Shows / WRAL Daily Download
WRAL Daily Download
The WRAL Daily Download is an in-depth conversation about a single news story. WRAL covers news across North Carolina every day, but this podcast focuses on one story at a time, bringing context to each conversation. The in-depth, localized podcast takes you into the latest stories from Raleigh, Durham, and the entire Triangle region on North Carolina. This is community news aimed at keeping you informed about the more subtle stories that are happening around you. Hosted by WRAL News…
Episodes
- WRAL Daily Download
Hidden in plain sight, miniature redwood forests in the Triangle
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Is it too soon to go "carless" in North Carolina?
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Will GOP voters promote Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson?
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Former WRAL anchor David Crabtree inducted into NC Media & Journalism Hall of Fame
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
30th annual run in Durham benefits brain tumor research at Duke
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
The Tar Heel 10 Miler and that runner's high
With a major race this weekend in Chapel Hill, the Daily Download tackles running culture. What makes someone wake up at 3:30 a.m. to run 17 miles? We find out…
- WRAL Daily Download
Women pay more for car insurance in North Carolina
Did you know if you're a woman in North Carolina you are likely to pay more for car insurance than a man? A recent study shows that women pay more than men…
- WRAL Daily Download
Do Wake’s schools start too early?
Wake County parents,students and staff see pros and cons in later school start times for middle and high schools and earlier start start times for elementary…
- WRAL Daily Download
ACLU files federal lawsuit regarding NC anti-rioting law
North Carolina lawmakers passed a law that increases penalties for protesters and broadens arrest powers for police during protests. The American Civil…
- WRAL Daily Download
North Carolina animal shelters have 2nd highest kill rate in country
North Carolina’s shelters have the second highest kill rate in the country. In 2022, 14,000 animals were euthanized. The main reason is that the number…
- WRAL Daily Download
Man stabbed in downtown Raleigh store dies, family wants answers
A 27-year-old customer has died at WakeMed after being stabbed, according to witnesses, by the owner of a downtown Raleigh convenience store last week. As of…
- WRAL Daily Download
Transgender bills come to the NC legislature
Republican lawmakers filed half a dozen bills last week dealing with transgender youth. Two would ban transgender girls from playing on girl sports teams…
- WRAL Daily Download
A Democrat defects: NC GOP’s newest supermajority
North Carolina Republicans scored big last week when Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham decided to change parties. Her bombshell decision gives Republicans a…
- WRAL Daily Download
Federal task force takes on Paycheck Protection Program fraud in North Carolina
The Paycheck Protection Program funneled billions of dollars to companies in need during the pandemic to allow them to pay their rent, keep their lights on and…
- WRAL Daily Download
Raleigh’s first airport still has a hidden footprint in the city
Many of us use Raleigh-Durham International Airport to travel to see friends and family, but did you know there was an airport in our area before RDU? The…
- WRAL Daily Download
Can builder bills lower NC housing costs?
Demand for real estate in fast-growing North Carolina is pushing up prices of homes and apartments. So state lawmakers are proposing a series of bills that…
- WRAL Daily Download
Gambling addiction in the spotlight as NC mulls legalization
North Carolina's General Assembly is on the cusp of legalizing mobile sports gambling, letting people bet on just about any sport, from their phones, 24 hours…
- WRAL Daily Download
WRAL photojournalist tells his own story of loss due to the fentanyl crisis
The fentanyl crisis affects families across North Carolina, taking a record number of lives in the state. It's a crisis that impacts everyone, even the man…
- WRAL Daily Download
New rules and $30 billion: NC's new state budget
North Carolina lawmakers are working up a new state budget. And mixed in with the raises for teachers and state employees: A major partisan policy fight over…
- WRAL Daily Download
Active shooter deterrent for North Carolina schools
It’s never been more of a concern. This week’s deadly school shooting in Nashville has people across the country heartbroken and wondering how we…
- WRAL Daily Download
North Carolina ends longtime pistol permit requirement
North Carolina Republicans have scrapped the state's long-lived pistol permit requirement, aided by the absence of several Democrats, which gave Republicans…
- WRAL Daily Download
Drivers are paying more for car insurance, tips to reduce rates
Did you know that if your car is a make and model that is more likely to be stolen that you might not be able to get car insurance? You can blame it on a…
- WRAL Daily Download
Police kill man who fired shots at them near Raleigh middle school
A man is dead after investigators say he fired multiple shots in a six-block area of Southeast Raleigh, some of them at cars near Ligon Middle School. Police…
- WRAL Daily Download
NC advanced practice registered nurses seek more authority against political headwinds
Advanced practice registered nurses have long sought to undo a North Carolina law that requires a doctor to sign off on their work. They say it often amounts…
- WRAL Daily Download
False 911 call leads to police storming innocent family’s home
It’s called “swatting.” Criminals make prank phone calls to 911 centers using masking technology, with the intention of sending an emergency…
- WRAL Daily Download
Murder, attempted suicide investigation in Cary
Police made a gruesome discovery after neighbors reported seeing a fire in the yard of a Cary home on Sunday. In the fire pit they found the remains of…
- WRAL Daily Download
Redistricting and gerrymandering in North Carolina explained
It’s been the topic of heated debate across the country and here in North Carolina. How does the map that defines where people vote impact the outcome of…
- WRAL Daily Download
