WRAL Newscasts
Noon News on WRAL - Thursday, July 18, 2024
What's next? At Moss Adams, that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future. As one of America's leading accounting, consulting and wealth management firms, our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry-focused insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance. Uncover opportunity and move upward at MossAtoms.com. It is a W.R.A. weather alert day, a level two risk and effect for most of us today. We have a lot of new things to tell you. I'll have all the details coming up. Vice President Kamala Harris returns to North Carolina today as calls amplify for President Biden to suspend his campaign for presidency. From security measures to the themes we're listening for, we have team coverage throughout this new hour. Protecting children from potentially dangerous chemicals, the action the City of Durham is taking, starting today. And there is no tolerance for abuse in the Little League program. The league issues punishment for an umpire and a coach who came out swinging during a tournament in Wilson. It is Thursday. It is a W.R.A. weather alert day. We have a level two at a five risk for severe weather. Good afternoon to you. I'm Jeff Hogan. And I'm Renee Chiu. Thanks for joining us. The biggest threats will be damaging winds, heavy rain, isolated flooding and hail. Meteorologist Amy Wilmyth in the W.R.A. weather center with the areas under a flood watch. We have so much to talk about. So much that's new. First, the level two risk has been expanded to include most of the area. So that's the first new thing and the biggest threat will be some damaging winds. Renee mentioned the flood watch. That now includes all of the triangle. Initially, it just included our northern counties. That's been expanded down to the south to include the triangle and points to the south and east. Another thing that is new, we do have the potential for a severe thunderstorm watch to be issued for our area. It's about a 40% chance that that will happen. That comes from the storm prediction center. We'll let you know right away if that happens. I want to show you the radar right now. Things are quiet, but this is what we're watching up in Virginia and then a cold front approaching will have more development of showers and storms through the day. Damaging winds, heavy rain, perhaps some isolated large hail will be possible. I want to let you know the tornado threat is pretty minimal for today. It can't totally rule it out, but it's pretty minimal. A look at three o'clock this afternoon, those storms really starting to fire up. Four o'clock will have scattered showers and storms. So during the evening commute, we'll have the storm tracker out on the roads. We have a full staff here keeping an eye on the radar to let you know when or if we get any storms. Seven o'clock will have storms in our eastern and southern counties and then things start to settle down a little bit after sunset tonight. So very active weather today and this is going to continue through the weekend. I'll show you when we could see some more severe weather coming up in a little bit. Amy, thanks for the second time in a week. Vice President Kamala Harris is making a stop in North Carolina. We are just a couple of hours away from her visit to West over high school in Fayetteville. W.R.L's Gilbert Bay's is live at that location where security is extra tight. Gilbert. Yeah, we're going to point that out. This is West over behind me and the Fayetteville Police just closed off the main entrance. There were cars were going in to gain access. So now this area is shut down and they're directing traffic down to the next area. They've got a command post that set up just on the hill here off. But answer drive. So, you know, anytime you have the president or vice president leaving the White House, security is extra tight. But in light of what happened at the field, assassination attempt of president, former president Trump this weekend, security here in Fayetteville is extra tight. Let me talk about some of the things that are going on right now. You know, you mentioned there's vice presidents of visit to West over high school. Comes on the heels of her visit last week to a school in Greensboro. R.T. Kamala Harris will make her remarks inside the school's gymnasium. Several politicians and members of the clergy have already told me that they've been given invitations to attend. The White House says the vice president will land on an airstrip at Fort Liberty. And from there, she will have the ability to take a helicopter from post and land on the school's football field, or she can take a motorcade to the post from the post to the school. If they're landing on a military installation, of course, the army is responsible in this case for getting the vice president to the main gate. And at that point, local authorities in the North Carolina Highway Patrol will be responsible for the motorcade. And then along with the Faker service, securing the site. Now, we're told the vice president's visit will be short. She's expected to be here at West over high school about two o'clock. And then her marks remarks will last about an hour and then she will be gone. So if you are planning to be in this area along Bonanza Drive, Yacken Road, which leads to Fort Liberty as well, you can expect for traffic to be kind of delayed a little bit, especially during the time that she is on the ground in this area. Reporting live here in Fayetteville, Gilbert Bay's WREL News. The vice president's visit comes as we hear amplified calls for President Joe Biden to step aside for the good of the party. Coming up in our next half hour, WREL's NC Capital Chief Laura Leslie looks at the message voters could expect to hear from Harris. There are a number of themes