Sunday, July 26, 2026
🌡️ Thursday storms flood Triangle, knock out power for thousands
Heavy rain swept across central North Carolina on Thursday, with forecasters warning of several inches of rainfall and flooding as the biggest risk to the region. More than 2,000 Duke Energy customers lost power in Durham and Chapel Hill, with additional outages reported in Garner, Chatham County and High Point, mostly from fallen trees damaging equipment. A flood advisory covered Wake, Durham, Chatham, Orange, Person and Granville counties through the morning as bands of rain slid southward, with areas southeast of the Triangle like Smithfield and Goldsboro facing the worst flooding risk.
🚨 Gas leak forces dozens from Durham homes near NCCU
A gas leak early Thursday morning prompted the evacuation of 30 people near the intersection of South Roxboro Street and Dunstan Avenue in Durham, just blocks from North Carolina Central University. Durham Fire Department and Enbridge Gas crews worked the scene to locate and fix the leak while police blocked off Dunstan Avenue. It was unclear how long repairs would take or when the road would reopen.
🤝 Search continues for missing Cary woman vacationing in Grenada
Grenadian police are asking for the public's help locating 44-year-old Elizabeth "Liz" Waddell, a Cary resident last seen Wednesday at Grand Anse Beach. Her husband, Cailen Waddell, who manages Cary's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources department, flew to Grenada Friday to help with the search. Authorities are asking fishermen, boat operators and coastal residents to report any sightings, and no details on the circumstances of her disappearance have been released.
🤝 GalaxyCon wraps four-day run in downtown Raleigh
GalaxyCon Raleigh closes out Sunday after drawing an expected 50,000-plus fans to the Raleigh Convention Center over four days, with headliners including Star Wars actors Hayden Christensen and Rosario Dawson and members of the "Scream" cast marking that film's 30th anniversary. Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau officials estimate the convention generates roughly $9.7 million annually for local hotels, restaurants and retailers. Organizers say the event has outgrown the convention center, with an expansion project expected to begin later this year to accommodate future growth.
Friday, July 24, 2026
🚨 Cyclospora outbreak tops 500 cases, Triangle schools pull produce
North Carolina's cyclosporiasis outbreak has surged past 500 cases since early May, with the bulk concentrated in Wake County, prompting Triangle school districts to strip produce from summer and back-to-school menus. Durham Public Schools is pulling all fresh produce from cafeteria lines until September, while Wake County has yanked salads, parsley and cilantro specifically. Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools, out for summer, haven't yet decided on a policy. State health officials and the FDA have traced likely sources to parsley, cilantro and lettuce but haven't pinned down the exact supply-chain culprit, and cases continue climbing statewide as the investigation continues.
🌡️ Durham taps 1-billion-gallon quarry as drought grinds on
Durham has begun pumping emergency water from Teer Quarry into the city's treatment system, drawing on roughly a billion gallons banked there to stretch Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir through the ongoing drought. Crews spent six weeks installing the temporary pumping system, with water reaching the Williams Water Treatment Plant this week. Residents have cut usage 12% so far, short of the city's 30% conservation target, and officials estimate under a month of quarry reserves remain at current draw rates. The push comes as recent rain has eased but not broken the statewide drought, with Raleigh-Durham International Airport logging well above-average July rainfall even as parts of the state sit in exceptional drought.
🏛️ Rani Dasi tapped to succeed the late Jamezetta Bedford on Orange County board
The Orange County Democratic Party's executive committee has selected Rani Dasi, a longtime Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board member, to fill the District 1 county commissioner seat left vacant after Jamezetta Bedford died June 21, shortly after winning her primary. Dasi won 66.9% of the committee vote over a field that included former Chapel Hill mayor Pam Hemminger and Bedford's primary opponent María Palmer. With no Republican challenger in the race, Dasi is positioned to win the seat outright this fall for a full four-year term.
🏈 UNC, Duke, NC State head into 2026 on very different trajectories
With fall camp approaching, North Carolina's three ACC football programs are telling very different stories heading into the season. NC State returns proven starter CJ Bailey at quarterback and enters as the presumptive favorite among the trio, though the Wolfpack lost transfer tackle Jai'Lun Hampton to a denied NCAA eligibility waiver. Duke is rebuilding at quarterback after Darian Mensah's offseason transfer to Miami, leaning on veteran transfers to replace one of the league's most productive passers. UNC, in Bill Belichick's second year after a 4-8 debut season, is leaning on the youngest roster in the ACC and a new-look offense built around transfer Billy Edwards Jr.
🚨 Chatham County woman charged after dozens of animals abandoned in Siler City
A Siler City woman faces two felony animal cruelty charges and 26 misdemeanor counts after deputies found dozens of abandoned animals at a Herb Beavers Road property, including chickens, turkeys, ducks, a rabbit, a dog and two pigs left without adequate food or water. Neighbors had already freed the trapped pigs before deputies arrived; the property's resident, Maggi Elizabeth Brady, 37, had reportedly moved out in June. The recovered animals — 22 chickens, two turkeys, a rabbit and a dog — are now up for adoption at the Chatham County Sheriff's Animal Resource Center in Pittsboro.
Thursday, July 23, 2026
🌡️ Heavy rain triggers flood watch across the Triangle
A WRAL Weather Alert Day is in effect Thursday as bands of rain slide through central North Carolina, with a flood watch covering Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary through the evening. Meteorologists say several inches of rain are possible, with the heaviest totals expected southeast of the Triangle in spots like Smithfield and Goldsboro. The storms have already brought flooding, downed trees and power outages to the region, and forecasters warn the evening commute could see more waves of heavy rain. Drivers are being urged to avoid flooded roadways as the system pushes through.
