After accumulating more than 3,000 shares on Facebook, a student who was denied the chance to walk across the stage at Orange High School’s graduation ceremony on June 7 will finally have his moment.

Orange High School reverses decision, student will walk at graduation

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.

The "Dueling Dinosaurs" exhibit opening this weekend at Raleigh's North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will feature what's believed to be the most complete T. rex skeleton ever discovered.

'Dueling Dinosaurs:' One-of-a-kind dig, laboratory access at Raleigh science museum

DinoLab at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

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

All assets associated with the tag: mass gatherings

Mass gatherings Coverage

Fall means football games and festivals across the Triangle, but health officials say the big crowds packing stadiums and downtown streets haven't led to a spike in coronavirus infections.

>>> AND RIGHT NOW I'M WRAL THE FIRST SIGNS OF FALL WITH A WEEKEND FULL OF CONCERTS, FESTIVALS, AND SPORTING EVENTS ON TAP. TONIGHT WE'RE GETTING THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE BEEN ASKING AT BIG EVENTS MAKING A COMEBACK. ARE THEY TURNING INTO SUPER SPREADER EVENTS? GOOD EVENING, I'M DEBRA MORGAN. >> I'M GERALD OWENS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. WHETHER YOU'RE ATTENDING THE BALLOON EVENT AT DIX PARKS TONIGHT, OR THE BIG NC STATE FOOTBALL GAME AGAINST CLEMSON TOMORROW. THE LATEST NUMBERS FROM THE STATE HEALTH OFFICIAL SHOWS HARDLY ANY OF THESE EVENTS HAVE TURNED INTO SUPER SPREADER EVENTS. JOE FISHER SHOWS US WHERE THE COMMUNITY SPREAD IS HAPPENING. >> Reporter: MANY DEPARTMENTS ARE SEEING A LARGE NUMBER OF COVID CASES COMING FROM INDOOR GATHERINGS WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING TOGETHER WITHOUT MASKS. HERE IN WAKE COUNTY LARGE OUTDOOR EVENTS HAVE CONTINUED AND SO FAR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAYS NO COVID CLUSTERS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THESE EVENTS. FROM FESTIVALS ON FAYETTEVILLE STREET TO CONCERTS AT RED HAT OR COASTAL CREDIT UNION. WAKE COUNTY HAS NOT IDENTIFIED ANY COVID CLUSTERS AT ANY RECENT LARGE EVENTS. A CLUSTER IS DEFINED AS FIVE OR MORE CASES THAT COULD BE LINKED TO A SINGLE PLACE. >> RIGHT NOW WE REALLY HAVEN'T BEEN SEEING CASES TIED TO THESE EVENTS. THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE IS DOING A GOOD JOB OF REQUIRING THE MASKS. >> Reporter: JERMAINE WALKER IS A PART OF A 20-PERSON CONTACT TRACING TEAM IN WAKE COUNTY THAT INVESTIGATES POSITIVE CASES AND MAKES CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED. >> RIGHT NOW WE'RE FOCUSED ON, YOU KNOW, THOSE CLUSTER GROUPS, WAKE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS. SO THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT OUR CONTACT TRACERS ARE INITIALLY MAKING CONTACT WITH. >> Reporter: SCHOOLS IN NURSING HOMES, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT COVID CLUSTERS. PRIVATE BUSINESSES ARE NOT. STATEWIDE THERE HAVE BEEN 460 CLUSTERS TIED TO K-12 SCHOOLS, LEADING TO MORE THAN 4,000 CASES SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN. BUT JUST THREE CLUSTERS WITH 17 CASES HAVE BEEN CONNECTED TO BARS AND BREWERIES. 59 CLUSTERS AT RESTAURANTS. JUST 8 CLUSTERS WITH 136 CASES TIED TO CONCERTS, FESTIVALS, AND SPORTING EVENTS. >> I FEEL LIKE IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO KEEP TRACK OF JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE GOING FROM MULTIPLE BARS A NIGHT OR GOING TO A RESTAURANT BEFORE. IT'S JUST HARD TO KEEP TRACK OF. >> Reporter: DHHS SAYS THIS REPORT INCLUDES CLUSTERS IDENTIFIED BY LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, BUT UNDERREPRESENTS THE FULL SCOPE OF CLUSTERS, ASSOCIATED CASES OCCURRING ACROSS THE STATE. IN PART THIS IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT MANY COVID-19 CASES ARE NEVER DIAGNOSED OR CANNOT BE LINKED TO A SPECIFIC SETTING OR SPECIFIC CLUSTER. >> WE NEED TO GO OUT THERE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE YOU HAVE YOUR OWN TABLE AND YOU DON'T GET CLOSE TOGETHER. >> Reporter: HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY EVEN OUTDOOR GATHERINGS WILL COME WITH RISKS, RECOMMENDING MASKS BE WORN OUTSIDE WHEN SOCIAL DISTANCING IS NOT POSSIBLE. AND STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY COVID CLUSTERS ASSOCIATED WITH RESTAURANTS HAVE INCREASED IN RECENT WEEKS. CASES INVOLVING K-12 SCHOOLS ARE ALSO INCREASING AND REMAIN AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE THE PANDEMIC BEGAN.

