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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 Pirates news and reporting coverage

Pirates News and Reporting Coverage | WRAL

Pirates Coverage

Friday is Talk Like a Pirate Day, and for years Ben Cherry has indeed been talking--and growling--just like a pirate. Ben lives in Plymouth and is known far and wide for playing the role of Blackbeard.

DISHES PREPARED WITH INSECTS. FOR MORE ON WEEKEND FUN HEAD OVER TO WRAL DOT COM AND SEARCH OUT AND ABOUT THINK OF PIRATES IN YOUR BOUND TO THINK OF BLACK BEARD. HIS LEGEND HAS ONLY GROWN SINCE ARCHAEOLOGIST DISCOVERED WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS BLACK BEARDS, FLAGSHIP. >> OFF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST TONIGHT ARE TAR HEEL TRAVELER IS IN PLYMOUTH, SCOTT MASON PROFILING A MAN WHO HAS MADE A CAREER OUT OF PORTRAYING ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST INFAMOUS VILLAINS. >> THIS IS PLYMOUTH WHOSE MOST FAMOUS RESIDENT MIGHT JUST BE BEND. CHERRY. >> WHO? OH, YOU MEAN BLACK BEARD BLAGH BE OF THE PIE THAT WAS BEHEADED RIGHT OFF OF OCRACOKE ISLAND TO >> A BLACK BEARD, SALES WASHERS AND DRYERS, THEY HAVE COMPUTER OF SENSING CYCLES. PANCHERI OWNS CHERRIES SINCE 1944, IN DOWNTOWN PLYMOUTH. IT'S SORT OF IN MY BLOOD. THIS STORY AS HIS FATHER FOUNDED. I MADE A COMMITMENT TO MY LIKE 30 YEARS AGO, I WOULD TRY TO KEEP THE FAMILY BUSINESS GOING WASHERS AND DRYERS AND RADIOS AND TELEVISION. THIS TV GOES BACK TO 1948, THEN ONCE WORKED IN TELEVISION. THE TONIGHT SHOW JEOPARDY IN THOSE DAYS. THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE? AGAIN, HE WAS A TOUR GUIDE AT THE TELEVISION NETWORK IN NEW YORK THAT AIRED THOSE SHOWS THEN HAD AMBITIONS HIMSELF OF HIS NEW YORK. FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE IN 1963, AND I SAW PLAYCALL STOP THE WORLD. I WANT TO GET OFF WITH ANTHONY NEWLEY AND I SAID I WANT TO GET ON STAGE. HE DECIDED TO GIVE IT A SHOT TO EYE. >> I WAS GOING TO BE THE TRUE LIGHT OF THE BROADWAY STAGE, OF COURSE, ARE ABOUT 40,000. OTHER THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO BE THE TRUE LIGHT OF THE BROADWAY STAGE. 2, THEY MAY HAVE BEEN RIGHT. I WAS WRONG. HE RETURNED TO THE STORE AND TOOK THE PART OF BLACK BEARD AND A LOCAL PLAY. THE PLAY ENDED BUT THE ROLE ASSUMED A LIFE OF ITS I HE HAS PLAYED BLACK BEARD FOR 26. HE I FOUND A WAY TO MAKE A LIVING ACTING AS BLACK OR THE PIRATE. YOU STARTED IF YOU WALK AWAY AND YOU FORGET IT WHEN NOT RUNNING THE STORE BAND IS PERFORMING BLACK BEARD AT SCHOOLS AND FESTIVALS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. LOUISIANA, TEXAS, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, BUT IT'S PLYMOUTH THAT IS HOME. IT'S CHERRIES THAT ANCHORS EVEN WENT BLACK BEAUTIES AT SEA. I MOUNTED 48 CANNOT KNOW THE DICK'S. >> AND I SAY EITHER WAY TO TEST A IN BACK TO THE EYE. >> ANY REGRETS THAT YOU DIDN'T MAKE IT TO BROADWAY? I THINK I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY IN AN OCEAN. BUT HEY, I'M THE CAPTAIN NOW. THIS IS MY SHIP. A BOMB AND >> I JUST LOVE THAT QUOTE AT THE END, WHAT A CHARACTER. SO BLACK BEARD THRIVED DURING THE GOLDEN AGE OF PIRACY IN THE EARLY 17, 100'S CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF. THERE IS NO RECORD THAT HE EVER ACTUALLY KILLED ANYONE. YOU KNOW?

