WPTF Afternoon News

Get your dancing shoes ready--the Raleigh Wide Open Music Festival presented by PNC Bank is back with more live music, food, and an abundance of family fun. The event continues through Sunday. Courtney Wheeler joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss what to expect at this year’s Raleigh Wide Open.

October is National Farm to School Month, and across North Carolina, schools are demonstrating that serving locally grown food is about more than what's on the lunch tray. Districts and community partners are creating stronger connections between farmers, schools and students while supporting local economies and helping children better understand where their food comes from. Andrew Harrell, from the Carolina Hunger Initiative, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss what they’re doing to help people.

Meredith College is making history with its new police chief. A swearing-in ceremony was held Monday for Chief Eva Howard. She's the first woman to lead the college's police department and security team. Howard joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss her appointment.

Democrat Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley 47%-35% in new polling of their battle to win a seat from North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. Catawba College Political Science Professor Dr. Michael Bitzer joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the survey

What if the biggest workplace injury risk isn't something that happens on the job — but something an employee brings with them?

Soft-tissue injuries like back strains and sprains are a major driver of workers' compensation costs, especially during an employee's first months on the job.

So how can employers identify those risks before they turn into injuries and expensive claims?

Jon Champion talks with Ahmed Zarrugh, CEO of Precision Motion Health.

Duke’s Felipe De Brigard, a philosopher and cognitive scientist, has won a MacArthur Fellowship. Commonly referred to as a “Genius Grant,” the award honors people doing particularly creative work with future promise in a broad array of fields. De Brigard joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss winning the grant.

The 12th annual Triangle Oktoberfest is set for this weekend. The three-day event start this Friday at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. Craig Duerr, the Director of Triangle Oktoberfest, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss this year’s event.

Jannia Jolley ran away from home when she was a child. She has used that lesson to help young people in Vance County who have nowhere safe to go. That’s why she started Jannia’s Safe Harbor. She joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss how she formed the nonprofit.

The Senate has passed a sweeping bipartisan bill that would regulate college sports. It's an attempt to end “chaos” in an industry that has been upended by skyrocketing athlete payments and near-unrestricted transfers between schools. Passage of the legislation Monday would be the strongest effort yet by Congress to set national regulations governing payments to college athletes for their name, image and likeness and how often they can transfer. Dave Glenn with the North Carolina Sports Network joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the act.

The emergency ferry route between Stumpy Point and Rodanthe was activated late Sunday morning to help get stranded tourists off Hatteras Island and allow full-time residents back onto the island. This comes as N.C. 12 has been closed since Thursday morning after sustaining around 1,000 feet of damage on Pea Island from the coastal storm. Jenni Koontz, a photographer who works along the Outer Banks, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the scenes over the last week.