WRAL Newscasts
7PM News on WRAL - Tuesday, July 9, 2024
When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping king supers, where you'll find over 30,000 mouth-watering choices that excite your inner foodie. And no matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices, plus extra ways to save, like digital coupons worth over $600 each week. You can also save up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with fuel points. More savings and more inspiring flavors make shopping king supers worth it every time. King supers, fresh for everyone, fuel restrictions apply. She was a wife, nurse, and mother who back in 1984 went missing from this carry mall. Tonight we're talking to investigators in the SBIs about this four decade old cold case. It's feeling like triple digit heat, but there could be some relief in sight. Wind temperatures back off and when widespread rain is in the forecast. Then, toxic metals detected in tampons that millions of women use each month. New at 7, we talk live with one of the researchers behind this first-of-its-kind study about the potential health risks. And we check in on the puppies Apex Police say we're left in a hot car, how they're doing tonight. As we get started right now at 7 o'clock, investigators say there's a growing cold case crisis nationwide, and they're piling up here in our state too. The SBI says 250,000 crimes are unsolved across the country and 6,200 of them here in North Carolina alone. Thank you for joining us tonight, I'm Dan Hagerty. And I'm Ashley Rowe, one of the oldest cold cases in Wake County, 40 years old. It's the case of a mom, nurse, and wife who mysteriously vanished at a carry mall. WRAL's Chelsea Donovan explains what happened to why it remains a mystery decades later. She was a new mom, a wife, and a highly accomplished nurse at Rex Hospital. So this is Ms. Sandra Ross, her baby at a time. On January 8, 1984, Ross, an Apex resident, came here to what was then Carrie Village Mall. She planned to pick up diaper cream and medications for her 16-month-old baby girl who was with her husband. He called police when Ross didn't come home. He went to look for her vehicle, and he was able to locate her vehicle here. And this is Sandra's car that investigators found here in this carry mall parking lot. But what's interesting is that her purse was still inside her vehicle, even though she was going into a drug store to buy baby supplies. I did think it's something that happened to her against her wheel. Investigators search for Ross for months from the air and from the ground. Passing out flyers and following up on leads, but continually coming up empty-handed. According to the investigator on the case, 40 years ago. It's a case that's stuck with all of us all this year. And it's a case that's going to stick with us for years and years and years until we find out what has happened to them. Ross' body has never been found. This is one of the state's 6,200 cold cases according to the SBI. The case generally becomes cold over time because there's so many new cases coming in that no one's really going back and reviewing older cases. SBI agent Nate Thompson says modern technology can often help solve cold cases like this one. But in this case, there's virtually no evidence to test and often less eyes on cases this old. It's not every agency can supply the personnel. The Wake County Sheriff's Office says this case is still active no matter how many years have ticked by. This is not a case that is easy to give up on. If you have any information on this cold case involving Sandra K. Ross, you are urged to call crime stoppers or the Wake County Sheriff's Office. In Kerry, Chelsea Donovan, WRAL News. SBI officials say all the vacancies in law enforcement are really not helping this backlog in cold cases. Let's take a look outside, North Hills behind me here. Boy has it been hot outside. I mean, from the beginning of the day to the end of the day, a heat advisory in effect now for another hour. It felt like 106 degrees today and those temperatures are driving up storm chances over the next few days. Meteorologist Kat Campbell in the WRAL Civil Weather Center tracking the heat and the unsettled weather cat. It was another hot one out there. Dan, we had a high of 98 at RDU, 97 in Fayetteville today. The heat index still 102 in the triangle and 104 in Clinton. Feels like 100 in Goldsboro and feeling like 106 in South Hill at this hour. A heat advisory remains in effect through 8 o'clock this evening. And then we will likely be under a heat advisory again tomorrow and at least parts of our area. But let's talk about the rain chances today. It's just been these small pop-up cells. There really hasn't been much lightning either. But there is a shower in Johnson County along I-95 right now, one year Rayford. That's about it. At this point, rain chances just 20% for this evening. But rain chances are going to be ramping up soon and this is much needed rain on the way. Over the next five days, look at these totals. One to two inches in the western part of our area. We could see some three inch totals to the east. I'll let you know which day the majority of this rain will fall on coming up. We need that rain. Thanks, Kat. Tonight, we are hearing from Wake County Animal Center staff about these sweet French bulldog puppies. Aren't they adorable? Police say they were left in a hot car. Apex police charged Whitney Johnson with animal cruelty. WRL's Brett Nice gets the veterinarians' take on the car's temperature, which the dog's owner defended. The Wake County Animal Center is busy. And Dr. Jennifer Federico has her hands full. Busy all the time. Busy, we had great adoptions the last few weekends, so we're about at 100% capacity now instead of over capacity. The center takes in all kinds of animals, like strays and owner surrenders. Then there are the times animal control brings in animals after police call them for help. Like the Apex