Schools, restaurants linked to more NC virus clusters than large outdoor gatherings

downtown Raleigh festival

Few coronavirus cases linked to concerts, festivals, NC officials say

State regulations limiting the number of people in large gatherings are being eased just as wedding season kicks into high gear.

BACK TO YOU. >>> TODAY I'M ANNOUNCING THAT NORTH CAROLINA WILL CAUTIOUSLY EASE SOME RESTRICTIONS STARTING FRIDAY, APRIL THE 30th. MASKS WILL NO LONGER BE REQUIRED OUTDOORS. AND MASS GATHERING LIMITS WILL INCREASE TO 100 PEOPLE INDOORS AND 200 OUTDOORS. >>> THE EASING OF RESTRICTIONS ON MAFIC GATHERINGS MAY NOT IMPACT YOUR DAY TODAY AS MUCH AS SOME OF THE OTHER RESTRICTIONS WE HAVE HAD IN PLACE BUT ONE INDUSTRY SURE TO SEE A NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY? WEDDING VENUES. LESLIE MORENO SPOKE WITH LOCAL PLANETS ABOUT HOW TODAY'S NEWS WILL IMPACT THEIR SUMMER PLANS. LESLIE? >> Reporter: THIS IS GREAT NEWS, NOT JUST FOR VENUES LIKE THE PARLOR IMMENSE CHAPEL HERE BUT FOR COUPLES AS WELL. MANY OF THEM HAVE HAD TO CANCEL OR PUSH BACK THEIR SPECIAL DAY BECAUSE OF THOSE CAPACITY RESTRICTIONS, SO GOVERNOR COOPER'S ANNOUNCEMENT COMES JUST IN TIME FOR MANY PLANNED WEDDINGS THIS SUMMER. IT IS THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. >> THE JOURNEY HAS BEEN EMOTIONAL AND HOPEFUL AND HERE WE ARE, THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE. >> Reporter: GOVERNOR ROY COOPER ANNOUNCED AN EASE IN RESTRICTIONS FOR MASS GATHERINGS, INSTEAD OF 50 PEOPLE INDOORS, VENUES CAN NOW HOST 100. INSTEAD OF 100 PEOPLE OUTDOORS, CAPACITY NOW ALLOWS FOR 200. AMY FLYNN, OWNER OF THIS CHAPEL, CANNOT WAIT TO SHARE WITH COUPLES. >> BECAUSE HE PUSHED BACK A FEW TIMES NOW, WE ALMOST DIDN'T THINK THAT THIS DAY WOULD COME KIND OF THING AND IT WAS ALMOST JUST LIKE CONTINUING TO KICK THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD. >> Reporter: HE AND HIS NOW WIFE WERE ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO MARRY IN MAY OF 2020. BUT COVID DID NOT ALLOW FOR LARGE GATHERINGS. THEY ENDED UP GETTING MARRIED IN FRONT OF THEIR CLOSEST FAMILY. NOW, THEY CAN HAVE THE RECEPTION OF THEIR DREAMS., COAKLEY THERE IS THAT NORMALCY ON THE HORIZON THAT WE CAN CELEBRATE WITH EVERYONE THAT COME YOU KNOW, WE LOVE SO MUCH. IT'S GOING TO BE SPECIAL TO KNOW THAT THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE AS MUCH RED TAPE AND YOU CAN FEEL LIKE YOU ARE GENERALLY SO PRETTY WITH EVERYBODY. >> Reporter: THEY WERE HOSTING ELOPEMENT AND MICRO WEDDINGS. SHE SAYS THE INCREASE IN CAPACITY WILL ALSO BRING MUCH- NEEDED RELIEF TO ALL OF THE VENDORS THEY WORK WITH. >> IT JUST MAKES US REALIZE, AS BUSINESS OWNERS, THAT WE DID IT AND WE STAY FOCUSED ON OUR COMMUNITY, AND CONNECTED TO OUR COUPLES AND IT IS JUST REALLY, REALLY GOOD NEWS. >> Reporter: FOR ADDED SAFETY, FLYNN TELLS ME ALL STAFF HERE IS FULLY VACCINATED. SHE IS HOPING THIS WILL BRING COUPLES AND THEIR FAMILIES SOME PEACE OF MIND.

Couples, wedding venues thrilled larger gatherings permitted

Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday that North Carolinians will soon no longer have to wear masks outside.

Cooper lifting outdoor mask mandate, allowing larger groups to gather

Stopping pollen allergies with masks

More than two-thirds of adults over 65 are fully vaccinated. Is there a polite way to ask those you are considering getting together with if they fall in this cohort?

How to Ask "Are you vaccinated?"

Ask Aging Well

More customers will be allowed into restaurants, bars, retail stores, gyms and other businesses as North Carolina once again eases its restrictions designed to limit the spread of coronavirus.

More people allowed into restaurants, bars, other businesses under NC's latest pandemic rules

Bars, restaurants and local shops excited for eased COVID restrictions 

Gov. Roy Cooper and state health and safety officials provide a March 23, 2021, update on the coronavirus pandemic in North Carolina and the state's response to it.

Cooper again eases pandemic restrictions

Cooper provides update on coronavirus in NC

The big question from Wednesday's meeting among leaders: What will it take for students to get the message that rushing areas like Franklin Street is just not OK?