WPTF Afternoon News

Photo Credit: Nate Saunders Governor Roy Cooper signed a bill legalizing gambling on sports and horses in North Carolina. Nate Saunders discussed the developments with Scott Lassiter and Jason Rogers.

Photo Credit: No Labels No Labels, a centrist political group, is spearheading a $70 million project to lay the groundwork for a possible third-party 2024 presidential candidate. Among those leading the project former Republican Governor and ex-Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory. He talked to Nate Saunders.

We're hearing more now about Former President Donald Trump being charged on multiple counts related to the secret documents case. Duke University law professor Shane Stansbury, previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, talked to our Nate Saunders.

There's been lots of talk lately about safe firearm storage. For more on the subject, Nate Saunders talked with Clay Ausley of Fuquay Gun and Gold.

Nate Saunders and Morrisville Town Councilman Steve Rao discussed legislation that is being considered in North Carolina... and the implications of sports gambling. They also covered an array of local topics in the news.

Apple is moving forward with plans for a RTP location. An application shows plans for a 324,000-square-foot office, calling for professional space with buildings up to 73 feet tall, roughly 6 to 8 stories. Apple filed the site work plans last month. More on what that means for the region as Nate Saunders talked with Morrisville town council member Steve Rao.

On the WPTF Afternoon News, Nate Saunders and Morrisville City Councilman Steve Rao spoke with Congresswoman Deborah Ross about an upcoming visit by leaders from India and the indictments against Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is facing another set of indictments... this time on the Federal level surrounding classified documents found at Trump's home in Florida. Nate Saunders and Morrisville Town Councilman Steve Rao gave reaction after the indictments were announced.

Helping children in a mental health crisis. That's the objective behind the newly opened Hope Center for Youth and Family Crisis in Fuquay-Varina. To find out more, Nate Saunders spoke with the center's Michelle's Chassner.

Handicapping the GOP Presidential primary and the impact of additional charges against former President Trump... Nate Saunders talked with political observer and former congressional candidate Michele Woodhouse.

What do police do when dirt bikes and ATVs take over the streets? Nate Saunders and Scott Lassiter talked about the law enforcement perspective with former Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison.

Photo Credit: Meagan Thomas The Wake County Animal Center is facing a critical situation as it approaches maximum capacity, with an overwhelming number of pets in need of permanent homes. In the hopes of encouraging adoption, the center is once again waiving all adoption fees for dogs that have been living in shelter pens for 21 days or more. Animal Center Community Outreach Manager, Meagan Thomas talks to Nate Saunders.

CNN ousted chief executive Chris Licht after a tumultuous year leading the struggling news network that culminated in a damning magazine profile and the growing realization that he’d lost the confidence of the network's journalists. For more perspective, Nate Saunders spoke with Phil Napoli, the Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media & Democracy at Duke University.

Photo Credit: Nate Saunders Wake County is facing a crisis as the animal shelters are nearly at capacity. To compensate, adoption fees for many dogs have been slashed. Wake County political analyst Scott Lassiter and Nate Saunders discussed animal adoptions and some other local news that recently made the headlines.

Durham native and President of the Southern Soul ATV Club, Jamal Lewis, talked with Nate Saunders about dirt bikes and ATV riding on public streets around the Triangle... and the need for such riders to have an outlet.

Photo Credit: Nate Saunders Air quality in the area was poor on Wednesday. A Code Red air quality report meant most people should spend the majority of the day indoors if possible. Nate Saunders and Wake County political analyst Scott Lassiter discussed the air and the implications of sports gambling legislation in North Carolina.

There are multiple bills being considered by the General Assembly including what's called "The Youth Health Protection Act, " and the "Prevent Harm to Children Act." Nate Saunders spoke with Tammy Fitzgerald with the North Carolina Values Coalition about the legislation.

They're seeing bears! There have been multiple sightings of bears in residential neighborhoods in Chapel Hill. To learn more, Nate Saunders finds out more from Falyn Owens from the North Carolina Wildlife Commission.