that could come up during today's visit and in the coming days. You can read more in NC Capital on WREL.com. Meantime, tonight's the night former President Donald Trump will formally accept the nomination for president. This will be his first speech since Saturday's assassination attempt. Tonight's theme, Make America Great Once Again. Trump is expected to lay out his vision for what a second Trump term will be. Former First Lady Melania Trump is also expected to make her first and only appearance at tonight's convention. Meantime, a new timeline of Trump's would-be assassin reveals Thomas Crookes searched online about things like major depression disorder. And he apparently researched the dates for the Democratic National Convention next month. A former guidance counselor says there's no record Crookes was bullied at school and still no mention of a motive. And happening right now in the WREL Live Center, we're learning people that we'll be speaking at tonight's RNC Convention CEO of Samaritan's Purse, Franklin Graham will be speaking, we actually have video of him doing a sound check there. You can see him here at a microphone. The Trump Organization, the Trump campaign announced that he would be speaking on Saturday, but this is confirmation that he will be speaking tonight in this video here. Other people that are speaking, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, he will be among the keynote speakers as well. New fencing is going up at five Durham Parks as the state continues to test for lead. Parts of those parks have been fenced off for months. WRL's Monica Casey is live at Easter in Park right now. Monica, there are already, there's already some fencing in place, but this will make the area safer. Yeah, Renee, that's right. N-C-D-E-Q is installing fencing like this at these five Durham Parks that have led. You can see this one here at this Easter on Park is complete. This is what the fencing looked like before. This has been here for months blocking the playground to the public, but it is especially important to keep people out of these areas right now because N-C-D-E-Q is going to be removing the liner to test the soil underneath these playgrounds. Now, these fences will be installed over the next five days. This one here at Easter on Park, East End Park fencing will be installed tomorrow, Lion and Wall Town on Monday and Northgate Park next Tuesday. Now, this is not just a Durham issue. Just last week, Chapel Hill found elevated levels of lead, cadmium, and petroleum in the soil at their community center park on the northeast corner of that property. That was found during an environmental assessment as part of planning for a playground and that town is still working on next steps. Also, in April, the town of Zebulun found their Gill Street park had soil issues. They are also still deciding what's next. Now, the city of Durham dedicated $5 million to this issue in its most recent budget. These parks are also part of the state's pre-regulatory landfill program, which provides some funding for remediating these issues. The state's preliminary cost estimate shows the cost to fix all five of these parks could be $10.4 million. In Durham, Monica Casey, WRL news. Adults were behaving badly at a Little League baseball tournament in Wilson over the weekend, and now we know the punishment for the coach and the umpire involved in a fight. WRS Ken Smith is here with an update on this story that we've been on top of since it happened, Ken. You know, Jeff, you really said it. Adults behaving badly at a Little League baseball game. This ball you're about to see went down over the weekend. Both City, Little League, and Cherryville were playing at a state championship tournament at Wilson's Gillette baseball stadium. Witnesses telling us that this all started when the umpire ejected the coach for ignoring him on the field. After that, the coach cursed according to witnesses, which was followed by the umpire making an inappropriate comment. Well, the two men came to blows, ending up scuffling on the ground. Here you see it starting all over again, there you see it. In a statement to WRL, Little League international says it absolutely has no tolerance for this type of behavior, calling the actions of the coach an umpire unacceptable. Little League international says as of now coach Chase Burgess is indefinitely suspended, and the league will not permit Robbie Beeman to serve as an umpire for the remainder of the season. That statement went on to say all players, coaches, umpires, and participants must always uphold the highest level of sportsmanship and behavior, and all adult volunteers in the Little League program are expected to act with the highest level of integrity to be positive role models for all our children. Well, the Little League Board of Directors in the western part of the state will meet to discuss what's next to that coach who was seen starting their fight, counter WRL to keep you posted. Ken, thanks. 35,000 public sector workers could qualify for a new round of student loan debt relief. This morning, the Biden administration announced another $1.2 billion of debt relief for workers, including teachers, nurses, law enforcement, and first responders. To date, President Biden has canceled more than $168 billion of federal student loan debt. Today's announcement comes as the Supreme Court decides whether to block part of a separate repayment plan launched last year. Many Americans on Social Security may need to move to a new site. The Social Security Administration says any users who made a "my Social Security" account before September 18, 2021 will need to update their account. Users will need an account with one of two new credential service providers, login.gov, or ID.me to access their account information. More than 46 million users still need to switch to login.gov. There's no deadline to make that transition. Checking from Wall Street, see how stocks are moving this noon right now. We have one more day in the trading week. There's going to be some ground to be made up for the Dow Jones industrial average down about 250 points right now. Started off in positive territory, but now all three major indices, S&P 500, Nasdaq are all down, triple digits today. 