Latest news with #WRAL
NBC Sports
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Bill Belichick claims CBS secretly aimed camera at Jordon Hudson during interview
Yes, if Bill Belichick had simply taken a job at Duke, there's much we would never know. But because he opted to take a job with a public and not a private institution, his communications with North Carolina officials are fair game. On Friday, WRAL posted an item featuring quotes from some of the documents it has obtained through public-records requests. They focus on the aftermath of the disastrous CBS interview, which included Belichick's girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, instructing him not to answer the question of how they met. Belichick previously has accused CBS of editing the interview to create a 'false narrative' regarding Hudson's perceived effort to control the conversation. In a message to Beth Keith, a senior associate vice chancellor in the office of university communication at North Carolina, Belichick claims that CBS surreptitiously recorded video of Hudson during the interview of Belichick. 'Secretly, CBS had a camera focused on Jordon where Lead producer Gabe instructed her to sit,' Belichick wrote to Keith. Belichick also explained that Hudson attended the interview because Simon & Schuster publicist David Kass was not present. Earlier this month, someone from Belichick's camp (possibly, Hudson herself) leaked various allegations to about Kass's role in the interview debacle. Belichick persists in his claim that questions unrelated to his book were not supposed to be asked during the interview with Tony Dokoupil of CBS. 'For approximately 35 uninterrupted minutes, Tony asked questions about the book,' Belichick wrote. 'Then, the questions shifted to other subjects that were not related to the Art of Winning, which we had outlined as off-limits with my book publicist.' The communications with UNC also include an explanation from Belichick as to how he and Hudson met — and as to why she shut down the question. 'I met Jordon randomly on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021,' Belichick wrote. 'That is no secret. Jordon was not dodging the specific question regarding how we met, but rather was preventing the interview from continuing to probe into personal matters.' It really would be useful to see the full interview, so that the reasonableness of Hudson's apparent 'enough is enough' interjection could be assessed. Why won't CBS post the full interview? It would leave no doubt as to what happened during what should have been a slo-pitch softball session, and as to how often Hudson interrupted. While this isn't another example of Belichick or Hudson kicking a sleeping dog and pushing a dormant story back into the news cycle, the release of the communications received now by the media is a natural consequence of Belichick taking a job with a public institution.
Axios
3 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Support for regulating psychoactive hemp gains momentum in NC
Bipartisan support for restricting hemp in North Carolina is gaining steam, with GOP lawmakers unveiling yet another proposal Tuesday that would regulate intoxicating weed-like products in the state. Why it matters: The new legislation, backed by the state's most powerful Republican, is one of several bills proposed in recent months that would crack down on psychoactive hemp products in North Carolina. Though marijuana remains illegal in any form, the state is among the most lenient in the country in its regulation of hemp-derived consumables, but a bipartisan movement to change that has been building. What they're saying: "Stores selling these hemp products are popping up in towns across North Carolina, and children are getting ahold of these products," Senate Leader Phil Berger said in a press release about the bill Monday night. "Without these regulations, the availability of these dangerous products is only going to get worse." Driving the news: On Tuesday morning, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina's state Senate rolled out the most restrictive yet viable proposal yet to regulate hemp while moving to ban products made with any hemp-derived cannabinoids other than delta-9, the psychoactive component of marijuana. The bill would also set age and dosage limits and licensing and testing standards for sellers and manufacturers. Yes, but: It would not legalize marijuana, however — a proposal that has been floated in previous sessions but has yet to surface this year. Flashback: "It's really ironic that in some ways, the most liberal, pro-marijuana adult-use state in the country is North Carolina," Democratic Gov. Josh Stein told WRAL in an exclusive interview earlier this month, in which he also announced he was launching a task force to explore regulations on THC products and marijuana legalization "It's not Colorado, it's not Massachusetts, it's not these states that legalized it and then created a regulatory structure to sell it. It's North Carolina, where we have no rules whatsoever." State of play: As of now, the state has no limits — or age restrictions — on any cannabinoids with psychoactive effects much like those of THC, including delta-9. The new bill unveiled Tuesday, however, would outright ban "synthetic" high-inducing hemp products that can be found on shelves just a few blocks from the state legislature, including delta-8, THC-A, delta-7 and delta-10. The bill also appears to ban CBD, another hemp-derived cannabinoid. The cannabis plant has more than 100 cannabinoids. Some of them produce a weed-like high, while others, like CBD, are not. The other side: House Rules Chairman Rep. John Bell, who is the president of CBD and hemp manufacturer Asterra Labs, is "disappointed in the bill," he told Axios in a text message Tuesday. "This bill will destroy the hemp industry and move it out of state. Not one stakeholder was involved." He had not expressed the same opposition to another bill proposed earlier this session that would regulate his industry, though he told Axios at the time that the legislation wouldn't necessarily be a slam dunk for his company because it would implement new licensing fees and require changes to how it packages its products, for example. Democrats and Republicans alike expressed support for the new legislation, however, when it was unveiled in a committee hearing Tuesday morning. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson also attended the committee meeting. "This is long overdue," Jackson, a Democrat, told lawmakers. "One of the major themes in terms of feedback that I've gotten from law enforcement and from families over the last six months has been about this issue — and usually happens when a family learns that it is truly the Wild West, at least with respect to what children are allowed to buy in these places."
