We’re also following the flight delays and tomorrow’s impacts after a plane crash at RDU. Plus, Only on WRAL, why a high school student is not allowed to participate in one of the most important events of his life.. and how he and his family are fighting for him to graduate. Watch WRAL-TV at 11 p.m., and search for these and other stories on WRAL.com.

On WRAL at 11: Cooler weather tomorrow morning but we’re about to warm up. When and where temperatures top 90 degrees

Have you noticed an unusual smell or flavor in your tap water over the past few days?

What's wrong with Raleigh tap water? Algae bloom at Falls Lake behind the smell, color

'Earthy and musty:' Here's why your tap water may taste strange this weekend in Raleigh

Athens Drive Magnet High School and Conn Magnet Elementary School won national awards Saturday at the Magnet Schools of America's annual conference.

Top two magnet schools in the US are in Wake County

Athens Drive High School

Hospitalizations are at the highest they've been since mid-February.  Ashley Wheeler is an ER Nurse at Duke Regional. 

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NOW ADMITTED IN THEIR 30s AND 40s. ASHLEY WHEELER IS AN ER NURSE AND DUKE REGIONAL WE STARTED TALKING WITH IN APRIL 2020. IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC SHE GAVE US RARE INSIGHT, SHARING HER PERSPECTIVE TREATING COVID PATIENTS AS CASES SEARCH. WERE THERE FOR THIS MOMENT OF HOPE WHEN SHE RECEIVED THE VACCINE DAYS AFTER THE FDA GRANTED ITS EMERGENCY USE IN DECEMBER. I HAVE STAYED IN TOUCH WITH ASHLEY. I AM SO HONORED TO HAVE HER JOIN US LIVE TONIGHT. SO GREAT TO SEE YOU. WHEN I SAW THOSE TENTS THAT DO, I VIVIDLY REMEMBER THE VIDEO WHERE YOU WERE SHOWING US BACK IN MAY, I BELIEVE, THE TENTS THAT WENT UP BECAUSE OF THE SEARCH. WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN YOU SAW THE FACT THAT THE 10th HAVE TO GO BACK UP? >> I WASN'T SURPRISED. WE'VE BEEN SEEING THE COVID NUMBERS CONTINUOUSLY GO UP AND THE HOSPITAL OVERALL HAS BEEN SO FULL. I HEARD THAT THEY WERE PUTTING UP THE TENTS AND DUKE. I THINK DUKE IS BEING WISE TO GET READY. JUST LOOKING AT WHAT IS GOING ON IN HEALTH SYSTEMS TO THE SOUTH OF US, IT IS LOOKING LIKE WE WILL FIND OURSELVES IN A POSITION AGAIN. I AM GLAD THAT THEY ARE BEING PROACTIVE. >> Reporter: WE SHARED A LOT OF NUMBERS, WE SHARE THEM EVERY DAY, MONITORING THE TRENDS. JUST SAYING IT RIGHT NOW FEELS LIKE WE ARE TAKING BIG STEPS BACKWARDS, BUT YOU EXPERIENCED THE TRENDS. WHAT HAS A SPIKE THEM TO MORALE AT THE HOSPITAL? >> THE MORALE, I GUESS IT COULD BE BETTER. WE ARE HOLDING ON. EVERYBODY IS STILL DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO, DOING IT WITH A LOT LESS RESOURCES. WHEN WE TALKED THROUGH THE EARLY MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC OUR PATIENT VOLUMES WERE ACTUALLY PRETTY LOW. NOW, WE ARE SEEING THIS BIG SPIKE ON TOP OF ALL THE REGULAR ER PATIENTS. IT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. >> WE'VE ALSO BEEN REPORTING ON NURSE SHORTAGES HAPPENING ACROSS THE STATE. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHY YOU THINK THAT IS HAPPENING? IS IT A COMBINATION OF THE FACT THAT RIGHT NOW NURSES ARE JUST IN HIGH DEMAND, OR IT IS IT THAT NURSES JUST DO NOT WANT TO TAKE CARE OF COVID PATIENTS ANYMORE? >> I DON'T KNOW ANY NURSES PERSONALLY THAT ARE TAKING THEMSELVES OUT OF A JOB MARKET IN THAT WAY, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT WANT TO TAKE CARE OF COVID PATIENTS. I THINK THE DIFFERENCE IS THERE ARE A LOT OF NURSES WHO MAYBE DO NOT WORK FULL-TIME IN THE FIELD. I THINK THOSE PEOPLE ARE LESS INTERESTED IN COMING INTO THE HOSPITALS RIGHT NOW. THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN HERE ALL ALONG, WE ARE JUST TIRED. >> Reporter: ARE YOU SEEING A DIFFERENCE IN THE TYPES OF PEOPLE NOW BEING TREATED COMPARED TO THE LAST SURGE IN THE WINTER? >> IT DEFINITELY IS YOUNGER PEOPLE. THROUGHOUT THE EARLIER MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC IT WAS A LOT OF NURSING HOME SETTINGS OR OTHER COMMUNAL LIVING TYPES OF SETTINGS. THIS IS ALL JUST PEOPLE OUT IN PUBLIC WHO NEVER THOUGHT THEY WOULD GET IT OR ALREADY THOUGHT THEY HAD IT, AND HERE THEY ARE COMING IN AND TESTING POSITIVE. >> Reporter: ARE THEY VACCINATED? >> MOST OF THEM ARE NOT. I THINK IN MY PERSONAL PRACTICE I HAVE ENCOUNTERED ONE PERSON WHO BECAME OR TESTED POSITIVE AFTER BEING VACCINATED. THE OTHER ONES ARE UNVACCINATED. >> Reporter: ARE THESE PEOPLE ASKING FOR THE VACCINE ONCE THEY ARE GETTING TO THE HOSPITAL AND THEY HAVE GOTTEN SICK? >> USUALLY THEY ARE STILL KIND OF SHOCKED BY THE DIAGNOSIS, OR STILL KIND OF ABSORBING THE INFORMATION. THEY DON'T NECESSARILY ASK IN THE ER, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO THINK EVIL ARE WILLING TO GET VACCINATED. AT LEAST THINKING ABOUT IT FOR LATER. >> Reporter: I REALLY THINK ABOUT HOW YOU MUST BE EXHAUSTED. THIS IS NOW BEEN 16 MONTHS SINCE WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH YOU. HOW ARE YOU NAVIGATING THIS TIME NOW PERSONALLY? >> I COULD BE BETTER. SORRY, I GET EMOTIONAL TALKING ABOUT IT. ER NURSING IS REALLY HARD ON A REGULAR DAY, IT'S REALLY HARD NOW. [ CRYING] >> Reporter: DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE SUPPORT FROM YOUR HOSPITAL? >> YES. THEY ARE ALL JUST AS TIRED AS WE ARE. EVERYBODY IS TRYING SO HARD. IT JUST FELT LIKE BEFORE WE HAD THIS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL WITH VACCINATIONS, AND THAT HAS COME AND GONE. IT IS JUST HARD TO THINK ABOUT DOING THIS FIVE YEARS FROM NOW OR 10 YEARS FROM NOW. NOBODY CAN SAY. >> Reporter: WE ARE CERTAINLY

Sydney Franklin

Duke ER nurse says light at the end of the tunnel from COVID-19 cases is gone as cases surge 