3.2 million steam cleaners. That is what we're talking about here, being recalled because they have burned users. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling the Bissell Steam Shot. Bissell has 157 reports of people being burned when hot water or steam has escaped from the steamer unexpectedly. These have been sold at Target, Walmart, Amazon, and other retailers dating back to 2008. If you have one, stop using it immediately and contact Bissell to get a refund. Next at noon, a police chase and a terrible crash in Greensboro. Three teens are dead and an officer injured. What we know about how it all started. Also, flash floods in central Arkansas knocked out power and led to emergency rescues. The parts of that state still blocked off by the high water. Plus, final week, final preps for one big area in France. Security, the test taking place in Paris ahead of the Olympics. Keep watching WRAL News over the Air Channel 34 and Spectrum Channel 1257. At WakeMed MyCare 365, we deliver convenience others only talk about. Every day of the year, primary care and urgent care under one roof. Multiple locations, virtual visits, walk in or schedule an appointment online. From annual physicals and routine care, to sinus infection strep or the flu, we couldn't be more convenient. Learn more about our kind of care and our kind of convenience at wakemed.org. Here's Brandon with Parkway Sleep Centers. Tired of waiting for a sleep treatment? At other sleep centers, it can take 6-8 months just to get an appointment and cost you thousands more. Not Parkway Sleep Health Centers? We schedule you within weeks and we'll save you money too. We have over 20 years of experience serving the Triangle. Let our expert team help you sleep better sooner. End your sleep problems. Live your best life. Experience the Parkway Sleep Difference. Visit ParkwaySleep.com and start your journey to better sleep today. Parkway Sleep Health Centers, Sound Sleep, Sound Health. Free teenagers are dead and a police officer is injured after a crash after a chase led to a crash. Authorities say the teens were driving the wrong way when an officer tried to pull them over. WRL's Noah Klein is here now with what we know about the investigation. Noah. Renee, take a look. This is what it looked like after that crash happened. You can see multiple units responding. It happened in Greensboro on Walker Avenue. Police say an officer saw the car going the wrong way, tried to pull it over. That's when Greensboro PD says the car took off. Police chased eventually. That car crashed into another responding officer's car. The two 14-year-olds and one 15-year-old died from their injuries. The deputy police chief there is asking for prayers to all involved. As members of the community, we recognize that this is a tragic event that affects us all. Any loss of life is difficult, especially when it involves such young lives. Please continue to keep the families, the first responders, and all those affected by this tragedy in your prayers as we continue to navigate this challenging time. As for what comes next year, investigators have not released the names of the teens killed Greensboro Police and the state highway patrol are starting investigations into what happened. Noah, thanks. NCDOT just released new data about the number of crashes along a stretch of Wade Avenue in Raleigh. Neighbors say need safety improvements. This is where a motorcyclist was killed in a crash Tuesday evening. DOT says between the years 2021 and 2023, there were 94 crashes on Wade Avenue between St. Mary Street and Capitol Boulevard. Fourteen of those were crashes with injuries. DOT says it has no plans to make any changes to that stretch of the road. Today is Nelson Mandela International Day. It honors the man who defeated South Africa's apartheid regime. Now, apartheid was the national party's white-only government policy of discrimination and segregation. Mandela spent 27 years in prison for leading the liberation movement against it. It earned him a Nobel Peace Prize. He was released in 1990 and elected the first black president of South Africa in 1994, serving until '99. Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. The United Nations encourages people to spend 67 minutes today helping others. It's one minute for each year of his public service. Three people who were hurt after a lightning struck nearby trees in a park are expected to recover. This happened around yesterday, 5 p.m. at High Force State Park. The victims were having a picnic when a fast-moving storm moved through. Family members say the victims had burn marks on their hands and arms. Emergency crews say the trio experience the effects of an indirect strike when lightning hit two trees in close proximity. Parts of Arkansas go way more rain than they could handle yesterday and parts of the state remain blocked off due to high water. Take a look at the flooding in this video. Many counties experience flash flooding after about six inches of rain fell in just a few hours. Hundreds of thousands of customers also lost power during the sweltering heat. Crews rescued several people from flooded vehicles and buildings in so far. No reports death. Well, they're done with the rain there before any of that flooding gets any worse. Well, and that same storm system headed our way and we will see what it brings Amy Wilmethe and the WRS with our