Noon News on WRAL - Thursday, October 23, 2025

North Carolina football is back. Join High School OT Saturday, August 8th for the 2026 High School OT Jamboree at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Watch some of the state's top programs hit the field, including Wilson Hunt, Union Pines, J.H. Rose, Rollsville, Southeast Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cardinal Gibbons, Millbrook, Southern Durham, and Middle Creek. Bill Gates open at 3 p.m., J.V. kicks off at 4. Farcity action starts at 5. Get your tickets now at high. School OT.com. Now, breaking news from WRAL, coverage you can count on. The wind is beginning to pick up, but later this afternoon, we could see gusts 25 to 30 miles per hour, which will increase our fire danger across the area. I'll show you where it looks the worst. Burn risk. Wake County Sheriff's deputies are investigating fires across the area. Why today's weather forecast is causing concern. Operation Royal flush. The FBI arrested dozens of people tied to illegal gambling, including current and former NBA players and coaches. As Elizabeth mentioned, winds will be gusty this afternoon, creating high fire danger. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Renee Chu. I'm Chris Leving. Thank you so much for joining us. Elizabeth Gardner right now is in the W.R.S. Severe Weather Center with a look at when the chance will be the highest and when we could see some release there, Elizabeth. So it looks like mid to late afternoon is when we'll have the best chance of seeing some of the strongest winds gusting 25 to 30 miles per hour. Let's take a look at what's happening right here at lunchtime. Our wind is coming out of the west at about 10 to 15 miles per hour. A steady. winds are in the box on the left. And then the gusts are in the white box on the right. So we're gusting to 21 in Fayetteville and Raleigh, gusting to 19 in Roxborough, 18 in Goldsboro, and this could increase as we head through the afternoon. In terms of where we'll likely see it, it could be any part of our viewing area. And we ended up in the southern part of the viewing area with that potential, we did have some fires begin to crop up there yesterday. Between now and 7 p.m. you want to put off any outdoor burning as of course anything that starts. to pop up could spread very quickly with the very, very dry conditions that we're seeing. This is a product that's brand new to us here on WRL. Notice the red spots. These are hot spots. So the reason that we're picking these up is the satellite is able to pick up heat. And so we have a couple of spots where it's possible that there are some fires that have developed, especially where we see the gray areas. This is where there's smoke. And so we feel pretty confident that we have some. fires that have popped up south and west of Raleigh. One of the reasons for this is it's been so dry. This week, we had even more of our viewing area go under severe drought there in Brown. That includes parts of Wake County. So we're going to be talking more about how far behind we are and how much rain we might see at the beginning of next week. If all goes well, we can see as much as one to two inches. I'll show you that system when it arrives coming up. Elizabeth, thanks. There are currently no statewide burn bans, but to reinforce what Elizabeth told you, gusty winds could spread flames quickly. Last night, crews worked to put out a series of fires along NC 540. This is near Green Level West Road. Investigators believe it initially started as one fire before windy conditions sparked two more. W. R.L. Flynn Snyder joins us live with what you can do to stay safe. Flynn.

Today, carry firefighters put out three fires in this wooded area off 540 last night. Take a look at some of the footage showing the response there. Crews say the fires were small, quickly put out, and the cause still under investigation this morning. Multiple departments across our area have battled similar fires in recent days amid the dry and breezy conditions. Crews in Zebulon posted photos from multiple outdoor fires yesterday. In Youngsville, firefighters put out a structure fire turned brush fire near... neighborhood off Highway 401. It comes days after the Wake County Sheriff's Office says someone intentionally set fires in multiple spots along I-540. Those blazes shut down a portion of the highway at one point. No arrests have been made or announced, rather, in that case. I did speak with the Wake County Sheriff's Office this morning. They say these latest fires off 540 and Kerry are unrelated to the current arson investigation elsewhere on the highway. Meanwhile, North Carolina emergency management is calling for a pause to outdoor burning and is urging people not to burn outdoors until further notice, saying the combination of gusty winds and dry conditions can create rapid fire growth situations. Flint Snyder, WRL News, live and Kerry. We're following that breaking news story. Among 30 people who were charged in a federal illegal betting operation connected to the NBA and the mafia. Two notable names, former Charlotte Hornet, Terry Rosier, and current Portland Trailblazers coach, Chauncey Billups. Other current and former NBA coaches and players are implicated in the four-year investigation called Operation Royal Flush. The U.S. attorney says the people running underground poker games used advanced technology to defraud victims. Rigged shuffling machines and x-ray technology was reportedly used to read. cards facing down on the table in the suspect's favor. This alleged scheme wreaked havoc across the nation, exploiting the notoriety of some and the wallets of many to fund the Italian crime families here in New York. Now, you may recall Rozier was being investigated for unusual betting activity in March of 2023. However, the NBA did not find a violation of NBA rules. Rozier did not play in last night's season opener in Orlando because of a reported hamstring injury. Billups coaches the Portland Trailblazers. The team Carolina Hurricanes owner, Tom Dundon, has agreed to purchase. We have reached out to him for comment on that situation. Four people were seriously injured in a crash near the borders of Orange and Persing counties last night. That was related to this large off-campus party for North Carolina Central students. That event was not sanctioned by the university. W.R.S. Monica Casey has been speaking with law enforcement who shut down that event. Monica, they say no criminal charges have been filed as of right now. That's right. The person county sheriff's office says they are in contact with ALE to see if this property violated any laws here last night. Now there are.

