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7PM News on WRAL - Tuesday, July 16, 2024
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I've got an updated timeline for a pattern change that could bring relief along with some storms. Right now at seven new calls for a cell phone ban in all Wake County schools. A group of Raleigh leaders, parents and medical professionals is making their case during tonight's school board meeting happening right now. Thanks for joining us. I'm Ashley Rowe. And I'm Dan Hagerty. Mental health and academic issues are two of the concerns they're laying out as an issue to make as a reason. To ban these phones, our Willie Danley is live outside of the meeting tonight. Willie, give us an idea of some of the public comment they're hearing. Well, Dan, I'll tell you, at this Board of Education meeting, there was a very long queue of people signing up to speak tonight. So they haven't gotten to Nicole Stewart, who was pushing to get phones banned in Wake County schools. Take a look at this. This is a look inside of that meeting that we were just inside of. Today, Stewart is going to be proposing a ban on cell phones in all Wake County schools. Some of the reasons that she cited for that ban are things like mental health depression and poor grades, among other things. She has two children that are currently in Wake County schools herself. So she's seen firsthand the impact that having phones at school has had on children and she's trying to reverse the statistics that we're seeing around the country. Beside her today, she's going to be joined with a doctor who's conducted some research on this issue, as well as some other parents who are passionate about it. She tells me that she knows that nothing is going to change overnight. She's not expecting for the school board to move on anything today, but she's hoping that this plan could be implemented come fall. I'm going to be at this meeting and I'm going to keep you updated with what we hear on 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock. Back to you. Willie, thank you. WRAL found schools in at least seven other states are considering or have implemented cell phone bans here in North Carolina. Districts like Charlotte Mecklenburg, Rock Hill and Burke County schools have put no phone policies in place. Chatham County and Warren County schools are working with a company called Yonder. They use pouches to lock up the device inside until they leave a phone-free zone that allows students to keep their phones on them during school. New at seven, either Shaw or NC State will be the new university partner for Wake County Leadership Academies. The Wake School Board will vote tonight to approve one of the two schools, more than 100 of those students each take classes nearly full-time at a local university. Accreditation issues at St. Augustine's has forced the district to scramble to find a new partner. We'll bring you updates during our late news at 10 and 11 o'clock. Let's look outside across our area. We're seeing high temperatures, Durham and Goldsboro still in the mid-90s. Yeah, we've got a heat advisory sticking around another hour. Tomorrow, a risk for severe storms moves in, bringing some relief from the heat. Meteorologist Kat Gamble is in the W-O-R-L severe weather center, tracking this unsettled weather pattern. At least we have some relief on the horizon right out there today. It's 95 at R-U with a heat index of 104 Fayetteville. You had 98 degrees for the high today. Temperatures coming down a bit in the sandhills, where we've seen some thunderstorms pop up and some outflows. That gusta wind helped cool things down. It's still 92 in Rocky Mount, where it feels like 100 right now. A heat advisory remains in effect until 8 o'clock, so you've got about an hour to go in the heat advisory, and our eastern counties will be under one again tomorrow. We did have a level 1 thread for severe storms today. That continues another hour or so. Tomorrow, it's a similar setup. That hot humid air creates a lot of energy in the atmosphere, and that's the concern. And I think we're going to see more storms in the first place tomorrow. A few of those could become severe with damaging winds. If we look at the sandhills right now, Moore County, Hoke County, seeing some rain, those are the two counties that saw the least amount of rain last week, so it is good news to see some of that there. We'll watch to see if any additional storms develop. About a 40% chance through sunset tonight. I'll have a closer look at a much wetter pattern on the horizon coming up. Thank you, Cat. Bad behavior by adults spoiled children's baseball game in Wilson last night. It happened in Wilson's Gillette baseball complex during a 12 and under Little League state tournament at the top of the fifth inning. A coach from the Cherryville team got into an argument with the umpire. Look at that. So it led to a fight before the men were pulled off camera there and then on to the ground. Police were called, but no charges were filed. Both the town of Wilson and Cherryville. Little League confirmed they're looking into the incident. The coach and the umpire have both been suspended. Cherryville went on to lose that game to Bull City, Little League. In a statement to WRL, David Lee with the town of Wilson said there are a lot of people working hard to make sure our youth are having a positive experience and it's just unfortunate and honestly embarrassing that two adults ruined that last night. And I'm Ryan Trader in the WRL Live Center. You're looking at live pictures right now from Milwaukee where the second night of the Republican National Convention is underway. And in the past hour, CNN has some extensive new reporting about the investigation into this weekend's attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. This is quoting multiple law enforcement sources about Thomas Crooks, the suspected gunman, and they are saying that by three o'clock Saturday afternoon, more than three hours before that attempted assassination Crooks was in the security screening area at that rally and apparently was carrying a rangefinder. It's like a pair of small binoculars that hunters and target shooters use to measure the distance of their target. That alone would not have stopped him from entering the rally, but it did arouse the suspicion of security personnel there. Also, those law enforcement sources are telling CNN tonight that after the shooting in Crooks' car, they found a bulletproof vest, more than 100 rounds of ammunition, and two remote controlled explosive devices. Wow, those are quite the developments. Thank you, Brian. The assassination attempt to on former President Trump last weekend has a lot of people talking about the rise in political violence. W.R.L. Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie explores how America's perspective on that may be changing. After Saturday's events, leaders on all sides are calling for a cooling down of political rhetoric. But polls show that Americans are increasingly desensitized to it. And experts say that could lead to even more violence. Political violence is not something we've left behind in our past. In 2011, Democrat Gabby Giffords was shot at a campaign event. In 2017, Republican Steve Scalise was shot at a congressional baseball game. On January 6, 2021, rioters invaded the U.S. Capitol seeking to hang former Vice President Mike Pence. Each time, leaders on both sides called on Americans to reject political violence, as they're doing now after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. We cannot. We must not go down this road in America. But polls show an increasing number of Americans consider political violence justified. A poll by the nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute last year asked whether, quote, "true American patriots" may have to resort to violence to save our country. 23% of Americans said yes, up from 15% in 2021. And it cuts across party lines. A University of Chicago poll last month found nearly 7% of people say force would be justified to restore Donald Trump to the presidency, while 10% said it would be justified to keep Trump out of the White House. I make of it that we're getting really close to violence. Michael Waltman studies the connection between hate speech and violence at UNC Chapel Hill. We experienced it this past weekend, you know, but we're really getting getting close to the point where violence is going to be used to accomplish ideological objectives. Waltman says each party is framing the other not as a rival, but as an existential threat. We have to become friends again. You know, we have to treat one another with respect again, or we're just lost. Laura Leslie, WRIL News, Raleigh. Vice President Kamala Harris is heading back to North Carolina. The White House says that she'll visit Fayetteville for a campaign event on Thursday. The trip comes on the heels of a visit to Greensboro last week. Harris last visited Fayetteville in November of 2020, just before Joe Biden was elected. While details of the Vice President's trip are being kept under wraps, former Fayetteville Police Chief Harold Medlock knows the types of security preparations that are already under way. Chief Braden and the Fayetteville Police Department, and I'm sure the Sheriff's Office and the North Carolina Highway are all over this to make sure that it's safe and secure and that they can have a good visit. And then again, to make sure that the city remains open for business. The former police chief says there will be snipers on rooftops, canine units, and extra Fayetteville police officers on patrol. WRIL plans to be at Vice President Harris' event on Thursday, so look for live reports on TV or on WRIL.com, as well as the WRIL News app. A major economic development announcement in Orange County, Candy Maker Morinaga is expanding its footprint in the town of Meben. High Chew Candy's parent company announced this morning it's investing $136 million for a second facility. The 133,000 square foot facility will bring more than 200 jobs to Orange County. Morinaga plans to begin construction in October and begin production at the plant in early 2027. People must be eating a lot of high chews. Here is an important reminder about a road closure tonight. A part of I-40 near US-70 in Wake County will be closed in both directions overnight. Crews are working on the bridge there for the future NC-540. It'll be closed from 10 tonight until 5 tomorrow morning. You have probably heard of Project 2025. But do you know what it is? The plan is more than 900 pages, which is why we're breaking down what's in it, who's behind it, and what all the fuss is about next. Plus, batteries in everyday items could be worse for the environment than you think, what you need to know about the forever chemicals in lithium-ion batteries. Carry! Get ready for the exciting new Go Carry! Downtown Loop! Enjoy easy access to downtown destinations like Downtown Carry Park, Carry Regional Library, the Carry Theatre, and more. The Loop operates Thursday through Sunday every 25 minutes, and it's free to ride. Driving downtown, park at the town hall parking deck, and hop on the Downtown Loop. With the new Go Carry! app, you can effortlessly plan your trip and track your bus in real time. The app is free to download and use. Visit gocarry.org to learn more, and start your journey today. Here's Brandon with Parkway Sleep Centers. Tired of waiting for a sleep treatment? At other sleep centers, it can take six to eight 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, but 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. All new in the WRAO Live Center, you might want to avoid the Glenwood Avenue, Wade Avenue, interchange for the next little while. Raleigh Police just confirmed they are dealing with a serious crash out there, apparently involving a motorcycle, some very heavy delays showing up on the sensors in that area. We're sending the WRAO breaking news tracker to the scene. Alright, Brian. Maybe you have heard about this, Project 2025. It's a 900-page plan, drafted