increased severe weather risk as of this morning. That's right and storms are starting to fire up now. I showed you the radar at the top of the newscast. There really wasn't anything to show you in our viewing area. Things are happening fast here. We now have a thunderstorm approaching Person County. Here's where it is and this popped up so so fast. We're starting to see some lightning with it as well. So I want to check in on the rocksboro camera here in Person County. Don't see anything yet, but we'll be watching those storms that are just to the west of you that are headed in your direction. So we do have the weather alert day today. The timeline for severe storms I think is probably going to be three to ten o'clock. Damaging winds possible. We could have some localized flooding. We have a flood watch from the triangle and points to the north and east. We could have two inch per hour rainfall rates with some of these storms today and our northern counties yesterday had a lot of rain. They really can't handle much more so we'll be on the lookout for some flooding. Some isolated hail possible in some of these storms as well. Level two risk for most of us today. Everyone else in the shade of green under a level one risk. Here's a look a future cast today. 2 p.m. We'll have some storms showing up especially in our northern counties. For the evening commute I think we have fairly widespread rain along the triangle. We expect storms in the triangle for the evening commute so it's probably going to be slow getting home during the evening hours. 7 p.m. the focus likely along and east of I-95 and in our southern communities still can't rule out an isolated storm just after sunset but overall the trend will be dying down overnight tonight. So we have the severe risk today. That's why we have the weather alert day. Friday it's just a general thunderstorm risk. That's what this shade of green green means but then Saturday another level one risk for most of the areas. So pretty active weather pattern that we have here over the next several days. This is a look at Friday, Friday afternoon, Friday evening. We'll have hit and miss storms with some heavy downpours, some frequent lightning. Maybe an isolated severe thunderstorm or two but again we're not under a severe risk as of now on Friday. Saturday in the morning we might wake up to a couple of isolated showers even during the morning. The rain doesn't look as widespread Saturday but any storms that do form there's a little bit more storm energy and that's what we have that level one risk for Saturday. Check out the temperatures right now. It is not as hot as we've been at this hour the last few days. That's thanks to a little bit of cloud cover. Temperatures are in the 80s but the humidity is very high. Two points are very high so it feels like upper 90s in Raleigh. 97 is what it feels like. Feels like 97 in Southern Pines. Feels like 91 in Goldsboro so it is definitely very warm and very steamy outside. The hour by hour forecast we'll be tracking these storms through the evening commute. The storm tracker will be out on the roads. Cat and Mike will both be here keeping an eye on the radar and let you know when we get any warnings. I think we're probably going to get some warnings today whether it's flash flood warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings. It's going to be pretty active today the second half of the day. Friday will have some storms 88 for the high over the weekend. I think the best chance for storms both days will be in the afternoon and evening so outdoor things get them done early. We still stay pretty unsettled into next week but high temperatures stay in the upper 80s. We're going to take a look at rainfall total potentials coming up in the next half hour. Amy thanks. A Raleigh woman is warning others after experiencing a Bitcoin scam. You think you're aware. You think that you're intelligent and that you've had a lot of business experience but they're very tricky. They're very slimy. Tonight at six she explains to five on your side why the scam was so convincing. Also today at four we go behind the scenes of new advanced training that helps the Raleigh Fire Department put out fires faster. The technology that is helping them do it. Plus still ahead this new John Deere is giving DEI the axe. Coming up what the company says prompted them to end all support for social or cultural events. Plus the Lone Star State hopes to get three stars among some of the best restaurants. The process that could land some restaurants on a very prestigious list. Breaking news the designer can give you the kitchen of your dreams. I'm Dana Merrill the owner of the designer in North Raleigh and I am true Merrill. I am the project manager. The designer is a lovely kitchen bath and closet remodeling company. We do pretty much any of the utility spaces in your house. If you want to store things in your cabinets, if you want to work on things on your countertops, if you want to have a floor that can get wet or muddy, we're the place to help you fix your home up. We are the designer in North Raleigh located at 3030 Wake Forest Road in the Holly Park Plaza. We would love to see you or visit our website at thedesignery.com. What's next? At Moss Adams that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future. As one of America's leading accounting consulting and wealth management firms, our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry focus insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance, uncover opportunity, and move upward at Moss Adams.com. The maker of John Deere Farm Equipment is eliminating diversity policies. Deere and Company says it will no longer participate or support external, social, or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events. It will also