“It is their full-time job to take your money.” How to protect yourself from hackers and thieves
Thieves busted a Raleigh woman’s car window and stole her purse, but that was just the beginning. Months later scammers had cleaned out her account, and…
- WRAL Daily Download
NC’s teacher colleges work to fix reading education
A recent report finds that North Carolina’s universities need to do more to prepare educators to teach reading to the state’s K-12 students. The…
- WRAL Daily Download
History hidden beneath North Carolina’s lakes
Have you ever wondered what lies beneath the surface of the lake where you are swimming? Well, lakes in North Carolina have other worlds lurking beneath their…
- WRAL Daily Download
Urban trails lead hikers to historic NC spots
Have you ever wondered why there is a crumbling chimney or a rusted car along the trail where you’re hiking in the Triangle? You may have even walked by…
- WRAL Daily Download
“Crisis Next Door”: fentanyl is killing North Carolinians
More than 4000 people in North Carolina died from drug overdoses in 2021. This is the highest number of drug-abuse deaths ever recorded in our state in a…
- WRAL Daily Download
UNC basketball, like life, doesn’t always go well
Weighed down with high expectations, UNC’s men’s basketball team never really got it going this season. Now they’ve missed the NCAA…
- WRAL Daily Download
In do-over cases, NC court flexes GOP power
The new Republican majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court recently made the extraordinary decision to rehear two big voting rights cases that Democrats…
- WRAL Daily Download
In 1961, nuclear bombs fell from crashing plane but didn’t detonate
In 1961, a B-52 Bomber bound for the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base crashed in Wayne County. It was carrying two nuclear bombs which fell into the wetlands…
- WRAL Daily Download
Super-Agers—they’ve found the fountain of youth
What is the secret to not just aging gracefully, but to thriving as we get older? Currently, there are 56 million people over 65 in our country according to…
- WRAL Daily Download
Big Night In for the Arts 2023
Born during the pandemic, this show hosted by four local arts councils in the Triangle recognizes the immense talent that we have in our area. WRAL showcases…
- WRAL Daily Download
Pediatric drug shortages frustrate parents
If you’re a parent looking for children’s over-the-counter pain and fever medication at your local pharmacy in the Triangle you may be surprised to find the…
- WRAL Daily Download
GOP lawmakers quietly plan new NC abortion restrictions
Republican legislators are meeting privately to discuss tightening North Carolina’s abortion law, which currently bans the procedure after 20 weeks. They want…
- WRAL Daily Download
WRAL Anchor Ken Smith on balancing work and babies
Today, fathers are often equal partners when it comes to parenting. The joys of juggling twins and a toddler is a new experience for WRAL anchor Ken Smith and…
- WRAL Daily Download
After a decade, Medicaid expansion on tap in NC
The top leaders in North Carolina’s legislature reached an agreement that is expected to expand Medicaid coverage. The momentous deal, announced Thursday, is…
- WRAL Daily Download
NC Senators pass medical marijuana bill
All but 13 states have laws that allow marijuana to be prescribed by doctors for medical use. North Carolina is considering such a law. This week in their…
- WRAL Daily Download
VRBO rental gone wrong, tips to avoid vacation pitfalls
Gone are the days when people simply book hotels when they travel. Instead, travelers are taking advantage of the 8 million rentals available in nearly 200…
- WRAL Daily Download
House fires burning hotter, faster
If a fire breaks out at your house, experts estimate you have 3 minutes to escape. That’s far less time than 30 years ago. The reason: Synthetic materials that…
- WRAL Daily Download
Beyond metal detectors: Solving school security
High-profile incidents involving guns in public schools are prompting school systems to investigate the best ways to beef up security. North Carolina education…
- WRAL Daily Download
Floyd McKissick, Jr. recounts 1963 NC debate between his father and Malcolm X
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Durham civil rights leader Floyd McKissick Sr. laid the foundation for school desegregation
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Corporate profits and food prices
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Law would require teachers to notify parents if a student questions their gender
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Anti-rioting bill stirs debate among NC lawmakers
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
NC drowns in government job vacancies, causing spotty services
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Unveiling Underground Railroad history in Halifax
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
The Raleigh-Durham football team that didn’t make history
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Carolina Hurricanes’ outdoor game brings hockey spotlight to Raleigh
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Big doings at the NC Supreme Court
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…
- WRAL Daily Download
Roy Williams, after the court
WRAL’s Gerald Owens talks with former North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams about his life in retirement -- from putting on the Tar Heels mascot…
- WRAL Daily Download
WRAL Super Bowl commercial has a big reveal
Some people watch for the game, others watch for the half-time show, still others watch for the creative commercials that we remember long after the game fades…
- WRAL Daily Download
A visit to the Great Dismal Swamp where enslaved people took refuge
African Americans fleeing slavery took refuge in this swampy area that straddles the northern North Carolina and Virginia line in the 1800’s. Today, it is part…
- WRAL Daily Download
Tips to make your DMV wait time shorter
Wait times are up again at North Carolina’s Division of Motor Vehicles, and it’s not even the busy season. 5 On Your Side’s Keely Arthur joins us to break down…
- WRAL Daily Download
Hostage taking at The Robesonian newspaper
Thirty-five years ago two men walked into a Robeson County newspaper with sawed off shotguns, chained the doors and demanded to speak to the governor. During…