Shortages of teachers, infrastructure and technology workers will hamper schools' ability to provide the best education, facilities and tools to children, Superintendent Robert Taylor said Thursday.

Higher employee pay will be key to running Wake schools smoothly, superintendent says

Wake County Public School System Superintendent Robert Taylor speaks to the League fo Women Voters of Wake County, April 18, 2024

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

Lottery officials say tickets sales have bounced back strongly since the state began its Phase 2 recovery. 

North Carolina's education programs depend on lottery ticket sales to survive, but stay-at-home orders resulted in some big losses this year.

In March, <a href="https://www.wral.com/video/fewer-taking-lottery-risk-and-it-could-cost-nc-schools/19056346/">ticket sales were down by double digits due to the coronavirus pandemic</a>

 Since the statewide stay-at-home order took place March 30, overall, lottery sales are down 20%.

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Randall Kerr

Virus fears slow lottery sales, bode ill for education funding

Now, lottery officials say tickets sales have bounced back strongly since the state began its Phase 2 recovery.

Lottery ticket sales boost the state’s economy in two ways -- lottery winners often use their prize money to buy houses and cars, which stimulates the economy, and retail partners earn 7% commission.

The North Carolina Education Lottery reopened its claim centers Monday with some new safety guidelines in place.



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NC lottery claim centers, closed since March, reopen with new restrictions 

Alex Koonce of Chapel Hill walked over to his neighborhood Harris Teeter on Saturday to cash in on a winning $100 scratch-off ticket and walked out with a $200,000 winner.

With three weeks left in the fiscal year, the N.C. Education Lottery expects overall sales to meet or exceed their budget. $700 million will go to fund education programs.

A retired nurse from Angier said she "never misses a chance" to play Cash 5. It paid off, when on Wednesday she won a $115,497 prize. 



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Retired Angier nurse wins over $100,000 prize from NC lottery

North Carolina lottery

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Wake County construction manager ‘multiplies’ $20 ticket into $4 million win

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NEW YORK — A man set himself on fire Friday afternoon near the lower Manhattan courthouse where jurors were being chosen for the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump.

Man Sets Himself on Fire Near Courthouse Where Trump Is on Trial

Trump Trial Enters Fourth Day With Opening Arguments Next Week

Storms moved east Friday in central North Carolina. Over the weekend, the Triangle will feel a cooldown due to an incoming cold front.

Storms move east in North Carolina ⛈️; cooldown coming this weekend

Level 1 risk for severe storms Friday 

The crash involved a school bus from Corinth Holders Elementary School at North Carolina Highway 96 and Earpsboro Road in Johnston County, according to authorities.

Johnston County school bus involved in crash on NC 96 

UNC staff and hospital executives got their first looks at the product of the years-long construction project: a new hospital dedicated entirely to surgery.

New UNC surgical hospital to bring more beds, new procedures to patients

A man is in critical condition after an attempt to snorkel in the pool at a Cary gym.

Snorkeler hospitalized after incident in pool at Cary Lifetime Fitness

Cary location of near-drowining

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

WRAL Late News 

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

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

Daytime Pick 3 and Pick 4 Drawing

Gov. Roy Cooper joins United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to make a clean energy announcement.

Gov. Cooper makes clean energy announcement

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

Evening Pick 3 Pick 4 and Cash 5

Videos

Brandon Butterworth picked up his first hit of the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to beat No. 11 North Carolina.

NC State beats UNC with walk-off homer in first game of baseball series

NC State at UNC

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.

Chaotic Canes hope late-season surge continues into playoffs

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General manager Don Waddell likes how his Carolina Hurricanes finished the season, winning 16 of their final 21 games. He knows it means nothing now.

NHL PLAYOFFS: 'It's wide open' is the theme as the race to the Stanley Cup begins

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The No. 15 Tar Heels have now beat No. 25 Duke in 15 consecutive games. Both teams now prepare for the ACC championship next week.

Women's Lacrosse: North Carolina pulls away in the third quarter, beats Duke

Duke vs. UNC women's lacrosse

Mark Mitchell announced he has committed to the University of Missouri in a post to his Instagram post.

NC Education Lottery ticket sales bounce back in Phase 2

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Lottery ticket sales increase after NC reopens