The PGA Tour and European tour have agreed to a merger with Saudi Arabia’s golf interests... LIV Golf. They're creating a commercial operation designed to unify professional golf around the world. Sportswriter at Chapelboro.com David Glenn discussed the unexpected news with Nate Saunders.

The Golden Mode Awards are almost here. Shelly Parker of GoTriangle talked with Nate Saunders about what the awards are... and why it's important to promote alternative modes of transportation.

Photo Credit: Wake County Government With an update on MPOX and what you need to know, Nate Saunders spoke with Alonza Pamplin, Wake County Communicable Disease Supervisor.

The world of cancer treatment has vastly changed and improved over the decades. Dr. Donald Rosenstein at UNC Health and Nate Saunders talked about what it looks like right now for people diagnosed with cancer.

Reports have surfaced that former NC Secretary of Health and Human Services will Joe Biden's pick to take over at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nate Saunders talked with Dr. David Weber, the medical director of infectious medicine at UNC Medical Center about Mandy Cohen's appointment.

North Carolina Republicans are gathering in Greensboro on Thursday for the NC GOP Convention. State GOP Chairman Michael Whatley talked with Nate Saunders about the events.

After the successful launch of last year’s “Career in a Year” program, Wake County is once again opening up applications for its Fire Academy, hoping to ignite new interest in fire careers and cultivate a diverse workforce. To find out more, Nate Saunders spoke with Joe Vindigni with Wake County fire Services.

There are now some signs that a recession, if there is one, will be very moderate. Nate Saunders talked with N.C. State University economic professor emeritus Mike Walden about the nation's economic outlook.

Over the weekend, President Biden signed the deficit ceiling bill, which prevented an unprecedented default on U.S. debt. Nate Saunders gets some perspective from Meredith College Political Science Professor David McLennan.

Photo Credit: Nate Saunders The V foundation's 30th Anniversary Gala was held on Saturday. The organization, named after NC State's legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano, has raised 310-million-dollars for cancer research for the past 3 decades. Jeff Friday, the assistant director of communications at the V Foundation, spoke with Nate Saunders about the foundation.

Photo Credit: Charles Hadley How do we appropriately address AI? How is the presidential election shaping up? and a high profile visit from India. Morrisville Town Councilman Steve Rao and Nate Saunders discussed these and more on Friday.

Photo Credit: Charles Hadley Mandy Cohen has been named the new Director of the CDC by President Joe Biden. Morrisville Town Councilman Steve Rao and Nate Saunders discussed the significance of the appointment.

Smart approaches to basic services... that's part of the town of Morrisville's "smart city" effort led by Chief Information Officer Rick Ralph. He talked about that with Nate Saunders and Morrisville City Councilman Steve Rao.

Photo Credit: Charles Hadley On the WPTF Afternoon News, Morrisville town council member Steve Rao talked with Nate Saunders about the debt ceiling deal reached by Congress and President Biden.

Hillside High School's drama department has gained attention for tackling youth violence and gun crime. Now, its production has caught the eye of state education leaders. Retired Hillside High drama teacher Wendell Tabb recently met with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt and the director of Safer Schools NC about a play that focused on gun violence. Tabb joined Nate Saunders on Thursday.

Hitachi Energy--which has its American headquarters in Raleigh--is aiding the renewable energy transition by investing in energy careers in the Raleigh area. There are plenty of job openings with Hitachi Energy. Anthony Allard and Kristen Koch of Hitachi joined Nate Saunders on Thursday.

Another Atlantic hurricane season is officially underway. It's the time when everyone in North Carolina needs to prepare in case this is the year the state gets hit with a "big one." North Carolina is no stranger to these monster storms that can bring deadly storm surge, destructive winds and devastating flooding. Nick Petro of the National Weather Service joined Nate Saunders to discuss the expectations for this year's hurricane season.

Southside Christian School has almost 300 attendees who have confirmed that they plan to attend a groundbreaking event on Friday morning at 10 o'clock. The event will be held in the Winston Pointe Subdivision. Currently, Southside Christian School utilizes rented facilities from two area churches who share their space. Jenene Davis, the head of Southside Christian School, joined Nate Saunders to discuss the groundbreaking.