Police Department did just a few days ago. Apex police say Whitney Johnson went into this first watch, leaving seven French bulldog puppies outside in a hot vehicle that was not running, did not have air conditioning, and had its windows closed. Police arrested Johnson and charged her with seven counts of animal cruelty. Johnson disputed the accusations, saying the climate inside the car was controlled, adding she had a fan on inside. A window was open, and the temperature inside was set at 89 degrees, which she said is required for the puppies. But experts like Dr. Federico say that's still too hot. Let's put it this way. That's too hot for the shelter. Like by law, we can't have the shelter at 89 degrees. The puppies were first taken to the emergency clinic where one had to be euthanized. Dr. Federico says the others are here at the animal center and are doing much better. These dogs are evidence they are being held under protective custody. They will be here until the court cases resolved. Unfortunately, Dr. Federico says this isn't the first time something like this has happened, and she knows it won't be the last. This is 100% preventable. You know, leave your pets at home. You know, leave them at home where they're safe, and that's it. Yeah, Brittany, SWRL News, Wake County. The dogs sure are adorable, right? If this story is pulling at your heart, strings maybe has you a little motivated. The French bulldogs, I have to tell you, they are not up for adoption because of this ongoing case. I'm probably a trader at the Wario Live Center. I want to take you to live pictures right now in downtown Raleigh where dozens of demonstrators are rallying in support of Ukraine. This is right across from the state capital on Morgan Street. It comes a day after those Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least 40 people, including that attack on a children's hospital. Only about an hour ago, President Biden opened the NATO summit in Washington, pledging that the U.S. and its allies would send dozens of air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming months. A doorman will serve seven years in prison for stealing nearly $3 million in COVID relief money. Much of it was meant for businesses struggling during the pandemic. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Reynolds Mullen used fake credit reports and bank statements to buy four houses and to pay for his plastic surgery. They say he and his girlfriend, a Durham attorney named Tiffany Russell, also submitted fake applications for COVID relief funds and got about $1.6 million. Russell also pled guilty and will serve five years for her role in the scheme. This was the scene at the Gold Rush jewelry store in Rocky Mount after a break-in. Look at that mess. The owner tells us more than half a million dollars in jewelry was taken from the safe. They believe the thieves actually first broke into an empty store next door and then punched a hole in the wall to get inside and disabled to security cameras before breaking in. The store has been closed since this happened as the owners work to recover. It's going to take some time but our spirits are very high. We're going to work hard again. It's like starting everything from scratch again. 85% of the merchandise has been gone. The owners tell us a police investigation uncovered this could be connected to a South American crime ring targeting jewelry stores right across the country. The Rocky Mount Police Department and the FBI are working together on this investigation. Duke Energy still plans to test its sirens tomorrow at the Harris Nuclear Plant in Wake County. This after, as you'll probably remember, a false alarm went off yesterday morning. Officials followed up with us today saying the siren system is fully functional and operating as required. People living near the plant asked WRALY. There was a 30-minute gap between the sirens going off and the message from emergency officials. Wake County Emergency Management told us it takes some time to coordinate, apparently. Ensuring the alerts are accurate. Still ahead, a new study found toxic metals in tampons. Don't miss a live interview with one of the researchers involved in the study about the findings and the concerns next. Wake County is seeing an increase of its aging population while the influx is creating a healthcare shortage for seniors and their families. When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping king supers, where you'll find over 30,000 mouth-watering choices that excite your inner foodie. And no matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices, plus extra ways to save, like digital coupons worth over $600 each week. You can also save up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with fuel points. More savings and more inspiring flavors make shopping king supers worth it every time. King supers, fresh for everyone, fuel restrictions apply. We all have somewhere we're trying to get to. As the largest energy producer in Colorado, Chevron is working to responsibly meet rising energy demand. So everyone can get to where they want to be. You've arrived. That's Energy in Progress. Visit chevron.com/tankless. When heavy metals were recently discovered in applesauce pouches, it was a major story. Companies pulled them from the shelves. The FDA investigated. When there's concern about lead in our pipes, our government gets involved. The feds put $15 billion into the infrastructure law to replace lead pipes across the country. Now we're learning that toxic metals, including lead and arsenic, are in something that millions of girls and women use every single month. Our daughters, wives, nieces, mothers, friends. I'm talking about something pretty intimate, tampons. In a newly published study by the journal Environment International, researchers analyzed 30 tampons from 14 tampon brands in the US and UK. The samples included both organic and non-organic products. All of them