5 On Your Side digs into potential fire hazards all over your home. Found inside phones, toys, cars, and lawn tools, lithium-ion batteries can cause serious damage. At 6 p.m., WRAL shares simple steps to protect your home from lithium batteries.

On WRAL at 6:🔥Fire hazards inside toys and lawn tools. 5 On Your Side shares simple steps to protect your home from lithium-ion batteries.

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

Stores that sell electronics, like Best Buy and Staples, offer convenient and accessible solutions for North Carolina residents looking to responsibly dispose of their electronics.

How to recycle your old electronics: A guide for North Carolina households

Old electronics 

Thales Academy broke ground Thursday for the private school's newest junior and senior high school complex, the chain's second high school in the Triangle.

<b>ROLESVILLE, N.C.</b> — Thales Academy broke ground Thursday for the private school's newest junior and senior high school complex, the chain's second high school in the Triangle.

The 55,000-square-foot building will include a gymnasium and theater between Grand Rock Way and Storage Drive.

Construction is expected to take about one year.

Thales Academy breaks ground in Rolesville

Thales Academy Rolesville

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

Armadillo Grill has closed its Glenwood Avenue location in Raleigh, owners announced Wednesday. 

After more than 20 years in business, Glenwood South restaurant announces closure

Armadillo Grill

Make sure you get outside on Thursday! It's going to feel like summer with highs in the upper 80s and lots of sunshine.

Hot, sunny Thursday on tap ahead of Level 1 risk for severe storms Friday 

Feeling like summer, Thursday, April 18

A group of people were caught on video in Asheville pulling bear cubs out of a tree -- all to take a few selfies.



On cam: NC group pulls bear cubs out of tree for selfies 

It was a brazen theft: thousands of gold bars and millions of dollars in bank notes stolen a year ago from Toronto's international airport.

Nine people, including an airline worker, arrested in $14.5 million gold heist

Canada_Pearson_Heist_24821

WRAL-TV News Broadcasts: Watch each newscast live or watch the most recent newscast on demand.

WRAL Late News 

WRAL Noon News

Get the latest WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast whenever you need it, including the DUALDoppler5000 and the 7-Day Forecast.

WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast

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

Evening Pick 3 Pick 4 and Cash 5

Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday Powerball drawings, as shown live on WRAL.

Powerball Drawing

A crash has shut down all but one lane of Interstate 540 westbound near Buffaloe Road in Raleigh. Sky 5 is over the scene

Crash shuts down I-540 West near Buffaloe Road in Raleigh; Sky 5 is over the scene

Videos

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

The NHL has set the start times for game 1's across the Eastern Conference. The Canes are the opening act with puck drop Saturday at 5 pm from PNC Arena.

Get ready for 'Saturday Night in Raleighwood' as the NHL sets game 1 start time

Bruins_Hurricanes_Hockey_24349

USA Basketball studied every men's basketball game it has played for about two decades and a clear trend eventually appeared. When the defense isn't good enough, the Americans tend to get themselves into trouble.

USA Basketball announces its men's team for the Paris Olympics

Pelicans_Warriors_Basketball_28998

The Carolina Hurricanes are no stranger to playoff hockey. They're in the postseason for the sixth-straight season and are regarded as a Stanley Cup contender.

Chaos-causing Canes start chase for the cup as favorites

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.