We’re also listening to protesters' demands for Duke and the city of Durham after marching through downtown. Plus, why students and faculty are especially concerned with just a few days left in the semester. Watch WRAL-TV at 11 p.m., and search for these and other stories on WRAL.com.

On WRAL at 11 : Chance for storms and rain this weekend. When you might need to move your plans indoors

It's that time of year when your child will be taking end-of-grade tests or EOGs. What are EOGs and how can you help them be better prepared?

End-of-grade tests: Everything you need to know about these annual exams

Student testing 

Triangle residents who are fans of thrills and themed attractions don't have to travel far to experience some of the best.

Guide: Amusement parks within driving distance of Raleigh

New Carowinds rollercoaster nears opening date

All assets associated with the tag: sledding

Sledding Coverage

Wintertime, snow in the mountains and people from all over love to go sledding on the highest sled run east of the Mississippi. Sledding Hill is at Beech Mountain and a snowy magnet for kids and families. 

THE OFFICERS GOT TO HAVE BALL ON CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR'S EVE NIGHT. YOU LIKE THAT ONE OF MY SLEEP TIME. WINTERTIME SNOW. LET'S GO SLEDDING AT TONIGHT. ARE TAR HEEL TRAVELER TAKES US TO THE HIGHEST SLED RUN IN THE EAST. WE FIND SCOTT MACEAN WEST IN AVERY COUNTY IN BEECH MOUNTAIN AT SLEDDING ILL. >> POUND SHE GO TO THE BALL. IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE FLYING DOWN THE HILL. IT'S READING HERE. STEEP SLIDING, WHO HIT 2 RELAYS. I'M IN THE TOWN OF BEECH MOUNTAIN, GOOD FRIEND ED DADS TAKING ANOTHER RUN. >> HIS BACK. >> AND IS LITTLE ANGELS ARE 2. THEY COME FROM ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE WE GET A LOT FROM FLORIDA WHERE YOU FROM TAMPA, FLORIDA AND TENNESSEE. WE LOOKED FOR SLIDING ALL OVER NORTH CAROLINA ARE THE BEST PLACES RIGHT HERE OFF. SO IT'S A CRIME. IT'S A CRIME. THIS IS JUST A NATURAL HILL. A NATURALLY STEEP HILL. BEECH MOUNTAIN IS THE HIGHEST TOWN IN EASTERN AMERICA. THE ELEVATION HERE IS 5,065 FEET. >> AND SO WELCOME TO EASTERN AMERICA'S HIGHEST LEVERAGE. BEAUTIFUL. >> YOU REALLY CAN'T TELL WHO HAS MORE FUN, THE CHILDREN OR THE CARE. THE PARENTS ARE FLYING IN THE AIR. >> THAT'S 15 YEARS AGO. >> AND IT'S BEEN DOWNHILL EVER SINCE. VERY, VERY NICE BALANCE. YOU CAN SEE THEY'RE NOT GOING OUT OF CONTROL, BUT IT'S FUN TO GO OUT OF >> AND FAST AND BUMPY AND BEAUTIFUL. IT'S FREE AS FIND MY KIDS LOVE IT. HAVE YOUR KIDS HIDE YOUR PARENTS. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL HOW ARE YOU READY TO GO AGAIN? YEAH. >> WE'LL BE READY FOR THAT. HIGH. BACK UP THE HILL TO GO AGAIN. SLEDDING HILL IS NEXT TO THE VISITOR CENTER AT BEECH

Tar Heel Traveler: Sledding Hill

Saturday was a perfect day for sledding. WRAL's Joe Fisher got a chance to sled with the cool kids at Fred Fletcher Park. Raleigh got around 3 inches of snow and by Saturday afternoon, the sun was shinning and temperatures were not too frigid. 

