WRAL News also has team coverage on how to prevent future tragedies after a student is stabbed to death at a Raleigh high school, an attack and robbery at a Raleigh park and we’re live in Charlotte with what the Carolina Panthers’ team owner is saying after firing head coach Frank Reich. Watch WRAL-TV at 5 p.m., and search for these and other stories on WRAL.com.

On WRAL at 5: Even colder air on the way! Who will wake up to temperatures in the teens. 🥶

A couple blames a faulty gun safe for the death of their 12-year-old son. Now they're trying to make sure the tragedy they're going through doesn't happen to anyone else.

Family claims gun safe was defective in seeking justice for 12-year-old son who shot himself

Carson Preston

The annual WRAL Tower Lighting is scheduled for Nov. 29, 2023. Tune in to WRAL-TV at 7 p.m. to for a live, half-hour special of music and holiday cheer as we count down to when towers in Raleigh, Durham and Rocky Mount get their holiday glow.

WRAL to light towers in Raleigh, Durham and Rocky Mount on Wednesday at 7p

WRAL-TV held its 64th annual tower lighting on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.

All assets associated with the tag: Jessica Holmes

Jessica Holmes Coverage

Congressional candidate Deborah Ross, candidate for lieutenant governor Yvonne Lewis Holley and other Democrats hold a news conference to advocate for presidential nominee Joe Biden's economic plan.