examine its training materials and policies to ensure there are no socially motivated messages while being in compliance with the law. Deere says the changes are based on the company's commitment to responding to customer opinion. Meta is giving a select group of researchers access user data to test the potential impact of Instagram on team mental health. Research is part of a pilot program that could lead to independent studies on teams mental health while on social media. Some of the data may include how many accounts team users follow as well as how often they're on Instagram and what account settings they use. Researchers must get permission from teens and their parents for the studies. Spotify is introducing a new Spanish language version of its AI DJ feature. He uses an AI generated voice to create radio-like commentary, providing additional information and context about the song you're listening to. Spotify says this makes it less likely that you'll skip to another track. The Spanish-speaking DJ will be available to premium users in select Latin American and Spanish markets. It's also available in regions where the English-speaking DJ has already launched. Michelin is adding Texas to its prestigious restaurant guide. It will review and rate restaurants across the Lone Star State. Anonymous inspectors have already been evaluating restaurants across Texas. The restaurants that receive one, two, or three-star ratings are expected to be announced later this year. Michelin stars are given to restaurants, not chefs. North Carolina, by the way, does not currently have a restaurant on the list, but foodies say they could gain one in the future. The nation's former top-selling beer has fallen to third place now. Bud Light continues its slide after a boycott started in April of 2023 over a one-off sponsored Instagram post featuring a transgender influencer. Michelob Ultra, also brewed by Anheuser-Busch, is now the second-best-selling beer at grocery and convenience stores. Companies also pump more marketing money into Michel to lure health-conscious drinkers. But it's Modello, especially remaining the top-selling beer at retailers in the U.S. At the top of the hour, we showed you some of the security measures in place for Vice President Harris' visit to Fayetteville. After the break, we return for a preview of the message some in attendance might see. There's now a wide security perimeter around the Senn River ahead of the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games. Coming up, we'll examine other ways French troops are ensuring the global sporting event remains safe. And here's a look at your winning NC education lottery numbers on your screen. We'll be right back. What's Next? At Moss Adams, that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future. As one of America's leading accounting, consulting and wealth management firms, our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry-focused insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance, uncover opportunity, and move upward at MossAtoms.com. How dangerous is it to unwrap a burger at 40 miles per hour? More so than you think. In a little over two seconds, your car can travel slightly more than 117 feet, which is the same length as 20 bicycles. Anything that distracts you while driving is dangerous. That's why driving while texting can be deadly, too. So put it down, it can wait. Don't drive distracted, shift into safe. A message from the Colorado Department of Transportation. Live from WRL news headquarters in Raleigh, your number one source for local news. WRL news coverage you can cut off. And thanks for staying with us. Earlier we told you Vice President Kamala Harris is back in North Carolina for the second time in a week. Yeah, they've been crisscrossing the state seven times this year if you can believe that. Laura Leslie is at Westover High School right now with preview of Kamala Harris' message as she comes to town again. Trevor Renee, we are here as you said at Westover High School in Fayetteville where Harris is expected to speak around two o'clock. I'm going to step back so photojournalist Keith Baker can show you the scene here with the crowd already gathering and the school's drill team performing to keep everybody entertained. You know, we're expected to hear the same stump speech that we heard from Kamala Harris last Thursday in Greensboro, but there have obviously been several major developments since then. She could address the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump or the selection of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance last night as the Republican vice presidential nominee. She could also talk about the increasing pressure by Democratic leaders calling for Biden to step aside in November. I don't expect to hear that however. I don't expect to hear her join that chorus. She has been his defender in chief since these calls started. And even though I think they've increased in intensity over the past couple of days, I suspect that the picture that we'll get today will be one of party unity and ticket unity as they go into the convention in next month. Orlessly, WRL News live in Fayetteville. The vice president's visit comes as we hear amplified calls for President Joe Biden to step aside for the good of the party. Harris is considered the most probable person to replace Biden in the race for the White House. There are a number of themes that could come up during today's visit and in the coming days and you can read more about those and NC Capital on WRL.com. And happening right now in the WRL Life Center, a Chapel Hillman accused of killing another man on Ashley Forest Road in Chapel Hill yesterday is due in court this afternoon. This is him, Mario Thompson. He is charged with murder and the shooting death of Adam