so fisher joins our crew right now, team coverage for you this morning, all morning long, not just the roads were going to get a little bit of fun in there where the kids are having a great time fled fred fletcher parked there and carrie jo oh the kids are having a great time. They really are and we're having a great time to, you know, I tend to cover a lot of serious news, but I got the best assignment of the day out here at fred fletcher park. Take a look at the crowd out here. I mean we've been seeing dozens and dozens, perhaps hundreds or more people who have really been coming up all day, just neighborhood kids and people coming over for the snow. You take a look at the hill and people are coming down and I finally convinced somebody to uh you know, rent their sled to me, Jeff Renee these girls over here, you guys want to sled with me. Okay, we're live on the news, so we have to put on a performance. Are you ready? All right. So the hardest part I would say after you come down the hill, Jeff is trying to get back up the hill because take a look at the mud and hopefully lukas nelson behind the camera doesn't get us falling flat on our face as we try to get up the hill. What do you think it's kind of slippery. Right, whoa. There have been a lot of sled runs. When you see all that mud on the hill, thousands of runs, it gets so packed down and you know what's interesting. This is my kind of snow. I grew up right outside of philadelphia were used to getting, you know, a good a few good snowstorms a year. And you know the trick. You have to get a little bit of a running start. Okay, are you ready? We're gonna put down the microphone and we're gonna, hey, is everyone ready? We're live on the news. Who wants to get in, say hi to your mom? Hey mom, I hope you're having a good day, mom and nana. We're all out here having a good time. We're going to get a running start and hopefully we don't run into lukas nelson down there with the camera. Right? All right, Renee, you're ready, Jeff you ready ready? And we're gonna get a running start a Youtube video right there. That's definitely a pro move right there, joe. I got the running. So look at that microphone and we do it for you. Yeah, I appreciate it and everything. Good job. Perfect. I'll be out here all day. That is fantastic as well. You should be because that is great. And the kids enjoying us. What a snow day should be. Right. We don't get these and if I can just mention before we go, I don't know why it feels so different right now, but it's just so good to see people smiling. We are so happy out here. That's, that's what it's all about right now And we finally got a snow day we've deserved. It's been three years. More than three years. Yeah. Since we have this kind of measurable adrenaline rush, How fun is that? Yeah. Three.

WRAL's Joe Fisher goes sledding at Fletcher Park in Raleigh

Saturday's snow day is a perfect one for sledding, and the first time in years we've had just-right conditions: Weekend snow, fluffy flakes, plenty of power. 

Here are the best places to sled in Raleigh, Durham, Cary

Winter Storm Arrives in the Northeast After Hitting Washington

With the snow bearing down on the Triangle. last-minute shoppers Friday went in search of sleds, shovels and salt.

ALL OF THIS IS >>> A LOT OF PEOPLE SCRAMBLE TO GET LAST MINUTE SNOW SUPPLIES TODAY. >> AMANDA LAMB HAD A LIVE REPORT AT NOON FROM A LOCAL HARDWARE STORE. SHE SAYS A FLOOD OF PEOPLE WHO SAW THE STORY RUSHED TO GET THEIR SLEDS. >> Reporter: THE FUNNY THING ABOUT SNOW SUPPLIES IS YOU DON'T USUALLY NEED THEM. WHEN YOU NEED THEM, YOU REALLY NEED THEM. WE FOUND PEOPLE PICKING UP THINGS LIKE SHOVELS AND SALT. PATRICK WENT FOR A POWER CORD FOR HIS DRYER. HE GOT A CALL FROM HIS WIFE TELLING HIM TO GO BACK. >> GOOD, YOU GOT A SLED? NO, I DIDN'T. SHE SAID GO BACK AND GET A SLED. >> Reporter: DOUGLAS BOUGHT SUPPLIES TO KEEP THE GENERATOR RUNNING BECAUSE HIS WIFE IS NERVOUS ABOUT A POWER OUTAGE. >> SHE'S NERVOUS. SHE THINKS WE GOING TO GET A BLIZZARD. >> WE HAVE THE ONES THAT HAVE A NICE HANDLE TO MAKE IT MORE COMFORTABLE. >> Reporter: THE HARDWARE STORE OWNER SAYS SHE TRIES TO KEEP SNOW SUPPLIES YEAR ROUND TO MAKE SURE CUSTOMERS CAN GET THEM WHEN THEY NEED THEM. >> THEY'RE LIKE WHY DO YOU HAVE ALL THESE SLEDS? IT DOESN'T REALLY SNOW. I AM LIKE IF IT SNOWS YOU CAN'T GET THEM. >> KNOCKED OUT AN ELECTRICAL PROJECT. IF WE GET SOME SNOW, THAT WILL BE GREAT. >> Reporter: WE FOUND NO SHORTAGE OF SNOW LOVERS. A LOT OF PEOPLE SAW US ON THE AIR AT NOON AND CAME TO GET A SLED. THEY WILL BE HAPPY WHEN THEY WAKE UP TOMORROW MORNING IF THEY HAVE ONE OF THESE ON HAND. >> HANDY-MAN MARKET HAS BEEN BUSY ALL WEEK. SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CALLING

As snow starts to fly, so do snow supplies

Despite many changes as a result of the coronavirus pandemics, the world's most famous sled dog race got underway in Alaska Sunday. 