Tire tracks and trash left all over the side of Barry Pierce Road. Now take a look at this video. You can see just how large this party was from Sky 5. The sheriff tells me the event organizers sold 2,000 tickets and they worked with the Orange County Speedway for party attendees to park there and then be bused over to this property. However, the address for the party was accidentally posted. and far more people arrived than they had planned for. Sheriff Wilborn tells me he thinks that number could be 10,000 people at this property. Now, law enforcement had to shut that party down because first responders couldn't navigate this area. A little before 8.30 last night, a call went out for a car crash nearby. Eight people were in an SUV that had an empty parked car and four of them had to be transported to... Duke. We know two of those people were ejected from that car. We are working to get an update on their conditions right now. Live in person County, Monica Casey, WRL News. A bank robbery suspect who led police on a chase through Nightdale is in police custody this afternoon. Sky Five captured it all on video. 52-year-old Anthony Mingo ran into a crowded restaurant after that chase and crash. No one inside was hurt. Now the restaurant called 101 Kitchen is open for business. Bishop William Barber is planning to challenge the state's new congressional map. Lawmakers pass a new congressional districts yesterday, giving the GOP a better chance at adding an additional congressional seat. Barbara will hold a press conference this afternoon, and he alleges the map dilutes the power of rural and low wealth voters. He said, quote, when you steal people's representation, you steal their health care, their wages, and their future. That's why we will fight back, end quote. Barbara will be at the legislative building around 1 o'clock. And it looks like North Carolina teachers and state employees will have to keep waiting on a raise at least for months. Yesterday was the last day of the year. The state House plans to be in session and Republican leaders worked together this week to redraw the district voting map to send more Republicans to Congress. But they made no progress on negotiating a new state budget. Unless something major changes, there will be no raises coming or any other state spending changes until sometime next year. Today, you can save a few dollars and help others in our community just by going to the North Carolina State Fair. It is the Smithfield Annual Hunger Relief Day. Anybody who brings six non-perishable items of food to any gate will get into the fair for free. Now, in years past, the fair collected canned food. Now they've expanded the list to include things like peanut butter and jelly, as well as ready to heat meals. Donors are asked to avoid anything in glass containers, though. The food donated will help feed people across 34 counties in our state.

