is more expensive.

Have you heard about the latest warning from the CDC? They're reminding Americans to stop kissing and cuddling turtles. Yes, you read that right. Rob and Harrison discussed this story on the WPTF Morning Show.

It's hard to believe, but we're nearing the end of the 2023 minor league baseball season! The Carolina Mudcats start a 12-day home stand tonight at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. Rob Connett talked with play-by-play broadcaster Greg Young to see how the team has been performing this summer.