This year marks the 67th annual lighting of the WRAL-TV tower in Raleigh, an annual tradition that has grown to include celebrations with towers at American Tobacco Campus in Durham and Rocky Mount Mills.


WRAL Tower Lighting: WRAL lights the towers in Raleigh, Durham and Rocky Mount

WRAL Tower Lighting

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 Rockingham news and reporting coverage

Rockingham News and Reporting Coverage | WRAL

Rockingham Coverage

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026-- Capitol Broadcasting Company's editorial cartoonist

DRAUGHON DRAWS: The Rocking-Horse Winner: Berger or Page?

Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025-- Capitol Broadcasting Company's editorial cartoonist

DRAUGHON DRAWS: Hats off to Senator Berger!

North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger faces Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page in the GOP primary to represent Senate District 26. It's Berger's first Republican challenger in years.

'Grassroots slugfest': A sheriff in a cowboy hat is trying to topple one of NC's most powerful Republicans

Phil Berger and Sam Page

She told them that a man, who was dressed like a law enforcement officer, came to her home and told her that her husband had been killed in a shooting at the "Madison Walmart."

Rockingham County deputies investigating after man impersonating trooper tells woman her husband was killed

NC State Highway Patrol

As lawmakers debate whether to legalize more casinos in North Carolina, and as local officials lay groundwork with developers, a question remains: Who knew what, and when?

Before public caught on, Rockingham County made crucial change to allow casino 

Rockingham County casino rezoning meeting, Aug. 21, 2023

The Mayodan Police Department arrested two women Wednesday after an Amber Alert was issued for a missing 11-month-old boy. 

Police: 11-month-old abducted in Rockingham County found safe, 2 women arrested

Amber Alert

North Carolina's General Assembly debates a major gambling expansion; rural county residents had hoped to stop a casino company's rezoning request.

HAVE BELTON'S FOR YOU IN THE LIVE CENTER. ALL RIGHT, MARK, THANK YOU. ALSO NEW AT 10 O'CLOCK IN THE LAST HOUR AND A HALF. ROCKINGHAM COUNTY COMMISSIONERS VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO REZONE A LARGE PIECE OF LAND THAT COULD LEAD TO A CASINO. HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS SHOWED UP TONIGHT TO VOICE THEIR OPINION ON THE PLAN. WRAL'S JULIAN GRACE WAS THERE AND JOINS US LIVE FROM ROCKINGHAM COUNTY WITH MORE ON THE VOTE. JULIAN. >> GERALD, THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT HERE THAT THERE WAS SIGNS LIKE THIS FOR BUS DROP-OFF. THE BUSLOADS OF PEOPLE. >> THEY CAME OFF THE BUS JUST TO BE AT THIS MEETING TONIGHT AND THEN THE DECISION CAME DOWN. AND ONCE THE COMMISSIONERS VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO REZONE THE PROPERTY, YOU COULD HEAR PEOPLE IN THE CROWD SAYING VOTE THEM OUT. >> WE SHOWED UP TO THE ROCKY HIM GOVERNMENTAL CENTER BY THE BUSLOADS CARRYING SIGNS THAT CLEARLY STATED THEIR POSITION. I JUST DON'T THINK THIS I THINK THAT REVENUES NEEDED HERE IN ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, SEVERAL 100 FIELD, THE 6 OVERFLOW ROOMS AND WAITED FOR THE MEETING TO START WHILE THEY WAITED THIS HAPPEN. YOU KNOW, WE HAD FOR LACK OF WE DON'T. THEY WILL ON RESIDENT OFFERED UP A PRAYER. THE ROCKINGHAM COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WILL DENY THE REZONING OF 192 ACRES ALONG US 2.20, NEAR MADISON THAT COULD LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF A CASINO. ONCE THE PUBLIC HEARING STARTED SPEAKER AFTER ASKED THE BOARD TO DENY THE RE-ZONING REQUEST, MANY OF THE ATTENDEES OPPOSED THE REQUEST TO REZONE THE PLOT BECAUSE IT'S NEXT TO A CAMP FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES. COLE CAMP CAREFREE THEN CAME THE PRESENTATION BY THE OUTSIDE DEVELOPERS, ATTORNEY WHO SAID REZONING THE LAND COULD CREATE THOUSANDS OF JOBS IN THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, THOUGH, REMAIN COYLE AND WHAT COULD GO IN THAT SPACE. THE COMMISSIONERS THEN SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS THAT OVER THE YEARS TAXPAYERS BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ONE DAY THE LAND IN QUESTION WOULD BE A BUSINESS DISTRICT. THEN CAME THE VOTE. ALL 5 COMMISSIONERS VOTED TO REZONE THE PROPERTY, UNANIMOUS AND ALL IN ALL OF THAT. DESPITE THE DISAPPROVAL FROM THE MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS THAT SHOWED A IT'S DEFINITELY NOT WHAT WE WANT. THERE WERE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HERE, DEPENDING ON THE COMING YOU KNOW, IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS A LOT OF A LOT OF COMMUNITY CONCERNS, NOT ACTUALLY ADDRESSED BY THE COMMISSIONERS. >> JOAN, I DO WANT TO 0.1 THING OUT AS YOU SAW IN THAT VIDEO, THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE INSIDE THE BUILDING HERE WHEN THAT DECISION CAME DOWN, THEY LEFT ORDERLY AND PEACEFULLY. BUT ONE RESIDENT TELLS ME THIS FIGHT IS NOT OVER AND THAT CROWD WILL CONTINUE TO FIGHT TO MAKE SURE THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY DOES NOT BECOME A CASINO. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

Commissioners vote to rezone land in Rockingham Co. for a new casino 

As North Carolina's General Assembly debates a major gambling expansion, rural county residents had hoped to stop a casino company's rezoning request.

Facing opposition, Rockingham commissioners approve rezoning for possible casino

Rockingham County casino commissioners meeting 8.21.23

Lawmakers are weighing whether to legalize new casinos in the state. Meanwhile, a national developer wants to rezone 192 acres in the home county of one of the legislature's most powerful members.

Casino firm looks to rezone Rockingham County site as lawmakers weigh gambling laws

Casino, slot machine, gambling

Christopher Cline is non-verbal, but his message resonated with all of Raider Stadium at Richmond High's graduation.

A walk to remember: NC grad with cerebral palsy steals show at graduation

Christopher Cline walks across stage at graduation

Firefighters were working a massive fire at an old tobacco warehouse in Rockingham County on Monday.

Crews work to put out fire at old Reidsville tobacco warehouse

Fire at Rockingham County tobacco warehouse

A massive fire burned at an old tobacco warehouse early Monday morning in Rockingham County. 



Old tobacco warehouse catches fire in Rockingham County 

Rockingham County Schools has moved all their schools back to virtual learning after several coronavirus outbreaks were identified in schools. 

Rockingham County Schools move to virtual learning after at least 13 schools report coronavirus cases

Cumberland County Schools

Rockingham once was part of one of the wealthiest areas in the state and Richmond County's textile mills employed thousands. But in the latter half of the century, mill jobs began to disappear as mills closed.