WRAL Daily Download

Less than two months from midterm elections and the campaign trail is heating up for U.S. senate Democratic nominee Roy Cooper and U.S. senate Republican nominee Michael Whatley.

 Cooper told supporters at a campaign stop in rural Wayne County Thursday that he stands by his record on public safety, defending his actions as North Carolina governor a day after nationally televised attacks from President Donald Trump.

Whatley took to the national stage during the Republican national midterm convention in Dallas. Recent polls show Cooper with a lead over Whatley as the election approaches.

WRAL's Will Doran and Louis Fernandez talked through where the race stands and what you need to know with November right around the corner.

The North Carolina Education Lottery has for years not met its goal of giving out at least 38% of proceeds to public education, which mostly includes K-12 schools, according to a state audit. A state statute indicates that at least 50% should go toward paying out winnings, the auditor said.

North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek said in a new report, North Carolina lawmakers and policymakers should make a decision about the future of the North Carolina Education Lottery.

WRAL’s Randall Kerr and Carolina Yaffa talk through the audit and how the North Carolina Education Lottery system works.

What led up to UNC Football's General Manager Michael Lombardi's resignation? WRAL's Pat Welter and Chris Lea walk us through the month leading up to his resignation. 

Consumer Reports evaluated dozens of doorbell camera models, looking at video quality, response time and data security. 5 On Your Side's Keely Arthur speaks with WRAL Digital Producer Jaylin Jones about what happens to video that gets recorded, where it's stored, and how easily police can depend on the product. 

On Monday morning, we heard from UNC football head coach Bill Belichick for the first time since the resignation of general manager Michael Lombardi. 

Lombardi’s resignation came in moments before WRAL reported new details about the scope of the investigation, a probe that was launched shortly after he was placed on administrative leave in July. 

People familiar with the investigation told WRAL that outside lawyers hired to conduct the inquiry are asking people close to the program about whether son and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick used drugs at university facilities and whether he gave drugs to at least one player. Investigators are also asking about whether at least one member of UNC’s recruiting staff has a sexual relationship with at least one player, the people said, adding that investigators are also asking about similar possible relationships between recruiting staff and assistant coaches.  

Listen into our coverage of the day's events and where UNC goes from here.

Voting is underway in North Carolina, as the 2026 midterm elections started here Friday. North Carolina is the first state in the country to begin voting, although most voters are still unlikely to cast their ballots for another month or more.

The online portal that overseas and military voters can use opened at midnight. And as the day went on, officials in all 100 counties also began mailing out ballots to people stateside who have already requested to vote by mail.

As that was all happening, the State Board of Elections also met Friday morning to approve some last-minute changes to the rules for mail-in voting. For the most part, the new changes will require a stricter interpretation of state law, making it more likely that people’s ballots will be thrown out over technicalities that state officials previously let slide.

WRAL's Louis Fernandez and Will Doran sat down and spoke through where voting by mail stands for this year's midterm elections both locally and nationally on this week's On the Record.

What is a maternity care desert? How many of them are in North Carolina? WRAL Health Reporter Grace Hayba and WRAL News+ Anchor Elizabeth Holmes speak about how one North Carolina university is using doulas to do life-saving maternity care in rural communities. 

Students in the capital used to go to school at either a Raleigh city school or a Wake County school. 50 years ago this year, the two school districts merged into one. Now, we know it as the Wake County Public School system. But it didn’t happen overnight – in fact, it took years.

WRAL's Destinee Patterson and Emily Walkenhorst sit down with former superintendent Bill McNeal. He was a teacher during the time of the merger and would eventually lead the largest school district in the state. 

A Wake County family is raising questions about the state's cemetery oversight after someone else's remains were buried in a plot they bought burial rights for more than a decade ago. WRAL's Alex Littlehales found out it's not the first time there's been a situation like this at that cemetery.