After accumulating more than 3,000 shares on Facebook, a student who was denied the chance to walk across the stage at Orange High School’s graduation ceremony on June 7 will finally have his moment.

Orange High School reverses decision, student will walk at graduation

Look around and you'll notice it everywhere on the roads - drivers looking down at their phones. Tonight at 6 p.m., what lawmakers and parents are doing to protect the group most at risk in North Carolina - teenage drivers.  

Tonight at 6: It's blamed for more crashes among NC teens than speed and alcohol combined. WRAL Investigates distracted teen driving.

The "Dueling Dinosaurs" exhibit opening this weekend at Raleigh's North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will feature what's believed to be the most complete T. rex skeleton ever discovered.

'Dueling Dinosaurs:' One-of-a-kind dig, laboratory access at Raleigh science museum

DinoLab at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods, so purchasing separate flood insurance is crucial in North Carolina, especially in high-risk areas.

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods: How to protect your home in North Carolina

Princeville residents weigh options after Hurricane Matthew

All assets associated with the tag: Cherokee Nation

Cherokee Nation Coverage

Friday, Oct. 27, 2023 -- People from Asheville regularly pitch in at Amy Walker's garden. But given the long history of exploitation and displacement, Cherokee tribal members are careful about inviting outsiders in.

JACEY FORTIN: Seeds of native knowledge grow in North Carolina

Seeds of Native Knowledge Grow in North Carolina

By itself, being able to read smartphone home screens in Cherokee won't be enough to safeguard the Indigenous language, endangered after a long history of erasure. But it might be a step toward immersing younger tribal citizens in the language spoken by a dwindling number of their elders.

PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS. AND YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT IT ON WRAL TECH WIRE DOT COM. YOU KNOW, SMARTPHONES, NO MATTER HOW SMALL OR OLD CAN DO SO MUCH. AND NOW THEY ARE ANSWERING THE CALL TO ACTUALLY REVIVE A DYING LANGUAGE. >> FEWER THAN 200 PEOPLE IN NORTH CAROLINA. SPEAK CHEROKEE AS A FIRST LANGUAGE AND IT'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE WORLD'S SEVERELY ENDANGERED LANGUAGES. TONIGHT WRAL'S BRYAN MIMS AND HOW CELL PHONES WITH THE HELP OF A CAROLINA PROFESSOR COULD KEEP THE CHEROKEES NATIVE TONGUE FROM GOING SILENT. >> SHE OWED SET >> THAT'S HOW I OPEN THE STORY FROM CHEROKEE COUNTRY AND THE GREAT SMOKIES A FEW YEARS BACK. THE WORDS MEAN, WE ARE STILL WORDS SAYING TO ME THROUGH THE VOICES OF TEENAGERS, THE CHEROKEE CENTRAL CHEROKEE PEOPLE ARE STILL HERE. YES, BUT THEIR LANGUAGE IS SLIPPING AWAY LIKE A WEST DURING SAW LANGUAGE. ENCAPSULATED OUR WHOLE CULTURE. THEN FRY IS A UNC PROFESSOR OF AMERICAN STUDIES AT A MEMBER OF THE EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS. HE SAYS ONLY 173 OF THE ROUGHLY 17,000 CHEROKEES IN NORTH CAROLINA. SPEAK CHEROKEE AS THEIR FIRST LANGUAGE. VERY, VERY ALARMING, MOSTLY BECAUSE THE AGE OF THE SPEAKERS, AT LEAST 65 AND BY AND LARGE, IT'S NOT BEING PASSED ON IN THE HOME. THAT'S WHY MOTOROLA IS PUTTING THE CHEROKEE LANGUAGE MORE THAN 130,000 WORDS. >> ALL THAT SMART PHONES THAT SUPPORT ANDROID 12. SO IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN READ EVERYTHING ON YOUR ANDROID AND CHEROKEE. >> GIULIANA READY. OTTAWA'S HEADLINE WAS FOR MOTOROLA. THEM PLACES WE SEE. WE SEE SHARE A KEY. >> BEING USED THAT THE MORE AND MORE POWERFUL THE LANGUAGE BECOMES AND THE MORE LIKELY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE WANTING, I'M WILLING TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE, RIGHT? ESPECIALLY TECH SAVVY YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE INSEPARABLE FROM THEIR PHONES. PROFESSOR FREI WORK WITH MOTOROLA AND THE CHEROKEE TRIBE IN CRAFTING THE TRANSLATIONS. SO I WOULD MAKE SURE THAT THE DIALECT MATCHED UP WITH WHAT WE USUALLY USE IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LANGUAGE APPEARS ONLY IN WRITTEN FORM. THE PHONE DOESN'T TALK TO YOU IN CHEROKEE, BUT YOU NEED ALL OF DIRECTOR OF GLOBALIZATION, SOFTWARE FOR MOTOROLA HOPES THIS EFFORT SPEAKS LOUDLY. WE TRY TO INSPIRE. >> OTHER COMPANIES AND OTHER GLOBALIZATION EXPERTS TOWARDS THE COSTS ARE GOING TO WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THE CHEROKEE LANGUAGE IS NOT JUST A RELIC OF THE PAST. THOSE WORDS, WE ARE STILL HERE. STILL SHOUT FROM THE MOUNTAINTOPS BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ARE INEVITABLE DISAPPEARANCE, QUOTE, UNQUOTE, FOR 300 YEARS. AND WE'RE STILL SHE BOTH SET BRYAN MIMS WRAL NEWS. WHAT A RICH PART OF NORTH CAROLINA'S HISTORY. AND THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME MOTOROLA HAS FEATURED ENDANGERED LANGUAGES ON ITS PHONES LAST YEAR.

