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

Compared to pre-pandemic prices, ground beef is up 35%, chips are up 45%, bread is up 57% and a 12-ounce can of soda is up 66%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks trends on common grocery store items.

WRAL Investigates: 'Greedflation' and other drivers behind inflation at the grocery store

A look at inflation at the grocery store

<b>CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C.</b> — Detectives in Cumberland County are searching for a 21-year-old man they say faces 145 counts of child sexual assault crimes.

The victim told detectives Artez Green started molesting her 10 years ago when she was 7 years old.

Green is 5 feet 6 inches tall, 145 pounds and has  black hair and brown eyes. Officials say he may have a beard and long hair.

Anyone with information on Green's whereabouts is asked to contact the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office at (910) 323-1500.

Suspected Sex Offender Sought

artez-green

The Storm Prediction Center has our southern counties under a Level 1 risk for severe storms Friday.

Level 1 severe risk Friday afternoon: Damaging winds and hail possible

Chilly mornings on the way 

Durham police are investigating a drive-by shooting Thursday night. 

Man injured in drive-by shooting on Chautauqua Ave., Durham Police investigate

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning as explosions could be heard near a major air base near Isfahan, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike following Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.

Iran fires air defense batteries in provinces as explosions heard near Isfahan

Iran_53492

Residents in Anderson Creek Crossing in Spring Lake, are on high alert after discovering a disturbing pattern of tampered mail.

Torn envelopes, missing money: Harnett County residents report disturbing mail tampering

Neighbors in Spring Lake say thieves stole their mail, cash, and gift cards 

More than 4,300 North Carolinians died from overdoses in 2022. That trend continues going up, devastating entire communities.

2022 data: 12 people a day died from drug overdoses in North Carolina 

Woman shows faces of those who died from overdoses in NC

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

WRAL Late News 

WRAL Noon News

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

WRAL WeatherCenter Forecast

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

Evening Pick 3 Pick 4 and Cash 5

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

After 22 years in business, Armadillo Grill on Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh has closed.



Glenwood South staple Armadillo Grill closes

Videos

After the death of a Harnett County teenager, the softball community in Eastern North Carolina remembers her through stickers and fighting the stigma around mental health.

A North Carolina softball family is honoring one of their own, focusing on suicide prevention

Helmet stickers honoring Aubrey Horne

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 game one of weekend series

NC State at UNC

The Coyotes are moving to Salt Lake City in a deal that was signed less than 24 hours after Wednesday night's 5-2 win over Edmonton.

Party's over: Coyotes end tenure in the desert with team's sale, move to Salt Lake City

Oilers_Coyotes_Hockey_54852

If the Panthers want to start winning again, they're going to need a good -- maybe even great -- draft class. Here's an in-depth look on who Carolina should be targeting and when.