Abder-Rahman. Thompson is charged with first-degree murder, discharge of a weapon into an occupied dwelling as well. Thompson right now is at the Orange County Detention Center under no bond. His first court appearance is today at 2 o'clock. WRL will be in court. Covering Wake County, the traditional school calendar will start at the end of next month. And the Wake County Salvation Army is worried the organization won't have enough school supplies for kids who need them. Volunteers have been collecting supplies like backpacks, notebooks, pencils, and paper. So far donations have been lower than normal. The children they serve mostly live in low-income homes or are experiencing homelessness. What we try to do is make sure that we supply those school supplies for them, especially new. We don't want to give them old school supplies from like our thrift stores. We want to make sure we supply them with new school supplies so they can have a successful school year despite their living situations. Charmaine Joyner with the Salvation Army says if necessary, staff and volunteers can pick up donations from homes or businesses. The Salvation Army Center of Hope is on Capitol Boulevard in Raleigh. Just the inside of eight days for the Olympic Games in Paris, the crews are putting finishing touches on some of the venues, preparing meals, testing the water, literally testing the water. There's one key element to also being tested security. Kevin Euretsky shows how thousands of French military personnel are preparing ahead of the global sporting event. With the Summer Olympics quickly approaching, the French military is ramping up security measures throughout Paris to protect athletes and spectators. Heavily armed teams are busy patrolling the river Seine. Unlike many other opening ceremonies of Olympics past which have been held inside stadiums, the Seine is set to be the stage for this year's festivities. With roughly 10,000 athletes expected to float down the historic waterway on boats on July 26th. Military officers citing the intensity of serving in this type of setting. This mission is complex and unprecedented. Complex because we are in an environment, Paris, the Seine, the urban area. There are vulnerabilities on our perimeter. The Seine is an area with a lot of activities. Crews are also focused on ensuring safety beneath the waves. We have deployed sonars in the bottom of the Seine. We have permanent screen copies in the command posts. We have nautical barriers. On land, French Armed Forces have built a massive camp for 4,500 soldiers in the southeast of Paris. Ready to intervene in short notice and rush, rather than in Paris. But in the digital age, technology experts say it's critical. Cybersecurity is another top concern for both the games and surrounding infrastructure. Protecting the timing, the records, the registration of the athletes, the scheduling of events, things like electric power, transportation, civil defense. It's Kevin Euretsky reporting and some zones have been designated car-free. Suspectators can walk around the venues, not have to worry about cars zipping by. Total 35,000 police officers will be deployed for the games. WRL is your exclusive Olympic station. You can watch the competitions, the medal ceremonies, live analysis, all on WRAL. We'll have live reports from Paris in our 6am, 6pm and 11pm news. We all know getting enough sleep is important. Why consistency of your sleep schedule affects your risk for diabetes. A new mural is up in Raleigh. Hear from the artists about the inspiration to capture the joy of Asian Americans and make it into art. Our team is working to bring you exclusive stories. For coverage you'll find only on WRAL, visit WRAL.com and search only. What's next? At Moss Adams, that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future. As one of America's leading accounting, consulting and wealth management firms, our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry-focused insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance, uncover opportunity, and move upward at MossAtoms.com. How dangerous is it to unwrap a burger at 40 miles per hour? More so than you think. In a little over two seconds, your car can travel slightly more than 117 feet, which is the same length as 20 bicycles. Anything that distracts you while driving is dangerous. That's why driving while texting can be deadly too. So put it down. It can wait. Don't drive distracted. Shift into safe. A message from the Colorado Department of Transportation. You're looking live at Carolina Beach and you can see it's really cloudy at the coast. Still a lot of people there out on the sand, but we are under a level two severe weather risk and that extends all the way to the coast as well. You're watching WRAL news available on Hulu and the WRO app on your TV or streaming device. An alarming new study on women's reproductive health reveals the risk of developing ovarian cancer appears to increase four times if they have endometriosis. That's compared with women who have not been diagnosed with the condition. Endometriosis is a disease that causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow outside the uterus. The risk of developing long COVID symptoms is steadily dropping, but it's still possible. During the first wave of COVID, 10% of people who became infected developed long COVID. However, vaccines have helped reduce those numbers. Researchers say an estimated 18 million people have had long COVID at some point. In 2022, a Harvard economist estimated the total cost of long COVID at 3.7 trillion dollars. Scientists are learning more about what happens to the brain after people take psychedelic the ingredient found in magic mushrooms. And researchers scanned the brains of participants before, during, and three weeks after taking