It's kitten season and animal shelters across the Triangle are seeing an influx of cats. Farryn Cook, development coordinator at SAFE Haven for Cats, spoke with Nate Saunders about what the shelter is doing and how you can help.

The reality of legal sports gambling got another step closer Wednesday when the bill passed in the NC Senate. House Bill 347 will now head back to the NC House to be reviewed once again. Bill Squadron, an Associate Professor of Sports Management at Elon University, joined Nate Saunders to discuss the bill.

A report from the American Lung Association, to be released on June 7, examines the impact that a transition to electric passenger vehicles powered by zero-emission electricity sources would have on North Carolina residents. Will Barrett, National Senior Director of Advocacy and Clean Air for the American Lung Association, talked with Nate Saunders about the environmental benefits of electric vehicles.

A bus driver in Charlotte has been let go after getting into a gunfight with a rider. MPOX, or monkeypox, is back in the news and Wake County health officials are sending out warnings. Nate Saunders and Wake County Soil and Water Supervisor Scott Lassiter discussed the local implications of stories that made the news this week.

Senior pranks... they can have extracurricular implications. Nate Saunders and Wake County school principal Scott Lassiter discussed end of year pranks and new efforts by local police to reach out to youth sports.

The ACC is not breaking up. At least not any time soon. Reports emerged from the conference's spring meetings in Amelia Island, Fla., that seven of the league's members united in exploring the Grant of Rights contract in search of loopholes that would let them out. The meeting happened two weeks ago. David Glenn of Chapelboro.com joined Nate Saunders to discuss the fallout of the meeting.

A bill to legalize mobile sports wagering and, in some select locations, in-person sports betting has been passed by the NC Senate and now goes to the House for approval. Scott Lassiter, Wake County's Soil and Water Supervisor and local political analyst, joined Nate Saunders to discuss sports gambling in North Carolina.

Photo Credit: Ken Huth The Durham County Sheriff's Office recently arrested multiple individuals following its STEP Operation, or Sheriff's Targeted Enforcement Program. The STEP Operation crisscrossed Durham County over an eight-day period. Durham Sheriff Clarence Birkhead joined Nate Saunders to discuss the program and the office's new podcast it is conducting with North Carolina Central University.

A UNC Greensboro professor is launching a new initiative to improve the wellness of children – and it starts with a fist bump. Dr. Mike Perko, a professor of public health education in UNCG’s School of Health and Human Sciences, has created 500 Fist Bumps – a public health effort delivered through youth and rec sports organizations that uses fist bumps as a connection point for building care, trust, and a supportive environment for kids. Dr. Perko joined Nate Saunders to discuss the program.

A biologic therapy that famous athletes swear by to treat arthritis and sports injuries -- also shows benefit for the kind of neurological pain caused by chemotherapy or diabetes. In a study using rodents, Duke Health researchers found that a spinal injection of the conditioned serum eased limb pain for far longer that typical treatment. Dr. Thomas Buchheit, associate professor of Duke University's Department of Anesthesiology, joined Nate Saunders on Tuesday.

The biennial Beer Serves America report finds that the U.S. beer industry supports over 75,000 local jobs and contributes $12.8 billion to North Carolina's economy. Of the nearly 75,000 jobs the beer industry supports, these jobs fall in a multitude of labor sectors across the state. Lester Jones of the Beer Institute joined Nate Saunders to discuss how vital beer is to the state economy.

Photo Credit: Kristine BellinoYou are probably seeing more electric cars and trucks on the road... but charging for them has not been created equal. Nate Saunders and WPTF traffic czar Mike Davis spoke about that along with other types of "green" transportation.

If you traveled this past holiday weekend, you probably can already see there's plenty of others doing it too. But, the latest High Point University poll took a closer look at the summer travel season. Poll director Martin Kiefer told our Nate Saunders says many are looking to get away.

Later this week, June will usher in meteorological summer. With a sneak preview of what the weather will look like, Nate Saunders talked to Andrew Kren at the National Weather Service.