We have a saying that, you know, the good that we do doesn't stop with the products we produce. It extends into everything that we do, including the support that we give to our local communities. So I'm honored. I consider it a privilege to be able to work for a company like Smithfield and make this kind of difference, but also just to see the impact of this type of work and the difference that we can all make as a community when we come together. Last year, fairgoers donated enough food to provide more than 175,000 meals. Since its inception in 1993, visitors have donated nearly 7 million pounds of food for hunger relief day. While you're at the fair, why don't you go ahead and stop by and meet your WRAL family. Recognize those faces, right? This morning, Ken Smith and meteorologist Grant Skinner, they spent time at the WRLT, signing autographs, taking selfies along the way, and I did that yesterday with Renee, and it's so, so much fun to do. And just so you know, we are located in the same spot. We've been for years right outside Dorton Arena. In fact, Brian Schrader and Sarah Kruger will be there today from two to three, so stop by and say hi to them too. Let's take a look at stocks now. Wall Street rather subdued after some lackluster earnings reports from Tesla and IBM. The Dow Jay Jones advancing just 65 points. NASDAQ up 30 points right now. The SNP 5 or NASDAQ, excuse me, up triple digits, but S&P 500 up about 40 points. More ice rates in America where federal immigration enforcement is stepping up and how leaders in those communities feel about it. Sneaky sneaker snatching. How thieves managed to get away with tens of thousands of dollars in shoes. And open for business. A Wake County restaurant welcomes customers less than 24 hours after an arrest on the premises. Coming up next, sea storms moving in with WRL's exclusive dual Doppler 5,000. Sponsored by the WRL weather app. Download now for live radar. North Carolina football is back. Join High School OT Saturday, August 8th for the 2026 High School OT Jamboree at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Watch some of the state's top programs hit the field, including Wilson Hunt, Union Pines, J.H. Rose, Rollsville, Southeast Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cardinal Gibbons, Millbrook, Southern Durham, and Middle Creek. Bill Gates open at 3 p.m., J.V. kicks off at 4. Varsity action starts at 5. Get your tickets now at high. School OT.com. A Chicago man who ICE detained while his daughter fights cancer is due in court today. State officials are calling for the release of Ruben Gallego Torres Maldonado. They want him to be allowed to care for his 16-year-old daughter who is a U.S. citizen. In fact, she's fighting a rare and aggressive form of cancer. As NBC's Morgan Chesky explains, this is just one case during an increase in cracking down on immigration.

Chaos and clashes on the streets of U.S. cities amid intensifying ice raids. Yo, yo, yeah, go. She's not even doing anything. She's not even doing anything. In Chicago, seven people arrested by federal agents in an immigrant community known locally as Mexico of the Midwest. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino was there, local leaders condemning the action. This is not about border policy. It's about power. Fear? It follows confusion Wednesday in a popular shopping area in New York City's Chinatown following a similar raid. DHS calling it a targeted operation, resulting in nine arrests of suspects in the country illegally. It's a scene that's become familiar in communities from New York to Los Angeles, captured in viral videos. The raids have been playing out for months nationwide, largely in Democratic cities targeted by President Trump. The immigration actions sparking protest. In Los Angeles, this video shows officers arresting Carlitos Ricardo Parillas, a TikToker known for documenting ice activity. Prosecutors say when federal officers tried to serve Parias, who they say is undocumented with an immigration arrest warrant, he repeatedly rammed officers' vehicles. An ice agent opened fire, wounding both Parias and Deputy U.S. Marshal. Now the 44-year-old's charged with using his car to assault federal agents. Borders are Tom Homan warning against violence against agents. ICE is doing the job, and they're not going to stop doing the job. But journalist Radley Balco points to increasingly aggressive tactics by ICE. The overwhelming force and heavily armed agents, you know, storming workplaces. I think that's a real... North Carolina football is back. Join High School OT Saturday, August 8th for the 2026 High School OT Jamboree at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Watch some of the state's top programs hit the field, including Wilson Hunt, Union Pines, J.H. Rose, Rollsville, Southeast Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cardinal Gibbons. Millbrook, Southern Durham, and Middle Creek. Bill Gates open at 3 p.m. JV kicks off at 4. Farcity action starts at 5. Get your tickets now at high school OT.com. A local woman's license was nearly revoked over a crime she didn't commit. She had trouble getting it fixed until she called 5 on your sides. Keeley Arthur.

Five on your side has certainly got a lot of complaints about the DMV, but this is a new one. Stephanie Layton of Meben says she was shocked to get a letter claiming her license was being suspended over a speeding ticket in Maryland. The problem? She hasn't been to Maryland in more than 20 years. She says she called the DMV dozens of times, filed disputes, even paid hundreds of dollars. trying to clear her name but got nowhere. One person made the comment, well, you must have done something because somebody entered information in even if they didn't do it right. Coming up tonight at six, I'm going to explain what I did to get the situation fixed and what the state is doing to ensure this doesn't happen to anybody else. Keeley Arthur, five on your side. General Motors is working on new technology that could allow drivers to take their focus off the road. The new feature is expected to debut in the Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028. It will initially only be available for highway use. General Motors expects the feature to be used whenever users want the car to take over the driving. Conversational AI will be available in new GM vehicles starting next year. Charlotte Hornets fans are celebrating a win in their team's season opener. The Hornets started to pull away and the second half to break open what was a close game with the Brooklyn Nets. Brandon Miller led the charge with 25 points, including his dunk assisted by a lamello ball. Charlotte won the game 136 to 117. Woof. He'll head to Philly to take on the 76ers Saturday night. Meanwhile, former Duke star Cooper Flagg's NBA debut didn't go quite as well as many fans expected. During the Mavs versus Spurs game last night, he didn't score until the second half of the game. He ended up with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Mavs lost that game. And the MLB World Series kicks off tomorrow. The defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, will take on the Toronto Blue Jays. What you're seeing here is video of the Dodgers landing in Toronto yesterday. First pitch for game one is tomorrow night. That is at 8 p.m. and you can watch that over on Fox 50. AI proof. More companies are leaning toward automation, but there are ways to protect your job. We'll explain how you can protect your career. Here we have a look at your winning NC education lobby numbers. Good luck.

