WPTF Afternoon News

As millions of families head back to school and return to daily commutes, carpools and after-school activities, many drivers may be putting those extra miles on vehicles already overdue for maintenance. Em Nguyen, a spokesperson for CarFax, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the results of the study.

Durham Technical Community College recently began the fall semester. Health care is a growing industry, and hands-on lab-focused education is helping prepare graduates to enter the workforce. J.B. Buxton, the President of Durham Tech, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the growth around the school as a new semester begins.

Indeed’s 2026 Best U.S. Cities to Work list is out. Durham ranked #22 on the overall list. Matt Berndt, a spokesperson for Indeed, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the results of the survey.

A new High Point University poll is painting a different picture of North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, showing a smaller gap between Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley than other recent polls. The HPU poll shows Cooper leading Whatley 50% to 45% among likely voters, with just 10 weeks until Election Day.

A partial lunar eclipse will dazzle space lovers Thursday night into early Friday morning. The show will begin at 10:33 p.m. local time with the partial eclipse slowly casting a growing shadow on the moon. Amy Sayle, of the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the eclipse.

The search to replace Chuck Edwards in the Republican primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional district continues. Bryan Anderson, writer for the Assembly, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss how name recognition will go a long way towards determining a new candidate.

After waiting for 13 months, members of an Alamance County church worshiped together after a storm left their place of worship underwater. For the first time since July 2025, congregants of Saxapahaw United Methodist Church in Graham gathered for services on Sunday. Reverend Mandy Sayers, the pastor at Saxapahaw United Methodist Church, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss their fight to rebuild their place of worship.

As students return to campus, Innovate Carolina is launching a fall AI workshop series to help students, researchers, professionals and community members build practical AI skills and better understand how AI is changing the workplace. Sheryl Waddell, Director of Innovation Hubs at Innovate Carolina, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the workshop on Tuesday.

For the past 50 years, the iconic band WAR has been making peace loving music for its' fans. Now they are celebrating 5 decades and 50 million albums sold of their amazing music, in their "Why Can't We be Friends" Anniversary Tour, entitiled "A Show for Unity" with two other legendary bands The Family Stone and The Ohio Players and they are coming to the Triangle on August 29th at Cary's Koka Booth Ampitheatre!

Gayle Hurd talked with WAR's frontman Lonnie Jordan about Three legendary bands - on One incredible Evening!

As summer ends, COVID-19 is increasing across the United States, according to health officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that COVID-19 transmission is rising nationwide. Dr. David Wohl, UNC Health infectious disease specialist, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the latest