Category Archives: WPTF News
Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's acting attorney general on Thursday signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana ...
Apr 23, 2026 FILE - In this Sept. 15, 2015 file photo, marijuana plants with their buds covered in white crystals called trichomes, are a few weeks away from harvest at the Ataraxia medical marijuana cultivation center in Albion, Ill.. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)
Drug maker to build manufacturing campus in Durham
DURHAM, N.C. (WPTF) - Durham will be home to a new $1.4 billion, 185-acre pharmaceutical manufacturing campus that will bring hundreds of short-term and long-term jobs. Local and state leaders announc...
Apr 22, 2026 Durham will be home to a new $1.4 billion, 185-acre pharmaceutical manufacturing campus that will bring hundreds of short-term and long-term jobs. (artist rendering courtesy AbbVie)
Former Benson Cop faces rape, kidnapping charges
RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) -- A former Benson police officer is now facing rape and kidnapping charges. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation made the arrest after an investigation requested ...
Apr 22, 2026
Iran fires on 3 ships in the Strait of Hormuz as US maintains blockade and diplomacy stalls
By JON GAMBRELL and DAVID RISING Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and seized two of them on Wednesday, intensifying its assault on ...
Apr 22, 2026 ARABIAN SEA - APRIL 20: In this handout photo provided by U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces patrol the Arabian Sea near M/V Touska on April 20, 2026, after firing upon the Iranian-flagged vessel that the U.S. accused of attempting to violate the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz. (Handout Photo by the U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Smithfield announces plans for new Tobs home
SMITHFIELD, N.C. (WPTF) -- The Johnston County town of Smithfield is taking another step toward bringing collegiate summer baseball to town next year. In a release, town leaders said that 58 acres loc...
Apr 22, 2026
Legislature approves Medicaid funding, adds measures to fight abuse and fraud
RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) -- Only two days into the Short Session, the General Assembly voted for a deal to provide up to $319 million more in funding for Medicaid to finish out the fiscal year that en...
Apr 22, 2026
US stocks rally to records, but Brent oil also tops $100 on worries about the Iran war
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. stock market rallied to more records Wednesday after GE Vernova, Boston Scientific and other big companies joined the parade reporting fatter p...
Apr 22, 2026 The America 250 logo is displayed at the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on April 20, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Dave Mason, co-founder of Traffic known for 'We Just Disagree' and 'Feelin' Alright,' dies at 79
By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Dave Mason - the co-founder of the psychedelic British band Traffic, songwriter behind classic rock hits "Feelin' Alright" and "Hole in My Shoe," and R...
Apr 22, 2026 NEW YORK - DECEMBER 02: Dave Mason performs at the grand opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ANNEX NYC on December 2, 2008 in New York City. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell announces that he's transferring to Duke
Former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell is heading to Duke. Blackwell announced Tuesday in an Instagram post that he had committed to Duke. Blackwell was one of the most highly regarded players to enter...
Apr 22, 2026 FILE - Wisconsin guard John Blackwell dribbles against Ohio State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Jan. 31, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf, File)
Trump says the US will extend its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request
By MUNIR AHMED, JON GAMBRELL and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) - President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States is extending its ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan's request as he wa...
Apr 21, 2026 A government supporter chants slogans during a gathering after the announcement of a two-week ceasefire with the United States and Israel in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)