Shot in 4K ultra-high definition. Your number one source for local news. WRAL News, cover it you can come on. Amazon says its new robot workforce is the future, but human workers won't be left behind. NBC's Vicki Wynn explains how employees can AI-proof their job. Amazon believes that robots like these are the future. At this facility outside Boston, we saw how they can lift, scan, and place products the kind of work Aaron Martin used to do. It'll suction onto the box to pick it up and then it'll place it in the tote where it needs to go. Is this robot doing work that humans used to do? Similar, yes. It's just this could run 24-7. Four years ago, he was stocking bins in an Amazon warehouse. I used to just stow product and aisles of bins. Now machines can do that work faster and with fewer injuries. We asked Amazon HR vice president, Ophori Agboka, what that means for workers. When people ask you yes or no, will the workforce in Amazon shrink as a result of automation robots, AI, what do you say? Our populations and sizes where people sit in the footprint is going to vary as we grow. So it'll change. It'll vary as we grow. In June, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced plans to, quote, reduce our total workforce as we get efficiency gains using AI. And a New York Times report citing internal documents says Amazon's robotics team has a goal to automate 75% of its operations, translating to 600,000 people whom Amazon didn't need to hire by 2033. Amazon says the documents in the Times report are incomplete and reflect the perspective of just one team and don't represent our overall hiring strategy. Do you see a time where the number of robots will be higher than the number of people employed by Amazon? I don't foresee that. AI is going to change the nature of everything we do, but the key is getting familiar with it. For Aaron Martin, the solution is upskilling. You got paid to go to school. He enrolled in Amazon's apprenticeship program to learn how to repair the robots that do the very work he used to, earning more than $40 an hour. Amazon says more than 300,000 U.S. employees have trained for new roles as AI and automation change or replace their jobs. When people are, like, cynical and they're like, ah, AI's coming, it's going to take our jobs, it's going to ruin humanity. What do you say to that? I don't think so. This isn't Terminator. So upskilling, not replacing. Okay, how about that mindset? Hiring managers say now's the time to lean in to AI. Ask your employer questions about how you can start to AI proof yourself. A child who was pulled from a pool and Zebulin has died. And police say they were called to Randwick Valley Court near NC39 around 6 o'clock last night. First responders tried to save the 6-year-old's life performing CPR, but that person died in the hospital. No word just on what led to that just yet.

And no word yet on charges in a crash that brought down power lines. Sky5 flew above the scene shortly after 8 o'clock this morning. A driver crashed on a pole on Highway 210 in Mike Johnston County, just south of Willow Springs. And it brought down power lines. We were trying to figure out what led up to this crash and if anyone was injured. The Wake County Sheriff's Office says they have charges in mind for the man who took them on a high-speed chase through Nightdale. SkyFive was the only one to follow the chase from this aerial perspective yesterday. W.R.S. Destiny Patterson is live in downtown Raleigh this afternoon after talking with the sheriff's office. Destiny, what did you find out? Renee, they tell me again, like you said, they have charges in mind, but they are waiting for the suspect, Anthony Mingo, to recover a little bit before they officially pressed charges. He's now in the hospital when in critical condition. You know, Sky Five was on top of all of this yesterday, from the chase to the crash and the moment that Mingo jumped out of his SUV and then ran into a Nightdale restaurant, the 101 Kitchen. All of this happened on Nightdale Boulevard at the Whitewater's Cross. shopping plaza now deputies ran inside the restaurant after mingo just right behind him and just moments ago I spoke with the week county chief of field services about what happened inside of that restaurant they confronted him they tried to get him to you know give himself up. He armed himself with a weapon and ultimately harmed himself with that weapon before we were able to get him into custody, which we were trying. We didn't want any harm to come, but unfortunately we weren't able to prevent that from happening. Now, Godwin wouldn't share what weapon or how Mingo hurt himself. He's now in critical condition at last check. He also says that Mingo needs to be able to fully understand the charges against him, so they're waiting for him to recover a bit before they officially charge him. Of course, as you saw from Sky Five, there were also other vehicles that were hit during that chase. So Godwin says that Mingo could also face other charges, and he likely will from other agencies as well. Of course, we'll keep you updated once those charges have officially been brought against Mingo. News live in Wade County. The town of Apex is asking people what they wanted to look like 30 years from now. They're going to have a public forum today to discuss peak plan 255. Town leaders say this will be an 18-month effort that will help guide growth for the next 30 years. That forum will begin at 4.30 and it goes till 6.30 this evening at Town Hall. Good dog, bad chocolate for your pet, that is. Why it's toxic for them and how to keep it out of reach, especially around Halloween. Final bow, the emotional reaction to the final performance for a ballerina trailblazer, Misty Copeland ahead of her retirement. And I just reminder, you can watch WRO News anytime on WRL.com or the WRO app on your streaming device.

