Get ready for a warmer winter as La Niña makes a comeback, bringing below-normal snowfall to our area. 

La Niña returns: Expect warmer winter with below-normal snowfall for Triangle in 25-26

winter weather snow showers

Michelle Mackonochie - familiar to WRAL viewers after five years as part of the morning news team - will anchor the 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. newscasts with Dan Haggerty, and the 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts with Gerald Owens. 

WRAL welcomes Michelle Mackonochie to evening newscasts beginning Jan. 5

Michelle Mackonochie

What it really means to be an organ and bone marrow donor

Stay up to date with WRAL’s At-risk youth news and reporting coverage

At-risk youth News and Reporting Coverage | WRAL

At-risk youth Coverage

Saturday, March 1, 2025 -- Federal dollars play a crucial role local public schools. In Wake County about 6% of the district's operating budget-- $141.2 million--comes from federal funds. If the funding disappears, students and families will suffer.

KEITH POSTON: Trump's education cuts could devastate local public schools. You should care

With Sweeping Executive Orders, Trump Tests Local Control of Schools

Juvenile crime has spiked since 2020. Between 2022 and 2023, juvenile complaints statewide have climbed by nearly 9% and by 60% in Wake County. WRAL's Chelsea Donovan shows you how one police department is trying to bring those numbers down.

VIOLENT CRIME. >> JUVENILE CRIME HAS GONE UP A LOT SINCE 2020 BETWEEN 2022. 2023. JUVENILE COMPLAINTS CLIMB STATEWIDE BY ABOUT 9% IN WAKE COUNTY. THE NUMBER IT'S MORE LIKE 60%. THAT IS A HUGE DISPARITY. ONE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS TRYING SOMETHING NEW TO TRY AND BRING THOSE NUMBERS DOWN. HERE'S WRAL'S CHELSEA DONOVAN. >> YOU'VE HAD A KID. SOCIAL WORKER IN TURNS SARAH JUMP AND KAYLA HAWKINS MAY NOT BE PATROL OFFICERS WITH THE ZEBULON POLICE DEPARTMENT. >> BUT WHAT THEY ARE AIMING TO DO IS EQUALLY AS FAR-REACHING. IT'S BEEN IN MY HEART TO SERVE YOUR CHILDREN. >> I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN WORKING WITH YOUTH IN JUVENILE JUSTICE. >> THEY ALONG WITH DETECTIVE KERRY BURKE ARE PART OF THE NEW CARE UNIT OR COMMUNITY ADVOCACY AND RESOURCE ENHANCEMENT. >> THIS IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND, ESPECIALLY IN WAKE COUNTY. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS. OUR OFFICERS WOULD RESPOND TO A 9-1-1. CALL IF THEY WITNESS A CHILD WHO HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO A TRAUMA AND THAT'S HOW CAN BE THE VICTIM, THE WITNESS OR THE OFFENDER. AND THEY WILL DO A CARE REFERRAL TO OUR IN-HOUSE SOCIAL WORKERS AND THEN THOSE SOCIAL WORKERS WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THE THE CHILDS FAMILY OR PARENT OR GUARDIAN TO GIVE THEM THE RESOURCES THEY NEED THE GOAL OF THE CARE UNIT IS TO CREATE SAFER COMMUNITIES. LOWER JUVENILE CRIME RATES. REDUCE RECIDIVISM AND BREAK THE CYCLE OF TRAUMA AT ITS ROOT. >> ALL WHILE BUILDING COMMUNITY TRUST. WHEN AN OFFICER GOES TO A HOUSE WITH THE SOCIAL WORKER, THE FAMILIES THAT ARE THERE. WE'LL SEE LAW ENFORCEMENT IN A NON ENFORCEMENT CAPACITY. >> THESE INTERNS WORK WITH OFFICERS AND SOCIAL WORKERS WITH IN ZEBULON PD TO BRIDGE THE GAP WITH A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO HELP FAMILIES NAVIGATE AND HEAL FROM TRAUMA MISSING, GOING TO THE SOURCE AND KIND OF. >> WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO INTERVENE AND HELP THEM LIVE. COBLE WITHIN THE TRAUMA THAT THEY'VE EXPERIENCED THAT WHILE THERE HAS SUCH A CRUCIAL TIME IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT AS WELL.

