WPTF Afternoon News

The North Carolina Baseball team is off to Omaha for the College World Series. A sendoff for the squad held in Chapel Hill this afternoon. They will open against Ole Miss on Friday night. It's the 13th trip to the College World Series for the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels fought back from a run down in the ninth inning to defeat Southern Cal and win the Chapel Hill Super Regional on Sunday. Dave Nathan, the Voice of the North Carolina Baseball team, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss UNC’s hunt for the National Championship.

Pro wrestler Danhausen has gained a reputation online for cursing pro sports teams. He decided to put one on the Carolina Hurricanes during their Stanley Cup Finals series against the Vegas Golden Knights. So one Canes fan stepped up and put his money where his mouth was…and straight into Danhausen’s pocket. Preston Brown joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss what happened to life the Danhausen curse.

The Chairwoman of the Free Our Spirits NC Campaign is calling for a change in North Carolina’s liquor laws. Currently, more than $690 million a year is generated in taxes from liquor sales. Joyce Sullivan joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss why now is the time for change.

Visit North Carolina says the Carolina Hurricanes' run to the Stanley Cup Finals could bring up to $15 million in local revenue, and the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce says there will be long-term benefits. Kyle Touchstone, Raleigh’s Economic Development Director, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the boom.

The National Association of Realtors' May Existing Home Sales report has been released. Bankrate Principal Analyst Ted Rossman examined the report, how it shapes the approach for prospective buyers currently navigating the homebuying process, and how it could impact their shopping and financing strategies. He spoke with Jeff Hamlin.

The Raleigh area is off to its driest start in more than 140 years, as North Carolina’s drought has become extreme across much of the Triangle, according to data from the National Weather Service. That may force farmers to make some difficult decisions. Jeffrey Dorfman, Professor of N.C. State’s Department of Agriculture and Resource Economics, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss how the drought will impact decisions on what farmers can plant.

Fans at the Lenovo Center say a viral "tarps off" trend helped spark a surge of energy during Game two of the Stanley Cup Finals in Raleigh last Thursday. Canes fan Jason Waterstradt and his 9-year-old son Mason helped whip the crowd into a frenzy. Jason and Mason joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the wild scene in Lenovo.

The National Weather Service is forecasting the first major heat wave of the year in the Central and Eastern United States this week, potentially endangering the health of tens of millions of people and affecting economic activity. Ashley Ward, Director of Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss ways to stay safe during the hot weather.

The heights the Carolina Hurricanes have reached didn’t seem possible 25 years ago. When the Canes arrived from Hartford, Connecticut in 1997, they were met with skepticism from critics, both in North Carolina and abroad. Dave Glenn has covered the Hurricanes from the very beginning and joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the Canes during much more humble times.

Tickets are now on sale for NCMondernist’s tour of The Grand Masonic Lodge, a prime example of modernist institutional architecture along Glenwood Avenue known to generations of Raleigh residents, on June 20. George Smart, Founder of NCModernist, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the tour at the Great Masonic Lodge.