7PM News on WRAL - Thursday, December 18, 2025

Widespread soaking rain makes today a WRAL weather alert day. All show wearable fall the heaviest and when gusty winds cool us down. Breaking news, former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt has died at 88 years old. We're getting brand new reaction to his passing and new insight into his political legacy. Then new information on a plane crash in Ardell County that killed former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family. And the higher no one saw coming. Bill Belichick at UNC, a preview of the new WRL documentary, Coaching Carolina, The Belichick Way. Two huge names in North Carolina gone on the same day. Jim Hunt and Greg Biffle, a former governor and a former NASCAR driver. Two very different men with two very different jobs. One known for driving a race car, the other known for steering our state. But they were so much more than that, more than their jobs, more than their titles. We're going to talk about both men tonight, about their lives and about their passing. But first, we need to talk about what's happening right now at 7 o'clock, and that is this storm system moving through our area. Tonight, Kat, it is a WRL weather alert day and for good reason. Everybody is seeing the rain move in now. And it's pockets of heavy rain that are going to arrive later this evening into tonight, maybe even a few rumbles of thunder. Just be careful if you are traveling on the roads. They are wet across the area. A steady rain, fairly light rain, though, across Wake County. It is now widespread in the triangle, a little bit of a... a break here that's going to move through, but we've got more rain in South Carolina where this is coming from. And this rain is going to move in overnight. And that will be pretty heavy rain at times in the area. Looking ahead, 9 o'clock, still a good chance for rain, even through midnight. As we get into the early morning hours, we will have one final band of rain swing through. And this will happen between about 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. I wouldn't expect it to have a big impact on your morning commute. Notice how skinny it is. It's going to break up a little. bit. It'll blow through fast and will be done with the rain for the rest of the day tomorrow. It turns sunny and windy at times. I'll break down the cooler weather that will gradually settle in throughout the day and how temperatures are unusual coming up. All right, Kat. We want to get you a live look at what conditions look like on the roads. Willie Danley is out in the WRL Storm Tracker. On I-40, Willie in Durham heading to Raleigh. How is it out there? Well, Ashley, we've been putting some miles on the storm tracker today, and we've seen a pretty consistent downpour of rain from Orange County to Durham, and now we're heading into Wake County. I want to show you what we're seeing right now. These roads are pretty saturated. As I said, this is a pretty light dusting of rain that we're seeing right now. But even with this light dusting of rain on 40, we've only been on here for a couple of minutes. We've already passed at least two separate accidents on this highway. Not sure if that is related to weather, but definitely worth noting. You can see that the roads are saturated. We've already seen a little bit of ponding starting to develop on some of the roads outside these highways. We're going to continue to remain out here and keep you up to date with what these road conditions are looking like. Back to you, Ashley. Thank you, Willie. Back to that breaking news. Now, former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt, died today at 88 years old. His daughter, current lieutenant governor, Rachel Hunt, confirming the news. Jim Hunt served four terms as governor 16 years.

