WRAL Daily Download

In 2006, way before she was a superstar, a 16-year-old Taylor Swift shared her music with students at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh after they won a concert from a local radio station contest. Little did they know at the time that the up-and-coming country music singer was going to be one of the most famous entertainers of their generation. Ironically, no local media covered Swift’s concert seventeen years ago which was attended by less than two hundred people. But those who were there now look back on that day with stars in their eyes. In this episode, WRAL multiplatform producer Ryan Bisesi shares fond memories of that day from people who now have a great story to tell. 

Major League Baseball is likely to expand by two teams in the near future. The owner of the Carolina Hurricanes wants Raleigh and North Carolina to be part of this conversation. North Carolina is home to franchises in the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLS and NWSL as well hosting NASCAR and PGA Tour events annually. It’s still very early in the process of putting together a potential MLB ownership group and identifying stadium locations, but it’s a conversation lots of sports fans are watching closely. WRAL Investigative Sports reporter Brian Murphy joins me to break it all down in this episode.

One year ago this month, the unthinkable happened in Raleigh. Five people were killed and another person was critically injured after witnesses say a teenager opened fire on a greenway at the end of the workday. The suspect, 15-year-old Austin Thompson, was also wounded. It was expected that his case would ultimately move from juvenile court to superior court where he would be charged as an adult. As of Tuesday afternoon, this has not happened. WRAL reporter Chelsea Donovan joins me to bring us up to date on the case.

https://www.wral.com/21079817/

As a parent, or an employer, it can be extremely frustrating. A big storm is predicted, schools are closed, and parents are home with their kids trying to balance work and child care. And to make it even worse, sometimes that big storm never materializes. In this episode, WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell shares what she learned about how school systems make decisions to delay and cancel classes due to weather.

When Republican lawmakers crafted the North Carolina budget, they set aside a big chunk of change for ambitious economic development projects. One-tenth of the $30 billion spending plan is devoted to projects meant to attract companies to the state and keep existing ones here. WRAL state government reporter Will Doran breaks down some of the biggest economic development earmarks in the 1,400-page budget. 

About 100,000 babies are born in the U.S. every year thanks to invitro fertilization known as IVF. But as the interest in IVF increases, so does the wait times for treatment. It can take up to six months just to get an initial consultation. In this episode, WRAL Investigates’ reporter Sarah Krueger shares what she learned about the process. 

Raleigh’s Catholic Diocese is about to celebrate its one-hundred-year anniversary. The area is now home to half a million practicing Catholics. In this episode, WRAL anchor and reporter Debra Morgan shares her experience interviewing with Bishop Luis Zarama. He talks about how the church weathered the pandemic and has managed to thrive. He also reflects on the sacred beauty of slowing down and embracing the quietness.

A quarter of a million people gathered in our nation’s capital 60 years ago on August 28, 1963, for the March on Washington headed by Dr. Martin Luther King. The historic event is largely credited as helping pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act. One of the people in that crowd was veteran North Carolina state lawmaker Rep. Mickey Michaux of Durham. He has vivid memories of that day. Michaux just turned 93 and he sat down with WRAL anchor and reporter Ken Smith to share his recollections of this monumental event in our country’s history and his personal relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King. 

First there is the relief…you’re okay, your family is okay. Then there is the realization that your property is not okay. Hurricanes can wreak havoc on your home. From downed trees, to holes in your roof, to flooding, knowing what to do and where to turn after a storm damages your property can be overwhelming. In this episode, WRAL’s 5 On Your Side reporter Keely Arthur shares what homeowners should do in the wake of a hurricane.

Remote teaching during the pandemic wasn’t the best way for many students to learn, but it was a stopgap measure to help schools get through the crisis. Now, some schools across the state are finding themselves turning to virtual teaching companies to help them fill the vacancies left by an extreme teacher shortage. In this episode, WRAL education reporter Emily Walkenhorst explains exactly what these companies do and how this virtual education experiment is going.