Local News

Hurricane, slur, dogs top list of most memorable videos in 2019

Thousands of videos were published on WRAL.com in 2019, including coverage of a devastating hurricane, tension amid racist words and acts and some very good dogs.

Posted Updated

By
Deborah Strange
, WRAL digital journalist

Thousands of videos were published on WRAL.com in 2019, including coverage of a devastating hurricane, tension amid racist words and acts and some very good dogs.

Here are some of the most memorable videos of the year.

A racial slur and no apology

In July, a white woman was filmed calling two black women a racial slur at a North Hills restaurant.

Chanda Stewart and Lakesha Shaw said they were at Bonefish Grill with a friend when Nancy Goodman called them rude and complained that they were being too loud.

During the confrontation, Goodman told Shaw, “Why are you so stupid (racial slur)?”

Goodman later said she should have asked restaurant staff to ask the group to be quieter, but she said she wasn’t sorry for using the slur.

"I’m not going to say I’m sorry to them because they kept pushing at it," she said. "I would say it again to them."

Continuous coverage of Hurricane Dorian

WRAL News stayed in continuous coverage for more than 70 hours as Hurricane Dorian battered the North Carolina coast in September.

The hurricane made landfall Sept. 6, 2019, around 9:30 a.m. at Cape Hatteras. It brought hours of rain and whipping winds as far inland as Interstate 95.

As the storm approached the coast, a red Cherokee Jeep was abandoned on Myrtle Beach after its tires sank in the sand.

Onlookers waded through the surf and jumped onboard the unsteady vehicle to pose for photos. Later, a man showed up to play Amazing Grace on bagpipes as he walked beside it.

It was towed the next day.

A Ring doorbell camera captured the moment a tornado spun out of the hurricane and lifted an Emerald Isle home off its foundation.

Our home is destroyed," homeowner Jason Sawyer said.

He and his wife were in Raeford when the storm hit.

"We weren't sure what we were going to come back to, but we sure didn't expect this,” Sawyer said.

Leon visits 'The Andy Griffith Show' festival

The 30th annual Mayberry Days Festival celebrated “The Andy Griffith Show” in September.

Clint Howard, who played the young boy Leon in a handful of episodes, was part of the festival.

Howard talked with Scott Mason about his days offering peanut butter sandwiches at inopportune times and what he learned from watching his big brother, Ron Howard, play Opie.

Downtown Durham blast caught on bridge’s camera

In April, a gas leak led to a deadly explosion in downtown Durham. Two men died, and the Prescient building, at 115 N. Duke St., was a total loss, and more than a dozen surrounding buildings were also impacted.

A camera pointed at Durham’s “can opener” bridge was filming when the explosion happened and captured the intensity of the blast.

Good dog cares for abandoned puppies

Mirabell, a 3-year-old golden retriever in New York, gave birth to one puppy this year.

When another mother dog couldn’t bond with the seven puppies she gave birth to, Mirabell started nursing them.

What’s the story behind post-Labor Day fashion?

Labor Day is an unofficial signal to put white clothes back in your closet.

That rule started back when white was a more formal color and white clothes were expensive to maintain.

Emotional support dog attacks service dog in restaurant

A service dog named Grace had to go to a veterinary hospital after she was bitten by another dog in a restaurant in Wilmington.

That dog’s owner said her dog gives her emotional support, but emotional support animals are not legally allowed in restaurants in North Carolina.

Grace needed staples to close the bite wounds.

A look North Carolina’s 10 most affordable towns

As housing prices in the Triangle rise, SmartAsset examined the most affordable North Carolina towns to live in.

The towns had an average annual mortgage payment of less than $9,000. Several were under $6,000.

Tips to keep snakes out of yards

More than 30 species of snakes call North Carolina home.

While many of them are harmless, some are a threat to humans and pets.

Experts gave advice this spring about ways to keep snakes out of your yard, like keeping grass short and cleaning up clutter.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.