by former President Trump's allies and former administration officials in anticipation of a second term. It proposes a massive overhaul of the federal government. There is a lot to this, which is why we are going to break down Project 2025 for you over the next two nights here on the 7 o'clock news. First, let's get to the nuts and bolts. It was facilitated by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. The policy paper holds what it calls concrete policy recommendations built by 400 contributors within the conservative movement. More on that in a moment. Project 2025 lays out a plan on how to reform and run federal agencies, as well as the process of putting the people in place to execute that plan. Let me tell you, if we tried to tackle every point right now, we would be here for days, truly. So let's go over just a few of the major points. First, abortion. Project 2025 does not call for an outright nationwide abortion ban. However, it does suggest banning abortion pills. The plan wants to reverse approval of chemical abortion drugs because the politicized approval process was illegal from the start. Project 2025 also seeks to get rid of abortion services and gender reassignment surgeries in the VA. It also calls for the VA to be more efficient. The plan calls to streamline procedures involved in processing claims and administering benefits. And as far as education goes, the plan proposes ending DEI programming and either abolishing or significantly rolling back the Department of Education. It reads families and students do not need a Department of Education to learn, grow, and improve their lives. Project 2025 then lays out all kinds of reforms from charter schools to school meal programs. Trump has recently been distancing himself from Project 2025. Take a look at this. Less than a week ago, he posted on Truth Social saying, "I have not seen it, have no idea who's in charge of it, and had nothing to do with it." Let's assume that's the case. But it's still important to know how close he is to the people behind Project 2025. Here are just five people involved in Project 2025 who worked in the Trump administration. We've got Stephen Groves, the special counsel for the White House during Robert Mueller's investigation into Trump. We've got Rick Dearborn, then President Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller, Trump's Senior Advisor, Ben Carson, the HUD Secretary under Trump, and Paul Dance, a Senior Advisor at HUD. Democrats argue this is at the end of the day Trump's Project 2025. And this morning they held a news conference in Milwaukee, the site of the RNC, to talk about it. At the end of the day, a number of his staff, cabinet officials and people closest to him have been involved in that. It's a plan that is written for him to be his second term agenda. And that's what we're going off of. I think over the next several days we're going to continue to see Trump and Maggie Republicans double down on that. I want to give you one last thing to think about. This is not the first time the Heritage Foundation has facilitated a policy paper. They actually did it before in 1981 when Ronald Reagan was sworn into his presidency. And according to the Heritage Foundation's president, more than 60 percent of their recommendations became government policy. Dan, you and the in-depth team have been looking into Project 2025 as well. There have been a ton of viewer emails coming in. That's why we're tackling this, Ashley. As you know, you've read a lot of those emails as well. People want us to cover this. They want us to take a closer look. Lynn wrote, "Please do a story on Project 2025. Who will be affected?" We then got another email from a second person. Also named Lynn somehow emailed us to, said, you know, I'm not kidding. They had two different last names. Lynn number two said, "I am wondering why news agencies are not discussing Project 2025 and educating people about its intent." So, Lynn's, thank you for your email. And thank you to everyone else who wrote in. Again, we got tons of emails. We're going to continue digging into Project 2025. And we want to know what specifically you are curious about. Again, lots to choose from. The thing is 920 pages in length. So, please send me your thoughts. Email me, Dan@wrale.com. The news, these segments, they're about you. The things that you want to discuss. So, tell me what you want us to cover and we will go in-depth. Laptop, cell phones, and electronic vehicles. All use those lithium-ion batteries. They've been touted for powering the clean energy future. But researchers found they are also adding toxic chemical pollution to the environment. Lee Ferguson at Duke University was part of a study on a new type of PFAS or forever chemicals used in these batteries. Researchers discovered high concentrations of the chemicals near manufacturing sites and leaching from landfills, including here in North Carolina. Researchers stressed the need for more research into the environmental impact of these new chemicals. The heat has been around for a while. Thankfully, that's going to dip too. I can't wait for that, Dan. I just got a notification on my WRAL weather app. A moment ago, lightning detected nearby, and it's this storm that's been developing on the southeast side of town in Raleigh. It's just on the east side of Garner, and it's going to be drifting up to the north and east toward Night Hill. We also have some storms in the Sandhills, where they really need this rain. There's a lot of rain in the south. There's a lot of storms in the Sandhills, where they really need this rain. They didn't quite get as much rain as many of us did last Friday. So let's zoom in on the Dual Doppler 5000 radar. We've got some storms in south Raleigh right now. We're going to watch these as they cross over I-40 between Raleigh and Clayton. And that's the main story here. A couple of cells popping up to showers close to Jordan Lake. We're also tracking these storms that are moving away from Carthage and continuing to push to the south. We've