WRAL Daily Download

Faster bus service is coming to Raleigh. Regional rail is in the planning phases. Public transit is making a post-pandemic rebound, but can you get around in North Carolina without a car like many people do in urban area throughout the country? In this episode, WRAL’s Joe Fisher investigated the “carless” movement, and joins us to share what he learned.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson entry into the 2024 gubernatorial race launches what is expected to be a closely watched GOP primary battle. The big question Robinson’s opponents — and some of his supporters — will ask: Is he too extreme for moderate North Carolinians? WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran provides insight from Robinson’s campaign kick-off and int...

When former WRAL anchor David Crabtree retired in 2022, he could have actually retired. But his commitment to service won out, and he became the interim CEO of PBS North Carolina — that position is now permanent. Today, Crabtree will be inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame. In this conversation, he talks with WRAL’s Debra Morgan about his next act at PBS NC and abou...

Since 1993, runners and walkers have been taking to the streets in Durham as part of the Angels Among Us 5K & Walk of HOPE to benefit brain tumor research at Duke’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. According to the National Brain Tumor Society, 700,000 Americans are living with primary brain tumors. More than 94,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed this year, and nearly 19,...

With a major race this weekend in Chapel Hill, the Daily Download tackles running culture. What makes someone wake up at 3:30 a.m. to run 17 miles? We find out with WRAL runner in residence (and investigative data reporter) Ali Ingersoll, MC for this weekend's Tar Heel 10 Miler.

Did you know if you're a woman in North Carolina you are likely to pay more for car insurance than a man? A recent study shows that women pay more than men, even women with clean driving records and no other logical factors that could increase their rates. There's even a law in North Carolina that prohibits this, so why is it not working? WRAL's 5 On Your Side reporter Keely Arthur investigated th...

Wake County parents,students and staff see pros and cons in later school start times for middle and high schools and earlier start start times for elementary schools. Later start times could be better for academic performance, but extracurricular activities and bus schedules could be negatively affected. WRAL Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst explains the Wake County Public School System's ongoi...

North Carolina lawmakers passed a law that increases penalties for protesters and broadens arrest powers for police during protests. The American Civil Liberties Union claims the legislation is unconstitutional and could lead to the arrests of peaceful protesters. The ACLU has filed a federal lawsuit against the state in response to the new law. In this episode, WRAL state government reporter Will...

North Carolina’s shelters have the second highest kill rate in the country. In 2022, 14,000 animals were euthanized. The main reason is that the number of animals being taken in, more than 120,000 last year, far outpaces the resources of the shelters. WRAL multiplatform producer Delaney Eyermann shares her investigation of this issue and possible solutions.

A 27-year-old customer has died at WakeMed after being stabbed, according to witnesses, by the owner of a downtown Raleigh convenience store last week. As of this recording, Raleigh Police have not charged anyone. Witnesses told WRAL the clerk who also owns the store accused Mark Garrity of shoplifting. He left the store and collapsed on the street where a witness gave him CPR. The victim’s...

Republican lawmakers filed half a dozen bills last week dealing with transgender youth. Two would ban transgender girls from playing on girl sports teams, basing eligibility on what a student’s birth certificate says. Others limit hormone therapy and medical procedures. All of them draw North Carolina further into a culture war raging across the country.

North Carolina Republicans scored big last week when Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham decided to change parties. Her bombshell decision gives Republicans a veto-proof majority in the chamber, making it easier for them to write their agenda into the law books. Cotham vows to hold onto some of the beliefs that got her elected to a deep-blue district in the Charlotte suburbs. That has political observer...

The Paycheck Protection Program funneled billions of dollars to companies in need during the pandemic to allow them to pay their rent, keep their lights on and keep workers on the payroll even when their doors were shut. But now, US Attorney of the Eastern District of North Carolina Mike Easley says the money didn’t all end up in the right hands. In this episode, WRAL Investigates Senior Pro...

Many of us use Raleigh-Durham International Airport to travel to see friends and family, but did you know there was an airport in our area before RDU? The Raleigh Municipal Airport operated from 1929 to 1973. Famous pilots, including Amelia Earhart, landed there. And there was a romantic nature to early air travel that defined the facility. Development has obscured most of the remnants of the airp...

Demand for real estate in fast-growing North Carolina is pushing up prices of homes and apartments. So state lawmakers are proposing a series of bills that would loosen building regulations in an effort to speed supply, and possibly push down prices. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran breaks down the bills, who's behind them and whether they have a chance of becoming law. 

North Carolina's General Assembly is on the cusp of legalizing mobile sports gambling, letting people bet on just about any sport, from their phones, 24 hours a day. Other states have done the same, boosting gambling across the country. Some worry it's too much of an addicting thing. WRAL's Brian Murphy takes a hard look at gambling addiction.

The fentanyl crisis affects families across North Carolina, taking a record number of lives in the state. It's a crisis that impacts everyone, even the man behind the lens of WRAL's latest documentary, Crisis Next Door. I nvestigative documentary reporter and producer Cristin Severance talks with WRAL photojournalist Jay Jennings about his work on this documentary, and his deep personal connection...

North Carolina lawmakers are working up a new state budget. And mixed in with the raises for teachers and state employees: A major partisan policy fight over climate change, abortion and public schools. WRAL's state government team breaks down the new proposed budget, and how it's being used for leverage.

It’s never been more of a concern. This week’s deadly school shooting in Nashville has people across the country heartbroken and wondering how we can make schools safe from these tragic events. In this episode, WRAL’s investigative producer Randall Kerr tells us about new technology that allows school staff to barricade doors and prevent shooters from getting into classrooms.

North Carolina Republicans have scrapped the state's long-lived pistol permit requirement, aided by the absence of several Democrats, which gave Republicans the numbers they needed to overturn Governor Roy Cooper's veto for the first time since Republicans lost their veto-proof super majorities in the 2018 elections. In this episode, WRAL’s state government reporter Travis Fain explains what...

Did you know that if your car is a make and model that is more likely to be stolen that you might not be able to get car insurance? You can blame it on a TikTok challenge that shows people how to hotwire certain types of cars. And even if you can get car insurance, it’s likely that your rates keep increasing. In this episode, WRAL’s Five on Your Side Producer Pritchard Strong explains...

A man is dead after investigators say he fired multiple shots in a six-block area of Southeast Raleigh, some of them at cars near Ligon Middle School. Police say he fired five shots at officers. Two officers returned fire. He was transported to the hospital where he died. It all started just before 7:00 this morning in the 700 block of Cumberland Street near Rock Quarry Road. WRAL reporter Chelsea...

Advanced practice registered nurses have long sought to undo a North Carolina law that requires a doctor to sign off on their work. They say it often amounts to supervision on paper alone, which doctors charge tens of thousands of dollars a year to provide. Doctors say it’s necessary for patient safety. Despite widespread support for change in the North Carolina General Assembly, nothing has...

It’s called “swatting.” Criminals make prank phone calls to 911 centers using masking technology, with the intention of sending an emergency response team to another person’s address. WRAL’s investigative reporter Cullen Browder explains what happened to one Fayetteville family after one of these calls led police to storm their home with guns drawn in the middle of th...

Police made a gruesome discovery after neighbors reported seeing a fire in the yard of a Cary home on Sunday. In the fire pit they found the remains of 34-year-old Cecily Anne Walker-Scott. They also located 35-year-old Ian Delauder with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an RV on the property. In this episode, WRAL reporter Chelsea Donovan brings us up to speed on the investigation.