And that's something we've heard from mushers. As they said, the out and back, we can expect a faster race we can mention after war. So he's had a great mission and a great story, and, uh, he's got to get up. What looks like 26 was his best finish in 2000. And uh huh, the first man in 2000 and four, then came back out there. Best of luck during this year's race now been 45. Rick Castle with the trail. They've already gone down. Yeah, and you know what normally happens and I did around when we say that run between Roman and Nikolai, there is fallacious overflow on some of the river in the areas that they've got to travel through, so you never know what's out there. That's the beauty of this. I don't know how many more times Cindy will run, but any mushroom would tell you you don't want your last race to be a scratch. That just doesn't sit right, because you can always go Alaska. And it says here, after retiring from the identity three times, she's decided to run one more time. Wow, Here we go. And there's Victoria Hardwick on the trail. Our final musher from the shoot. She takes it on

World's most famous dog sled race underway in Alaska 

Alaska's Iditarod underway 

A mother is warning sledders to wear helmets after her 3-year-old fractured his skull while playing in the snow. 

go ahead. Like many Minnesota families after the pre Christmas snow, the worm lease and Hastings went sledding on their favorite hill. There, 3.5 year old boy, Gordon was excited to go down by himself until he took a little spill at the bottom on his second ride. He just kind of rolled off the sled on it on a very open area without trees. Gordon scraped his forehead so they took him home. But they didn't know about the goose egg on the back of his head. And not until later how serious it waas. He set up to ask me a question, and he was not making any sense. His speech was slurred, he was stuttering, and he was visibly upset that I couldn't understand him. So he was not aware of all that. He wasn't making sense. A CT scan at the hospital revealed a skull fracture. It was the size and shape of a half dollar on the back of his head, and Gordon was rushed by ambulance to Children's in Minneapolis. It was terrifying. That's the best way I can explain it. One of the scariest parts was how Gordon spill at the bottom of the hill didn't look anywhere near a serious as it really waas, and we learned that at three years old, their skull isas thick as 10 sheets of paper. So the importance of wearing a helmet in any kind of activity is just so great. The warm Lee's describe themselves as normally overprotective, making their kids wear helmets for lots of activities. And now they're encouraging other parents to consider wearing helmets for sledding, too, because it really would have been very preventable if he had been wearing a helmet. They're thankful to have Gordon back home recovering. Happy New Year, everybody Blue Reduce Care 11 News.

3-year-old fractured his skull while sledding, mother warns

The snow has faded from the rolling hills of Dorothea Dix Park. Grass and mud are more like it after hours of sunlight. But for hours Friday morning and into the afternoon, families hauled out their sleds and went dashing through the snow.

Snowy conditions allow children, even adults, to have some fun

WRAL reporter Bryan Mims took his turn sledding at Dix Hill on Friday morning. Watch as he goes airborne on a huge bump in the snow and narrowly avoids being crashed into by a sledding child! 

WATCH: WRAL's Bryan Mims goes airborne while sledding on live TV

Bryan Mims goes sledding at Dix Hill

Fayetteville hasn't gotten much snow this year, but Saturday, kids can sled on four hills full of fresh snow at Segra Stadium. 

Go sledding! Fayetteville park has mounds of snow for winter fun 

North Hills Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration

Lots of snow in Pittsboro NC and mother has a plane to Atlanta to catch! Where there's a will, there's a way!!

Never too old! 87-year-old sleds in Pittboro

My 87 year old Mother has to get to RDU Airport 

Amanda Lamb joins in the fun as snow lovers enjoy sledding in Raleigh's Dorothea Dix Park.

Amanda Lamb joins snow lovers for some sledding in Dix Park

WRAL is live as snow lovers enjoy sledding in Raleigh's Dix Park.

Snow lovers enjoy sledding in Dix Park

Live look at road conditions in Raleigh

Students from NC State tried to see how many sleds they could link together for a ride down Dix Hill.