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8AM News on WRAL - Tuesday, June 25, 2024
We take care of the things in our life, knowing proper maintenance and upkeep will extend the life of what we love. Do you give the same attention care to your own body? Staying fit and eating right are key. Equally important is supporting health and mobility with chiropractic. Chiropractic keeps your body aligned and running smoothly. Help extend the life of your engine with chiropractic. Find yours at nciro.org/chiro Now breaking news from WRAL coverage you can count on. A person is dead after being hit by a car in Mount Olive, coming up everything we know from the crime scene. And are due point a little lower than it was yesterday. I'll show you why that makes a difference in how it will feel today, but maybe not tomorrow. Medical marijuana is one step closer to becoming law here in North Carolina, but it does come with a catch. Just the head will break down the latest version of this bill and how it has some future implications on recreational use. And plans for Apple's massive campus and research triangle park now on hold. What's behind the delay and why local leaders believe the company is still committed to making Wake County home? This was huge news years ago that they were coming here. They have new plans now. We'll get you all caught up. Thanks for joining us. I'm Michelle McConaughey. No, I'm Chris loving it. Yes, some people even wondering what this means for real estate. Of course, we'll be exploring that option as well. But we want to go ahead and go over now to WRL Elizabeth Gardner. There she is getting us a beautiful look at Fayetteville. Yes, right here at Secret Stadium where the woodpeckers play. They are in Myrtle Beach this week, which is maybe a great place to be. Maybe there's a little series there because I tell you what, it is hot all across our area this week. 79 right now in the triangle, but our do point is 65. And look at that. That pings right here at Nice. I mean, it's pretty hard to say that there's anything nice about our weather right now, but we are seeing our do points about 10 degrees lower than they were this time yesterday. That means we won't see as much of a heat index this afternoon. Right now though, it's hot out there already. I mean, warm, I guess I should say 76 in Fayetteville, 78 Rocky Mount, 70 in Roxborough, 79 in the triangle. We will climb to around 90 at lunchtime and a high of 95, but it may not feel a whole lot hotter than 95 with our do point down into the 60s. Now tomorrow, our do point may climb some and we'll see a high of nearly 100 degrees. To talk about how many 100 degree days we typically see in the summer coming up, Ken. Hi, Elizabeth, happening now in the W.O. traffic center. We continue to monitor that situation that we're seeing this morning on highway 64. They're in the Zebilin/Wendell area. Earlier, there was a crash on highway 64 East, but this congestion, that's in the West Monlands right there. And if you want an alternate route, business 64 is your best bet. And even that's beginning to jam up in a bit in the West Monlands. So just keep that in mind if you're about to head out. Highway 97 was another alternate route that we've been seeing this morning. Elsewhere around the triangle, we've got reports of Raleigh Police working this crash on Capitol Boulevard in the North Monlands near Buffalo Road. You can see the red showing up on our sensors right now. A lot of bump of the bumper traffic there on Capitol Boulevard. You can probably use Atlantic Avenue or New Hope Road as alternate routes to get around the delay that we're seeing there on Capitol Boulevard. Elsewhere around the triangle, we're seeing the usual backups that we're seeing this morning on the Beltline here in Wake County in the north side of the Beltline as well as the south side of the Beltline. So give yourself some extra time for sure this morning. We're also following some baking news out of Mount Olive on Slept Out Road. That's where we find Nick Perlin in the W.R.O. breaking news track as a Nick. We know this result in somebody dying. Set the scene for us and recap what happened. Ken, that's right. We did find this out at around about an hour ago. We know that the first call came in just before five that a pedestrian was hit by a car. I'm going to get behind the camera and show you a little bit of what I can see over on Slept Out Road. This is where this happened and I'm going to zoom in as far as I can here and you still can see some law enforcement here on the road as they continue to try to figure out what exactly happened. A lot of information we're still trying to learn this morning but we can confirm that one person sadly was hit by a car and died. Once we have more information, we'll be sure to update you. Live in Mount Olive, Nick Perlin, W.R.O. News. And W.R.O. is following this breaking news story. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy calls gun violence an urgent public health crisis. He says it deserves collective commitment to bring it to an end. The newly released document from Dr. Murthy marks the first time the office of the Surgeon General has focused on firearm violence. That also goes for its consequences and survivors, communities and mental health. According to his report in 2022 alone, black people saw the highest rates of firearm-related homicides across all ages. New this morning, medical marijuana is moving closer to becoming legal in North Carolina. The state's Senate passed a bill last night and now it's on the way to the House. W.R.O.'s Laura Levine is outside the legislative building this morning and Laura, the new version of the bill, puts restrictions on the future of marijuana use in the state, right? Here at the state legislature, lawmakers have been debating this issue for quite some time. We know that a stricter version of a medical marijuana bill passed the state Senate last night. It's a last-minute effort to get a legalized bill over the finish