WRAL Daily Download

The U.S. received information about potential domestic terror attacks to critical infrastructure just before the sabotage on two power substations in Moore County took place. We’ve also learned that at least one person has died, and that death may be linked to the massive power outage. There is now a $75,000 dollar reward for information that helps solve this case. In this episode WRAL reporter Cu...

U.S. Supreme Court justices heard arguments Wednesday in Moore v. Harper, a closely watched case out of North Carolina focused in part on who has the authority to determine how elections are conducted. WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain provides a breakdown of the arguments. And WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie, who was in the chamber, gives us an on-the-ground glimpse of the scene i...

Lawyers representing sides in a closely watched North Carolina case make arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court today. Moore v. Harper focuses on who has the authority to set when and how elections are conducted. Some legal experts say it could fundamentally change American democracy. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie, who will be in Washington, and Michael Bitzer, the author of “Redistricti...

It’s a crime no one in Moore County has ever seen before. Someone fired shots into two power substations causing a massive outage. This has closed schools and businesses, and sent people to local shelters to escape the bitter cold. We interview Executive Enterprise Producer Ashley Talley who has been helping to oversee WRAL’s coverage of this unfolding local emergency. https://www.wral.com/gunfire...

Moore v. Harper — a North Carolina case that emerged from the state’s recent redistricting process — heads to the U.S. Supreme Court for arguments Wednesday. Michael Whatley, the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, explains why state GOP leaders brought the case to the nation’s highest court. Bob Phillips of Common Cause North Carolina breaks down why his group opposes the GOP’s effor...

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a high-profile case that started here in North Carolina. At its core, it’s focused on voting districts in the state. But legal experts say the court’s ruling could have a broad impact across the country on everything from how elections are run to checks and balances in state governments. The case is Harper v. Moore. WRAL State Government...

On October 13, 5 people were killed and 2 others were injured during a mass shooting near a Raleigh greenway. About an hour and a half after the first 911 call, authorities cornered the 15-year-old suspect in a barn. They exchanged gunfire with him during a standoff which lasted 3 hours. Police videos of that encounter were just released. WRAL digital writer, Ryan Bisesi, joins us in this episode...

Anyone with a child in college or a child who is on the way to college knows that that cost of higher education has gone up dramatically. The WRAL Investigates team, reporter Cullen Browder and producer Randall Kerr, took a look at how this trend is affecting public institutions of higher learning in North Carolina. In this episode, Randall walks us through what they found and what it means for st...

Shootings, including mass shootings, are becoming so common that many of us are numb to them, chalking them up as just one more tragedy that we can’t prevent. Recently, we’ve seen an increase in these incidents happening in popular stores and around shopping areas. This is making many people uneasy as we head into one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year. Security expert James Demeo breaks...

Vehicle thefts are up, and data from the Raleigh Police Department shows where those thefts are reported. It might not be where you think, so lock your car doors! Plus: A bit on how we use data, every day, to make news bubble up from the information that surrounds us.

North Carolina elected an evenly split congressional delegation this month, sending seven Democrats and seven Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. That balance is expected to change after state legislators draw new congressional voting districts. WRAL State Government Reporter Bryan Anderson explains which districts could flip in favor of Republicans in the 2024 elections.

On the WRAL Daily Download this week, a special podcast companion series to the WRAL-TV documentary "Durham Under Fire." In this final episode, WRAL Investigative Documentary Reporter Cristin Severance talks with Durham Mayor Elaine O’Neal, Council Member Mark-Anthony Middleton, District Attorney Satana Deberry, and former sheriff Mike Andrews. They explore the impact gun violence in a city that i...

On the WRAL Daily Download this week, a special podcast companion series to the WRAL-TV documentary "Durham Under Fire." As Durham grapples with increased gun violence, WRAL Investigative Reporter and Documentary Producer Cristin Severance rides along on patrol with two Durham police officers who grew up there. With candor, they describe how shootings in Durham have impacted them personally, why t...

On the WRAL Daily Download this week, we introduce a special podcast companion series to the WRAL-TV documentary "Durham Under Fire." Last spring, WRAL Investigative Reporter and Documentary Producer Cristin Severance rode along in a patrol car with Durham, NC’s Chief of Police Patrice Andrews. While discussing the immense pressures facing the Durham Police Department, a “shots fired” report comes...

This has been so hard for our community to process. An event which is supposed to be joyful ends in horror. A pickup truck pulling one of the floats apparently had a brake failure and accidentally plowed into a group of dancers in front of him. In this episode, anchor Chris Lovingood interviews reporter Amanda Lamb who was at the parade and covered the story for WRAL. Correction (11/22/22): In thi...

Every year, WRAL’s weather team predicts the winter weather ahead. This year it looks like a warmer-than-normal winter with below average snow. But how do they know that? WRAL Meteorologist Kat Campbell joins us to break down the science of predicting the weather.

Just this week alone three student athletes, football players, were shot and killed and two other people were injured at the University of Virginia. And here in North Carolina, a young woman was killed, and five others were injured after a shooting at an outdoor party in Enfield. WRAL Reporter Keenan Willard is digging into what happened and learning more about a series of large parties in Eastern...

Bentley Stancil left home Tuesday morning. The nine-year-old ditched his backpack and ran into the woods. Over the course of 24 hours an intense search led investigators to Bentley. Detectives found the boy outside a camper in a wooded area in Wendell, NC. WRAL’S Brett Knese talked with Bentley’s father shortly after the father and son reunited. Knese shares moments from that conversation.

WRAL’s Cullen Browder has followed this tragic case since 7-year-old Weston Androw of Ohio died in July 2021 after being stuck in between the inner and outer doors of the elevator in their rental home in Corolla. They helped get Weston’s Law passed which requires inspections of elevators in rentals as well as elevator space guards. In this episode, Cullen walks us through the family’s journey from...

Federal investigators say a Durham mom was sending drugs to federal prisons in California and other states by soaking fake legal documents in synthetic marijuana, also known as K2 or “spice.” They say her son took orders from behind bars. Hear more from WRAL Sarah Krueger about this unusual story and the routine habit reporters use to find stories like it.

North Carolinians voted to shift the balance of power in the North Carolina Supreme Court to a Republican majority — a pivot that could have major ramifications for abortion restrictions, how future elections are conducted and which party’s congressional candidates will be sent to Washington. WRAL Reporter Brian Murphy discusses the implications for the GOP and the state.

Fixing damaged property after a storm is painful, and expensive. The Triangle is no stranger to the impacts from hurricanes, tropical depressions, and tornados. The severe weather often leaves a destructive and expensive trail. In this WRAL Daily Download Julian Grace talks with 5 On Your Side Reporter Keely Arthur on important steps to take immediately after a storm in North Carolina. The discuss...

The North Carolina Republican Party gained power in the General Assembly and on the state Supreme Court. The GOP also held a key U.S. Senate seat. State Democrats, meanwhile, picked up key seats in the U.S. Congress — sending an evenly-split congressional delegation to Washington. WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain breaks it all down.

The early signing period for all sports, except football, begins Wednesday. Players from North Carolina high schools will be signing to play at colleges across the country. We discuss it with HighSchoolOT's Joel Bryant.​

“Election integrity” is the buzz phrase for 2020 election deniers who are watching the voting process closely this year, but in North Carolina an awful lot goes into protecting that integrity. WRAL Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie has been reporting for weeks on NC election security, and she joins the Daily Download to break it down.