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

Compared to pre-pandemic prices, ground beef is up 35%, chips are up 45%, bread is up 57% and a 12-ounce can of soda is up 66%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks trends on common grocery store items.

WRAL Investigates: 'Greedflation' and other drivers behind inflation at the grocery store

A look at inflation at the grocery store

On 10/8 just after 2300 a flash flood entered Cotton Volunteer Fire Department just outside of Hope Mills. The firefighters had just returned from one of dozens of water rescues that day to quickly drive all of the fire apparatus away from the station. The crews spent the rest of the night at Gray's Creek Station 24 and today setup temporary operations on Missy Bird Lane. Tomorrow they will move to a vacant building in the district. They are still continuing to run fire and water rescue calls despite their own home being destroyed by flood. They need to be recognized as examples for the rest of the community in the Gray's Creek area and Cumberland County. You can find pictures of the destruction on our Facebook page &quot;Cotton Volunteer Fire Department Station 4&quot;. Cotton VFD has been around for over 50 years and is led by Fire Chief Owen Harris.

Cumberland County Fire Station flooded