WRAL Daily Download

North Carolina election officials say things are "business as usual" as they plan to send mail-in ballots out next week. But there's been legal back-and-forth at the state and federal level. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran speaks with WRAL News+ Anchor Elizabeth Holmes about what voters need to know.

Foodborne illness outbreaks have some shoppers eyeing hydroponic lettuce, but is is safer? WRAL Climate Change reporter Liz McLaughlin spoke with farmers and shoppers who are making the change. 

Americans waste up to $1,000 annually on unused and unwanted subscriptions. The law is on your side when it comes to getting rid of them. WRAL's Keely Arthur explains how it can help you do just that.

NASA Astronaut Christina Koch returned to her alma mater, NC State, this week for the first time since her trip to the moon. WRAL Meteorologists Elizabeth Gardner and Aimee Wilmoth were there for the event and shares there favorite parts of the visit.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch visited North Carolina State University, her alma mater, on Monday for a "welcome home"-style event.

Koch, who became the first woman to leave low Earth orbit and the first woman to travel to and around the moon, spoke at a sold-out event in her honor titled "Around the Moon and Pack Again" on NC State's Centennial Campus.

On today's episode of the WRAL Daily Download, we reflect on the Artemis II mission involving Koch. 

From the archive:

Four astronauts--including a woman from North Carolina--are set to take off for the Moon on Wednesday aboard Artemis II. Nasa Ambassador Tony Rice is at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to cover the first Moon mission in 53 years. WRAL's Louis Fernandez spoke to him about this historic mission.

Critics of early-voting plans adopted this year by North Carolina Republicans are accusing GOP leaders of discrimination, alleging that they’re eliminating sites and days preferred by Black voters. The allegations framed tense debate among state and local elections officials during a meeting Thursday.

The 2026 midterm elections will be the first major general election since Republicans took control of the state’s election administration. In all 100 North Carolina counties, as well as at the state level, Republicans now control a majority on the boards of election that decide administrative issues such as where to put early-voting sites, when to open those sites and more. Republican appointees have three seats on those county boards. Democratic appointees have two.

The political flip followed passage of a law after the 2024 elections that took election administration power from the Democratic governor and gave it to the Republican state auditor.

In 80 counties, the 2026 early-voting plans passed with unanimous and bipartisan agreement. But in 20 counties, there were fights over proposals — many of which eliminate some voting on Sundays, which data shows is disproportionately used by Black voters.

Wake County public schools have been experiencing issues with their HVAC in a third of schools. WRAL Investigates dove into other records and found that many schools are struggling with widespread infrastructure issues from air conditioning to bathrooms, forcing teachers and PTAs to cover the cost.

WRAL’s Destinee Patterson and Emily Walkenhorst have more.

WRAL News brought together law enforcement and community leaders on Wednesday for an open discussion about youth violence, what’s driving it and what we can do as a community to break the cycle.   

Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce and Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe were among the group we brought together for a one-hour discussion.

Here’s the first half of that conversation. For the entire hour, head to the WRAL YouTube page.

Several Rocky Mount city staff members and council members are attending a power utility conference at a four-star Virginia resort as the city faces financial strain and rising utility bills.

WRAL reporter Alex Littlehales spoke with Rocky Mount's Energy Resources Director, Bradley Walters, who acknowledged the optics of the situation at the conference's opening day.

The college football season is just around the corner. WRAL Sports anchors Pat Welter and Chris Lea explain how NC State, UNC and Duke's seasons are looking.