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

WRAL Late News 

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

I'm meteorologist K Campbell in the wr a severe weather center. It's been a warm spring so far. In fact, when you look at the spring to date numbers, it's actually the second warmest on record at RDU running about 4.5 degrees above normal and for rainfall about an inch and a half below normal. And we really need some rain. You know, it's been a pretty dry April so far we've seen less than an inch inch of rain this month tomorrow. It's a nice dry day for us, but I, you know, at least it's gonna be a nice day, right? 72 in the Triangle, as well as Siler City in Wilson. 70 in Rocky Mount. 67 though in Roxboro and 67 for Roanoke Rapids, a little cooler to the north. 76 degrees in Fayetteville, 73 Goldsboro in Smithfield and 75 in Southern Pines. It is going to be a little bit cooler in the morning because cold front moved through 50 degrees for the low in the triangle, right around 7 a.m. by 10 a.m. We're in the upper fifties, lunchtime, mid sixties and then in the lower seventies during the afternoon, dinner time, temperatures dip back into the upper sixties. A cold front passed earlier this evening and behind it, we are going to be drying out but cooling down briefly. It's not a huge drop in temperatures, but we will see this dip in the jet stream delivering some cooler air. We start to see a reversal of the jet stream flow and that changes really on Sunday with a warming southwest wind at the surface and at the jet stream level, that's going to drive temperatures up to 80 beginning on Sunday and the eighties will last into next week with a strengthening ridge of high pressure. So we expect a big climb in temperatures just throughout the course of the weekend, 48 degrees Friday morning, but back up to 80 by Sunday afternoon and then much warmer weather is on the way for next week. We're looking at seventies for the next few days with mostly cloudy skies for the weekend days. The sun's back out though next Monday and with a warming wind, we're back in the upper eighties three days in a row all the way up to 89 on Tuesday. Tuesday might be the 1st 90 degree day of the year for parts of North Carolina.

WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast

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

Good evening. I'm Gayle Hurd. Welcome to tonight's drawings for Wednesday, April 24th, 2024. Well, let's get started tonight with our Carolina pick three. Our first winning number is a seven. Our second number is six and the third number tonight is a nine and our pick three. Fireball number is six. Joining me for tonight's show is our auditor from mcconnell and Jones L LP. Now let's move to the Carolina pick four. Good luck. Everyone who's that first winning pick four number, it's zero. Our second number is a nine. Third number tonight is three and our fourth number is one in our pick for fireball number. There it is. It's three. Again, we're turning now to the Carolina cash five and no one was the top prize tonight. Tomorrow's top prize is estimated at $620,000. Good luck. Everyone here's their first win in cash five number. It's a 29. Our second number, it's 37 3rd number tonight. It's 34. Our fourth number is lucky 13 and the final number in our cash five this evening is 12. The North Carolina Education lottery has contributed over $10 billion to education. Get your winning numbers right here every night on your exclusive station for the North Carolina Education lottery. Thanks for playing. Have a great night.

Evening Pick 3 Pick 4 and Cash 5

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

Ball. Good evening, Ruan, I Randy trainer. Tonight. We have another life changing jackpot. It's worth an estimated $130.2 million. So, get your tickets ready here. Come, tonight's winning numbers. Let's start things off this evening with the number 26. Right after that America. We have the number two and congratulations to Gina Magnum from North Carolina. She won $50,000 playing powerball. All right, the rest of your winning numbers tonight 20 47. And let's round it out tonight with the number 22 and tonight 20 powerball number, that's gonna be 21 and your power play multiplayer is four. Let's take another look at tonight's winning numbers. We'll see you back here on Saturday night. It's time to play America's favorite.

Powerball Drawing

Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 drawings are held at 3 p.m. daily. They can be seen as live or on-demand video.

Good afternoon. I'm Luis Fernandez. Welcome to this afternoon's drawings for Wednesday, April 24th, 2024. Let's get started with Carolina pick three. The first pick three number is two, second is eight and the third is eight and our pick three fireball number is five. Join me for this afternoon's drawing is our auditor for mcconnell LP. Now let's move to Carolina pick four. The first pick four, number is five. The second is one, the third is three and the fourth is zero and our pick four. Fireball number is five. The North Carolina Education lottery has contributed over $10 billion to education and thanks for your support.

Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 Drawing

Brian Shrader flies over the site of a plane crash at Raleigh-Durham International Airport approximately three hours after the accident.

Seen some activity just in the past 10 minutes or so. I want to take you outside Sky five right now for a live look at the scene. We saw a van being escorted to the runway there and someone got out and now there appears to be a really careful inspection of the debris going on. So we're working to confirm if that may be the NTSB investigation team arriving at the scene. Let's zoom out and give you some about where this is. There are two main runways at RDU International and this is in the grassy field next to the runway that mostly serves terminal one on the east side of the airport, that runway remains closed while this investigation continues at the top of your screen. That is the other main runway that serves terminal two, mostly that runway is open. So we have two things going on here that could affect your flights for the rest of the day and maybe even into tomorrow, the airport takeoff and landing capacity is roughly reduced by half because they are only working with one runway. And if you have a flight coming out of terminal one, maybe Southwest, you're going to have to take that crossover all the way out to that other runway. It's going to add a lot of extra time.