Tar Heel Traveler: Ben Cherry

Tar Heel Traveler: Ben Cherry Blackbeard

A look at how North Carolina members of Congress voted during the previous week.

How they voted: NC congressional votes for the week ending June 26

U.S. Capitol

Sept. 19 is National Talk Like a Pirate Day. While our Tar Heel Traveler wasn't talking like Blackbeard, he was exploring Beaufort County, where the wreckage of the famous pirate's ship is believed to be.

<p>FOR JOINING US HERE ON WRAL THIS THURSDAY EVENING. SO I'M NOT GOING TO EMBARRASS MYSELF, BUT IT IS NATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY AND A GOOD EXCUSE FOR OUR TAR HEEL TRAVELER TO PEEK IN ON BLACK TRY TO CONVINCE YOU TO DO A GOOD IMPRESSION LATER. HE'S LIKE SHIP IS BELIEVED TO REST ON THE OCEAN FLOOR OFF BEAUFORT. SCOTT MASON REVISITS MANY OF THE FASCINATING ARTIFACTS PULLED FROM THE WRECKAGE. WOLFORD HAS BECOME KNOWN FOR BLACK BEARD WHOSE PIRATE SHIP LIES WRECKED JUST OUT THERE. AT LEAST DIVERS BELIEVE THAT HIS SHIP, THE QUEEN ANNE'S REVENGE. &gt;&gt; AND SAY THEY HAVE THE ARTIFACTS THAT ALL BUT PROVE THAT THIS IS LITERALLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG. 300 ARTIFACTS ON DISPLAY AT THE MARITIME MUSEUM IN BEAUFORT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S FRESH AND NEW. THE NEW IS 300 YEARS OLD. THE ORIGINAL BILL THAT WAS LOCATED AND RECOVERED FROM THE SITE &gt;&gt; A KEY AL JUST DETECTED TO DATE ON THE DOW. 17 13, IT'S ONLY A MILE AND A QUARTER OFF THE BEACH. IVERS FOUND THE WRECK OFF BEAUFORT 15 YEARS AGO. 1996 NOVEMBER WAS FOUND THE DAY BEFORE THE ANNIVERSARY OF BLACK BEER TO DEATH ACTUALLY. AND SINCE THEN, THEY'VE BEEN BRINGING UP OBJECTS. THEY FOUND SCATTERED ON THE OCEAN FLOOR VESSEL WAS CERTAINLY ARMED AND HAD QUITE A NUMBER OF CANNON AND SMALL ARMS AS WELL ON BOARD. WE'VE RECOVERED OVER 250,000 LED SHOT QUARTER OF A MILLION LEAD SHOT FROM THE SITE. AND SO FAR THE U.S.. WE HAVE PENS, STRAIGHT PINS, GLASSWARE, CERAMICS BUTTONS AND BUCKLES. THE THINGS THAT THEY WOULD BE UTILIZED ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS LIKE BEARDS, CAREER REACH TERRORIZING HEIGHTS IN THE EARLY 1700 ACTUALLY HAVE A DATABASE OF ALMOST 60 SHIPS THAT HE CAPTURED. HE SPENT THE LAST 6 MONTHS OF HIS LIFE SAILING NORTH CAROLINA WATER. WE CAUGHT UP WITH HIM AND OCRACOKE AND THEY CUT OFF HIS HEAD AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT. THE MARITIME MUSEUM HAS BLACK BEARDS HID TAPERED LEAD TO THAT WAS PART OF A TOILET ARRANGEMENT. SO HANDSOME BLACK BEARDS, HEAD OR BLACK BEARD SCHOOL. IT AND ACTUALLY MAY BE ONE OF THE FEW ARTIFACTS THAT WE CAN POINT TO. &gt;&gt; AND LITERALLY SAY THAT BLACK MIRROR, VERY POSSIBLY UTILIZE THAT AT ONE POINT IN TIME IN TIME. THE HOPE IS THE WHOLE WRECK WILL BE EXCAVATED. 50 1% OF WE HAVE NOT EVEN SEEN YET. AND WHO KNOWS WHAT OTHER TREASURES STILL LIVE BELOW. &gt;&gt; WOW. WHAT A BEAUFORT TO SEE. BLACK BEARS HEAD. RIGHT NOW ABOUT HALF THE SHIP HAS BEEN EXCAVATED AND TECHNICIANS AT THE CONSERVATION. LIVE IN GREENVILLE CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE RECOVERED ARTIFACTS TO HELP TO STABILIZE AND PRESERVE THEM. IT'S FASCINATING FINDING, THOUGH, IS ALWAYS A CONCERN. HOWEVER, DIVERS HOPE TO EXPLORE THE WRECKED SHIP YOUR BEAUFORT AGAIN IN THE NEAR FUTURE.</p>

Tar Heel Traveler: Blackbeard

Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach, is arguably North Carolina's most famous pirate. Here's a list of five famous pirates in North Carolina.