a Zai was just walking up here. I had my Biden shirt on, and someone in the car said, Hell, yeah. So I took that as a really good sign for this election. Good afternoon. Thanks so much for being here. I'm State Senator Wiley Nickel. I represent North Carolina 16 Senate District, which is Carrie Morris villain, Northwest Raleigh. I'm also a former Obama Biden White House staffer. Very excited that Jill Biden is gonna be joining us in Wake County tomorrow. And listen, those of us who end up running for elected office each decide to do so for different reasons. As a progressive Democrat, I see great opportunities to improve our public education system to protect our natural resource is and fight the climate crisis to pass common sense gun safety laws to pursue criminal justice reform and a strength in the economy for the middle class. But the truth of it is it's next to impossible to make progress on these issues in the face of a pandemic that rages on an economy that's stuck in the ditch and a total lack of leadership from the President of the United States of America. Let's start with the public health crisis. We see the national numbers getting worse every day. We've got 9.3 million Covic cases nationwide, including 275,000 in North Carolina and 22,000 right here in Wake County. Over 230,000 Americans were dead, including 4300 North Carolinians and 275 who have sadly passed away right here in Wake County. As we speak. 1 122 North Carolinians are fighting for their lives and are currently hospitalized with Cove it in our state. With daily case counts spiking back up in the past few days to hit new all time highs, it's easy to lose sight of the devastation this virus has brought to families in North Carolina and around the country. But for those families who have lost a loved one, or for those who are still struggling to get back to health, life will never be the same. Those of us who haven't contracted the virus are the lucky ones, but even still, our lives are fundamentally different. We are crying out for leadership right now, someone who will follow the science and prioritize our health. Over the last nine months, our president hasn't just been missing in action. He's been actively making the situation worse. Just last night, we learned that his plans, if he's reelected, is to fire Dr Anthony Fauci. As Trump heads to Fayetteville again today, he and his supporters air actively putting the lives and health of their supporters, their campaign supporters and the Greater Cumberland County area at risk. It's selfish, it's reckless, and it's not what a leader should do. A Stanford study recently found that past Trump Super Spreader events had contributed to the death of over 700 Americans. Because of these dangerous and irresponsible mass gatherings, without masks or social distancing as devastating in this pandemic has been to our country's health. It's also ravaged our economy, and Trump's response has left working families completely behind. We all know that a strong middle class is the key to a strong economy, and right now the middle class is struggling. I hear from constituents who've had their hours cut or jobs eliminated, forcing them to go without health care and struggle to make ends meet. I hear from small business owners who are trying to do the right thing. What are frustrated to know their future is tied to our ability to get the public health situation resolved. And I talked to medical professionals who warn of delayed preventative screenings, increased mental health challenges and so much more. The good news is we have a choice in this election. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have plans to stop the spread of the virus and not only get the economy going again, but to build back better. North Carolinians are in the national spotlight and have the power to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to re elect Governor Roy Cooper to send Cal Cunningham to the U. S Senate and to flip the North Carolina Senate and send Phil Berger packing. Just to make this clear. If North Carolina chooses Joe Biden is our president, Donald Trump has no path back to the Oval Office. We can be the state that puts Joe Biden into the White House. There's no time to waste if you haven't voted already. The time is now. Polls air open tomorrow from 6:30 a.m. To 7:30 p.m. On election day. Again, polls are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you have voted, make sure to tell your family and friends to get out and vote. Get it least three people to come with you to the polls and do all you can to make your voice heard in the most important election of our lifetime. This is a battle for the soul of our nation. Thank you for being here. I now pass it to my friend and colleague, Senator Sam. Seriously, Good afternoon. Thank you, Wiley, My name is Sam SERC and I have had the honor of representing the 17th District in the North Carolina State Senate in Southern Wake County. So in addition to being a father of four and serving in serving in the state Senate, I'm also an entrepreneur and a small business owner. And even though President Trump ran on his business credentials, much of which have turned out to be a fraud, he has done nothing to support small businesses like mine during this pandemic and economic downturn. Trump's whole theory is that the economy is doing well. If the stock market is doing well and the super wealthy you're doing well That's why he passed a $1 trillion tax cut for the biggest corporations and the top 1% of earners. Trump claims that the economy is rebounding, but at the same time we saw North Carolina's unemployment jumped to 7.3% nearly double what it was in January. Nationally, one in five small businesses have closed in North Carolina alone. Just between January and August, 12.4% of the state's 930,000 small businesses have closed. