WRAL Investigates how a prank call turned into a near-death experience, and what needs to be done to prevent an innocent person from being killed.

On WRAL at 6: How a prank call turned into a near-death experience and what needs to be done to prevent an innocent person from being killed.

NCAA bracket

College hoops bracket challenge

A moment of silence was held before a basketball game for Katie Taylor, 18, a senior at the school who was admitted to the hospital Wednesday with an illness. 

<b>CARY, N.C.</b> — Cary High School students remembered a classmate on Friday night who passed away this week. 

A moment of silence was held before a basketball game for Katie Taylor, 18, a senior at the school who was admitted to the hospital Wednesday with an illness. She died on Thursday night. 

Family members said she had a condition that attacked the muscles of her heart. They said the loss came as a shock. 

Kathy Hanrahan

Cary High senior remembered 

Katie Taylor

Two 16-year-old boys are dead and another 16-year-old boy is in the hospital from a shooting in Durham on Tuesday.

Families mourn teens killed in Durham; 18-year-old scheduled to appear in court

Jorge Raul Benitez-Mendoza

VinFast is launching its latest model - an electric powered SUV called the VF9 - in its home country of Vietnam and says it has plans to ship models to the U.S. for sale in "coming months."

VinFast unveils big electric SUV, plans deliveries to US 'in coming months'

VinFast SUV

One of the men was a passenger in Wood's vehicle when she hit a parked car on Dec. 8.

2 men face misdemeanor charges after State Auditor Beth Wood's December crash

NC State Auditor Beth Wood charged with hit-and-run

A Smithfield Middle School teacher has resigned after an investigation, which found the teacher taped students' mouths shut.

'He was humiliated': Johnston County mother questions why teacher taped middle school student's mouth shut

Catherine Webster said she got a text from her son on Feb. 14 from inside Smithfield Middle School. There was painter's tape across the sixth grader's face. Photo courtesy of Catherine Webster.

High temperatures on Thursday are forecasted to reach 80 degrees.

Big, big warmup: Highs soar to the 80s on Thursday

Pattern change coming...

Leaders at a water conference at NC State this week are addressing the swath of challenges that threaten the state -- including climate change, pollution, and drinking water contamination.

North Carolina faces many environmental challenges

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

Wednesday is the first of two votes in the full House required to put the Medicaid Expansion bill on Governor Roy Cooper's desk. The Senate has already approved it.

House session to vote on Medicaid Expansion Bill

Videos

Four North Carolina players have entered the transfer portal after a season that ended without an NCAA Tournament berth.

Armando Bacot returning to UNC; Puff Johnson entering transfer portal

Armando Bacot

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A 5,000-mile seaweed belt lurking in the Atlantic Ocean is expected in the next few months to wash onto beaches in the Caribbean Sea, South Florida, and the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico.

A 5,000-mile seaweed belt is headed toward Florida

Sargassum_Seaweed_82321

A head-to-head win between two state champs -- 4A champ Northwest Guilford defeating 3A champ Fred T. Foard -- propelled the Vikings to the top spot.