the most in state history. And he accomplished so much. Hunt established the power of governors to veto legislation. He created the smart start pre-K program. He created reading programs for elementary school students. He made deals to bring electronics and tech companies to the triangle. Hunt was a governor. He was also a true North Carolinian growing up on a farm in Wilson County, attending NC State, marrying his wife Carolyn in 1958. Brian, you've been monitoring all the reaction to Governor Hunt's death today. Of course, so many people acknowledging the transformational work he did for the state. And people on both sides of the political aisle want to show you some new reaction we got in the past hour. First of all, from Attorney General Jeff Jackson, a Democrat who posted a picture of him with Governor Hunt in years past saying that the governor was simply a great joy to be around and he really cared about people. He had a vision that he could always bring people together to do big things that really mattered for them. And from the Republican side of the aisle, Senate leader Phil Berger posted this saying that Governor Hunt was a devoted public servant who dedicated his life to our state. It says that his love and care for North Carolina and its residents were evident in everything he did. And within the past hour, Brian, we spoke to former Governor Roy Cooper as well. He told us he considered Hunt a mentor. I've known Governor Hunt for decades, and North Carolinians have lost an icon. Governor Hunt was the greatest governor in the history of North Carolina. Not only as a mentor, but I'll miss him as a good friend. His whole family I know will be mourning his passing, but also celebrating a life well-lived, job well done, good and faithful servant. Truly a lifelong servant. We want to take you live now to the governor's mansion. WRL's Heidi Kirk is there covering this story for us tonight. Heidi, you heard from a pair of former governors to unpack more about why Governor Hunt is so important to the state. Well, Ashley, we've been saying it all night long. So many people are coming forward, sharing the lasting legacy that Governor Hunt will leave on this state. Now, he's served four consecutive terms here in our state, really shaping politics in North Carolina. But the people that we spoke with tonight say his legacy is so much more than that. A man, some called the greatest governor in North Carolina history, now being remembered for leaving a lasting legacy on the state, saying it best in his own words in a 2015 interview with WRL. I've spent almost my entire life in public service. Because I love this state. I love the people of North Carolina. Former Governor Jim Hunt came from humble roots in Wilson County, growing up on a tobacco and dairy farm. But maybe remembered best as a politician focused on education and his love for kids. And if you give them the love that God wants them to have and you help them become the people they can be, they can do amazing things. David, we're just kind of scratching the service.

Now being remembered by his colleagues, predecessors, and those who came after him as a governor for all people, not just those of his party. 16 years in the office. I mean, he was an institution. He was the giant of North Carolina politics. And he made a difference. His hope was to be remembered as a governor from a rural community, reflecting good values in someone who cared deeply about North Carolitians. Those reactions just keep pouring in. In fact, every single time I check my social media, you just see more people commenting on this. Coming up at 10 and 11, we'll have more reaction. Heidi Kirk, WRL News, live in Raleigh. Heidi, thank you. You know, all day we have heard from people who respected Governor Hunt calling him an icon, a giant, the greatest governor of all time. Tonight, the WRL team went through lots of old interviews with him, and we found a moment that we thought perfectly captures why. people feel the way they do about him. I want to share that with you now. Listen, if you get involved in politics, working for things to help people, you can do it. You can make a difference. You can change and improve people's lives. We have an in-depth look at Governor Jim Hunt's legacy on WRL.com. You can also find more of the reaction that's coming in from former governors and others who worked with him. Now, to the other huge name in North Carolina, who we lost today, NASCAR star and philanthropist Greg Biffel. He and his family, his wife, his son, his daughter, and three others all killed today in a plane crash. This is the video of that crash at Statesville Regional Airport in Ardell County. The small jet crashed as they came in for landing. WRL's Destiny Patterson shares the heartbreak of family and friends as new details about the investigation are released.

Known for his accomplishments on the racetrack and his service off of it. The community is coming to terms with the death of Greg Biffle and six others. The NASCAR driver's C-550 crashed Thursday, ending in flames at the Statesville Regional Airport. State Highway Patrol says the agency can't definitively name any of the people on board because of the fire. Unless we can look at an image and look at a person, we just can't tell you for sure who those people are. But close friend Garrett Mitchell, also known as Cletus McFarland, confirmed the 55-year-old, his wife, and two children were on their way to see him in Florida. NASCAR also confirmed Craig Wadsworth, Dennis Dutton, and his son Jack died in the crash. The victim's families released a joint statement saying, quote, this tragedy has left all of our families heartbroken beyond words. At this moment, our focus is on honoring their lives and supporting one another. The FAA arrived about 12 o'clock today. They're taking over the scene. They're taking over the investigation. An aviation expert tells me investigators will need to determine whether the crash was the result of an engine failure and or foggy and wet weather conditions. As details of the crash become public, friends of Biffel are grieving and unimaginable loss. NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe called it a tough day in our community. He wrote, The Biff obviously made a big impact on the track, but it doesn't even come close to the impact he made off. the track. Destiny Patterson, WRL News. And more on that, Greg Biffel, such a huge name in North Carolina because of what he did during his NASCAR career and then what he did after it. In 1998, he was named the rookie of the year in the NASCAR truck series. He won it in 2000. He went on to win the X-Finity series in 2002. And in his 14 years in the Cup series, he won 19 times in 151 starts. Biffel was later named one of NASCAR's 75 greatest drivers. He had an incredible career, but he was an incredibly... equally incredible person. After Halene devastated Western North Carolina, he jumped into help. He flew supplies into the region. He secured hundreds of starlings to connect people to the internet. He was also the one who rescued the man who you just saw, who was holding a mirror to get anyone's attention. We interviewed him about this at the time. So what I would do when I would land... in my helicopter, I'd get my Starlink out and allow all the local people that are isolated to make phone calls to their loved ones and friends and family. And you wouldn't believe the difference it makes. You see the look on these people's face. Oh, we have more reaction from the NASCAR world and all updates in the crash investigation over at WRL.com. Brian?