line. So this bill would ban North Carolina from allowing fully legal marijuana, even if the federal government legalizes it. That's meant to win over skeptics specifically on the religious right. They're concerned that medical marijuana would be a first step toward recreational legalization for all adults. The bill now goes to the state house where it remains to be seen if this new change would win over more people, more lawmakers in this case. We'll have to see. It's a story we'll continue to stay on top of. Laura Levine, WRL news in Raleigh. Apple is delaying its plans for a massive campus in Research Triangle Park. The billion-dollar project is expected to be one of the largest in our state's history. Well, now it's on pause for up to four years. Back in 2021, Apple announced plans to build the 1 million-square-foot research and development campus in RTP. It planned to bring 3,000 jobs with salaries averaging about $187,000 a year. State commerce officials approved an economic incentives package that included grants of more than $400 million. Well, now the company is delaying the start of the project after a review of its real estate. Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair Shinnika Thomas says despite the pause, she believes Apple is committed to making Wake County home. It's going to be huge for the region, and we still look forward to that. I don't think anything has changed except construction timeline. Governor Cooper says that he has spoken with Apple executives and he says they pledged their commitment to build an RTP. The MPSAO for how to use a billion-dollar budget surplus remains in place at the state legislature. The House has already said it will not take up the $31.4 billion spending plan the Senate passed last night. Both chambers want a large expansion of the state's private school voucher program. Both also include some money to help stabilize child care centers when federal funding decreases July 1. But the House budget also includes small additional raises for teachers and state employees and a bonus for retirees as well. The Senate budget does not. Senate leader Phil Berger said the House should pass the Senate budget because it covers the spending they agree on. There's not anything that we've passed within that that the folks in the House have indicated, or at least the majority in the House have indicated they're opposed to. So I hope they take it up, but obviously it's up to them. If they don't reach a deal by July 1, the two-year budget that's already in place will go into effect, but that billion-dollar surplus would go unspent. A toddler and an adult are recovering this morning from a car crash. Police were reportedly chasing the car that crashed into them. This crash happened at Trion Road and Lake Wheeler Road in Raleigh. Garner police say that officers were chasing a stolen vehicle, and that's when the driver ran a red light and hit other cars. Two people who were in the suspect car eventually ran from it, but police were able to track them down, and arrest them, and a third person who stayed in the car. Everyone who was hurt in the crash is expected to be okay. New this morning, a large brush fire is out this morning in Halifax County. Crews responded to the fire on Ida Road and Bartholomew Road in Enfield around 6.30 yesterday evening. Officials say a large area of woods was still on fire, as well as several logging equipment and fuel trucks. Several fire departments in Halifax and Nash Counties worked for nearly four hours to put out that fire. There is no word of what caused it. Today, Wake County School leaders will consider some changes to your child's meals. Board members say that they're interested in applying for more free meals in schools, and they're also considering adjusting what's in the alternative meal kids receive. These are meals for when kids don't have enough money in their accounts. School leaders are also looking at ways to lower the amount of food waste. The Board's Policy Committee will talk about the options during a meeting, and that starts at 3 today. Education advocates are spending the day speaking out for North Carolina Public Schools, the North Carolina Justice Center, and every child NC are behind the Education Advocacy Day. The groups will meet with lawmakers about public education issues. They'll focus on issues like funding the Leandro Plan and opposing private school vouchers from public funding. They plan to be at the General Assembly at 10 o'clock this morning. A 14-year-old is recovering from a shark biting him on North Topsoil Beach. This happened near the Beach Access 4 in Onslow County. People help the team by putting pressure on the wound and wrapping it with towels until first responders arrived. The police chief says the boy wasn't very far out in the water when he was bitten. It was an individual that was in the water, not very deep. And he had been bit apparently by a shark. Nobody really saw the shark come or go. Got a pretty good gash in the thigh or lower part. Experts say it's best to swim in groups and close to the shore. Sharks are most active around dawn and dusk. The death of a 12-year-old boy at a North Carolina wilderness camp for troubled youth has been ruled a homicide. That's according to an autopsy report. The boy died in February, less than 24 hours after arriving at Trails Carolina. That's in the western part of the state. The autopsy report shows the boy could not breathe inside a damaged tent-like shelter where he was put to sleep. The cause of death was ruled to be asphyxia due to smothering. The local sheriff's office is investigating. The extreme heat we're feeling this week could mean delays in getting your trash picked up. Raleigh Solid Waste Services is taking extra measures to help protect its staff. That means there may be delays in collection. You should leave your trash cans at the curb until they're empty. The city will not issue fines during this period. The Tennessee Volunteers are the winners of the College