psilocybin. I found that the brain disconnects from its typical pathways and reconnects to different parts of the brain. Those new pathways may be responsible for the success of some psychedelic drugs in treating mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. It's important to note, trums are illegal under federal law. Irregular sleeping habits could increase your risk of developing diabetes by up to 34%. Researchers examined the patterns of more than 84,000 people over the course of seven years. Those whose sleep schedule changed by more than an hour each night had a higher risk of diabetes compared to those who had a steady sleep schedule. Previous research indicated sleep impacts the risk for developing type 2 diabetes because it's essential to control blood sugar. A new mural titled Asian Joy is now on display in Raleigh. Coming up, what the creators say about how creating art can bring communities together. And an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon is being seen more often. Why indigenous rights groups say this poses a danger to their survival that's coming up. What's next? At Moss Adams, that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future. As one of America's leading accounting, consulting and wealth management firms, our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry-focused insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance, uncover opportunity, and move upward at MossAtoms.com. Every day we rise, challenging ourselves to work for what we believe in. At U.S. Border Patrol, protecting our borders is more than a job. It's a calling. Agents answer the call, working together to keep our country and communities safe. If you are ready for a new mission, join U.S. Border Patrol and go beyond. Learn more at cbp.gov/careers. Public art can be a way to reflect and connect communities. Downtown Raleigh now features a new mural called Asian Joy. It's a year and a half in the making. In our Forward Together change maker series, I talked with the three creators about the inspiration and the message. Just past Downtown Raleigh's Union Station, a transit hub where people are on the go, you'll find around the bend a colorful mural where people can stop and reflect. We really love the idea of the use of public art as a way to bring communities together and share kind of the beauty and the depth of the cultures. First it was artists Isabelle Lu and Ina Lu teaming up. They connected with Sophie Toe, a Southern History Program field scholar who collected oral histories from Asian Americans in North Carolina after the weight of anti-Asian sediment and violence during COVID. So we were like, let's kind of pivot and focus on Asian laughter, Asian joy, Asian wellness. Using the oral histories for inspiration, they drew on key themes. Activism was one. There was also this duality of finding joy after grief and after experiencing hardship, as well as the cultural connection through food. Just hearing people's like stories with like grappling with different intersecting identities of Asianness and Southerness and queerness and non-binary-ness that like resonated with me. That represented with the vague and faceless figures. We also are very intentional on utilizing lavender. A symbolic color in the LGBTQ community. The work is also an homage to North Carolina's landscape with a blue flowy sky resembling ocean waves at the bottom, the mountains and pines. I think a lot of the joy in the mural also comes with like connecting the figures with one another and with the land and the crew. The finishing touch will be a formal sign that describes what Asian joy is, quotes from the artists, and there will be a QR code that you can scan to listen to the oral histories that inspired the art. It's Asian joy but it's also all of our other identities combined into one and so it makes it a lot more nuanced. But I think what I've learned is like this entire experience in like building community and like creating spaces for us to like come together and share each other's joy and art has been the art itself. A journey to capture joy with the hope that it spreads. A city of Raleigh Arts Grant helped fund the Asian Joy mural. You can find it on West Martin Street. This Sunday the artist will hold a celebration of the unveiling. It will be at the Union Station at 4 o'clock. It is free and open to the public. Thanks for sharing that Rene. What great addition to downtown and hopefully we get a flip in the weather here. You know that folks will be able to actually just walk around and not be sweating to death. Right, that's right. Yeah, we have storms that's going to kind of bring some relief from the heat but unfortunately some could be severe. I think the biggest threats today are going to be damaging winds and also flooding. We have three of us here in the Weather Center today keeping an eye on the radar and letting you know if we get any warnings. I want to point your attention up into person County. I was talking about this storm that developed rather quickly and it's approaching downtown Roxboro. There's some lightning with it. Certainly some heavy rain as it continues to move to the east. So here's another look at the Roxboro camera. I turned it around to face the west and you can see the rain off in the distance and it's headed to downtown. It'll be here shortly. It's going to start raining here in just a few minutes. We have the level two risk for most of the area today for severe thunderstorms. The area and green under level one but most of us under that level two risk. The timing is going to be this afternoon really starting now since we had that storm up in person County and it's going to continue through the evening. Damaging winds perhaps some large hail and heavy rain will be possible. I think we're probably going to have a