Zebulon police start 'Child Trauma Unit' to lower juvenile crime rates

Zebulon police CARE unit will help children, teens impacted by trauma

A new Durham crime report shows a violent first half of 2024.

DURHAM. GOOD AFTERNOON TO YOU. I'M JEFF HOGAN AND I'M RENEE CHOU. THANKS FOR JOINING US. DURHAM CITY LEADERS WILL HEAR THE 2ND QUARTER CRIME REPORT COVERS JANUARY THROUGH THE END OF JUNE. WR AS MONICA CASEY IS LIVE AT DURHAM CITY HALL WHERE THAT MEETING STARTS IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. AND MONICA, YOU'VE BEEN DIGGING INTO THE DETAILS OF THIS REPORT. >> YES, AND IT SHOWS THIS HAS BEEN A VIOLENT FOR 6 MONTHS HERE IN DURHAM. THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SHOT IS UP BY ABOUT 43% OVER THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF LAST YEAR AND FATAL SHOOTINGS ARE ALSO UP 16%. IN ADDITION TO THAT INCREASE IN SHOOTINGS, WE SEE YOUTH CRIME CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM IN DURHAM AND ELSEWHERE. WHEN LOOKING BACK AT THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF 2023, DURHAM, POLICE REPORTED 192 JUVENILE OFFENSES IN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF THIS YEAR. THERE HAVE BEEN 289. THAT IS AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 50% IN JUVENILE CRIME OVER LAST YEAR. DURHAM'S MAYOR LEONARDO WILLIAMS JUST ANNOUNCED AN INITIATIVE TO TACKLE THAT ISSUE LATE LAST WEEK. HE'S CREATED THE BULL CITY FUTURE FUND, GIVING MORE RESOURCES TO COMMUNITY GROUPS AND NONPROFITS THAT SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE. NOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THE DATA IN THIS CRIME REPORT GOES THROUGH JUNE 30TH. SO WE LOOKED AT MORE RECENT SHOOTING DATA AS WELL SINCE JULY. FIRST, THERE HAVE BEEN 81 MORE SHOOTINGS AND 22 MORE PEOPLE SHOT FOR A TOTAL YEAR TO DATE OF 430 SHOOTINGS AND 150 PEOPLE SHOT

Durham crime report shows increase in shootings, youth crime

Durham crime report shows increase in shootings, youth crime in 2024

Durham County Detention Center; Durham jail

Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews urged a community-based approach to address crime, highlighting the concerning trend of juvenile involvement in criminal activities.