Baseball World Series. They held off a comeback effort from Texas A&M last night for a 6-5 win in the decisive Game 3. It is the first time Tennessee's baseball team has ever won a national championship. So, congratulations to them. The cargo ship that crashed into a major bridge in Baltimore is finally out of the port. What's next for the ship as it heads on its first trip since that accident? And Boeing could soon face criminal charges. More on the latest update in the case as families of its victims take legal action of their own. And our hot week just marches on 95 for today. It's going to feel closer to 95 to 98. But, boy, tomorrow at 100, I'll show you what it could feel like with the heated decks coming up. Sell your home in a snap. Sold it in a snap by the Jim Allen Group simplifies the home selling process. You're guaranteed a cash offer. With the number one real estate team in the triangle, just submit your info and schedule an in-home walkthrough. Learn more at solditinnestap.com If you're a facilities manager at a warehouse and your HVAC system goes down, it can turn up the heat. Literally. But don't sweat it. Granger has you covered. Granger offers over a million industrial grade products for all your operations, including warehouse HVAC maintenance. And even better, they offer access to experts and fast delivery, so you and your warehouse can both keep your cool. Call 1-800-GRANGER, click granger.com, or just stop by. Granger for the ones who get it done. Just saw a seagull fly by there by the camera looking at Carolina Beach this morning. A beautiful morning. A couple of clouds in the sky, but it's going to be another nice day for it. It's going to be hot. Meet her up to Elizabeth Gardner and the W.R.L. Severe Weather Center with a look around town. We need the rain, Elizabeth. We do. And by Thursday, we change our pattern up a little bit. That's what we're going to talk about over the next couple of minutes. But first of all, you can see it's going to be another toasty day today. A big sunshine there in Goldsboro. We're clear and apex. Nothing but sunshine here in Chapel Hill, courtesy of Top of the Hill Restaurant. And of course, that pretty dappled sunshine over our bureau there in Fayetteville. Okay, so yesterday we had a cold front come through. It did bring some rain to just a few places, Wayne County in particular. And a few other spots in our southeastern county, Salsam Rain. That cold front sliding away from us. High pressure is building in. High pressure systems rotate clockwise. So that high grabbed a little bit of drier air and sent it our way this morning. That's not a big change, but we did see two points yesterday in the mid-70s. And we're seeing two points right now in the mid-60s. So it doesn't feel quite as sticky as it did yesterday, but it's still going to feel awfully hot. Today, 95 tomorrow, 100. We're going to talk more about that coming up. But on Thursday, this front's going to try to come to our rescue. It will help to bring more moisture into the area so it'll bump up our humidity. But maybe it'll bring us a bit of rain. You can see it's 6 p.m. Thursday, some scattered showers. That front's likely to stall over us and bring us another chance of some showers and storms on Friday, and possibly on Saturday as well. So it's likely to be extra steamy at that point, but you know, maybe a shower or thunderstorm here or there. Here's a look at our 24-hour rainfall. Down here, south and east of Goldsboro, an inch and a half to two inches. And then parts of Sampson County and Wayne County south, as much as a half an inch to an inch. So a few people got to see some rain yesterday. But the chance goes up definitely for Thursday. 60% chance, 40 Saturday, 30, 30, 30 on Saturday. And we can't completely rule it out for today or tomorrow. We just put 20% in there to cover the bases. It certainly won't be widespread. For the next seven days, the light blue area is about an inch of rain. So if we could get an inch of rain out of that front that stalls over us, that would be a great thing. You look at our percentage of normal. The dark, red areas are zero percent of our normal rainfall in the last 30 days, which is pretty incredible. I don't even remember seeing a map as dry as that. The yellow areas are going to be 30 to 40% of our normal rainfall in the last 30 days. So pretty incredible. The tropics have been a little bit quiet after we saw a fairly active week last week. But another system could develop down here around the Gulf of Mexico. You could tampon insulate just a 20% chance. We haven't seen a lot of activity in the last few days because we do have Saharan dust moving across the tropics. And that is a very dry air mass. So not very conducive to tropical systems developing. A couple of big things standing out on our seven day forecast tomorrow. 100 likely to feel like 105, so that could be a heat advisory. And then it's going to be pretty steamy all the way through the weekend. We have that better chance of some showers and storms for us. So on Thursday, Ken. Alright, Elizabeth, happening now in the W.R. traffic center. We've now got that confirmation as to what we've been following all morning long on Highway 64. This is the earlier crash we've been telling you about all morning long. It's actually on 261 in the westbound lane near the Lizardlet Road. And I pulled up a camera there early and I thought, could this be the one? Now I know it was. But you see things are beginning to thin out just a little bit because if you've been with us for the last hour, you know, that line on Highway 64, 264 was completely red, but now it's beginning to thin out just a little bit. So that's good news for anyone leaving the zebulon/brindell area. Again, if you want to avoid that slowdown, Highway 64 business is your best bet. Elsewhere around the triangle, we're seeing a rally police working across this morning on Capitol Boulevard in the northbound lane near Buffalo Road. It's causing a lot of congestion right