North Carolina football is back. Join High School OT Saturday, August 8th for the 2026 High School OT Jamboree at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Watch some of the state's top programs hit the field, including Wilson Hunt, Union Pines, J.H. Rose, Roseville, Southeast Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cardinal Gibbons, Millbrook, Southern Durham, and Middle Creek. Bill Gates open at 3 p.m., JV kicks off at 4. Varsity action starts at 5. Get your tickets now at high school. OT.com. Happening right now in the WRA Live Center, the city of Louisville has agreed to a million dollar settlement for the police department's treatment of people during the Brianna Taylor protest. The lawsuit is five years in the making with the money going to eight plaintiffs, and those eight people accused Louisville's metro police of forcibly silencing protesters, some saying often using military-type weapons. But after years of litigation, nobody is admitting liability or fault, but the city has now agreed to pay a little over a million. million to eight plaintiffs. Thank you for that update, Michelle. Dogs are considered man's best friend, but a lot of human foods can be harmful to their health. Veterinarians are warning dog owners about the potential hazards chocolate candies can pose. The amount of chocolate it takes to cost concern, well, it kind of depends on the size of the dog and the type of chocolate it ate. Owners who fear for their pet's health should contact their vet. The substance in chocolate is actually a stimulant. And so it can affect the heart from the standpoint of a significant increase in heart rate. It can cause abnormal rhythms. They can get high blood pressure. And experts recommend storing candy on high counters and keeping dogs out of rooms when kids start counting their sweets just in case any fall on the floor. No tricks, just treats. The Wake County Animal Center is waiving adoption fees so every pet can find a bootable new home. Now through November 9th, all adoption fees will be waived as part of the spooky season sweet snuggles campaign. The shelter currently has 169 dogs and cats available for adoption, along with 91 pets in foster care. Adaptable pets can be viewed at pets.wake.gov. This year's Jay Clayton Harvest Festival gets started today. All the fun begins on Main Street at 5 o'clock. There will be events at Horn and Town Squares. Admission and parking are all free. But the rides, games, and food, yeah, you do have to pay for that. Ticket information and festival hours are available on the Jay Clayton Harvest Festival website. The festival will run through Sunday. Bad timing. That's how North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis describes the demolition of the White House East Wing in the middle of a government shutdown. The growing price tag for the president's elaborate ballroom. Strike averted. The temporary deal that allows the lights to shine bright on Broadway.

North Carolina football is back. Join High School OT Saturday, August 8th for the 2026 High School OT Jamboree at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Watch some of the state's top programs hit the field, including Wilson Hunt, Union Pines, J.H. Rose, Roseville, Southeast Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cardinal Gibbons, Millbrook, Southern Durham, and Middle Creek. Bill Gates open at 3 p.m., J.V. kicks off at 4. Varsity action starts at 5. Get your tickets now at high. School OT.com. Well, it looks like some people are enjoying hitting the links today as you're getting a live look at Pinehurst this afternoon. Pretty dry and breezy day as you're watching WRL news, available in Hulu and the WRO app on your TV or your streaming device. White House officials say the entire East Wing will be demolished within days. Contrary to what the president said this summer, you're getting a live look right now at the demolition progress underway. He said his ballroom would not touch the current building. And now the National Trust for Historic Preservation is asking the president to push pause until his plans go through a legally required public review. Here's NBC's Alice Barr.

