WRAL Daily Download

It’s like something out of a fairy tale, majestic castles right here in North Carolina. Many people don’t know that our state and the Triangle are home to stunning historic structures that evoke a magical feel. Some of them have even become popular event spaces that you can visit. In this episode, WRAL’s Hidden History reporter, Heather Leah, takes us on a special tour of North Carolina’s castles.

We hear it all the time when established residents in a community fight new development in their neighborhood-Not in my backyard. But what if the new development threatens to flood their backyard? This was the situation for one Raleigh neighborhood when stormwater runoff from a townhouse community under construction sent water right up to their doorways. WRAL’s 5 On Your Side investigated. In this episode, producer Pritchard Strong breaks it all down for us and explains why everyone needs to be concerned.

Former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Gov. Ron De Santis were in North Carolina last week making presidential pitches to the state's Republican convention in Greensboro. The event took on new import after federal charges against Trump were unsealed on Friday. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran provides on-the-ground analysis from the convention, with a look at what the candidates had to say about Trump's legal predicament. 

First responders in our area attended a training in Garner to learn how they should respond to a train derailment, especially when hazardous materials are on board. In this episode, WRAL reporter Matt Talhelm tells us about the obstacles he faced in trying to understand what toxic chemicals are being transported through North Carolina on our 3000 miles of railways. He also delves into new legislation that could help better protect people who live in areas where trains derail.

Every year, 47,000 people die by suicide in the United States. Sharon O’Donnell lost her husband, Kevin, to death by suicide in April. Kevin had been in treatment for depression and had sought care at a local emergency room. Sharon believes that emergency rooms are woefully unprepared to deal with these crises and that big changes need to be made. She also believes there needs to be a clearer path for brain tissue research so that scientists can study the brains of people who die by suicide. In this very candid episode, Sharon shares her tragedy and what she believes are some solutions going forward.

Recent black bear sightings in Chapel Hill have people in the community wondering if bears are getting bolder, or if increasing development is pushing them out of their natural habitats into more populated areas. In this episode, we ask the the North Carolina Wildlife Commission Biologist Falyn Owens these questions and get tips on what to do if you have a close encounter with a bear. 

LINKS: https://www.wral.com/story/two-black-bears-spotted-in-past-two-days-in-chapel-hill/20894750/

Greg Gidding spent two decades in the U.S. Army. When he retired from his military service, he became an adjutant for North Carolina’s American Legion. Bogged down with his new duties, he enlisted the help of H&R Block to do his taxes only to find out in 2021 that he owed thousands of dollars because of a mistake they made in 2018. In this episode, 5 on Your Side’s Keely Arthur tells us how her team helped Gidding get the money to pay the IRS and offers tips to taxpayers and other veterans about double-checking their tax returns.

The North Carolina Democratic party has struggled in the past year. Democrats lost every major statewide race in the 2022 midterm elections, including the battle for an open U.S. Senate seat and the races that determined control of the state's Supreme Court. And they lost Democratic Governor Roy Cooper's veto power a few months ago when a Democratic lawmaker defected to the GOP. WRAL State Government Reporter Paul Specht explains how the party is trying to maintain relevance ahead of the 2024 elections. 

It’s simply called The Soccer Tournament, or TST, but there’s nothing simple about this four-day event at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary which involves 32 teams from nine professional soccer clubs and six countries. TBT Enterprises, which launched another popular sports event, The Basketball Tournament, in 2014 is the architect of the event and is led by Jon Mugar. In today’s episode, Mugar talks soccer and tells fans what they can expect during this big soccer weekend in the Triangle.

Pride Month honors the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community and commemorates the violent Stonewall Riots that took place in New York City in June of 1969. Pride Month was officially designated by President Bill Clinton in 2000. Since that time, it has been celebrated in cities and towns across the country annually. In this episode, we meet a Raleigh business owner, Randy Sutton, who believes the movement has helped him thrive as a merchant and as a human being.