slow evening commute. We'll have the storm tracker out on the roads. We might have some trees down some power outages if we get those strong damaging winds as well. Hour by hour are rain chances. Unfortunately the highest rain chances are right during the evening commute and then things will start to settle down a little bit once we get beyond 10 pm or so. So again I think it's going to be a pretty slow commute. We have the flood watch that's in effect for the triangle and points to the east and north. Northern counties yesterday had two to four inches of rain. They really can't handle anymore and we could see rainfall rates today of two inches per hour. So that's some heavy rain that could lead to some flash flooding. We're under a medium risk for flash flooding today. Southern counties under a medium risk tomorrow and even Saturday Sunday and Monday we're in a low end threat for some flooding. So this is just the start to a very very active weather pattern that's going to continue. We have a front that's just going to stall over the area through the weekend. Look at how much rain we could get anywhere from two and a half to maybe four inches of rain. That's for the next seven days. So that's not just for today. That's for the next week but certainly some heavy rain possible over the next several days. It's cloudy mostly cloudy and Durham right now 87 degrees. Bay atville it's cloudy 85 and it's mainly cloudy and rolly. A little bit of blue sky with a temperature of 87 but dew points are in the 70s. So it's really feeling more like upward 90s out there right now. So unsettled weather today. We have the weather alert day. We have a 40% chance that we're going to get a severe thunderstorm watch issued for the area and we're going to alert you through social media and through WRL.com if that watch is issued for the area and obviously we're going to let you know if there are any warnings through those venues as well. Friday some storms possible especially the second half of the day. The heat backs off a little bit more 88 for the high. Saturday and Sunday storm chances. Both days the best chance will be the second half of the day with highs in the 80s and unsettled weather into next week with high temperatures in the upper 80s to near 90 degrees. Well hopefully this time is not coming anywhere soon but if you're trying to be prepared for the apocalypse it's just got a little easier coming up. The 150 mil totes going viral for its doomsday applications. And the winning powerball numbers are 24, 27, 32, 47, 66. The powerball is 26 and the multiplier is 2. Good luck. At Wake Med MyCare 365 we deliver convenience others only talk about every day of the year. Primary care and urgent care under one roof. Multiple locations virtual visits walk in or schedule an appointment online. From annual physicals and routine care to sinus infection strep or the flu we couldn't be more convenient. Learn more about our kind of care at our kind of convenience at wakemed.org. What's next? At Moss Adams that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future. As one of America's leading accounting consulting and wealth management firms our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry focus insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance. Uncover opportunity and move upward at Moss Adams dot com. As we wrap things up here's a look at a few of the headlines we're following today. For the second time in a week Vice President Kamala Harris is making a stop in North Carolina. We're just a couple of hours away from her visit west over high school in Fayetteville. We're told Kamala Harris will make her remarks inside the school's gymnasium. Several politicians and members of the clergy have told WRAL they've been given invitations together. New fencing is going up at five Durham parks as the state continues to test for lead. Parts of those parks have been fenced off for months. Fences will be installed over the next five days starting today at Eastern Park East End Park fencing will be installed tomorrow. Lion and wall town on Monday North Gate Park next Tuesday. Some adults were behaving badly at a little league baseball tournament in Wilson over the weekend and now we know the punishment for the coach and the umpire involved in the fight. Little League International says as of now coach Chase Burgess is indefinitely suspended and the league will not permit Robbie Beaman to serve as an umpire for the remainder of the season. In uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the Amazon is at risk. The Peruvian government has allowed logging companies to work in the Masco Piero tribe's territorial reserve. The secluded tribe has been seen more in recent years moving away from loggers. Indigenous rights groups warn that the interaction may lead to violence and disease that could wipe out the Masco Piero people. A historic feat for a prehistoric artifact a stegosaurus skeleton called apex just sold at auction for a whopping 44.6 million dollars. What's next at Moss Adams that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future. As one of America's leading accounting consulting and wealth management firms our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry focus insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance uncover opportunity and move upward at Moss Adams dot com. Well it sounds like the tenants at your rental property sure know how to throw a great party you just wish they wouldn't throw so many parties on Tuesdays until four a.m. And if they could pay the rent on time that would be nice too. Being a landlord can be stressful but it doesn't have to be. Let renters warehouse handle the hard part of property management for you like finding quality tenants you can trust. 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