WRAL Daily Download

Rev. Jesse Jackson died Tuesday at the age of 84. The civil rights icon was also a groundbreaking politician who made two runs for the presidency in the 1980s. WRAL's Ken Smith looks back at Jackson's accomplishments.

About 150 students at Crossroads Flex High School are without a school building after fire marshal intervention.

It all started with a phone call in 2023 - a Wake high school administrator made a routine call, asking when the last time Crossroads Flex High School had a fire inspection.

The problem? The Wake County fire marshal’s office had no idea a school was even there.

WRAL education reporter Emily Walkenhorst tells us how this came to pass and what's next for the school and its students.

Which political party should have the final say on where, when and how people vote in North Carolina? That’s a question being argued in state court. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran explains the arguments, and what’s at stake. 

Warmer winters are shrinking reliable snow worldwide. It's leading to adaptions at ski resorts in western North Carolina and at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games. WRAL Climate Change Reporter Liz McLaughlin explains.

A woman went to deposit a $10K check at an ATM and didn't receive a receipt back. After bringing it forward to her bank, they told her the deposit would be held, saying it was being investigated. 5 On Your Side's Keely Arthur explains how she was able to get it back. 

We’ve been following along with changes to the DMV. WRAL has reported extensively on long wait times, new offices and a top-down effort to make the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles better.

The most recent development - early morning hours are getting cut. Starting this week the DMV will no longer offer extended early morning hours, opening at the standard 8 a.m. statewide.

WRAL’s Carly Haynes and Jaylin Jones sat down to talk through the changes and how they fit into the big picture when it comes to fixing the DMV.

On Tuesday, Austin Thompson's defense team will begin presenting evidence in his sentencing hearing. Thompson pleaded guilty to killing five people in the Hedingham neighborhood in October of 2022. WRAL's Shaun Gallegher reviews the prosecution's case and what we expect to hear from the defense.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed a new executive order last week aimed at improving coordination between the state’s behavioral health and criminal justice systems. It comes on the heels of recent killings in Charlotte, Raleigh and Southport that police say were committed by people with histories of mental illness. WRAL state government reporter Will Doran breaks it down.

Nearly a third of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the U.S. have radio stations. As we celebrate Black history this month, WRAL's Kirstyn Clark and Jaylin Jones shine a light on one that is right here in our backyard – North Carolina Central University’s WNCU 90.7 FM. 

A massive data center proposal in southern Wake County is raising questions. Developers want to build a campus of four data center buildings, each the size of a super Walmart. WRAL Climate Change Reporter Liz McLaughlin digs deep into North Carolina's data center boom.