It’s not every day that you get to work with your dad on the project of a lifetime. That’s the gift I have experienced for the past year as I delved into one of his old cases to create a true crime serial podcast for WRAL, “The Killing Month August 1978.” Even though I was just an adolescent at the time, it was a murder case that always stuck with me—six people dead, shot, and in some cases, even buried alive. The criminals were a band of brothers known as the Johnston Gang who killed witnesses ...
Nov 02, 2023•11 min
The WRAL Investigates' team set out to find out what’s in those over-the-counter products that promise to help you sleep or give you a buzz. While marijuana is not legal in North Carolina, a certain level of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, is. Call it marijuana light—you can find it in smoke shops and convenience stores. In this episode, senior producer Randall Kerr shares what their investigation uncovered.
Nov 01, 2023•11 min
From the mysterious Gimghoul Castle in Chapel Hill to the curious spinning angel of Oakwood Cemetery, the Triangle area is full of eerie urban legends to tell around Halloween. In this episode, WRAL Hidden History Reporter Heather Leah joins me to explore some of the most popular and chilling haunted places around Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill – many of which you can visit or drive past if you want to give yourself a good scare!
Oct 31, 2023•16 min
Have you ever wanted to explore a real ghost town? Odds are good you’ve driven or hiked past remnants of a ghost town or a lost community without even realizing it. In this episode, WRAL’s Hidden History reporter Heather Leah takes us on an exploration of several ghost towns hidden atop mountains, beneath lakes, deep in the woods, and even on an abandoned island.
Oct 31, 2023•13 min
Since 2020, the number of juveniles connected to crimes in North Carolina is up by 19 percent. A juvenile offender is anyone 17 or younger. And some of those accused are as young as 10. This has led to an overcrowding problem in youth detention facilities. It’s also leading many people to ask why younger offenders seem to be committing crimes at a higher rate. WRAL Investigates’ reporter Sarah Krueger joins us in this episode to share what’s she learned about this growing crisis.
Oct 30, 2023•10 min
The North Carolina State Health plan covers more than 700,000 state employees, retirees, and their family members. There is discussion about dropping coverage of weight loss drugs which have skyrocketed to popularity in the past few years. The Board of Trustees is meeting to discuss concerns over the price of the drugs. WRAL reporter Destinee Patterson joins me in this episode to explain.
Oct 27, 2023•8 min
Football stadiums and other sports complexes were built to bring people together. But there is some history behind these stadiums that could divide us. Our most recent WRAL Documentary, “Ghosts in the Stadium”, is the story of four iconic stadiums in the Carolinas and their links to the painful history of race relations in the United States. WRAL Sports Anchor Chris Lea hosted this documentary which premiered last night on WRAL and is available to view on WRAL.com.
Oct 26, 2023•11 min
“Ghosts in the Stadium” is a new historical documentary from WRAL looking at the unknown pasts of four iconic football stadiums in the Carolinas and their links to the painful history of race relations in the United States. WRAL Documentary Producer Cristin Severance and WRAL Sports Anchor Chris Lea set out to uncover who these stadiums were named after, where they were built, and what communities were replaced. In this episode, Chris Lea joins us now to talk about the making of this documentary...
Oct 25, 2023•10 min
Monday afternoon a man was shot in downtown Raleigh near Moore Square Middle School. He was taken to the hospital and police arrested a suspect. The school was briefly put on lockdown. Multiple streets were shutdown. This brazen act of violence in a highly populated area has many people in the neighborhood very concerned about safety. In this episode, WRAL reporter Willie Daniely explains what happened and how people are reacting.
Oct 24, 2023•7 min
North Carolina's voting districts have been debated for years - fought over in the state house and in the country's highest court. Now lawmakers and lawyers are preparing for another round. New voting districts proposed by Republican lawmakers would tilt North Carolina's representation in Congress far to the right. The proposal has drawn criticism and threats of legal action from the left. But this time, challenges may be less fruitful than past efforts. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran...