🎓 WCPSS races to finish emergency school repairs by August deadline
Wake County school officials are working under a tight timeline to complete $5.6 million in emergency structural repairs at three elementary schools — Durant Road in north Raleigh, Creech Road in Garner and Davis Drive in Cary — before students return in the fall. An investigation uncovered missing rebar and grout, compromised beam connections and roof support issues dating back decades. Structural engineer Cody Johnston said there's concern about a "spontaneous collapse" at some roof elevation connections if the problems go unaddressed. All repairs are slated to wrap by Aug. 21, though engineers cautioned a forensic report still underway could turn up additional issues.
🚨 Raleigh man charged with kidnapping after hostage standoff
Raleigh police say a man held a woman and three children hostage late Tuesday night in a home off Pin Oak Road near North New Hope Road, in a standoff that cleared around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. Don Von Privette faces four counts of kidnapping along with charges of interfering with emergency communications, making threats and multiple assault counts, according to Wake County court documents. Arrest warrants allege Privette pinned the woman against a counter, struck her in the face and pointed a shotgun at her. Officers took him into custody once the scene was secured.
🏛️ Durham taps quarry's 1 billion gallons as drought drags on
The City of Durham began pumping water from Teer Quarry into its Williams Water Treatment Plant this week, tapping roughly 1 billion gallons collected over 18 years to stretch the city's drought-strained supply. Crews spent the past six weeks installing a temporary pumping system, and officials expect the quarry to supply water for about 200 days. Durham has been under a Stage 2 Water Shortage Response since mid-June, and while conservation efforts have cut usage by about 12%, the city is still short of its 30% reduction goal. The quarry water is meant to buy time as reservoir levels remain low across the region.
🤝 Cyclospora outbreak prompts Triangle schools to pull produce
North Carolina has logged more than 500 cases of cyclosporiasis since May, with the bulk concentrated in Wake County, prompting Triangle school districts to strip fresh produce from summer lunch menus as a precaution. Durham Public Schools removed all fresh produce through September, while Wake County Public Schools pulled salads, parsley and cilantro and is monitoring CDC guidance for next steps. State health officials have linked the outbreak to parsley, cilantro and lettuce, though the FDA hasn't yet pinned down the exact source. Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools, currently out for summer, haven't yet decided on menu changes.
🚨 Durham raid shuts down illegal alcohol operation tied to violence
NC Alcohol Law Enforcement agents and Durham police raided an illegal alcohol business on Ellis Road this week, seizing three firearms, opioids and liquor from a property investigators say has been linked to homicides, shootings, aggravated assaults and weapons violations. State officials called the location a recurring source of violent crime in the area. The joint operation is part of a broader push to target businesses fueling repeat violence in Durham. No further details on charges had been released as of Thursday.
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
🚨 Man shot outside Raleigh gas station overnight
A man walked into a Speedway on Jones Sausage Road around 3 a.m. Wednesday with gunshot wounds to his head and side, telling police he'd been shot with a shotgun. A store employee called 911 and the man was taken to a hospital, where he is expected to survive. Raleigh police are still searching for a suspect, and the investigation remains active. The shooting is the latest in a string of gun violence incidents that WRAL has tracked across the city this month.
🚨 Durham raid shuts down business tied to homicides, shootings
NC Alcohol Law Enforcement agents and Durham police raided a business at 603 Ellis Road over the weekend and shut it down for selling alcohol without a permit, capping years of violent crime tied to the property. Agents seized three firearms — one held by a convicted felon, another reported stolen — along with opioids and liquor, and charged owner Travis Davon Miller and an employee with illegally selling alcohol. The location has been linked to homicides, shootings, aggravated assaults and weapons violations since 2024, with law enforcement executing multiple warrants there. ABC11 reports the broader weekend operation led to more than 30 arrests and the seizure of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine across the city.
🌡️ Rain eases Triangle drought, but Falls Lake still deeply depleted
Recent storms have brought welcome relief to the Triangle's drought — Spectrum News 1 reports Raleigh-Durham International Airport has logged about 6.75 inches of rain in July, more than double the typical 3 inches. But Falls Lake, the primary drinking water source for Raleigh and six surrounding communities, remains 5.2 feet below full and at just 66% capacity. Raleigh Water Assistant Director Ed Buchan said the reservoir has stabilized and even gained ground after losing 2–3% a week earlier this summer, but cautioned "it's obviously still in a very serious situation." Stage 2 water restrictions would kick in if Falls Lake drops to 45% capacity, a threshold officials are watching closely as the drought lingers across central North Carolina.
🤝 Wake, Durham schools pull salads as cyclospora cases top 500
North Carolina has logged 561 cases of cyclosporiasis since May, according to the state health department, with the majority in Wake County and nearly half reported in just the past week. At least 16 people have been hospitalized statewide, including five in Wake County. As a precaution, Durham Public Schools has pulled all fresh produce from cafeteria menus until September, while Wake County Public Schools has removed salads, parsley and cilantro and is monitoring CDC guidance. The FDA is still tracing the source of the outbreak, which officials say is linked to parsley, cilantro and lettuce — after a test implicating Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce used in Taco Bell meals turned out to be a false positive.