there on Buffalo Road and Capitol Boulevard. Your best bet, you could use New Hope Road or even Atlantic Avenue as an alternate route to get around the slowdown that you're seeing right now on Capitol Boulevard. But also around the triangle and surrounding communities. We're seeing the usual backups to see on the belt line this morning. Thanks Ken. Rising floodwaters have caused a dam in Minnesota to fail. The dam is on the Blue Earth River that's about 90 miles south of Minneapolis. It suffered a partial breakthrough on Monday. The rushing water has already wiped out buildings and is putting nearby homes in danger. Roads in the area are closed. The cargo ship that caused the bridge collapse in Baltimore finally left the port. It arrived in Norfolk, Virginia today where it will get repairs. The vessel sailed out of Baltimore yesterday, and it spent two months under the wreckage of the bridge it destroyed. It then spent another month docked nearby. Crowds of people watched as the ship sailed beneath the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on its way out. And about 1500 cargo containers that remain on the ship will be offloaded in Norfolk. A woman was sunbathing in Central Park when a man attacked her. He is now on the run. Police say the 21-year-old woman was at the park yesterday when a man came towards her, exposing himself. The victim fought off the man and screamed for help, forcing the attacker to flee. She was taken to the hospital, no word on whether she has any injuries. The NYPD is actively searching for that suspect. The family of a Chicago woman says she vanished in the Bahamas after going there for a yoga retreat. Taylor Casey's family says she has not been seen in nearly a week. The Royal Bahamas Police Force says she was last seen near Paradise Island, but it's unclear if there are any suspects in this case or if police have a lead. Her family is saying that they want her to be found. They are pleading for help and urge anyone with information to contact police in the Bahamas. Federal prosecutors say Boeing should face criminal charges. They are formally recommending the Justice Department pursue the prosecution. As Amy Kylie reports, this comes as families of the victims who died in the Boeing's 2018 and 19 crashes are taking new legal action of their own. You have to hold them accountable in order to make a safety culture. Federal prosecutors are asking the Justice Department to criminally prosecute Boeing as families of crash victims take their own action in court. In a motion yesterday, they ask a federal judge to appoint an independent monitor for Boeing. It's a renewed request in light of recent safety concerns. What we've been asking for the whole time is for no third crash. Meanwhile, pressure is growing for the DOJ to file criminal charges against Boeing. Federal prosecutors are recommending that step for alleged 737 MAX safety issues. The company always says, you know, all our products meet or exceed all safety standards. That's not true. This whistleblower says he thinks prosecution is the right call. There was several individuals that made very conscious decisions. They knew what they were doing. They knew they were taken risk. The Justice Department is still deciding about charges according to a source familiar with the matter. Its own investigation is ongoing. But the department does say Boeing likely violated terms of a deferred prosecution agreement from 2021. Boeing denies that and says it's improving its approaches to company culture and safety. We understand the gravity and we're committed to moving forward with transparency and accountability. That was Amy Kylie reporting. Boeing did not have any comment on the prosecution recommendation, even if it faces charges, individual executives might not. A potential strike could affect your summer travel plans. Flight attendants and American Airlines appear to be at an impasse on contract talks. The flight attendants union says a year of mediated talks has not given workers adequate compensation or a raise in five years. American Airlines says they have offered an immediate 17% pay raise without profit sharing. Flight attendants can't go on strike, not just yet. That's because of a 30-year cooling off period ordered by the National mediation board. More affordable housing options are soon coming to Raleigh. State and city leaders announced more than $500,000 in federal funding from the EPA for the cottages of Idlewild development in downtown Raleigh. The money will go toward building 18 affordable housing units at the intersection of Idlewild Avenue and East Lane Street. Households earning 30-80% of the area median income will be eligible to own or rent in the new community. A public land trust model will be utilized to maintain affordability. Coming up, a major TV production is coming to the triangle what you should know about the upcoming film dates that could affect your commute. 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. 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 help. Sell your home in a snack. Sold it in a snack by the Jim Allen group simplifies the home selling process. You're guaranteed a cash offer. With the number one real estate team in the triangle, just submit your info and schedule an in-home walkthrough. Learn more at solditinnestamp.com. As you get into your cartoon to WRAL news plus on your radio in Raleigh on 99.3 FM. In Durham, 96.5 FM at everywhere on 101.5 HD 3. Good morning. Happy Tuesday time now is 826. I'm Michelle McConaughey. It is 826 and we are already approaching 80 to increase Elizabeth. Yeah, look at that. 79 in Durham and in Raleigh, 76 in Fayetteville. And this is where the Woodpeckers play there. It's like restating them and they're actually at Myrtle Beach this week, which might be a pretty nice place to be. 73 in Lewisburg, 77 southern Pines, 78 in Erwin and in Rocky Mount, 77 in Goldsboro. So we're getting a fast start on that warm up. It'll be around 90 degrees at lunchtime and