New smart phones feature Cherokee language 

 So few people speak Cherokee now, the language is considered endangered. But there are ongoing efforts to keep it alive.



Cell phone technology keeps endangered Cherokee language a tap away

Attorney General Josh Stein declines to investigate, but the formal request points to still simmering tensions and questions in the fight between the Cherokee and Catawba tribes over casinos in North Carolina.

House Democrats ask AG to investigate deals surrounding planned Catawba casino

Casino, slot machine, gambling

The Eastern Band of the Cherokees and other Native American groups are lobbying the U.S. Senate to block legislation that would give full federal recognition to the Lumbee tribe.

BECAUSE OF A WATER MAIN BREAK, AND YOU'LL NEED MORE TIME TO GET WHERE YOU'RE GOING. >>> A BATTLE OVER GAMBLING AND CASINOS IS BREWING. THE CHEROKEE NATION WANTS TO BLOCK THE RECENT ACTS. >> THIS REST STOP FEATURES A GIANT SOMBRERO, AND COULD BE THE SITE OF NEW GAMBLING CASINOS IF LUMBEE INDIANS GET FULL RECOGNITION FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. >> HOUR AND A HALF FROM THE COAST, COUPLE HOURS FROM THE MOUNTAINS, IT'S A PERFECT MIDWAY POINT. >> Reporter: MEMBERS OF THE CHEROKEE NATION WORRY THIS COULD DIP INTO THEIR CASINOS, AND SENT A LETTER TO CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS, SAYING THE LUMBEE SHOULD PURSUE FEDERAL RECOGNITION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR, WHERE EXPERTS AND PROCEDURES ARE IN PLACE. >> WE ARE USED TO IT. LUMBEE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR RECOGNITION SINCE 1888 AND THE CHEROKEE HAVE IMPOSED ON MANY OCCASIONS, SO WE'RE NOT SURPRISED. >> Reporter: IT WAS PASSED BY THE HOUSE AND IS WAITING SENATE APPROVAL. >> I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GET RECOGNIZED. >> Reporter: PRESIDENT TRUMP CAME HERE TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR THE LUMBEE ACT. SO DOES THE CHEROKEE NATION HAVE ENOUGH LOBBYING NATION TO BLOCK THIS IN THE SENATE?

Cherokees seek to block recognition of Lumbees

Casino

Concerns about casino competition could be behind resistance to recognition for Lumbees

Gov. Roy Cooper's administration says it doesn't have to release gaming compact proposal under state open records law.

Quietly, negotiations ongoing over new North Carolina casino plans

A Socially Distant Las Vegas? What Are the Odds?

The Catawba Indian Nation wants to build a casino west of Charlotte, creating a rift with the Eastern Band of the Cherokees and among North Carolina elected officials.

Bid for casino near Charlotte splits tribes, NC officials

Tillis, Burr back Catawba casino, while 38 NC senators oppose it

Wagering on college and professional sports and on horse races would become legal at casinos run by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee in western North Carolina under a proposal state lawmakers are considering.

Some fear legalizing sports betting at Cherokee casinos will spread it across NC

Betting on college, pro games, horse races could be coming to Cherokee casinos

In October, the NC Symphony hosted a series of concerts across the state featuring teenage musicians from the Cherokee nation.