were found to have measurable concentrations of at least 16 different metals. One of the researchers of this study, Dr. Kristin Upsen, is joining us now live to discuss the findings. Dr. Upsen, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. This is a new first-of-its-kind study. Some doctors are calling it groundbreaking. I guess this indicates the need for tampon manufacturers to really conduct more testing on their products. Would you say should people be worried and stop using them at this point? Well, based on our study alone, we can't make any recommendations about tampon use at this time. In our study, we found metals present in all the tampons we tested, including the toxic metals lead, cadmium, arsenic. What do we know about the potential health impact using tampons containing these metals can cause? Well, we know that these metals do have adverse health effects in humans. However, our study only focused on the presence of the metals and tampons. What we don't know and where we need further research is to understand how our menstruators, if they are exposed to metals and tampons, whether tampons are a source of metal exposure. How do metals end up in tampons? Great question. From what we can figure, there might be three different explanations. One would be if the metals showed up in the raw materials, tampons are mainly comprised of plant-based materials. Cotton, rain, or their mixture, so they could certainly make their way into soil and into these crops. The second way would be if it is contamination during the manufacture and production of tampons. The third route could be if they're added, metals do have some properties like antimicrobial or odor controlling, and they also can be used to help with the smooth insertion of the product, so it's possible that these metals could be added. Real quick, where do we go from here? You've done this study, now what? Yeah, so we have all kinds of ideas for next steps to investigate this because certainly with this being the first study to identify metals and tampons, we do need to do the next research to understand how menstruators may be exposed. Okay, it's important work. Please keep going on it. Thank you for your time tonight. Thank you very much. North Carolina is growing older, and hospitals are feeling the effects of that. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows 48% of Wake County's growth from 2020 to 2022 came from adults age 55 and older. By next year, it's estimated one in five people will be over the age of 65. Geriatric patients typically present with some more complex illnesses, and the need for more specialized doctors is growing here. We're fortunate that we have some great geriatric fellowship training in the state. I trained at UNC and I have some dear colleagues still that I reach out to as I develop my program here at WakeMed, but certainly not enough to be able to handle the growing population of the age population. Across the triangle, Duke Health says 24% of his patient's population is now 65 and older WakeMed at 33% and UNC Health at 38%. Let's talk about a big headline that we keep seeing in our nation's beaches this time of year. Shark bites, story after story after story about someone somewhere getting bit by a shark from Florida to Hawaii to the North Carolina coast. Just last month, a 14-year-old boy was bitten at North Topsoe Beach. He now has staples in his leg. He was afraid he was going to lose it altogether. So whenever this stuff happens, and the news always offers some type of logical, typical follow-up, the odds of a shark attack maybe, or some expert advice how to avoid it altogether. But let's take a bit of a deeper look. Let's go in-depth on this. We are talking to some biologists. We're digging into data. Possibly even, I don't know, interviewing a shark. They're not big talkers. What questions, though, do you have? You should talk to me about this, all right? What do you want to know about sharks, about shark bites? Are you afraid to get into the water? What about the risks? Are you willing to accept those different risks? We are doing this story coming up later this week. We want to hear what your emails are. Send me an email, Dan@WRL.com. Send me your questions. I'll bring them to a marine biologist, a shark scientist. I'll talk to whoever I have to. I want to know about our coast also, the beaches that we most likely go to. We plan to feature the answers on Friday on WRL News at 7. So send me your thoughts, and we will go in-depth. And it certainly has been beach weather. Meteorologist Kat Campbell joining me now because, man, these temperatures have been something else. They have been, you know, it's just been relentless heat. And one of the big things about the heat is it doesn't cool down at night. We're actually running for the hottest year on record for our low temperatures alone. So even overnight, we're not cooling down tomorrow morning, 8 a.m. If you're at the pool that early, it's already going to be near 80 degrees by noon, 91. And then during the afternoon, we warm up into the mid 90s again. And there will be a chance of an isolated thunderstorm. Hour by hour, rain chances are 30% early in the afternoon. And then tomorrow evening, we have about a 40% chance of a storm. So a little better chance than today. Taking a live look outside in Fenton. It's a beautiful day. Definitely a hot one out there. Not as many clouds in the sky tonight. But boy, it has been a steamy feeling day. Our dew point in the 70s, and it feels tropical. I have good news for you, though. If you've been, you know, not wanting to get out early or late in the evening for your usual walk or jog, we get a little bit of a break. Thursday morning in the humidity, it's going to be a brief dip. Make the most of it. But if there is one time this week to get outside, Thursday morning is going to be your best bet. After that, it is going to be very humid and tropical feeling through the weekend. So