we'll climb into the mid 90s. The big thing you'll notice since different today is the humidity is a little lower. So our heat index will be around 96 to 97. That's still hot though, Ken. It's heading out this morning if you're getting ready to head out. Here's what you can expect on the roadways this morning. All the major routes, we're seeing some delays this morning. Here in Wake County, we're seeing some delays in the north side of the Beltline, as well as the south side of the Beltline. Traffic is moving, but not as quickly as I know you would like. Even the alternate round 540, we're seeing that in both directions on AI-885 in Durham, bumping a bump at traffic this morning. Thanks, Ken. A woman is dead after being hit by a car in Mount Olive. It happened on Slat Out Road just around 5 o'clock this morning. Troopers say the driver did not stay on the scene. We are working to learn the identity of the woman. And a stricter version of a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina is now headed to the State House. The state Senate passed the amended bill yesterday. It would now ban North Carolina from allowing fully legal marijuana, even if the federal government legalizes it. Next on Fox 50, the U.S. Surgeon General says gun violence is an urgent public health crisis. And coming up next on today, Grammy-winning country artist, Lainey Wilson, live on the plaza. Your heart, it's the only one you have. Fortunately, you also have a choice. Expert cardiologists, talented surgeons, highly skilled specialists, all of whom chose WakeMed. Why? The main reason is the same reason patients choose WakeMed. Everything you need for the best possible care is right here. Learn more at WakeMed.org. WakeMed Heart and Vascular Physicians, your heart, your choice. At your job, do you ever have to deal with a nose roller? How about a snub bully? If you're installing a new conveyor belt system, dealing with the different components can sound like you're speaking a foreign language. Luckily, you've got a team ready to help. Granger's technical product specialists are fluent in maintenance, repair, and operations. So whenever you want to talk shop, just reach out. Call, click Granger.com, or just stop by, Granger, for the ones who get it done. Now, breaking news from WRAL, coverage you can count on. A woman in Mount Olive is dead after being hit by a car. Coming up, I'm going to tell you all the new information I just learned from the scene minutes ago. And it's not quite as humid as it was this time yesterday. We're sitting at Stevie, which is almost in the tolerable zone. I'll show you how much different it'll feel today compared to yesterday. Medical marijuana is one step closer to becoming legal in North Carolina. Let's talk about the new bill that also puts tighter restrictions on the future of marijuana use. And the Stanley Cup is now in the hands of the Florida Panthers. The team's first ever championship. But also the first for a name familiar to Hurricane's fans. We'll tell you the connection there. Coming up. Thanks for joining us on your Tuesday. We're about 80 degrees so far. We're only going to get warmer. I'm Ms. Al McConnicky. I'm Chris Lemnicky. Only up from here in terms of temperature. We have Elizabeth Gardner with a beautiful look at Fenton and Carrie this morning. It looks like it's nice and cozy out, but cozy is not the word I would think is accurate. It's not really. You know, this is, I remember, it seems like not too long ago we were looking at the Christmas tree and not the Christmas lights here at Fenton. Ooh, and nothing like that today. Completely clear over Fenton. Look at that gorgeous blue sky. It is 79 degrees, but our dew points at 65. This time yesterday, our dew point was about 10 degrees warmer. So it was about 75. That feels oppressively muggy. 65 is a dew point temperature where you can stand in the shade and it feels okay. I'm not saying it feels great, but it feels okay. Tolerable, if you will, 76 in Fayetteville now, 78 Rocky Mount 72 in Roxborough. So we're climbing into the mid to upper 70s. We'll climb to near 90 at lunchtime and we'll see a high of 95. Heat index will be around 96, 97. Of course, we're still on track to see 100 for tomorrow. I'll show you how often it is that we see triple digit heat in our area. Coming up, Ken. All right, Elizabeth, at 831, we continue to follow a very busy morning here, particularly on Highway 64. Things have definitely begun to clear up there on 264 at Lizard Lake Road. If you've been with us for the last hour and a half or so, you know, that line, 64 of those westbound lanes were red this morning, but now it's definitely cleared up as a result of an earlier crash that's likely in the clearing phase. We just saw this crash that pop up on our sensors on Leesville Road in the southbound lane near 540, not causing any issues in that area. So just keep that in mind if you're getting ready to head out. This crash on Lewisburg Road, though, on the southbound lane near Zebulon Road, causing quite a bit of backup there in those southbound lanes near Zebulon Road. I'll look for an alternate route for you and keep you posted as to how you can get around this semester this morning. Elsewhere around the Triangle, we're seeing the usual backup there on the Beltline here in Wake County, the northern part of the Beltline, as well as the south side of the Beltline. So definitely give yourself some extra time if you're getting ready to head out this morning. Of course, we've been following some breaking news out of Mount Olive on Slap Out Road. That's where we find W.R. is Nick Pirlan in the W.R.E. O'Rourke breaking news tracker to set the scene for us. Nick, what can you tell us? Well, Ken, we just learned a lot of new information just a few minutes ago. We know one woman died after being hit by a car right here on Slap Out Road and stay highway patrol. They're telling us the person who hit her did not stay on the scene. I'm going to get behind the camera because I want to show