EDUCATOR AND A FOOTBALL COACH SINCE 2016. >> THE DURHAM CITY COUNCIL HEARD SOBERING NUMBERS IN TODAY'S CRIME REPORT THROUGH SEPTEMBER. HOMICIDES ARE UP 9% OVER THE SAME TIME PERIOD LAST YEAR. JUVENILE CRIME ALSO REMAINS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. THAT WAS ONE OF THE CASEY SPOKE WITH THE POLICE CHIEF ABOUT POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS AND JOINS US LIVE. WHAT DID SHE SAY? MONICA? >> WELL, JERROLD, DURHAM, POLICE CHIEF PATRICE ANDREWS EMPHASIZE THE NEED FOR A COMMUNITY SOLUTION TO THIS SOCIETAL PROBLEM. SHE TELLS ME THE POLICE DEPARTMENT JUST DOESN'T HAVE THE CAPACITY THAT IT HAD YEARS AGO. AND IT'S TIME FOR OTHER GROUPS TO STEP UP THE HIGHEST JUVENILE CRIME NUMBERS IN THIS REPORT ARE FOR LARCENY, STOLEN PROPERTY AND WEAPONS VIOLATIONS 8 YEARS OLD. THAT'S THE AGE OF THE YOUNGEST JUVENILE OFFENDER IN DURHAM. SO FAR THIS YEAR. THEY SHOULDN'T BE. THE PERPETRATORS OF CRIME, NOR SHOULD THEY BE THE VICTIMS OF CRIME. IT'S IT'S NOT A NORMAL NATURAL THING. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S SAD TO ME THAT THIS IS SEEMS TO BE WHERE WE ARE. >> RIGHT NOW FROM JANUARY THROUGH SEPTEMBER, THERE WERE 273 TOTAL CRIMES COMMITTED BY PEOPLE UNDER 18 DURHAM POLICE NUMBERS SHOW 50 FOR LARCENY OFFENSES. 34 WEAPONS VIOLATIONS AND 29 CRIMES OF SIMPLE ASSAULT. 3 JUVENILES HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH HOMICIDE DURHAM CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND POLICE CHIEF PATRICE ANDREWS BRAINSTORMED WHAT CAN BE DONE. >> OUR KIDS ARE OUT AND ABOUT AND THEY'RE THEY'RE GETTING A LOT OF TROUBLE. CHIEF ANDREW SAYS IT'S ABOUT CONSISTENT INTERVENTION, BUT AT ONLY 77%, WARREN STAFFING THAT CANNOT FALL ONLY ON POLICE. WE NEED THE HELP. >> THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS AT THIS POINT NOT ABLE TO CARRY THAT TORCH IN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE DONE. MAYOR-ELECT LEONARDO WILLIAMS SAYS IT'S TIME TO COORDINATE EFFORTS BY THOSE TRYING TO DO GOOD. WE HAVE A LOT OF ORGANIZATION FROM THE CITY. >> ENTRY, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF MENTORING AND ISOLATION. AND I THINK THAT THE COMMUNITY OF TIME FOR US TO SCALE SKILL OR RELATIONSHIPS, EXPAND OUR CAPACITY. >> BUT CRIME REPORT ALSO SAYS SHOOTING INCIDENTS AND PROPERTY CRIMES ARE UP. POLICE ARE REMINDING YOU, ESPECIALLY AS THE HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHES TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT

Durham leaders discuss issue of juvenile crime

'We need the help': Durham police chief, city leaders urge community organizations to help curb crime

Durham police cars

Nearly half a million North Carolina students have missed so much school lately that they are considered "chronically absent," new data shows -- a distinction that suggests more students are at risk of eventually dropping out.

<p>PURPOSES, NEGOTIATIONS FOR THEIR RELEASE ARE ONGOING. &gt;&gt; NEARLY HALF A MILLION NORTH CAROLINA STUDENTS HAVE MISSED SO MUCH SCHOOL. THEY'RE CONSIDERED CHRONICALLY ABSENT RESEARCH FROM STANFORD UNIVERSITY SAID ANY ASSOCIATED PRESS SHOW THAT ABOUT ONE IN 3 NORTH CAROLINA STUDENTS MISSED ABOUT 10% OF DAYS IN THE 2021. 2022 SCHOOL YEAR. THAT'S MORE THAN TWICE WHAT IT WAS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. WRAL EDUCATION INSIDER EMILY WALKING HORSE SAYS THAT PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ILLNESSES ARE AMONG THE REASONS HOUSING, INSTABILITY IS ALSO A CONCERN. &gt;&gt; STUDENTS WHO MISSED THIS MUCH SCHOOL CAN FALL BEHIND IN ONE YEAR AND I CAN JUST SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL. YOU KNOW, IF YOU KNOW YOU ARE DOING WELL ACADEMICALLY, MAYBE THAT PUT A DAMPER ON YOUR ENTHUSIASM FOR SCHOOL AND JUST CREATES MORE CHALLENGES DOWN THE ROAD. &gt;&gt; AND STUDENTS WHO ARE CHRONICALLY ABSENT ARE OFTEN MORE LIKELY TO FALL BEHIND THEIR PEERS OR EVEN DROP OUT. THE RESEARCH FINDS THAT EVEN STUDENTS WHO WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL OR SOMETIMES HIT WITH LOTS OF ABSENCES DUE TO TRANSPORTATION ISSUES AND BUS DRIVER SHORTAGES FOR A FULL BREAKDOWN. YOU CAN VISIT THE EDUCATION SECTION OF WRAL DOT</p>

Study: Nearly half a million NC students considered 'chronically absent'

A Wake County nonprofit that works with at-risk girls has expanded its reach. They started 10 years ago on a horse farm in Cary and have now added a second location in Southeast Raleigh.

Horses change lives for at-risk girls

A south Cary riding academy has the goal of helping at-risk girls get a "leg up" in life.

