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.

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

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

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Inventor Coverage

Last June, a student team from the North Carolina School of Science and Math was among five national winners of the annual Samsung Solving Problems for Tomorrow" competition.

NC STEM students win national prize for recycling app

We are right in the middle of the summer, and if the beach is for you, don't forget the shade. Scott Mason, our Tar Heel Traveler, has the story of three amateur inventors and the beach shade that has gone global.

PHYSICAL KEYBOARD. THE COMPANY ON ABILITY SAYS IT PLANS TO GET THE NEW PHONE TO THE AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN MARKETS IN THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT YEAR. WE ARE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER AND THE BEACH FOR YOU, THE SHE DOES YOUR FRIEND, SO WE FIND HER TRAVELER IN CARTERET COUNTY. >> SCOTT MASON IS IN EMERALD ISLE WITH THE STORY OF THREE AMATEUR INVENTORS KEEP EACH SHADE THAT BOMBED GLOBAL. >>> EMERALD ISLE AND THERE'S PLENTY OF SUN AND PLENTY OF SHADE. >>> SEEING IT FROM THE SKY IS SO BEAUTIFUL TO SEE THESE FLYING IN THE WIND. >> THE SHIP WILL ME SHADE. >> AT FIRST IT WAS A FUN PROJECT. >> EFFORTS TO BUILDING THE FIRST SHADE ON THE BEACH. >> THE THREE OF THEM HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED THE BEACH, TWO BROTHERS, THE ONES IN BLUE AND THE BEST FRIEND IN WHITE. >> ALEX AND SCOTT AND I HAVE BEEN COMING TO THE BEACH EVER SINCE WE WERE BORN RECENTLY ARE TO EMERALD ISLE. NEVER REALLY LIKED THE CLASSIC UMBRELLA AND TELL IT TENSE SO WE HAD THIS IDEA OF TRYING TO USE THE LAND RATHER THAN FIGHT IT. >> FROM THERE WE MADE THE FIRST PROTOTYPE AND WE LEARNED HOW TO USE A SEWING MACHINE AND WE PUT ONE TOGETHER. AND ACTUALLY REALLY WORKED OUT THERE ON THE BEACH. >> YOU HAVE ANY ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE. >> NOT AT ALL. >> THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO SEW? >> NOT OF IT. >> FOR THE TIMES WHEN HE WANTED TO GIVE UP? >> OH, YEAH. >> THEY MADE THAT FIRST. >> THAT THEY'VE JAPANESE WORD AND REFERS TO A DESIGN PHRASE THAT REFERS TO SIMPLICITY. DANE, ALEX AND I ALL WENT TO COLLEGE AND THAT WAS AN APARTMENT BUILDING WE ALL LIVED IN. >> TO BUILD THEIR OWN BEACH SHADE AND TOOK IT TO THE BEACH. >> PRETTY SOON, PEOPLE WERE COMING BY AND ASKING US WHERE DID YOU GET THE THING, CAN YOU MAKE THIS ONE? >> MORE SEWING AND PERFECTING AND MORE ORDERS. >> THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED TO THINK WHY DON'T WE DO THIS FULL- TIME? >> SHADES ARE NOW IN OVER 400 BEACHES. >> ALL OVER THE WORLD. >> IT'S PRETTY UNBELIEVABLE. IT WAS LEGAL OF THE PULSE TOGETHER, PLAN THE CANOPY AND PUT IT IN AND YOU'RE GOOD TO GO. >> IT'S SIMPLER THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT. THE SHADE WEIGHS LESS THAN FOUR POUNDS. >> I THINK IT CERTAINLY TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF SKILL, A LITTLE BIT OF HARD WORK AND A LOT OF LUCK. >> NO MORE SEWING IN THE SPARE BEDROOM. NOW THE SEWING IS DONE IN FACTORIES IN ASHEBORO AND IN ASHBY. >> ALL OF THOSE SHADES, ROYAL BLUE AND TEAL. LIKE THE OCEAN AND THE SKY, AND WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY AT THE BEACH WITH THE SUN. AND THE SHADE. >> WHAT YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE ALL OF THE SHADES ON THE BEACH? >> WE FEEL PRETTY PROUD AND IS ALSO VERY SURREAL. >> DO YOU FEEL LIKE A ADVENTURE? >> AMATEUR INVENTORS FOR SURE. >> WE ARE ALWAYS TINKERING WITH DIFFERENT IDEAS. AND IT'S KIND OF A DREAM COME TRUE TO DO IT WITH MY OLDER BROTHER AND BEST FRIEND. >>> THAT IS VERY COOL. THE SHADE IS SOLD IN SOME RETAIL STORES BUT MAINLY ONLINE.

Inventor Coverage

NC STEM students win national prize for recycling app

Three amateur inventors find way to beat the heat at the beach