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7PM News on WRAL - Thursday, June 20, 2024
So the reason I chose William Peacels because of their stellar game design program, it's very rare to find a game design program in the United States at all, yet alone in North Carolina. And this place seemed like the right place for me for where I wanted to go and the connections I could make within the program. Turn your hobby into a career in one of the highest paid professions in the country with William Peacel University's Simulation and Game Design program. Master Design 3D Modeling and Programming in a state-of-the-art space with the latest and most remarkable technologies available. Find out more at peace.edu. If you think it's hot now, just wait, what it will feel like triple digits outside. Plus, what new model plots show where these systems could go next. And a new push to legalize medical marijuana in North Carolina. What's stopping it from becoming law? A new study says schools in North Carolina are becoming more segregated. Growing up, we'll show you why Durham is held up as an example of what others can do to increase diversity. Taking a live look across our WRA live camera network on this first day of summer, we climbed into the eight B90s across our area and we are tracking some dangerous heat in the next few days. Thanks for joining us. I'm Ashley Rowe. It'll feel like triple digits this weekend. Just look at this heat risk map. You can see that our entire viewing area is in the major category for Sunday. Meteorologist Mike Mays is in the WRA Elsevier Weather Center. Bike, just no relief, really, in sight. No, not for the next six, maybe seven days, Ashley, and it's going to really kick off over the weekend. Our highs Saturday and Sunday in the upper 90s. We're shooting for 97 on Saturday, 98 on Sunday. Try to find some effective cooling if you can. Saturday will feel like 103 here in the triangle, maybe hotter in some of the rural areas, especially toward Clinton and Fayetteville, and then Sunday's high 98 here in the triangle feeling like 107. It's possible we'll have heat advisories issued this weekend, and it's likely the heat will extend in the next week. Now, Monday, we have 95. Thunderstorms are possible with the next cool front coming in that won't bring cooler air. It will bring less humid air. Tuesday, 97. The peak of the heat may come next Wednesday with a high up to about 99. Thursday, we have the next cold front that comes in, and this one may be the one that breaks the heat wave. Scattered showers and thunderstorms at this point look likely, and one set front passes a man up being cooler for next Friday and next weekend. But in the meantime, this weekend, we're looking at moderate heat risk for the day on Saturday. It's still hot, but not quite as bad as Sunday. We have major heat risk for the day on Sunday. That's when you're going to feel the most, especially if you're exerting yourself outdoors. Now, if you're trying to find relief down east of the coast, high rip current risks are in effect probably into the weekend, and I'll explain why coming up in less than 15 minutes, actually. All right, Mike. Thank you. Today, state senators moved forward with the measure to legalize medical marijuana. It's the fourth time they've voted in support of that bill in the past three years. Now it has to win the support of House Republicans. WRAL, capital bureau chief, Laura Leslie explains why that's been a roadblock. Unlike a lot of the battles down here, this is not a fight between Democrats and Republicans. This is a fight among Republicans. Conservative religious groups are opposed to medical marijuana, and they wield a lot of power here. But some Republicans say it's time for North Carolina to catch up to most of the rest of the country. The bill would allow the medical use of marijuana if prescribed by a doctor for people with certain terminal or life-threatening illnesses like cancer, ALS, Parkinson's, and PTSD. Bill sponsor, Senator Bill Rabin, survived stage 4 colon cancer with the help of the drug, which his doctor recommended. I implore you to help the people that need help, helping them to be legal citizens, not break the law, get what they need to improve their lives and what little bit of life they have. The bill would also regulate sales of CBD products in the state, requiring them to be inspected and taxed and sold only to people 18 and over. Senator Danny Brit said it's aimed at bad actors in the hemp industry who are getting kids hooked. A lot of these things that are in these items that are being sold in these gas stations are unregulated. They're untested. We just don't know what they are. 38 states have already legalized medical marijuana, and polling consistently shows strong bipartisan support here as well. But so far, the state house has refused to vote on it. House Speaker Tim Moore says it won't get a vote until most House Republicans support it, even if it has enough Democratic votes to pass. And the day that we have a majority of the Republican caucus ready to vote for