got a nice shower that's just set up as well. These are small, but keep in mind they can pack a punch with some strong winds. In Fenton, a lot more cloud cover out there this evening, but it is still hot and carry. Temperatures are in the mid-90s. It's humid. We've got one more day to go of this dangerous heat before summer leave arrives. Today was our 37th day this year with high temperatures in the 90s, the yearly average 43. We still have half of this month, all of August and September to go. We're definitely going to surpass the yearly average. We've got a front on the way and that's going to help with our temperatures, but not in a way that you think it doesn't usher in cold air behind it like you would see in the spring or the fall. It's going to arrive. It gets stuck over North Carolina. And with this front sitting there with all this moisture that we have, we're going to see a lot more cloud cover develop and more rain. And that's what's going to keep temperatures down later this week. But check out these numbers. 86 for the high Friday and Saturday. Upper 80s by Sunday and Monday. Still feeling like summer. It's still human, but it's more tolerable feeling. Our WRAL Weather Watch Your Photo today was sent in earlier this afternoon by Daniel Fields. Thank you for sharing this with us. Beautiful sunset at Little Seagory Lake. If you want to share your WRAL weather, watch your photos with us. Go to www.WRAL.com and search Weather Watchers. I know Mike Mays will be looking for some for tonight's late night news. Tomorrow features a better chance of storms compared to today's scattered storms. We promise today's would be mainly after dinner time. And that's how they've been. Tomorrow they may be before dinner as well toward the evening communities. When they could start to fire up, about a 50% chance tomorrow. Then an even better chance on Thursday. That chance up to 80%. 60 to 70% rain chances stick around through the weekend. No day looks like an all day rain washout. The best chance should come later in the day each day. Alright. Thank you, Kat. Some neat new art is up around downtown Raleigh. The story behind these prehistoric installations 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. At KingSuper's Pharmacy, care is what's most convenient for you. Care is being here when you need us. We're open evenings and weekends. Care is helping you save more. Most insurance plans and discount cards are accepted at your local King Super's Pharmacy. Care is saving you time by managing your prescriptions online. You can request free fills, check order status and more. Care is convenience that works for everyone. King Super's A World of Care is in store. Services and availability vary by location. Age and other restrictions may apply. For coverage, consult your health insurance company. Visit the Pharmacy or our site for details. What a story here. A rookie canine in North Carolina is credited with helping find a missing six-year-old with autism. This happened earlier this month in Union County near Charlotte. Deputies got a call about a child walking alone on the road. The child lives with autism and is also non-verbal so he couldn't tell deputies where he lived. That's when canine Remy was called in with his handler, Deputy B. Belk, to help. Deputy Belk says within moments Remy was pulling him towards the right direction. He pulled through on the roadway relatively hard. We turned into the neighborhood. He actually went past the road the child lived on just by a little bit. It's like he gave indications like he kind of slowed down on his boat and he slowed down in general and started sniffing everything. But you take him back to the road the child lived on and went right back to tracking. We don't deserve dogs. It's amazing. The child was by the way reunited with his family. They're like super-powered or something. What an amazing story. I know. It really is unreal. We're less than 10 days now away from the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. It's exciting. The city is continuing, of course, its preparations to host all the Olympians from around the world. Unveiled this, this is the Olympic Village. More than 20,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes will stay in their space. It's equipped with a fitness center, of course. There's also a social club and a doping control center. The venue cost $1.85 billion. So you know it's going to be nice. That's a lot of money. Yeah. W-R-L, your home for the Summer Olympics. It's a very exciting time. We'll have all the live coverage all day long from July 26th to August 11th right here on W-R-E-L. Look for live reports from Paris throughout at 6 a.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. Hey, some new prehistoric art installations have arrived in downtown Raleigh. We've got to quickly tell you about that. These are pretty cool, right? Yeah. So three dinos can be found around the city. They are Trish, the Triceratops, Brex, the T-Rex, and Terry the Terradactyl. Trish is on the corner of Morgan and Fayetteville Street. Brex is on Moore Square. I don't know if we have enough time to tell you where the other ones are. You're going to have to go out and investigate. Look around for yourself. Take a selfie. That's it. Thanks for being with us tonight. Good night. ♪♪ Keep watching W-R-E-L News. Over the Air Channel 34 and Spectrum Channel 1257. ♪♪ Carey, get ready for the exciting new GoCarry Downtown Loop. Enjoy easy access to downtown destinations like downtown Carey Park, Carey Regional Library, the Carey Theatre, and more. The Loop operates Thursday through Sunday every 25 minutes and it's free to ride. Driving downtown, park at the town hall parking deck, and hop on the downtown loop. With the new GoCarry app, you can effortlessly plan your trip and track your bus in real time. The app is free to download and use. Visit GoCarry.org to learn more and start your journey today. 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 MossAdams.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.