A familiar name is jumping into the race for our state's open Senate seat. Michelle Morrow launched her campaign today, joining a field of Republicans seeking to win the primary in March. You may remember, Morrow, she ran for state superintendent last year, losing to Mo Green. She ran on a platform that focused on ending the teaching of, quote, woke ideology to children. She also faced criticism for attending the January 6th rally in 2021. She has an uphill battle ahead of her, especially since her Republican opponent has the endorsement of President Trump. I talked with WRL state government reporter Will Doran about Morrow's chances. We'll appreciate your insights here. First question is, why is Michelle Morrow running against a big name in Michael Whatley? Well, you wouldn't run for a race if you don't think that you can win. She clearly thinks she can win, and she has some success winning GOP primaries in the past. So this isn't a totally crazy idea. And she had actually thought about running for this race back before Thom Tillis dropped out. She had talked about... possibly primarying Thom Tillis. So this isn't just a snap decision coming from her. Does she actually have a shot here? You know, I think you could make a good argument for it. Obviously, Michael Whatley has President Trump's endorsement, and that is huge in a Republican primary. But... Just last year, Michelle Morrow knocked off a Republican incumbent in the primary for superintendent of schools. And then in November, two million people here in North Carolina voted for her to be in charge of our public schools. So it's not like she has no support. As a no-name candidate, people know who she is. She's got some support. Even though she didn't win that school's race, still millions of people did want to see her in office. So now we've got a field of candidates on the GOP side for this Senate seat. What about against Roy Cooper and the Democratic side? There are some candidates against Roy Cooper. No big names like we've seen on the Republican side come in. Right now, Cooper is definitely the frontrunner. However, candid filing isn't over yet. It ends tomorrow. There's still time for people to jump into that race if they want. We'll obviously be following that as it ends. A huge race that's going to be watched nationwide. Well, thank you. Today is the day. We officially have Christmas on our seven day forecast. I want to show you a quick preview before we get to the radar. 63 Christmas Eve, 61 on Christmas. Both days look partly cloudy at this point. But let's get to the rain now. Rain is continuing to move through the area tonight. It's a steady rain, but a relatively light rain out there. In Raleigh, we have light rain covering most of Wake County. But I want to point out closer to Lillington, we've got a bit of a break in the rain that will briefly move through Wake County. There's more rain where this is coming from and we'll continue to see more rain moving into tonight. Some steady rain rolling through Henderson right now, Lake Gaston and Rocky Mount, a brief break in Fayetteville coming to an end at the moment. Goldsboro seeing steady rain and Sanford, more rain moving through. We need the rain. The drought monitor was updated today and it shows that we're in a moderate drought across our area. The moderate drought continues today and we could see that.