it, then you'll see me to go ahead and vote on it. Until we have that, it won't come to the fore. Senate leaders are applying a little extra political pressure this time. They inserted the medical marijuana bill into a bill that House leadership really wants. And that might give them a little extra leverage as the session here begins to wind down for the summer. Laura Leslie, WRAL News, Raleigh. After a final vote in the Senate, Monday, the bill goes to the House. The state treasurer is defending himself today over accusations he may have used his state vehicle for personal use. He's also getting support from Beth Wood. You'll recall she pleaded guilty for her driving habits. You remember Wood crashed a state-issued vehicle into a parked car after a holiday party. A state investigation found she was using state-owned vehicles for personal trips. Now, state treasurer Dale Falwell faces similar accusations. Wood says there are too many inconsistencies in how the state oversees this. "I, for 14 years, turned in mileage logs. Dale Falwell for eight years has turned in mileage logs, and department administration staff never once brought it to our attention that we were doing something wrong. Not sloppiness on our part, no. It was trusting that people around us were doing their job." Falwell released a statement just over an hour ago saying his staff is assisting in compiling documentation to fully answer any outstanding questions, and that he tried to be very careful in following published guidance. I'm Brian Schrader in the W.R.E.O. Live Center. All new at 7 o'clock, Morrisville Police are releasing more information about charges facing this Fayetteville couple. That is Janaria Locklear and Robert Harris. They appeared by video-to-day at Wake County Court. Together, they are facing more than 50 charges of larceny, breaking and entering and safe cracking and a string of burglaries at restaurants across Wake County. Now here are the new details from Morrisville Police. They say that they are charged in burglaries at Meecan Koon on Chapel Hill Road and also at the Full Moon Oyster Bar at Village Market Place. Both of those happened in November of 2023. Harris and Locklear own a vegan restaurant in Fayetteville. All right, Brian. New at 7 a fight to protect women's sports. A coalition of athletes, coaches and advocates are in Chapel Hill right now, pushing back against revisions to Title IX. The Biden administration recently rewrote the law prioritizing gender identity over sex. W.R.E.L.s Aaron Thomas is live in Chapel Hill. Aaron, this group is on a national tour to oppose the updated policy. Yeah, Ashley, in fact, part of this national tour includes the former head coach for the UNC Women's Basketball team. They're talking about Sylvia Hatkel taking part in this national tour. This bus you see here is actually going around different cities and towns and they're making their message known. You can see it reads protect women's sports and right over here with some signatures. It reads take back Title IX. Inside the venue in Chapel Hill, we heard from current and former athletes. Roughly 50 people gathered to hear their personal stories of competing against transgender athletes. Opponents of new regulations in Title IX say that it gives transgender athletes an unfair competitive advantage on the field and the court. We interviewed coach Sylvia Hatkel. She again is the former head coach for the women's basketball team over at UNC. She says that she cares about the original intent of Title IX when it gave women the access to college sports in 1972. It just takes away from what we worked so hard for. For 52 years we worked hard and it will take all that away and we'll go and it'll really hurt women's sports if that happens. Now coach Hatkel adds that she's not opposed to transgender people and pose the idea of them playing in their own category but some advocates of the LGBTQ+ community see this as exclusionary. On our late news we're going to be diving into more of the new regulations in Title IX and those who are fighting for these new regulations to take place. Erin Thomas, W.R.O. News live in Chapel Hill. State lawmakers are proposing three new constitutional amendments for the ballot this fall including one that would say only citizens can vote. That's already the law in North Carolina. But sponsor Senator Buck Newton says some cities in other states are allowing immigrants to vote in local elections. I've had a lot of constituents ask me about this concerning trend around the country and wanted to make sure that we were okay here in North Carolina. Democrats say it's a political ploy to motivate conservative voters in a key election year. The other two amendments deal with photo voter ID and capping the state's income tax. The state Senate is expected to vote on them next week. For more details visit the NC Capital section of WRAL.com. New data shows North Carolina schools are becoming increasingly segregated. Let's study from UCLA highlights one district in our area as a shining example of what to do to increase