WRAL Daily Download

When the first round of the NCAA tournament begins, the Triangle's three biggest names in college basketball will take the court. Duke, UNC and NC State are all a part of the dance. WRAL Sports Anchor Chris Lea breaks down how far they each could get.

The tenets of journalism are truth, accuracy and objectivity. In our role, we hold people, like elected officials, accountable. One way to do that is to fact check their statements. WRAL’s Politifact reporter Paul Specht joins Ali Ingersoll to talk about the process and importance of fact-checking, especially as we enter another election season.

We're in the heart of tax season. WRAL's 5 On Your Side producer, Pritchard Strong, joins Ali Ingersoll to talk about what you need to know as you prepare to file. 

More than 100 Wake County Public School students are caught up in the accreditation and financial crises at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh. Juniors and seniors in Wake's early college leadership academies take most of their classes at St. Aug, and some say the quality of the classes has deteriorated and that facilities aren’t being kept up. The county is now looking for solutions, but students could be left in limbo. WRAL Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst explains the challenges — and what happens next.

Five teens escaped Tuesday night, leaving their parents distraught and concerned and wondering how this could happen. WRAL's Heidi Kirk joins Ali Ingersoll to share what else she found through looking at records related to safety and staffing. 

In Season 3 of A Brief History of Triangle Sports, Brian Murphy from WRAL News and Tim Donnelly from 99.9 The Fan explore the history of sports betting in North Carolina. Mobile sports betting is legal today but getting to this point wasn’t easy. Brian and Tim cover the legislative twists and turns on the road to legal sports gambling and how NC’s “new normal” will change sports and sports fans going forward. 

All four episodes are available now. Find Season 3 of A Brief History of Triangle Sports in this podcast app. 

Law enforcement in North Carolina is pulling over more drivers who are impaired by drugs instead of alcohol. A special group of NC Highway Patrol troopers is trained to determine which drugs an impaired driver may have used. WRAL Investigates' Sarah Krueger found out why these charges can be more complicated in court.

Since 2018, at least 521 kids under 18 died from gun violence in our state. The latest WRAL Documentary, titled Unsafe, explores what is now the leading cause of death nationwide for people ages 1 through 19. Cristin Severance, who produced the documentary, joins Ali Ingersoll to share what she learned from her reporting. 

The election is eight months away and North Carolina is already shaping up to be a close one, according to a new WRAL News poll. The poll showed a number of key races in statistical ties. It also forecasted trouble for President Joe Biden. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran breaks down the results. 

On Tuesday, a relatively unknown homeschool mom who has called public schools “indoctrination centers” — and who has no experience as an educator or school administrator — managed to beat incumbent Catherine Truitt in the GOP primary for state superintendent. WRAL Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst explains who she is and how she pulled off the upset.