WRAL Daily Download

Annual spending on private school vouchers would become one of North Carolina's biggest education expenditures under legislation making its way through both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly. WRAL Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst explains why Republicans are pushing the measures, why they face resistance, and how the bills would impact public schools. 

North Carolina State University has experienced seven deaths by suicide of students since the beginning of the school year. Police say two students took their own lives within 24 hours of one another last week. The community—especially parents—is desperate to try and understand the mental health crisis that is leading to these tragedies. WRAL reporter Keenan Willard spoke to the family of one student who died by suicide. In this episode, he shares their powerful and emotional story.

https://www.wral.com/20834746/

Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo is accused along with his brother of shooting and killing Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd in August. Early Sunday morning, Marin-Sotelo escaped from a jail in Virginia. Another inmate from North Carolina in an unrelated case also escaped from the same jail later that day. Both escapes have prompted a massive manhunt. WRAL has multiple crews covering this developing story. In this episode, we speak to WRAL reporter Chelsea Donovan.

https://www.wral.com/Ned-Byrd-murder-suspect-jail-escape/20837332/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=wral&utm_term=5ish

In a major win for Republicans, the North Carolina Supreme Court issued opinions Friday on a series of cases involving voter rights. They could have major ramifications on future elections in the state, and they could even affect the balance of power in the U.S. Congress. WRAL State Government Reporter Travis Fain breaks down the cases and explains how they could affect elections across the state.

A December attack in a Moore County exposed a weakness in our power grid. Someone shot up two substations and plunged 45,000 people into the dark. Five months later some security upgrades are in place, but the reality is setting in: There's only so much we can do to beef up security, and some of it's expensive. WRAL Investigative Reporter Cullen Browder joins the Daily Download to discuss what's been done and what's to come.

Downtown Cary is the last place you’d expect to find a miniature redwood forest – but tucked away behind town hall is a secret world of dawn redwoods with fluted trunks, and rippling roots, a striking red sight against a hillside curtained with green ivy. It looks like something out of a fairytale. In this episode, WRAL’s Hidden History reporter, Heather Leah, takes us on an adventure to spot redwoods around the Triangle.

Faster bus service is coming to Raleigh. Regional rail is in the planning phases. Public transit is making a post-pandemic rebound, but can you get around in North Carolina without a car like many people do in urban area throughout the country? In this episode, WRAL’s Joe Fisher investigated the “carless” movement, and joins us to share what he learned.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson entry into the 2024 gubernatorial race launches what is expected to be a closely watched GOP primary battle. The big question Robinson’s opponents — and some of his supporters — will ask: Is he too extreme for moderate North Carolinians? WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran provides insight from Robinson’s campaign kick-off and interviews with others who have an eye on the Republican nomination.

When former WRAL anchor David Crabtree retired in 2022, he could have actually retired. But his commitment to service won out, and he became the interim CEO of PBS North Carolina — that position is now permanent. Today, Crabtree will be inducted into the NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame. In this conversation, he talks with WRAL’s Debra Morgan about his next act at PBS NC and about the deep connection he continues to share with the communities he served from the anchor desk for so many years.

Since 1993, runners and walkers have been taking to the streets in Durham as part of the Angels Among Us 5K & Walk of HOPE to benefit brain tumor research at Duke’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center. According to the National Brain Tumor Society, 700,000 Americans are living with primary brain tumors. More than 94,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed this year, and nearly 19,000 people with malignant brain tumors will die in 2023. In this episode, Brain Tumor Center Director of Development, Anne Beebe, explains why this event is so important to helping bring these numbers down.