Oct 23, 2023•16 min
In today’s episode we’re talking about junk health insurance. Basically, it’s a phrase that describes short-term, very limited health insurance. It was meant to be used as emergency coverage, not as a main source of health insurance, and it looks like the government is getting ready to crackdown on this industry. WRAL’s 5 On Your Side producer Pritchard Strong joins us to explain the situation.
Oct 20, 2023•9 min
A 19-year-old freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill ingested fentanyl on campus at Duke University back in March and died according to papers now filed in federal court. Grace Burton’s death had been kept very quiet even though the student she was with at the time and the suspected drug dealer are now charged in the case. A student journalist at Duke wrote about what happened for an online news site. In this episode, WRAL’s Enterprise Team Executive Producer Ashley Talley sheds light on this tragic case....
Oct 19, 2023•16 min
In today's episode, podcast host Amanda Lamb switches chairs with WRAL anchor Debra Morgan for a very intimate interview. For the past year Amanda and the team at WRAL Studios have been working on "The Killing Month August 1978," a true crime series. The story takes place in rural Pennsylvania and follows the exploits of a crime family whose empire starts crumbling when snitches begin talking to police. That's when witnesses started to disappear. Some of them were found shot to death and buried ...
Oct 18, 2023•19 min
Imagine booking a hotel for the weekend and showing up at the address only to learn it’s not a hotel at all, but a personal injury law firm. Or you make a hair appointment and pay a deposit online only to learn that the person who took your money isn’t affiliated with the hair salon. These are just a few examples of online scams that are burning both customers and businesses. In this episode, WRAL 5 On Your Side’s Keely Arthur joins us with how these scams work and how you can protect yourself....
Oct 17, 2023•10 min
Sex education is a controversial topic in North Carolina, from legislation that school districts believe requires them to get parental permission to teach it, to the limited messages it includes, there are big concerns about whether it goes far enough. In this episode, WRAL education reporter Emily Walkenhorst explains where we are at this moment.
Oct 16, 2023•10 min
It’s hard to believe that it’s been one year since witnesses say a teenage boy opened fire on a Raleigh greenway in the Hedingham community killing five people. To mark the anniversary, WRAL has been speaking with people whose lives were changed forever by this tragedy. In this episode, anchor and reporter Ashley Rowe shares her powerful experience interviewing Tom Karnatz, the husband of one of the victims, Sue Karnatz, who went jogging that day and never came home leaving three children behind...
Oct 13, 2023•12 min
The images on television and online seem unreal, a world away. But for many Americans, including North Carolinians, what is happening in Israel is very real to them because of their personal ties to the country and its people. In this episode, WRAL reporter Chelsea Donovan shares her experience interviewing people from the Triangle who have witnessed the violence firsthand.
Oct 12, 2023•9 min
Tiny but mighty, some scientists say beans can help fix the future. “Beans is How” is a global effort to double the consumption of beans, peas, and legumes by 2028. These foods are some of the planet’s most sustainable protein sources, using dramatically less water, land, and fossil fuels to produce than animal products do. More high-end restaurants are getting creative by putting #BeansOnTheMenu, including Chef Sean Fowler at Mandolin in Raleigh. WRAL’s climate change reporter Liz McLaughlin jo...
Oct 11, 2023•10 min
Recession is a word that’s been thrown around a lot over the past two years. It’s left a lot of people concerned about their economic futures. 5 On Your Side has been asking experts what their forecast is for the economy. In this episode, WRAL reporter Keely Arthur brings us up to date on what economists are predicting.
Oct 10, 2023•11 min
Interim U.S. House Speaker Patrick McHenry of North Carolina is poised to lead his fractured Republican Party through the election of a permanent chamber leader starting this week. WRAL State Government Reporter Will Doran explains why one of McHenry's Democratic colleagues thinks he's the right leader for the moment - and how the beer they're brewing together offers a glimmer of bipartisanship in a time of division.