Sky 5 flies over RDU plane crash 3 hours later 

A UNC Health physician and pilot were taken to the hospital Wednesday after a small plane crashed at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).


Sky 5 flies over plane crash at RDU

RDU Airport Authority gives an update on a plane crash that sent a physician and pilot to the hospital. The crash occurred Wednesday morning on a flight that took off from Wilmington.

<p>Landguth first, I want to extend my thoughts to those affected by this morning's aircraft accident and thank our first responders for their quick action to respond. The airport authority and its mutual aid partners responded to an aircraft accident at RDU involving a general aviation aircraft. The accident occurred at approximately 10:10 a.m. in the grass next to runway five, right 23 left. The flight was arriving from Wilmington, North Carolina. The A the aircraft is owned by medical Air Inc and operated by UN C air operations. The aircraft had two people on board, one pilot and one passenger. Both were transported to area hospitals. The federal A Bush administration issued a ground stop that was lifted at approximately 1130 this morning. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have both been notified. The National Transportation Safety Board is en route and expected to arrive within the next hour at which time we will conduct an accident investigation. Rdu's runway five left 23 right reopened to departing and arriving aircraft around 11:30 a.m. this morning. Are you experiencing approximately 70 delays and several arriving flights were diverted to other airports? Until ground stock was lifted, travelers should contact their airline for the latest updates regarding the flight status. And of course questions about the identity and condition of the pilot and passenger should be directed to UN C health. And at this time I'll try to answer any questions. You may have, uh, the one, any other accidents in, in the past. I'm not familiar with any other accidents have occurred with that operation. I don't know, uh, that's the role of the National Transportation Safety Board. They'll actually come in and do the investigation. Uh, and at some point in the future, they write up a report and determine what the cause of the accident was. You know, that there was no notification to the airport authority or to the FAA uh about any type of emergency on board. Do we have a guy? We don't, all we know that we've got them out of the airplane and we've got them transported to local hospitals. We know situations like this and delays have a ripple effect on, you know, flights. Do you have any idea what type of impact we'll see here in our view and for not sure, but what we're going to encourage everybody to do is reach out to your airlines. We'll be able to give you real time information about the impact of your particular flight. Ok. I believe some of them went to Greensboro and I think a couple went to Charlotte as well. What, what to be impacted due to the NTSD. Say that one more time at this point in time, what we call the west side of our airport is now open the investigation they'll conduct will all be on the east side. So at this point, we are anticipating normal operations returning to normal operations from this point forward. I don't think that anything that they're doing regarding the investigation or where they would have to investigate would have any impact to the west side of the airport. No, the aircraft is still on the airfield itself. It's on the east side of the field. So terminal one that runways the east side of the field, that's where the debris field actually sits, the west side of the field is open and operational and safe to operate. Not that I'm aware of in operations for you throughout this event today. What was your main concern concerning the passengers that were in the internals? Right. I think our primary focus when, when that accident occurred were the two people sitting in that aircraft? Our primary mission is to make sure we can get to them and try to rescue them and try to make sure that we can get them in a safe condition as fast as we possibly can. Uh secondarily is trying to figure out then how we recover and get our operations back up and running. Mhm. How does that affect? What goes on term? Yeah, so great. Question. So the team has figured out a way to get all the aircraft they're gonna operate at terminal one. Your Southwest develops. Uh We've got a crossover taxi way that we can actually get them through our general aviation aircraft. We've got a crossover taxiway, we can get them to. But the rest of the uh accident scene is actually kind of isolated and closed and locked off. Yeah, you're terminal one at this point in time. Once they can get back on their schedule, it's going to be a normal operations. All right. Thank you guys. All right. Thank you. Grab your phone, right.</p>

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