Total demolition within days. That's what two administration officials tell NBC News is now the fate of the historic east wing of the White House to make way for President Trump's massive new ballroom. It'll be one of the great ballrooms anywhere in the world. It's about $300 million. That ballooning price tag up from $200 million with the president saying he's covering the cost, along with private donors, among them Comcast, NBC's parent company. The East Wing tear down coming despite this earlier promise. It won't interfere with the current building. It'll be near it, but not touching it. Now as the debris pile is growing, so is the backlash. just can't believe that the wrecking ball is taken to this iconic structure that symbolizes America and our strength and culture. The president noting the East Wing home base to First Ladies for decades has seen changes over the years. It was never thought of as being much. It was a very small building. Now the National Trust for Historic Preservation warning administration officials, the planned 90,000 square foot ballroom will overwhelm the White House itself at 55,000 square feet. As Americans watch history under Renafin. I was out of that story. And the White House argues it has not had to submit plans for review because only demolition has begun, not construction. The administration says all historical components of the East Wing have been preserved and stored. And back here in the WRL Live Center, how about this for some good news this afternoon? Mortgage rates fall. It's the lowest level of 2025. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped to 6.19%. That's down from 6.27% last week. That's according to Freddie Mac. At the start of the year, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surpassed 7%. Again, today, it is down to 6.19%. Lower mortgage rates in softer home prices might be improving the housing. affordability picture for many Americans. According to a report released last week from Redfin in September, the typical home sold for 1.4% below asking. The neon lights will remain bright on Broadway. The union representing Broadway musicians reached a tentative three-year contract deal with the Broadway League. The agreement includes meaningful wage and health benefit increases as well as strong contract protections. Musicians have been working without a contract on Broadway since August 31st. A fitting send-off for the first black woman principal ballerina at the American Ballet Theater.

You could hear the audience roaring as Misty Copeland took her final bow. The 43-year-old Trailblazer is retiring from the company after 25 years. Actress and renowned choreographer Debbie Allen and Oprah Winfrey were among the many who gave her flowers on stage. Copeland was also joined by her young son and husband for the finale. Big moment there. All right, switching over to our weather forecast. You didn't see this before, but Elizabeth was eye in the screen. She was like, I want to ride that carousel. You love the state fair so much. I do. I do. You know, I grew up in Raleigh, and my parents took me every year from like the time that I can remember. So it's definitely embedded in my history for sure. It's a beautiful day at the fair. You know, one of the things that I remember about the fair is that I always was able to wear at least one time my muddy boots because I just feel like it was. always muddy out there. And of course, that's not going to be an issue this year. At this point, we're not likely to see any more rain during the fair. Now, we did have a cold front that came through the first Sunday evening, and there was just a tiny bit of rain, but it looks like it's going to stay dry for the rest of the fair. 64 is our current temperature. So it definitely breezy out there, but not bad temperature-wise. We're going to see temperature tomorrow was 68. So we're going to drop it down just a little bit each day. 67 Saturday, 65 on Sunday, and they'll definitely be more cloud cover on Sunday. So Sunday's going to feel. A little bit cooler to you may need a heftier jacket. High pressure stays in control over our weather until the end of the fair. But in the meantime, we're going to see a front developing back to our west. And then along that front, there could be a coastal load that develops. This is not Melissa. Melissa won't be anywhere close to us, most likely at all, but certainly not this weekend. Rain totals are still uncertain. I'm going to show you what maybe some of the higher totals could be. But let's take a look at this system. It's going to be moving across the Mississippi on Saturday into early Sunday. This is Sunday. 5 p.m. some showers in the mountains that we move it on ahead to 11 p.m. And the rain's creeping closer to us, but it doesn't look like it arrives here, really, until about the time of the morning commute. Now, Monday could be a really wet day for us. Look at all this. This is going to be, again, kind of a more extreme look. Some of the models have less rain than this. This is going to be kind of the high end of what we might be seeing. depending on how things change over the weekend. But low pressure develops here and moves up the coast. And this is 5 p.m. Now, we could get a really good soaker out of this if the low is sitting right here, which is where Futurecast has it right now. Then it moves away, but wrap around moisture keeps us wet for at least parts of the day on Tuesday. That takes us all the way up to lunchtime Tuesday and possibly into Wednesday. So again, some of the higher end totals could look like this. Anywhere from an inch to maybe two, two and a half inches, we definitely need the rain. We are almost four inches. behind for the last couple of months for fall in general. So we do have severe drought that just started to creep into Wake County. We're seeing that in a number of our eastern counties in the moderate drought almost everywhere else. And that is certainly a worse case, worse scenario than what we saw last week, 4% in severe drought last week, 15% of the state in severe drought this week. Let's take a look at Melissa, 45 mile per hour winds. Actually weakened a little bit. It's interacting a little bit with Haiti and the Dominican Republic. But unfortunately, it continues to drift closer and closer to Jamaica here. Category 4 storm could brush by it or move across it as we get into early next week. And of course, that could be just devastating for that small island. Around here, of course, we're going to see rain with the rain. We are likely to see much cooler temperatures, highs in the low 60s. And don't forget tomorrow morning, there could be a little patchy frost in places.