diversity. W.R.L.s Monica Casey spoke with Durham Public School District leaders about how they're growing together redistricting initiative will benefit students. The growing together initiative is the first major redistricting here in Durham in 30 years. This new study from UCLA says it's an example for others to follow. In North Carolina over the last 30 years, students of all racial groups have been disproportionately enrolled in schools with same race peers. In 2021, the typical white student attended a school where nearly 60 percent of students were white, but only 45 percent of state enrolled students were white. The typical black student attended a school where 41 percent of students were black, but black students accounted for only 25 percent of state enrollment. In that study, the Durham Public School District is outlined as an example of what districts can do to reintegrate magnet program specialist. Reader Rathbone tells me the data shows diversity is good for schools. All students perform better, have better outcomes both academically, social emotionally, and in terms of work and life skills by learning in an environment where they have peers that are reflective of the community. Growing together splits the district into five regions which standardizes access to magnet programs. Ultimately growing together is simplifying those choices, making them closer to home, and increasing the diversity and access to our programs. Matthew Palmer believes the program's success can bring hope to districts across the state. Our state motto is to be rather than to seem. And so public education is an opportunity for anyone irrespective of race, class, income to have an opportunity to go anywhere. In Durham, Monica Casey, WRL News. Wake County has also had success with reassignment over the years. In fact, a 2021 UNC study shows the 25 percent of students reassigned in the decade between 2020 and 2010 had positive impacts on student achievement, a terrifying close call in a North Carolina backyard. I saw my daughter, Mila, floating in the pool with her head down and her arms like this. The advice this family is sharing after a near drowning in hopes of helping other parents and potentially saving a life plus a new resource for UNC students to get prepared for their financial future. Here from the director of the brand new program and how it's intended to help students when they enter the real world. Each year, millions of North Carolinians visit a doctor of chiropractic for a variety of different reasons. And because of the opioid epidemic, that number is expected to grow. Chiropractic is a drug-free, natural form of health care that helps people with all sorts of different painful conditions such as headaches, neck pain, back pain, sciatica, and various different musculoskeletal conditions. But did you know that your doctor of chiropractic can actually help you improve your overall level of health? Visit nciro.org/info for more. Breaking news, the designer can give you the kitchen of your dreams. I'm Dana Merrill, the owner of the designer in North Raleigh. And I am true Merrill, I am the project manager. The designer is a lovely kitchen bath and closet remodeling company. We do pretty much any of the utility spaces in your house. If you want to store things in your cabinets, if you want to work on things on your countertops, if you want to have a floor that can get wet or muddy, we're the place to help you fix your home up. We are at the designer in North Raleigh, located at 3030 Wake Forest Road in the Holly Park Plaza. We would love to see you or visit our website at www.thedesignery.com. A recent study finds more than 60% of college students worry about having enough money to pay for school. More than 50% of students would have trouble getting $500 in cash or credit in an emergency. UNC Chapel Hill students were part of this nationwide study, by the way. UNC's first-ever financial well-being director is hoping to help address some of those concerns and get them ready for their financial futures. Gilbert Rogers took on that inaugural role at the university in the last few months, joining us now to talk about how this is going to help students. So thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. It's clear there's obviously a need for this kind of resource. What have you been finding? Yes, so we've seen and come across many students struggling with understanding what college actually needs as far as paying for school. Also, there's this hesitancy with graduation and not knowing what's next. So a program like a financial education opportunity gives students a head up and a leg up as they enter the real world and start making decisions. Talk about some of the things that you're going to cover to prepare students financially. Yes, so our program will focus on the Big Five, holistic areas of personal finance, things such as budgeting, credit building, teaching students to plan for life after graduation, and also planning to start that first program to count and prepare for student loan debt. Those are the types