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and of our communities when they closed. That means families lose income, health care and the pride associated with their employment. And perhaps one of the most infuriating things about all this is that it didn't have to be this way. If there's one thing entrepreneurs and small business owners understand, it's how to make a plan. Before any business person starts a new venture, they sit down, they do the research, evaluate their options and develop a plan. The Trump administration has no plan, no plan to get this virus under control. And despite President Trump's wishful thinking, we're not gonna be able to get the economy going again until we have this virus in check. I'm voting for Joe Biden in this year's election because he has a plan to beat the Pandemic and Co. Vid 19. He has proposed a small business fund to fix what is broken and the current P p P program, and to ensure that the funding goes to the small businesses that need it the most, not the big corporations. So for all those small business owners out there for all those who work at small businesses or enjoy the presence of small businesses in your community, go vote And and please be sure to vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We cannot afford another four years of Donald Trump's abandonment. Tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, we will make history. And now it is my distinct honor to pass on to you this another historical candidate, Jessica Holmes, who is running for commissioner of labor, who will be as of tomorrow, the first African American woman ever elected to the State Council of State. Thank you. Thank you, Senator. CRC, On the eve of the most important election of our lifetimes, I can't imagine a better place to be right now than having the opportunity to thank the over 4.5 million North Carolinians who have already made their voice heard at the ballot and to encourage those who haven't to please vote on Election Day, not just for themselves but for all of the Americans who can't. For example, George Floyd cannot vote tomorrow. Briana Taylor cannot vote. Ahmed Aubrey cannot vote. Tamir Rice would have been 18 this year, and he would have had the chance to cast his first ever vote in a presidential election. But he is not here. Neither are the over 200,000 mothers and fathers and uncles and aunties and cousins who are not here due to a failed administration's response to Covert 19. There are so many reasons to vote, and I've just given you over 200,000 of them. Several years ago, Number 45 promise to make America great, but he's not made America great. He certainly hasn't made life great for folks right here in North Carolina, right here in North Carolina, small businesses are hurting. Working families are hurting I as someone who was born and raised right here in North Carolina, my grandmother's grandmother's blood runs through the soil, and I speak on behalf of so many North Carolinians when I say that America isn't even as great as it was four years ago, we're experiencing epic unemployment rates. We're experiencing hatred at levels that mirror the 19 sixties. America is not great again for far too many North Carolinians vice President Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, soon to be president and vice president of these great United States, they have a plan to stop the pandemic. They not only have a plan to make America great, but to build back better than ever before because the reality is America has never been that great for all of us. Black and brown people in this country have disproportionately been impacted by everything negative, whether it's unemployment benefits or whether it's covert 19. We not only need to build back, but we need to build back better, and I have every confidence that Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris are the team to do just that. So come out and make your voice heard tomorrow because it matters. It matters that we have a country that works best for all of us. It is with great honor that I introduce you to a candidate who is a part of the movement to make sure that government reflects the people that it serves. Our soon to be lieutenant governor. Now representative, Even Holly. Okay, I'm talking. All right. Thank you. Did my hearing. Thank you, Jessica. Thank you. It's a pleasure to be with you this afternoon. In the last few weeks, North Carolina has seen an awful lot of Donald Trump. He's going to. He's held rallies all across the state of North Carolina. He's even holding one today in favor. But every time he comes, it reminds me, uh that he wasn't here when we needed him. Here he was. He was nowhere to be found when this virus first came tearing through our state. Roy Cooper was there and stately. This bagged him, begged him for federal testing plan and financial assistance. And working families across the small business throughout our states are still struggling through this economic crisis. Trump turned his back on us. He turned his back. Now we are 4400. Death in North Carolina from Covert 19. Let me say that again. 4400 deaths from covert 19 in this state of North Carolina, and we're moving into a third peak. And what is Trump doing? He is going around our state now, still having super spreader rallies all across the state. This is just cruelty, and the cruelty is just striking. It's the families that are hurting the most families who are missing loved ones because of the difficulty for the people across who's struggling to make ends meet. Right now, this'd is affecting everybody in some way or another. I cannot afford to to stand here today and say that Donald Trump has done a fine job because he has not Joey Kamila have a plan. They have a plan to fight the virus and the build icon me back, starting with the little guy, starting with the little guy, not from the top, but with the little guy. They've listened and they come to our state and they respect it. Joe Biden understands the pain that the families of feeling from the lost has been there. No, I don't wanna be ride, but this should not be this hard, and we're caught between a deadly virus, our economic crisis and long overdue racial reckoning. Joe Biden will bring us together to solve the problems. Instead of using his power to demean, belittle and disenfranchised people, he will lift the American people up. And we'll make changes here right here that we will be able to feel every day. So I wanna make sure because we go out and vote tomorrow that you take the time to really think about your vote that you bring some with you that you talk to others. This'll vote is too important. We're fighting for the soul of this nation. We can do this. North Carolina, we need your help. All we need to do is for you to go vote and you to take someone else or encourage somebody else to go vote. Now I wanna I wanna passes on to a to a fighter. Ah, man, who I got to know as he led in the State House and still leads in the State House. He's been there in the super minority and been a really fighter for all of us for the past several years. Uh, Darrin Jackson. Thank you. Represented Holly. We're gonna miss senior in the house chamber, but I know you're gonna be keeping Senator Nicholson seriously keeping them on their toes over there. And I look forward to having you as our next lieutenant governor. Um, all over this state, North Carolinians have been shattering voter turnout records, but we cannot take our foot off the gas pedal. Yet today, despite incredibly high voter turnout so far, there are still many North Carolinians who have not voted yet. And we're talking it