grow if we don't see any more notable rain in the coming weeks. Tomorrow, an interesting temperature pattern that I want to point out. We're going to see the rain continue tonight. We'll see the rain early, early tomorrow morning, but you'll wake up to temperatures in the low 60s and then temperatures gradually back off throughout the day. So it's actually going to be cooler in the afternoon than in the morning. Still not all that bad, though. Temperatures will be in the mid-50s, but that's going to come with some strong winds. We're talking about winds gusting. 30 to 35 miles per hour. Make sure you secure your outdoor decorations. Winds will be pretty steady around 10 to 15 miles per hour throughout the day. And we'll see the gusts to about 30 miles per hour as well. Future cast for tonight showing temperatures hold pretty steady in the upper 50s to lower 60s at 9 o'clock. Later tonight is when we could see some bands of heavier rain move in. Though I think this model is a bit overdone in the intensity of the rain. You may even hear a rumble of thunder. Here's that final band. of rain that will swing through very early tomorrow morning. It could still be around areas east of Raleigh at 8 a.m. But it rolls on out of here. And then temperatures fall a little bit throughout the day as the cooler air works its way in. Here's your seven day forecast. 61 tomorrow, 54 on Saturday. We're right back in the 60s on Sunday before a bigger drop comes Monday. With that system, we'll dip back into the upper 20s for our lows again. Tuesday, we do have a small chance for rain. We'll keep an eye on that. And by the middle of Next week, we begin to warm up just in time for the holiday. Santa arrives, of course, Wednesday night and a Thursday. We'll have a lot more clouds overnight. So luckily, he's got Rudolph. We're all set, Ashley. We are all set. Nice mild temperatures to Cat. W. Orile's newest documentary airs tonight. It's about Bill Belichick, how UNC brought him to Chapel Hill and why this season did not go the way that everybody hoped. Tonight's one last thing is right after the break.

In the next 10 minutes, our in-depth documentary outlining the hiring of Bill Belichick and all the drama on and off the field that makes its debut tonight. Now, before it hits air, we're giving one last peek behind the curtain. I speak with WRL documentary investigator Kristen Severance about the story that dominated the sports world with countless layers underneath the surface. Kristen, there was so much hype around the hiring of Bill Belichick, which was partly interesting because UNC is not really known for being a football school. Oh, I heard that so many times producing the documentary. UNC is not a football school. UNC is a basketball school. And so part of the doc, we really look at why is that? You know, historically, why? did UNC, why could they never really go big and really have all of these wins on the field? And so there's this historical aspect of it. You know, they had some great players, some big names like Lawrence Taylor, but as a team, they could never really pull up a big win. And that was something that I really enjoyed learning about. How did they get Bill Belichick? That's another part that you examine. Right. Okay, so this non-football school gets one of the greatest coaches of all time. So that is the meat of the documentary. And, you know, as an investigative reporter, that is where we looked. Okay, who really pushed in hiring Bill Belichick? Who helped get Bill Belichick even in front of, you know, some really high up important people who could make that decision? And... You know, who maybe didn't want to hire Bill Belichick. That is something we get into. Oh, interesting. And now the season's over. It didn't go so well for them. Yeah. Below average, I said. The low average at best. No, it did not go great. Their record was four and eight. They lost to big rivals like NC State, Duke. A lot of people, because we made this for football fans and non-football fans. A lot of people I talk to, they'll ask me, well, Bill Balochick is an amazing coach. One of the best football coaches ever. Why couldn't he come here and just really, you know, turn the team around in one season? Well, I kept learning. NFL and college football, they're so different. They're totally different. You have, you know, grown men in the NFL with families making millions of dollars, you know, really dedicated. This is their professional career. College, you have 18 to 22 year olds. Bill Belichick, 73 years old. Many say, can he connect with these kids? Can he really explain this is what I'm trying to do? So. I got so into it. You know, I get into all the docs, but it's so interesting. It's about so much more than football. And, you know, it's about the impact and really what this means for the future of this, of this university. And talk about power dynamics as well. This is a story that has captivated not only North Carolina, but sports fans across the country. Can't wait to see your doc tonight. Thank you so much.

Again, that documentary, Coaching Carolina, the Belichick Way, airs in just a few minutes coming up at 7.30. Thank you for making WRL your choice for local news. Our next newscast is at 10 on Fox 50 and 11 on WRL. Have a great night.