North Carolina pirates: 5 famous NC pirates, including Blackbeard 

Blackbeard

Sept. 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day and there are a few ways that you can celebrate.

3 ways to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day on Sept. 19

While most children in the Raleigh area are on spring break and heading to the coast this week, the Tar Heel Traveler revisits the history of Nags Head, known for it's history of pirates looting ships

LARGE EQUIPMENT SHED ALL. >> WE WILL CARRY OUT THERE IN DOWNTOWN RALEIGH, BUT STILL BEAUTIFUL IN MY BOOK. >> FOR WAKE COUNTY SCHOOLS AND MANY OTHERS THIS WEEK IS SPRING BREAK. AND, YOU KNOW, FAMILIES ARE PACKED UP AND HEADED OUT MAYBE TO THE BEACH, MAYBE THE OUTER BANKS POSSIBLY TONIGHT SAID NAGS HEAD IS A BIT OF AN UNUSUAL NAME. REALLY IS. THAT'S WHERE WE FIND OUR TAR HEEL TRAVELER. TONIGHT, SCOTT MASON REVISIT AN OLD, FAMILIAR NAME SAKE. >> AND WHAT ISN'T EGGS HORSE AND AROUND THE NAGS HEAD. THE PIRATES WOULD PUT A LANTERN. >> AND THEY LEAD THE FORCE ACROSS THE DUNES AND JOCKEYS RE SHIPS AND SHE WOULD SEE THE SLIGHT ASSUMED THAT IT WAS A SAFE HARBOR AND WHICH SAILED TOWARD JAPAN RUN ASHORE AND PIRATES WOULD HAVE. AND SPECIFICALLY SO THEY WOULD CRASH SO THEY COULD. >> LUKE THEM WHEN THEY FIND IN THE WRECKAGE, ALL ALL KINDS OF TREASURES. >> HUNDREDS 100'S OF SHIPS IN THIS AREA. THE SON GOT THERE. THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT THE GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE STORY? LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE MADE A LIVING WITH THAT STORY. MYSELF INCLUDED. WHEN YOU ARE PAINTS PIRATES AND WAS ONE YEAR NAME THE NAGS HEAD LIKE KEEPER. >> HE STILL KEEPS THE LANTERN TOWN LEADERS AWARDED. AND WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT BEING THE KEEPER OF THE LIGHT? >> QUITE AN HONOR. BIGGS HEAD HAS COME A LONG WAYS FROM THE DAYS OF LIT LANTERNS. ROUND MAGS HAY AND TODAY THEIR OWN ANY LAND PIRATES. I DON'T THINK SO. BUT THE LEGEND LIVES LEGEND OF NAGS HEAD. THE LEGEND OF THE NAGS HEAD. IS THAT A TRUE STORY IS TRUE? YES, IT THIS IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE IT, JUST ASK ME. >> OUR >> TAR HEEL TRAVELER FIRST BROUGHT US THAT STORY IN 2009 IN 2018. THE MAN WHO TOLD US THE TALE OF NAGS HEAD SADLY PASSED AWAY. GLENN, YOU'RE WAS A BELOVED ARTIST AND A LOCAL LEGEND WHO FOR YEARS WHEN THE GHOST FLEET GALLERY, WHICH IS

Tar Heel Traveler: Nags Head

The City of Oaks Pirate Fest took place Saturday at Dix Park in Raleigh. In conjunction with the North Carolina Museum of History, the event allowed kids and their families tohave fun learning about the history of pirates by playing games and by having costume contests. 

Children, parents have fun exploring at City of Oaks Pirate Fest

The N.C. Museum of History is hosting its first Pirate Fest this weekend, featuring all kinds of pirate-related activities - from sword fights to swashbuckling games to a chance to "meet" Captain Blackbeard.