Okay, we will be wearing our coats in Elizabeth. It's a bear family affair. A mother cubs drawing quite a crowd after hunkering down in a family's backyard. Why, everyone's just taking their visit in stride. Okay, wow. Here's a look at your winning powerball numbers here, 1837, 52, 54, 60. Your power ball is 12 and the multipliers two. Football is back. Join High School OT in 99-9 the fans Saturday, August 14th for the High School at Trentini Stadium at Wake Forest High School. Bill Gates open at 5 p.m. Action starts at 6th. Get tickets now at high schoolot.com. As you wrap things up, here's a look at a few of the headlines that we're following today. NC emergency management is urging people to not burn outdoors until further notice. Here's why. Kerry firefighters put out three fires in one area along I-540 last night. Officials say it could easily have been worse. The combination of gusty winds and dry conditions, that can create a situation where fires can spread quickly. Four people were seriously injured in a crash near the borders of Orange and Persing counties last night. The crash was related to a large off-campus party for North Carolina Central students. Law enforcement had to shut down the party because first responders couldn't get through. The party grew from 2,000 people to nearly 10,000 after someone... accidentally posted the address for the event. A child who was pulled from a pond and zebulin has died. Police say they were called to Randwick Valley Court near NC 39 around 6 o'clock last night. First responders performed life-saving measures on that 6-year-old child, but again, they died at the hospital. No word on what led to that drowning. A farm in Germany is using pumpkins to highlight powerful women in history. These are just some of the pumpkin sculptures honoring powerful women from around the world. They include Frida Kahlo, Joan of Arc, and Cleopatra. The farm also has more than 100,000 pumpkins and 500 different varieties. This pumpkin festival started back in 2004 when more Germans began to embrace American. Halloween traditions. A Southern California family is welcoming some unusual visitors to their yard. Another family of bears. The biggest bear of the bunch is known as Yellow 2291. The Department of Fish and Wildlife have been tracking her for years. She has a tag on her ear and a collar around her neck. Experts believe that she gave birth to her cubs back in January and their den is under a rocky area near the Palisades fire, the burn scar. But thankfully though, it wasn't affected by the fire. If you think about all the wildlife that got affected from the fires, the Palisades Fire, and Altadena Fire, I feel like a lot of the wildlife are trying to find their new habitat. And the wildlife experts say bears have powerful noses and can smell food up to five miles away. Homeowners are being asked to keep trash and their pet food indoors.

Our bed of the day comes to us from the SBCA of Wake County. Sammy is an eight-year-old, fully grown, neutered male dog. He's a ray of sunshine in the form of a canine. Sammy likes children, dogs, and cats. He's affectionate, laid back, perfect for someone looking for a chill companion. Contact the SBCA of Wake County if you'd like to meet him. NBC News Daily is next on WRL. Your next local news update in 30 minutes. You can get breaking news updates anytime with the WRL mobile app. We hope you have a blessed day today. Keep watching WRL News over the air channel 34 and spectrum channel 1257.

North Carolina football is back. Join High School OT Saturday, August 8th for the 2026 High School OT Jamboree at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Watch some of the state's top programs hit the field, including Wilson Hunt, Union Pines, J.H. Rose, Rollsville, Southeast Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cardinal Gibbons, Millbrook, Southern Durham, and Middle Creek. Bill Gates open at 3 p.m., J.V. kicks off at 4. Varsity action starts at 5. Get your tickets now at high. school ot.com.