of topics we will cover. You've been working in this role at UNC since February. What kind of interest are you seeing from students? Oh, man, I have been blown away by the interest across campus as far as learning these fundamental skills that will ultimately change the trajectory for the future. I've had graduate students reach out, I've had undergraduate students reach out. I also have a number of students interested in being a part of a team where they can teach other students and they peer to peer model. What have you found just from speaking with these students about the lack of literacy that they have walking into your class? Yes, students, you see that students, their area of understanding of personal finance, it ranges based upon their background and what they've learned along the way. And what we're trying to do is really meet students where they are. So with our program, we will have students ready to serve students who have no idea whatsoever where to start when it comes to personal finance. And also from students who are a little more well versed in the area of personal finance. Keep doing what you're doing. This is such an important topic. Thinking back, I don't remember having any formal education in any of that stuff. So I wish I had it, I wish I had your program, and I wish you and your students all the very best. Thank you so much. A new study ranks our capital city as one of the best in the country for new college graduates. Zumper analyzed the nation's 100 most populous cities and Raleigh comes in at number seven on the list. The study looked at a variety of metrics like median one-bedroom rents, the number of 25 year olds with bachelor's degrees, the median income of younger residents, and local unemployment rates. Minneapolis tops the list and Laredo, Texas was at the bottom. Dramatic video shows a North Carolina father saving his two-year-old daughter's life after she nearly drowned in their family pool. Little Mila Shortridge was the swimming with her siblings and friends in their Gaston County backyard. Her father Matthew says he heard his 10-year-old scream, noticed his two-year-old daughter floating in the pool with her head down. That's when he jumped in, immediately starting mouth-to-mouth while a friend started chest compressions. Mila survived, she made a full recovery. Her mom Amy hopes to really help parents everywhere with their story. I want everyone possible to know CPR because it really does save lives. Some other tips that could save a life include supervision, have adults take turns being the designated water watcher, and then in public always check for lifeguards and then figure out where they're stationed, another thing barriers residential pools need a fence and a self-locking gate and consider alarms on doors that lead outside. Let's take a live look at Carolina Beach right now. You're going to want to also keep a real close eye on rip currents along our coast if you're heading to the beach this weekend. Today alone there were 25 water rescues at Carolina Beach too at Wright'sville Beach. Meteorologist Mike Mays has been tracking all of these as well as just the heat that we've got coming up in the next few days Mike. Yeah a lot of folks probably will head to the beach this weekend trying to find relief. It's not going to be so hot air temperature-wise there as it will be here but the water it's going to be dangerous to go in. Now we do have high rip current risks for the day to day. Our southern facing beaches some of them have a moderate risk but you can see from curry beach all the way up to Nag said high risk and as Ashley mentioned those rip current rescues I checked with the weather service at Amorhead City they didn't have any reports but a lot of folks will probably be trying to go in the water over the next few days and likely tomorrow high rip current risk as well I'll have that new map coming up at 10 on Fox 50 and 11 on WRL and the reason why we're having issues a little tropical wave you can see the rotation with that hurricane hunter aircraft win in this afternoon couldn't find a closed low but they say there's about a 40% chance this could take on tropical characteristics over the next couple of days it's going to move over warm water the sheer not all that great so we'll watch to see if it quickly ramps up not an impressive looking system there's just not a whole lot of thunderstorm activity with it hopefully we would think it would bring us some rain there are the model plots heading into Jacksonville over Georgia and then curving to the northeast but I don't say anything on the European model and the American model that would suggest that we would see rain from this in fact the European model brings it into this region here and the rain kind of fizzles out there may just be some of the energy that comes on in I think our next opportunity for any showers and storms would be Sunday and Monday now there are the remnants of Alberto dumping that heavy rainfall across Texas and Mexico look at all this cloud cover that's what the next wave that's set to move