We’re also looking into a gas leak in Durham, a downtown Raleigh institution being one of several businesses closing, and two shootings in one week near the American Tobacco Campus. Watch WRAL-TV at 7 and search for these and other stories on WRAL.com.

On WRAL at 7: Strong winds, heavy rain, and hail possible ⛈️ We’re timing out when the biggest storm threats could fire up

Shortages of teachers, infrastructure and technology workers will hamper schools' ability to provide the best education, facilities and tools to children, Superintendent Robert Taylor said Thursday.

Higher employee pay will be key to running Wake schools smoothly, superintendent says

Wake County Public School System Superintendent Robert Taylor speaks to the League fo Women Voters of Wake County, April 18, 2024

More than 21% of North Carolina's four-year-olds enrolled in the state's pre-kindergarten programs during the 2022-2023 school year, up from the prior year but still below the state's pre-pandemic highs, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.

North Carolina ranks 29th in public pre-K enrollment, new report shows

Durham County budget increases funding for pre-K students

<b>RALEIGH</b> — Two of North Carolina's most influential lawmakers are calling for a bill to protect your medical rights.

Governor Mike Easley and Senator John Edwards met with health care providers Monday at WakeMed in Raleigh. They say they want to give patients more power in choosing their doctors and their health care.

"Right now, HMOs are one of the few groups in America who can't be held accountable for what they do," Edwards says. "We're just trying to put accountability into the system and empower patients and doctors."

Easley and Edwards think the patient's bill of rights has enough support to pass on the state and federal level.

Stephanie Hawco

Ron Pittman

Kamal Wallace

Easley, Edwards Discuss Plans For Patients' Bill of Rights

Senator John Edwards and Governor Mike Easley want to give patients more power in choosing their doctors and their health care.(WRAL-TV5 News)

More than 4,300 North Carolinians died from overdoses in 2022. That trend continues going up, devastating entire communities.

2022 data: 12 people a day died from drug overdoses in North Carolina 

Woman shows faces of those who died from overdoses in NC

The Durham Fire Department responded to a gas leak involving a propane tank Thursday afternoon.

Gas leak prompts evacuations in Durham on Angier Avenue 

Domestic violence cases have spiked since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 17 homicides related to domestic violence already reported in North Carolina this year. In 2022, 72 homicides were connected to domestic violence in the state.

Mom of 3 shot in Harnett County as NC's domestic violence deaths rise

Heather Pritt

The Storm Prediction Center has our southern counties under a Level 1 risk for severe storms Friday.

Level 1 severe threat: Strong winds and hail possible Friday 

Level 1 risk for severe storms Friday 

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Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings are held at 3 p.m. daily. They can be seen as live or on-demand video.

Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 Drawing

After 22 years in business, Armadillo Grill on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh has closed.



Glenwood South staple Armadillo Grill closes

Nightly N.C. Education Lottery drawings during the 11 p.m. News.

Evening Pick 3 Pick 4 and Cash 5

Videos

The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City in a deal that was signed less than 24 hours after Wednesday night's 5-2 win over Edmonton.

Party's over: Coyotes end tenure in the desert with team's sale, move to Salt Lake City

Oilers_Coyotes_Hockey_54852

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler is running on fumes after an exhausting Masters victory just four days ago. He hit a shank from a bunker. He nearly lost his mind from mud on his golf ball. And he still managed a 2-under 69 at the RBC Heritage on Thursday.

Scheffler wiped out from Masters and opens with a 69 at Hilton Head. He trails Poston by 6 shots

RBC_Heritage_Golf_93540

NCAA athletes will be immediately eligible to play no matter how many times they transfer -- as long as they meet academic requirements -- after the association fast-tracked legislation Wednesday to fall in line with a recent court order.

NCAA allows transfers to be immediately eligible, no matter how many times they've switched schools

Transfer_Rule_Lawsuit_40318

After the death of a Harnett County teenager, the softball community in Eastern North Carolina remembers her through stickers and fighting the stigma around mental health.