WRAL Daily Download

Tonight, "A Christmas Carol" begins its 50-year at performance at DPAC in Durham. This will be Ira David Wood III's last show after creating it and playing Scrooge since he was 27. His son will be taking over the role. My guest today is Mark Olexik, a WRAL photographer and a talented actor who dreamed of being in the play when he first saw it as a little boy. That dream eventually came true. His interview is a true testament to a magical show that has become a timeless Triangle holiday tradition.

An EF-1 tornado with winds as high as 110 miles per hour touched down in Garner Sunday. It hit just seconds after the warning was issued. Amazingly, no one was injured, but the tornado damaged homes, cars, and uprooted trees. WRAL reporter Eric Miller was one of the first journalists at the scene. In this episode, he shares what he saw, what people experienced, and how they are cleaning up the mess.

Lawmakers recently set aside millions of dollars for a pair of education projects that are raising some eyebrows. The companies receiving the money didn’t compete for the contracts, and the state agency that has to implement the projects they fund didn’t have much say in the process, revealing a disconnect between lawmakers and agency officials. WRAL State Government reporter Travis Fain, who teamed up with Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst to look into the contracts, explains how they ended up in the state budget and what they say about the vendor vetting process.

Three people were shot and killed at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. The gunman was killed in a shootout with police. Witnesses have identified the as a former professor with ties to North Carolina. He was a tenured professor at East Carolina University and graduated from Duke's business school. Chelsea Donovan spoke to people who knew Anthony Polito and joins us with what she learned.

Imagine your child is sick and you don't know what's wrong. Then a routine blood test at the doctor's office reveals she has lead poisoning. A Wake Forest couple recently experienced this nightmare. After testing everything in their environment, they learned a snack food was the source of the lead. WRAL's 5 On Your Side team investigated this case. Producer Pritchard Strong joins us with what they learned.

Tuesday night was the first Wake County School Board meeting since a 14-year-old student was stabbed to death at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School last week. Several people related to the students involved say that the school was warned that violence could erupt and that they did nothing to stop it. The school system has not responded to this allegation as of this recording. WRAL's Aaron Thomas was at the meeting Tuesday night and says that parents who spoke out want assurances that students will be protected at school.

For many Americans, medical bills are the thing that pushes them over the edge to a place where financial recovery seems impossible. One in ten people are still paying off medical bills in our country; that’s 23 million people. Fifteen years ago, a Durham police officer tried to save a man’s life after a heart attack. The man died. As a result, Jerry Elliot asked the Durham Bulls to install two defibrillators on the property. One of those was then used to save HIS life one year later. But fast forward through his recovery, and he discovered he had tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills not covered by insurance. That’s when 5 On Your Side’s Keely Arthur got involved. 

The conflict between Israel and Hamas is causing a rift within the Democratic Party. President Biden has been criticized by some within his own party for not doing enough to help Palestinians who have been hurt by Israel’s attacks on Hamas. Meanwhile, some North Carolina Democrats have faced criticism from some within the party for not showing enough support for Israel, the U.S.’s top Middle Eastern ally. The tension is taking the party’s focus off of the 2024 elections in North Carolina — a state known for its tight presidential and gubernatorial races. WRAL state government reporter Paul Specht breaks down the discord among state Democrats.

Sometimes, you visit a place so magical it’s hard to believe that it’s real. When you go to the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge you feel like you’re in another country. It is so spectacular, so magical, that it takes you on a journey. In this episode, WRAL’s Hidden History reporter Heather Leah shares the story behind the bridge, the gardens, and the local art that makes it come alive.

Three Cumberland County middle school students were treated and released from the hospital after eating gummies on a school bus. It’s not clear whether the gummies were infused with CBD, THC, or something else. The sheriff’s office is investigating. WRAL Fayetteville reporter Gilbert Baez is covering the story and joins me in this episode to share what he has learned about the incident.