you something that I just found as I was able to move closer. And you can see these tire marks here on Slap Out Road left behind from the crime scene. We do know that state highway patrol, like I said, confirmed that a woman was killed in this crash. We're still trying to find out the identity of that woman and state highway patrol, like I said, are working to find out who's responsible for hitting her. Once we have more information, we'll update you. Live in Mount Olive, Nick Pirlan, W.R.E.O. News. A more breaking news, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy calls gun violence an urgent public health crisis that deserves collective commitment to bring it to an end. The newly released document from Dr. Murthy marks the first time the office of the Surgeon General has focused on firearm violence and its consequences on survivors, communities, and mental health. According to his report in 2022 alone, black people saw the highest rates of firearm-related homicides across all ages. A bill that would legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina is moving to the state house. The Senate passed it last night with some changes to it. As W.R.E.O.S. Laura Levine shares, those changes include putting a ban on legalizing recreational marijuana use in the future. Here at the state legislature, lawmakers have been debating this issue for quite some time. We know that a stricter version of a medical marijuana bill passed the states Senate last night. It's a last-minute effort to get a legalized bill over the finish line. So this bill would ban North Carolina from allowing fully legal marijuana even if the federal government legalizes it. That's meant to win over skeptics specifically on the religious right. They're concerned that medical marijuana would be a first step toward recreational legalization for all adults. The bill now goes to the state house where it remains to be seen if this new change would win over more people, more lawmakers in this case. We'll have to see. It's a story we'll continue to stay on top of. Laura Levine, W.R.E.O. News in Raleigh. Tech giant Apple is delaying plans for a massive campus and research triangle park. The billion dollar project is expected to be one of the largest in our state's history. And now it's up on pause for four years. Back in 2021, Apple announced plans to build the 1 million square foot research and development campus in RTP. It planned to bring 3,000 jobs with salaries averaging about $187,000. State commerce officials approved an economic incentives package that included grants of more than $400 million. And now the company is delaying the start of the project after a review of its real estate. W.R.E.O. asked a corporate site selection expert about factors that led to this delay. We think about the sea change in the economy with respect to spiking interest rates and historic levels of inflation. Skyrocketing construction costs. Skyrocketing construction labor costs. Governor Reicher says he has spoken with Apple executives. He says they pledged their commitment to building an RTP, adding that it will be among Apple's most significant campuses. Novo Nordisk is pouring billions of dollars into Johnston County. And officials are calling it the largest life science investment in state history. The $4.1 billion investment will quadruple the size of the company's Clayton facility. The company makes the popular weight loss in diabetes drug, ozempic and wigovi. It'll add 1,000 jobs with a minimum salary of $69,000 a year. Novo Nordisk says that this should help supply issues it's been facing. Construction of the expanded facility is expected to be finished between 2027 to 2029. The impasse over how to use a billion dollar budget surplus remains in place in the state legislature. The House has already said that it will not take up the $31.4 billion spending plan the Senate passed last night. Both chambers want a large expansion of the state's private school voucher program. Both also include some money to help stabilize childcare centers when federal funding runs out July 1st. But the House budget also includes small additional raises for teachers and state employees and a bonus for retirees. The Senate budget does not. If they don't reach a deal by July 1st, the two-year budget that's already in place will go into effect. But that billion dollar surplus would go unspent. A popular Durham restaurant was forced to close because a car crashed through the side of the building. You're looking at surveillance video showing the moment a kia came crashing through the wall into Meccolito's kitchen. The manager there says speeding is a problem in that part of Fayetteville Street. Now employees or customers were hurt in this crash. I'm grateful that everything came out okay. Nobody's hurt. Fortunately it is a damage to the building but that is repairable. We can fix that. That's not an issue. We're just glad that everyone was okay. Durham Police say Brandon Lovett was cited for reckless driving. He was not seriously hurt though. Education advocates are spending the day speaking out for North Carolina public schools. The North Carolina Justice Center and to every child NC are behind the Education Advocacy Day. The groups will meet with lawmakers about public education issues. They'll focus on issues like funding the Leandro Plan and opposing private school vouchers from public funding. They plan to be at the General Assembly at 10 o'clock this morning. First Lady Joe Biden will be in North Carolina today and she'll speak at a political finance event that's happening in Charlotte. This will be the first of the two visits for the First Lady to the state this week. She'll be in Raleigh along with President Joe Biden on Friday. And that visit will come the day after the first 2024 presidential debate. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump will square off for the debate and that is hosted by CNN. It's happening Thursday night at 9 o'clock and you can watch it on WREO. The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions. The Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers last night two to one to win Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final. Game 7's the best, right? It's the first time the Panthers have won the cup. It's also the first cup for Coach Paul Maurice who formally coached the Hurricanes and the Whalers. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the United States Justice Department. Assange plans to plead guilty to a conspiracy charge this week. The deal will allow him to go free after spending five years in a British prison. Assange's felony charge is related to his alleged role in one of the largest US government breaches of classified material. The plea deal must still be approved by a federal judge though. A person is dead after a crash in Samson County. This is video from the WRL breaking news tracker. Troopers say the driver of this work truck lost control and overturned in a ditch. That driver, 25-year-old Jackson Parker of Fayetteville, died. No one else was hurt. Today a group advocating for disability rights across the United States will visit Raleigh and Durham. The caravan for disability freedom and justice will be at Dick's Park. That's from 10 to noon today. They'll share information about inclusion, disability rights and services, voter rights and more. The group will also hold a pair of events in Durham from 6 to 8 30 tonight. An indoor event will be at part and parcel on Chapel Hill Road, while an outdoor event happens at Lion Park. The Carolina Panthers will stay in Charlotte for at least another 20 years. That's because of a new deal reached between the city and team owner David Tepper. Charlotte City Council voted last night to give 650 million dollars toward renovations to Bank of America Stadium. Tepper Sports and Entertainment agreed to pitch in 688 million. The renovations are expected to be complete by the 2029 NFL season. Tepper also owns Charlotte FC and that will also stay for 20 years under this deal. Flight instructor is being praised for her skills after landing a plane on a highway. How she managed to get her plane to the ground safely after a mechanical emergency mid-air. Plus an iconic animated duo returning to the screen what Eddie Murphy is revealing about the upcoming plans for Shrek and Donkey. Yes, I was talking to you. Can I just tell you that you was really great back then? Those gods, they thought they were solid. Breaking news, the designer can give you the kitchen of your dreams. I'm Dana Merrill, the owner of the designer in North Raleigh. 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. 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Yeah, down east, we're seeing a little bit more cloud cover. And if you remember yesterday, this time, we also have some cloud cover and boy, what a difference. The difference is our wind is coming out of the Northeast behind yesterday's front and it's a little bit drier and that's allowing our skies to be more clear. Lake Esten's looking gorgeous, isn't it? Now, don't get me wrong, it is going to be a hot afternoon. We'll see a high of 95. I imagine that a lot of people will be lined up right here at the point restaurant. We thank them for that beautiful view there at Lake Esten already, almost 80 degrees. Our wind right now is east at eight miles per hour. It really was out of the Northeast and so that's drawn down some slightly drier air. But again, it's still going to be a very hot day for us today. A high of 95 in Raleigh, 94 in Durham and 97 in Fayetteville. Our chance for thunderstorms today is really minimal. We've got about a 20% chance on there, especially in our southeastern counties, but most of us will stay dry for today. Our dew point is dropped to 65. I mean, one more degree and it puts us down into tolerable. So if you can find a shady spot, it feels okay to be outside versus yesterday, where it felt like you were kind of swimming through the air, and we're going to be headed back to that over the next few days. We're going to jump back to tropical. As a matter of fact, you can see when that happens by Thursday. We're way up at tropical, same thing Friday and Saturday. We'll be kind of middle of the road for tomorrow, most likely we're back into humid air mass, and we'll see a high of 100 for tomorrow. Oh, Durham and Raleigh. Goldsboro, 100, Fayetteville, 101, and Southern Pines, 104 tomorrow. So very hot. We rarely see 100 degree days. We average one per year. And the average first 100 degree day of the year, if we happen to see one in any particular year, is July 13th, and then the average last is July 30th. So it's really almost like a little two-week window when we might see 100 degree day. And here we are, knocking two of them out already in one week in June. If we hit it tomorrow, it'll be the second this week. We hit 100 on Sunday. The earliest June 7th, the latest October 3rd, I remembered that year. That was just a few years back. That was a miserable start to the fall. For our heat index, we're looking at the potential for triple digit heat indices, especially tomorrow we could feel like a 104-105, and that could put us under a heat advisory. Heat advisory criteria begins at around 104. So look into the weather service to see if they're going to issue that. And then some changes to the way things look and feel. A better chance for scattered storms on Thursday, and that chance continues into the weekend. Temperatures are a little lower, but humidity remains pretty high through the weekend. All right. Thanks, Elizabeth. And those dry hot conditions in our state are taking a huge toll on farmers, as well as everyone's wallet too. Big cash crops that farmers rely on are withering in this heat wave, and that leads to higher prices at the grocery store for all of us. The Robertson family in Wayne County invests a lot of time and money on farm crops like corn, but during an extended heat wave without any grain, crops don't develop the way