Triangle/Local
Remembering lives lost: Workers Memorial Day ceremony held in Raleigh
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – More than 100 North Carolinians who died last year while on the job were honored Monday during Workers Memorial Day events in Raleigh. Workers Memorial Day is observed annually across the country to recognize those who have died or been injured…
High-Profile sports events score big for Raleigh economy
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — It’s been a busy (and profitable) spring for sports in Raleigh. From March Madness to NHL playoff hockey, Raleigh has seen a flurry of major sports events this spring, bringing packed venues and millions in economic impact. Fans flocked to the…
New psychiatry residency program aims to strengthen mental health care in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – A new initiative is working to broaden mental health services in Eastern North Carolina, focusing on rural areas and military families. But with a nationwide shortage of healthcare workers, how might this effort play out here in North Carolina? Dr. Joseph…
Students and residents protest UNC’s coal plant over health and climate concerns
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Dozens of students and Chapel Hill residents gathered to protest the continued operation of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus co-generation plant, calling for an end to the use of coal and citing health risks, environmental injustice, and…
Duke researchers investigate fungal growth after Hurricane Helene
RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Researchers from Duke University are conducting a study on fungal growth following Hurricane Helene in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The research involves collaboration between the Duke University School of Medicine, Pratt School of Engineering, and the Department of Biology. The newly…
State/Regional
Decision looming for Trump administration on first PFAS drinking water limits
By MICHAEL PHILLIS Associated Press In pain so bad he couldn’t stand, Chris Meek was rushed to the hospital with a life-threatening ruptured gallbladder. When he emerged from surgery, he learned he had kidney cancer that thankfully hadn’t yet spread. Meek, a social studies teacher…
Loss of FEMA program spells disaster for hundreds of communities and their projects
By JACK BROOK Associated Press/Report for America NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The textile mills that once served as the backbone of Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, have long been shuttered, and officials believed federal money would be key to the town’s overdue revitalization. They hoped an…
A shooting at a small North Carolina college leaves 1 dead, 6 wounded
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) — A shooting at a small college in eastern North Carolina left one person dead and six others wounded and prompted a campus lockdown early Sunday, the university said. The shooting occurred in the center of Elizabeth City State University’s campus…
US election officials question agency about Trump’s order overhauling election operations
By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — State and local election officials from around the country on Thursday questioned the leaders of a federal agency tasked by President Donald Trump with implementing parts of his sweeping election overhaul executive order, with some expressing concerns…
North Carolina judges block GOP law to strip governor’s election board powers
By GARY D. ROBERTSON and MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina trial judges threw out on Wednesday another Republican attempt to strip the governor of his authority to appoint State Board of Elections members, declaring that a law shifting the task…
World/National
How bugs and beet juice could play roles in the race to replace artificial dyes in food
By JONEL ALECCIA AP Health Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) — As pressure grows to get artificial colors out of the U.S. food supply, the shift may well start at Abby Tampow’s laboratory desk. On an April afternoon, the scientist hovered over tiny dishes of red dye, each…
A massive explosion at an Iranian port linked to missile fuel shipment kills 18, injures some 800
By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press MUSCAT, Oman (AP) — A massive explosion and fire rocked a port Saturday in southern Iran purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing 18 people and injuring around 800 others. Helicopters and…
Judges blocks Trump push to cut funding to public schools over diversity programs
By HOLLY RAMER and COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked Trump administration directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the National Education…
Trump science cuts target bird feeder research, AI literacy work and more
By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer Ashley Dayer’s dream of winning a National Science Foundation grant to pursue discoveries in bird conservation started when she was an early-career professor with an infant in her arms and a shoestring laboratory budget. Competition is intense for NSF…
Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says
By ANNIE MA AP Education Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday. Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their…
Entertainment
Go inside the factory where Peeps are made
By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Love them or hate them, those marshmallow Peeps that come in blindingly bright colors and an array of flavors are inescapable around the Easter holiday. Millions are made daily in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by Just Born…
Wink Martindale, the genial game show host and an early TV interviewer of Elvis Presley, dies at 91
By BETH HARRIS Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wink Martindale, the genial host of such hit game shows as “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough” who also did one of the first recorded television interviews with a young Elvis Presley, has died. He was 91. Martindale died Tuesday at…
Millions tune in for 24-hour live coverage of Sweden’s epic moose migration
By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press Before Swedish slow TV hit “The Great Moose Migration” began airing Tuesday, Ulla Malmgren stocked up on coffee and prepared meals so she doesn’t miss a moment of the 20-day, 24-hour event. “Sleep? Forget it. I don’t sleep,” she said.…
Blue Origin launches an all-female celebrity crew with Katy Perry, Gayle King and Lauren Sanchez
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin launched his fiancee Lauren Sanchez into space Monday with an all-female celebrity crew that included Katy Perry and Gayle King. It was the latest wave in space tourism, where more of the rich and famous than ever before — or lucky and well-connected — can…
So your home’s not social-media perfect? How to get over ‘house shame’ and invite people in
By LEANNE ITALIE AP Lifestyles Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Robbie Randolph is a real estate agent and interior designer for the rich, yet even he’s not immune from the anxiety of “house shame.” That’s the judged, bullied, defeated feeling you can get when Pinterest-perfect…
Sports
Devils struggle on power play again, penalty-kill gives up 4th goal in Game 4 loss to Hurricanes
By VIN A. CHERWOO AP Sports Writer NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The New Jersey Devils had the top special teams units in the NHL this season. Things haven’t worked out so well in the playoffs, and they are now one loss away from elimination. The…
Judge denies injunction for four players suing NCAA in North Carolina court
By BOB SUTTON Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A judge denied a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by four college football players who had sued to gain an additional season of eligibility. Judge Matthew Houston said the evidence was “not sufficient” while ruling from the bench following…
Martinook, Andersen help Hurricanes push past Devils 3-1 for 2-0 lead in 1st-round playoff series
By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jordan Martinook scored a go-ahead shorthanded goal in the second period and Frederik Andersen came up big in net all night to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Tuesday for…
TCU and North Carolina will open ’26 in Ireland after Belichick’s debut this year at home vs. Frogs
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — TCU and North Carolina will play their 2026 opener in Ireland, which will come a year after coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels at home against the Horned Frogs. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be played…
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick
By AARON BEARD AP Basketball Writer Duke star Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall draft pick. The program announced Flagg’s move in a social media post Monday following after a lone college season that saw the 18-year-old…