into the Bay of Campeche do the same thing in that Alberto did that's up to about a 50% chance over the next seven days that it would take on tropical characteristics and if it became a tropical storm the next name on the list is barrel quite an extensive cloud shield this storm would be it looks like it would be bigger than what we had with Alberto and it is likely to make its way into Mexico and perhaps Texas too these are the current model plots will watch it closely no impact here and no rain from this system would ever make its way to North Carolina 88 right now added already you after a 90 today but temperatures are set to climb and dew points actually fell into the 50s this afternoon I had mentioned that possibility low tonight will be in the 60s mostly clear sky and then tomorrow starting to heat up this is the beginning that'll likely last through at least next Wednesday 91 at Roxbury and South Hill tomorrow 94 Durham 94 in Fayetteville get ready mostly sunny skies expected for the day tomorrow mostly sunny on Saturday 97 the high notice our morning lows start to go up it's going to be uncomfortable to start the day Sunday with 76 77 on Monday a chance for storms on Sunday 30% during the day and in the evening Monday up the chance to 60% that's pretty good but still I don't think everybody's going to see the beneficial rain we need 95 the forecast high 97 on Tuesday scorching on Wednesday and then finally Ashley I think by next Thursday we'll get a cold front that will break the back of the heat wave and bring some showers and storms too oh here we go Mike thank you still ahead weather you're looking to get out and about or head outside inside to beat the heat we are helping you plan your weekend next are you seeking a flexible move out date feeling too busy to deal with open houses and last minute showings sell your home in a snap with sold it in a snap by the Jim Allen group simply submit your information and schedule a walkthrough the Jim Allen group simplifies the home selling process and you're guaranteed a competitive cash offer with the number one real estate team in the triangle the Jim Allen group learn more at sold it in a snap dot com so when I was looking to transfer it was a lot of one-on-one and it didn't feel like I got lost in a huge university because I knew that if I came here there was going to be someone I could talk to about every aspect of the courses I needed to take but also to I love the smaller classroom sizes and I liked how interactive and immersive all of the learning was going to be it wasn't just going to be me sitting in a room with a couple hundred people and a professor who didn't know my name to find out more about transferring to William he's university visit piece dot edu was packed with lots of live music plus a big celebration for pride month in downtown Raleigh W.A.R.E.L. lifestyle editor Cathy Hanrahan has the details in out and abouts best bets the summer concert season is heating up and there are two big concerts happening this weekend first up country superstar Tim McGraw brings his standing room only tour to PNC arena in Raleigh on Saturday he will be joined by special guest Carly Pierce and Timothy Wayne on Sunday willy Nelson brings the outlaw festival to coastal credit union music park at walnut creek this event will include performances from willy plus bob dylan and robert plant analysis and crafts the show starts at 5 p.m. and june is pride month on saturday the out Raleigh festival is happening on fayetteville street in downtown Raleigh from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. there'll be live music vendors artists a beer garden and a children's sound admission is free these are just a few ways to get out and about this weekend Cathy Hanrahan W.A.R.E.L. news just drink lots of water if you go out this weekend quite the site outside the north carolina aquarium at fort fisher today staff posted this video to instagram showing a wild alligator walking right in front of the aquarium it's not uncommon to see gators around our state especially near the coast the caption says in north carolina people and alligators are usually able to peacefully coexist and share our coastal habitats it's still quite the site thanks for making W.A.R.E.L. your choice for local news our next newscast is at 10 on fox 50 and 11 on W.A.R.E.L. have a great night keep watching W.A.R.E.L. news over the air channel 34 and spectrum channel 1257 each year millions of north carolinians visited doctor of chiropractic for a variety of different reasons and because of the opioid epidemic that number is expected to grow chiropractic is a drug free natural form of health care that helps people with all sorts of different painful conditions such as headaches neck pain back pain sciatica and various different musculoskeletal conditions but did you know that your doctor of chiropractic can actually help you improve your overall level of health visit nciro.org/info for more 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 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