they should. Wade Robertson says that he quit tending to his potatoes and corn a week ago, and the loss has really taken a toll. You know, you hear mental stress right now for farmers. That's a big thing. They're mental well-being. Because it is stressful to know you're losing thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Oh, boy, I can imagine. NCS State economist Mike Walden projects the loss of crops for North Carolina farmers to cause prices at the grocery store to go up by as much as 25% over last year. And Jeff Hogan in the tell me our live center is just getting some information in from the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles about driver licenses, is being a problem issuing them today. They're having a software issue from a third-party vendor right now that is holding them up. All driver license offices are experiencing this software issue and so they cannot give out any licenses. They're saying this right now. It's also affecting the online services that are related to driver license renewals. They say that they'll be trying to get that restored as soon as possible and we have a story up on that at WRL.com right now. Thanks, Jeff. A flight instructor is being celebrated for her quick thinking by making an emergency landing on I-77 in South Carolina. There's her plane there. She landed the plane safely after she and her student experienced a mechanical failure. This happened last week, just north of Columbia. Here it is, landing on the highway. Nicole Smith says she and her students started hearing clicking noises about 40 minutes into their flight. She believes a piece fell out of their plane. She needed to find a quick place to land safely. My thought at the time was just to make sure that I didn't go into oncoming traffic. I did see the cars kind of going off on the shoulder and I was trying to mitigate that as best as possible while still landing safely. And Smith was able to land the plane with no injuries to her, her student or anyone on the ground. Authorities say there wasn't even a backup on the interstate. That's impressive. That's just stunning. Good for her. Americans are expected to travel in record numbers this summer. In AAA says it expects to see more than 2 million North Carolinians travel for the 4th of July. Nationwide, more than 70 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more. And more than 60 million of them will travel by car. Travelers have already broken one record this summer. The TSA says its workers on Sunday screen nearly 3 million people at airports across the country. That is the busiest day ever for the agency, it says. It will also only get busier. The TSA expects a near 5 and a half percent increase in passengers over last year's 4th of July holiday period. Alice Trebek is getting his own postage stamp. Jeopardy announced on X that the beloved late game show host will have his own forever stamp. It will be available at all U.S. Post offices beginning July 22nd, which would have been his 84th birthday. 15 years ago today, Michael Jackson was found dead in his Los Angeles home. His death was ruled a homicide from a lethal combination of sedatives and propofol. He was 50 years old. A film crew will be shooting a TV series on UNC Chapel Hill's campus. This will impact traffic and parking between July 8th and 10th. UNC says filming will largely take place outside on Maccorkel Place and surrounding buildings. If you want to be around that area during that time, expect delays, road and parking closures. We are unsure which TV show will be shot there. Country artists are covering Beyonce classics. A former Disney star tops Billboard Hot 100. And there's more that's going to happen here. David Daniel, here you go. When I first heard that Beyonce was making a country album, I felt ready. Beyonce has opened a door that's going to be really hard to close. Call it a cowboy carter response. Beyonce covered features six emerging black country artists delivering live recorded country versions of some classic Beyonce songs. The collection is available now in Spatial Audio on Apple Music for Black Music Month. ♪ I wanna ask it baby ♪ ♪ Please, please, please ♪ ♪ Don't prove I'm right ♪ Sabrina Carpenter has her first Billboard Hot 100 number one. Please, please, please debuted last week at number two, just ahead of her viral hit Espresso. Both are on her new album Short and Sweet, due out August 23rd. The great beyond. The infinite darkness of the universe. Music is rocking the big screen too. Ghost right here right now is expanding after grossing $5 million globally. Instead of just a long weekend as planned, Trafalgar Releasing is keeping the Swedish rock band's concert film in theaters for the rest of the week and next week as well. In Hollywood, I'm David Daniel. Shrek and Donkey are returning to movie screens in a new interview. Eddie Murphy revealed that he has already begun voice recording Shrek 5. Last year's DreamWorks and Universal Pictures reported that they were eyeing another movie with the original cast, including Murphy, Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz. Murphy also confirmed that a Donkey spin-off is in the works. No word on a release date. This random line I remember from that movie is, that's a nice bowler. I like that bowler. Ladies and Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are back together for Freaky Friday, too. Both stars shared their video to social media yesterday showing them on set. Disney says the sequel involves the daughter of Lohan's character and the movie is due to come out sometime next year. Still think they need to call it Freaky or Friday, but it's not my movie. Before we go to break, here's a look at your winning lottery numbers for Monday, June 24th. We'll get another check on weather and traffic in just a bit. Stay with us. ♪ Good posture is essential to good health. Unfortunately, at least half of computer users have posture-related back pain. 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