Oct 09, 2023•15 min
In 2006, way before she was a superstar, a 16-year-old Taylor Swift shared her music with students at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh after they won a concert from a local radio station contest. Little did they know at the time that the up-and-coming country music singer was going to be one of the most famous entertainers of their generation. Ironically, no local media covered Swift’s concert seventeen years ago which was attended by less than two hundred people. But those who were there now...
Oct 06, 2023•10 min
Major League Baseball is likely to expand by two teams in the near future. The owner of the Carolina Hurricanes wants Raleigh and North Carolina to be part of this conversation. North Carolina is home to franchises in the NHL, NFL, NBA, MLS and NWSL as well hosting NASCAR and PGA Tour events annually. It’s still very early in the process of putting together a potential MLB ownership group and identifying stadium locations, but it’s a conversation lots of sports fans are watching closely. WRAL In...
Oct 05, 2023•10 min
One year ago this month, the unthinkable happened in Raleigh. Five people were killed and another person was critically injured after witnesses say a teenager opened fire on a greenway at the end of the workday. The suspect, 15-year-old Austin Thompson, was also wounded. It was expected that his case would ultimately move from juvenile court to superior court where he would be charged as an adult. As of Tuesday afternoon, this has not happened. WRAL reporter Chelsea Donovan joins me to bring us ...
Oct 04, 2023•9 min
As a parent, or an employer, it can be extremely frustrating. A big storm is predicted, schools are closed, and parents are home with their kids trying to balance work and child care. And to make it even worse, sometimes that big storm never materializes. In this episode, WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell shares what she learned about how school systems make decisions to delay and cancel classes due to weather.
Oct 03, 2023•12 min
When Republican lawmakers crafted the North Carolina budget, they set aside a big chunk of change for ambitious economic development projects. One-tenth of the $30 billion spending plan is devoted to projects meant to attract companies to the state and keep existing ones here. WRAL state government reporter Will Doran breaks down some of the biggest economic development earmarks in the 1,400-page budget.
Oct 02, 2023•13 min
About 100,000 babies are born in the U.S. every year thanks to invitro fertilization known as IVF. But as the interest in IVF increases, so does the wait times for treatment. It can take up to six months just to get an initial consultation. In this episode, WRAL Investigates’ reporter Sarah Krueger shares what she learned about the process.
Sep 29, 2023•10 min
Raleigh’s Catholic Diocese is about to celebrate its one-hundred-year anniversary. The area is now home to half a million practicing Catholics. In this episode, WRAL anchor and reporter Debra Morgan shares her experience interviewing with Bishop Luis Zarama. He talks about how the church weathered the pandemic and has managed to thrive. He also reflects on the sacred beauty of slowing down and embracing the quietness.
Sep 28, 2023•12 min
A quarter of a million people gathered in our nation’s capital 60 years ago on August 28, 1963, for the March on Washington headed by Dr. Martin Luther King. The historic event is largely credited as helping pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act. One of the people in that crowd was veteran North Carolina state lawmaker Rep. Mickey Michaux of Durham. He has vivid memories of that day. Michaux just turned 93 and he sat down with WRAL anchor and reporter Ken Smith to share his recollections of this monume...
Sep 27, 2023•11 min
First there is the relief…you’re okay, your family is okay. Then there is the realization that your property is not okay . Hurricanes can wreak havoc on your home. From downed trees, to holes in your roof, to flooding, knowing what to do and where to turn after a storm damages your property can be overwhelming. In this episode, WRAL’s 5 On Your Side reporter Keely Arthur shares what homeowners should do in the wake of a hurricane.
Sep 26, 2023•12 min
Remote teaching during the pandemic wasn’t the best way for many students to learn, but it was a stopgap measure to help schools get through the crisis. Now, some schools across the state are finding themselves turning to virtual teaching companies to help them fill the vacancies left by an extreme teacher shortage. In this episode, WRAL education reporter Emily Walkenhorst explains exactly what these companies do and how this virtual education experiment is going.
Sep 25, 2023•12 min