let's talk about our setup. We do have a cold front. This one right here is on the way later this week. That brings that brief dip in humidity, but it's actually going to come back and bring a lot more rain with it as we look ahead to Friday. So look at these rainfall totals. In the western part of our area, half an inch to an inch of rain, closer to one to two inches for Wake County, as well as Cumberland County, and then two to three inch totals in the eastern part of our viewing area. Looks like a nice rainfall event for us coming our way. Most of that's going to come on Friday, though. Outside today, not much on the radar, just a few spotty showers around Johnston County at this point. And check out our WRAL Weather Watcher picture, Ocean Isle Beach, Cotton Candy Skies out there. Absolutely beautiful. Thank you to Jennifer Mumford for sharing this picture with us. If you have a photo you'd like to share, go to WRAL.com and search Weather Watchers. It's a great way for us to share photos from communities all around our area where we don't necessarily have cameras all the time. 96 degrees is our high tomorrow. Another heat advisory will go into effect tomorrow for at least parts of our area. Once we get to Thursday, there will be a chance for storms. That chance is a little bit higher in our eastern counties on Thursday. 93 on Thursday, and then look at the difference on Friday. An 80% chance for rain. It has been a long time since we have had an 80% chance for rain. Our high, just 83 degrees, of course. That comes with a lot of clouds still quite humid out there, but it's a step in the right direction in terms of the rainfall and the temperatures Friday. But the heat's bouncing right back 98 degrees by Sunday, and by Tuesday of next week we're nearing the triple digits once again. Right back to it. Thanks, Kat. This next story is so fascinating. A UNC professor's archaeological dig in Israel helped to unearth beautiful ancient treasure. The history behind the incredible images ahead. What does innovation sound like? It sounds like the luxury of being in the moment with your customer, client, or patient. It sounds like having the right information right when you need it. It sounds like being at your best for your customers and your business. Thanks to Highland's intelligent content solutions that improve digital processes. Innovators everywhere are able to do their thing better. Whatever that thing is. Now, who doesn't like the sound of that? Highland, for Innovators Everywhere, visit Highland.com. When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping king supers, where you'll find over 30,000 mouth-watering choices that excite your inner foodie. And no matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices, plus extra ways to save, like digital coupons worth over $600 each week. You can also save up to $1 off per gallon at the pump with fuel points. More savings and more inspiring flavors make shopping king supers worth it every time. King supers, fresh for everyone. Fuel restrictions apply. The tools for school supply drive for teachers kicked off today in Wake County. WRAL is among the sponsors for this event to stock the classrooms. Teachers need things like pencils, post-it notes, notebooks. You can donate now through August 26th. We have the wishlist on our website, WRAL.com. You can also find a list of supply drop-off locations. Type "school supplies" in the search box. We've got to support our teachers. An ancient village in Israel is now receiving a lot of attention after an 11-year archaeological dig was just completed. How cool is this? This is amazing. A UNC professor, Jody Magnus, and her husband, photographer, Jim Haberman, spent 11 summers with UNC students in northern Israel digging into ancient history. Look at some of the things that they found. Her team's excavations in that region revealed colorful mosaics right near the ruins of a synagogue. The team gingerly scraped down through the soil. You know, that's how they put it. I think it would probably be a little bit more painstaking than that. But they exposed these beautiful images. Digging deeper, they saw familiar tales from the Old Testament. And the fact that our synagogue is paved with a much larger array of biblical stories and other scenes than in any other synagogue building. So Magnus says that the site dates back to around the year 400 AD. The site is now in the hands of the Jewish authorities. She's now working to publish her findings on that excavation. How rewarding. He knows thinking the same thing. To commit your life to that work and then to find something so substantial. Right. Speaking of a substantial find, how about a burrowing deer? That's how a paleontologist at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Silence Sciences is describing this bizarre new species of dinosaur just discovered. Fotenot Herzoga lived 99 million years ago in what's now Utah. North Carolina scientists who just unearthed the new species of dinosaur believe the seven foot long dinosaur lived in burrows along river banks in an ancient delta. The name Fotenot pays tribute to an indigenous myth from the island of Guam. Wow. A new rooftop bar is coming to Raleigh skyline. High rail will sit atop the Hyatt House Hotel in the seaboard station neighborhood. The venue will feature an outdoor bar with fire pits, a lounge and a full service menu is set to open in early fall. There's nothing my wife likes more than a rooftop bar restaurant. Speaking of which, let's go get a glass of wine. Thanks for making WRL your choice for local news. Have a good night. Keep watching WRL News over the Air Channel 34 and Spectrum Channel 1257. When you need meal time inspiration, it's worth shopping king supers where you'll find over 30,000 mouthwatering choices that excite your inner foodie. And no matter what tasty choice you make, you'll enjoy our everyday low prices. 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