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A well-known WRAL reporter is leaving the station. What we know
A WRAL reporter and North Carolina native is leaving the station after six years. Aaron Thomas' last day at WRAL is Monday, June 16, according to social media posts announcing the news. 'This wasn't an easy decision,' Thomas wrote in a Facebook post. 'Reporting for my hometown TV station has been a blessing and a dream fulfilled. YEARS of prayer and self-reflection led to the conclusion that it's time for a new challenge.' Thomas, who did not immediately respond to a request for more information from The News & Observer, said in the Facebook post that he would take a month to 'recharge + reset.' 'As for what's next? Stay tuned,' Thomas wrote. Thomas, who joined WRAL in 2019, graduated from N.C. State University in 2014 with a degree in communication media, according to his WRAL bio. He was born in Fayetteville and raised in Fuquay-Varina, the bio says. During his six years at WRAL, Thomas won two Nashville/MidSouth Emmy Awards in breaking/spot news - multiple reports and team coverage categories. Before coming to WRAL, Thomas worked for two years as a reporter/multimedia journalism at ABC affiliate WRIC-TV in Richmond, Virginia. From 2015-17, he was a reporter/multimedia journalist at CBS affiliate WTAJ-TV in State College, Pennsylvania. WRAL legend Charlie Gaddy — 'the Walter Cronkite of North Carolina' — has died Thomas is the latest broadcast journalist to leave WRAL in recent months. Gilbert Baez, a longtime Fayetteville reporter for the station, left WRAL in January, after the station did not renew his contract. Baez is hosting a new TV show, 'Air Angels: Flight Helene.' He is also hosting a three-hour weekday news program at WFNC, The N&O previously reported. Debra Morgan joined WRAL as an anchor in 1993. Until 2023, she co-anchored newscasts at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., alongside Gerald Owens. But in May of that year, she began co-anchoring only at the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. hours, a change she said would offer better work-life balance. Morgan's last day on the anchor desk at WRAL was May 21. Have a question about your community you'd like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea you'd like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you. If you have a question about the Charlotte area, send The Charlotte Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form. If you have a question about Raleigh or a Triangle area community, send The News & Observer team a question by submitting questions to this form. Local TV station announces new host for public affairs program. Here's when she'll start Former WRAL reporter begins 2 new TV & radio projects this year. Here's what to know
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Teen Loses Foot After Freak Accident. Days Later, He Learns Man Who Saved Him Had Been in a Crash and Was Down the Hall
18-year-old Bryson Wilkinson from North Carolina was working a shift at a tree removal company when he got caught in a rope and ultimately lost his foot and part of his right leg A man rushed to apply a tourniquet while they waited for first responders Soon Wilkinson and Gary Caldwell, the man who saved him, were reunited at the hospital after Caldwell was injured in a crashA North Carolina teenager who lost his foot in a tree removal accident quickly found himself recovering in the same building as the man who helped save him. Bryson Wilkinson, 18, was working a shift at a tree removal company on Wednesday, May 21, when he got caught in a rope and ultimately lost his foot and part of his right leg in the accident, according to local NBC affiliate WECT. 'I thought it was over for me. I thought that was about to be the end of my life,' Wilkinson said. Gary Caldwell, a resident of the area, rushed to apply a tourniquet and Wilkinson was taken to a local hospital to undergo an amputation. Just two days later, Caldwell found himself at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, down the hall from Wilkinson, according to local station WRAL. "He ended up in a motorcycle accident," Wilkinson told the outlet WRAL. "I just couldn't believe what I saw." Doctors helped reunite them as they both began to heal. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'As soon as I walked in I broke down crying. I couldn't believe it,' Wilkinson told WECT. 'I'm going to keep staying in touch with him as long as I can.' Since getting home from the hospital, Wilkinson has been sharing updates about his recovery on TikTok. A GoFundMe to support him has raised more than $1,000. 'I want to tell people that their life's not over if they lose a limb. Things happen,' he told WECT. 'They can get past it in life. They don't need to give up. They don't need to lose hope.' Read the original article on People
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Iconic Carolina Furniture Store Is Closing After 41 Years
After more than four decades in business, Carolina Furniture Direct is calling it quits. The Raleigh-based furniture retailer, located at 8401 Glenwood Ave., is going out of business after 41 years. The closure marks the end of an era for the 30,000-square-foot showroom that's been a fixture in the community since the early 1980s. WRAL reported that the massive liquidation sale begins May 22, with all merchandise marked down by up to 50%. Brands on offer include high-quality names like Bassett, Vaughan-Bassett, England, Leather Italia, Riverside, Coast to Coast, Hickorycraft, and even Tommy Bahama. Both custom and ready-made furnishings are part of the clearance. Ken Ciotti, a manager at the store, said the decision to close stems from the owner's upcoming retirement. He did not provide a specific final day for the store but emphasized that everything must go. Over the years, Carolina Furniture Direct built a reputation for offering a wide selection of home furnishings with a blend of upscale and affordable options. While national chains and online retailers chipped away at the brick-and-mortar furniture business, the Glenwood Avenue location remained a go-to for locals looking for personalized service and long-lasting pieces. Now, with the announcement of its closure, Carolina Furniture Direct joins a growing list of independent retailers shutting down amid shifting industry trends, supply chain changes, and leadership transitions. For Raleigh-area shoppers, this is a rare opportunity to score deep discounts on premium furniture before the doors close for good. But with no official end date announced, customers might not want to wait too long—once it's gone, it's gone.
