WRAL Daily Download

Back in the spring of 1963, civil rights leader Floyd McKissick, Sr. invited Malcolm X to the Triangle for a debate about assimilation versus integration within the fight for equality. The debate almost didn't happen when the city of Durham pulled its support and venue -- eventually a new venue was found, and McKissick Sr.’s young son Floyd McKissick Jr. was among those in the audience.

McKissick Jr. recounts a childhood framed by the movement: from the steady stream of civil rights leaders visiting his family home who were “like uncles," to supporters sitting on his porch at night with shotguns to protect him and his family. McKissick Jr. talks with WRAL anchor and reporter Ken Smith about his early experiences on picket lines and on the front lines of school integration, and how his childhood of activism led to a lifetime of public service.

Floyd McKissick Sr. worked with civil rights leaders that including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. When race kept him from getting into UNC Law School, McKissick fought back in court and won. Eventually, his case would be used as the basis for the landmark desegregation case, Brown v. Board of Education. Reporter and anchor Ken Smith interviewed his son Floyd McKissick Jr. who shares his father’s legacy as WRAL continues to celebrate Black History Month.

When inflation rises, so do corporate profits. WRAL Investigates looked at how the desire to make more money is raising what you pay for food at the grocery store.

A Republican-backed piece of legislation called the Parents’ Bill of Rights has passed the North Carolina Senate and is on its way to the House. The law would require teachers to tell parents when students are questioning their gender. Supporters of the bill say parents have a right to know this information. Those opposed to the bill, including many LGBTQ advocates, say this could cause some parents to reject or abuse their children and could even lead to suicide. WRAL’s capitol bureau chief Laura Leslie explains the bill and the debate.

An anti-rioting bill has passed in the state House and is on its way to the state Senate for debate. Supporters say the bill is aimed at quelling violent protests. People who are against it say it is racist and unconstitutional. They believe it would be unfairly used to target Black Lives Matter protests and arrest people who are exercising their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. WRAL’s capitol bureau chief Laura Leslie explains the proposed legislation and the debate surrounding it.

https://www.wral.com/racist-or-necessary-to-protect-property-anti-rioting-bill-passes-nc-house-after-heavy-debate/20709978/

Thousands of jobs remain open across North Carolina’s government, hampering the state’s ability to offer basic services to a booming population. WRAL State Government Reporter Paul Specht explains what the state is doing to recruit and retain workers in a tricky job market — and while agencies wait to see if legislators will deliver a budget that gives state workers a pay bump.

As part of WRAL’s continuing celebration of Black History Month, we are sharing another story about the Underground Railroad with WRAL’s Hidden History Reporter Heather Leah. This time, she tells us about her experience traveling to Halifax, the site of triumph for many Freedom Seekers, but also the site where the struggle of some enslaved people to escape ended tragically.

Back in 1991, the Triangle was growing, and so was the interest in professional sports.The World League of American Football started the Skyhawks. They played for exactly one season at Raleigh’s Carter-Finley Stadium and never won a game. Sports Radio Host Joe Ovies fills us in on this little-known story in local sports history and tells us about his upcoming podcast, “Brief History of Triangle Sports.”

This is a big week for Raleigh and the Carolina Hurricanes. Saturday’s outdoor game at Carter Finley Stadium puts Raleigh in the national hockey spotlight. The Canes are having an amazing season, and with one Stanley Cup win in 2006, the spotlight is not new to team. What’s different here is Raleigh, North Carolina itself. Adam Gold talks with Brian Murphy on what the game brings to the community, the fans and Raleigh’s status as a “hockey town.”

Republicans took control of the state Supreme Court in November’s elections, and in short order they’ve moved to overturn precedents in major election cases. Now, based on leaked notes from a recent meeting, more changes are coming to consolidate power at the court’s highest levels.