in today and telling them it's not too late to police turn out tomorrow because we know that when people turn out especially young people, working families and communities of color, Democrats have an advantage, and we all win. This year is a test off democracy and civic civic engagement. What we saw Saturday and Alamance County. It's just disgusting. It's beyond the pale. It shouldn't happen. I thought I was watching civil rights movement all over again. We've got to keep people their ability to vote. They shouldn't be intimidated, and I hope tomorrow they will show up in numbers. We just don't want Donald Trump Joe Biden to beat Donald Trump. We want to send a clear signal to the administration. Do they have been thrown out of office by the American people. We want Joe Biden toe win by a landslide and to make sure that Governor Cooper in his office and well as well, this is such a vital election, and there is too much at risk for us to wait until the last minute to cast our vote. Get out tomorrow morning on your way to work, if you can at lunch, leave work a little early in the afternoon. But remember, As long as you are in line by 7 30 you can vote no matter how long. The wait. With the third wave of Covad 19 in full swing and still no leadership from D. C and the White House, Donald Trump and Mike Pence had their head still buried in the stand. Many of our residents here in Wake County understand deeply what it means to live paycheck to paycheck what it means to have multiple jobs and still come up short at the end of the week or the month. Donald Trump and Mike Pence had four years to do something about that to help the struggling families to raise the minimum wage, but instead they passed historic tax cuts to benefit the big in their class. Their record is atrocious, and there's no reason to be optimistic about them. But with your help tomorrow, we could all be optimistic about the future. The Biden hairs ticket represents two leaders with a history of public service and fighting for everyday Americans. Joe Biden and his core understands the struggles of North Carolina's working families and the potential of our workers, and he has plans to harness the power to build back America better. That's the plan we need to jump start our economy here in Raleigh and across the state. So if you have not voted yet joined the historic number of North Carolinians who have and turn out tomorrow, invite your family, your friends and your neighbors, your coworkers to join with you, you can visit. I will vote dot com to find out everything you need about voting tomorrow and where to go with the hours and tomorrow. I believe we will realize the opportunity to build a new American economy to help our families and the next generation. Now I'll hand it over to the mic to former representative and my friend Deborah Ross, who we will be sending the U. S. Congress Tamar to help build that future with the vice president and Senator Harris. Well, thank you, Leader Jackson, And thank all these great elected officials who are doing so much for you and here in Wake County. And you know what I am so proud of. Weight County. Our voter turnout numbers are through the roof. Two out of three people in north in North Carolina, but particularly in Wake County, have voted already two out of three people. But you know what? That's not good enough. We have got to turn everybody out. We have got to send a resounding resounding victory for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to take this nation back, because the truth is that Donald Trump has failed this country. He has failed this state, and he has failed. Wake County. When the biggest test of leadership came his way, protecting our health and safety, he shunted it off. He denied it, and then he spread the virus. It's simply wrong. It's wrong for our country. It's wrong for our health. It's wrong for our economy. We all want to get back to work and get back to school. But we want to do it safely, and this president and his administration have made that so much more difficult. And now we're seeing spikes. What we need is new leadership. We need a new administration that value science that believes in testing, that wants to help us protect our health and safety and expand access toe affordable and accessible healthcare. We need a leader who is going to make sure that our small businesses can go back to business safely, and our kids and our teachers can go back to school safely. But this president wants to put all of us in harm's way just for his own political ambitions. Now we're lucky here in North Carolina and Wait County. We have a governor and a secretary of health and human services that have been taking care of us, giving us the facts and telling us how to keep ourselves safe. And we have a Wake County commission with Jessica Homes on that commission, picking up the slack for the federal government. The fact of the matter is that we need a change. We need to take back the U. S. Senate. We need to shore up the U. S. house. You know, the U S House has been passing additional relief packages for small businesses. Additional PPE s for our hospitals in our schools. Protections for our local governments were right here in front of a local government building. Our local governments are losing revenue at the same time. They're trying to protect us. We need bold new leadership to build back better. And that is what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris we'll bring to us. That is what a new Congress will bring to us. We all know how toe work together. It is about time we got back to the people's business, stop this partisan bickering and did what was right for this country. Please vote. Please make your voices heard. Two out of three people in Wake County have already done it and we are just waiting for you to get there. So call your friends, go with your neighbors, put on your mask. It's safe. It's easy. It's convenient. Vote tomorrow. Take our country back. Make history. Okay. Before any kind

NC Democrats push Biden's economic plan

Democrats push Biden's econoic plan

The Raleigh-Apex chapter of the NAACP will host a live Q&A session and discussion with law enforcement on Tuesday.

NAACP hosting virtual Zoom discussion with local police departments

At the 2020 Raleigh Women's March, Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes called herself and the crowd "nasty women." The phrase was used by President Trump during his campaign to refer to opponent Hillary Clinton and started a feminist movement by the same name.

Jessica Holmes Coverage

NC Democrats push Biden's economic plan

NAACP hosting virtual Zoom discussion with local police departments

Wake commissioner Jessica Holmes calls out to 'nasty' women