Good Morning Wake County: Good News, Real Neighbors

In this episode of the Good Morning Wake County local news podcast, we delve into the inspiring stories of a Rolesville family who transforms their son's tragic death into a powerful advocacy campaign through Aven's Quest for Amoeba Awareness. Additionally, we explore how Camp Ignite partnerships between Cary, Apex, and Morrisville fire departments are igniting the next generation of women firefighters across seven counties. Host Steve highlights how Wake County residents are turning personal challenges into lasting community impact, showcasing the overlooked news that truly matters. These meaningful narratives focus not on crisis but on the resilience and capacity of people within our community. Tune in for 7-9 minutes of heartfelt conversations that respect your intelligence and time, featuring real stories and real neighbors making a difference. Discover the good news happening around you—one episode at a time.

Two Wake County businesses are making very specific bets about who's moving to our area. A Cary development company is building 25 luxury homes starting at nearly $1 million, each with standard EV chargers, specifically targeting California tech workers relocating to Research Triangle Park. Meanwhile, an AI-powered school called Alpha Raleigh opens this fall where kindergarteners work with robot tutors and sixth graders manage Airbnb properties.Host Steve explores how Legacy Carolina Development's Guarang "Greg" Gala is "bullish on RTP" and confident enough to build houses that basically profile their buyers: California transplant + tech job + Tesla owner = perfect customer. At the same time, Alpha Schools is betting the same demographic wants their kids taught by artificial intelligence rather than traditional teachers.From Wake Forest, North Carolina, Steve brings you these overlooked local stories that reveal how different industries are reading the same trend about Wake County's future - and making million-dollar investments based on very specific assumptions about who's moving here and what they want.Real stories. Real conversations. Worth knowing.

An electric fire truck in Cary, a bus from Rocky Mount, and a Raleigh high-rise scaled down with purpose. Real good news from Wake County — and the towns we connect to.If you’re enjoying the show, please leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts — and visit TapYourNews.com to get new episodes by email.

One story hides behind a hallway in Morrisville: a neon-lit pinball sanctuary where friendships thrive. The other is a billion-dollar highway project reshaping life in Wake County. Today’s stories are about the places we build—one for joy, one for speed—and how they change everything from morning commutes to who we become. Plus, a dad joke that proves ambition isn’t just for people... roads want promotions too.Want more? Subscribe, share, or suggest a story at TapYourNews.com.

What do a forgotten airstrip and a jump rope team have in common? They’re both soaring in Southern Wake. First, how three entrepreneurs turned a crumbling Fuquay-Varina runway into a high-stakes aviation bet. Then, meet the Super Skippers—38 Cary kids headed to the World Jump Rope Championships in Japan. One said yes on a whim, the other jumped in feet first. Plus, a dad joke that should never be cleared for takeoff.Want more? Subscribe, share, or suggest a story at TapYourNews.com.

From a high school side hustle to Downtown Apex's beloved Bella + Mauve boutique, Gabrielle Carlin's journey proves that some dreams are worth the wait. Plus, Wake County's $9.5 million park upgrades at Harris Lake and Blue Jay Point are bringing accessible trails, expanded playgrounds, and new educational spaces to our community. Join our community at https://TapYourNews.com for show email alerts and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best local reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

When the AC died at Courtney Bowman's Raleigh Cheesy shop during the summer heat, she did something that required real courage - she got vulnerable on Instagram. No script, no polish, just honest desperation. The community's response was immediate and overwhelming: over $15,000 in orders within days. Meanwhile, Jared Haworth of Lightship Neon is fighting Raleigh's 1970s signage rules that keep creative neon signs from adding personality to our neighborhoods. His hot-pink neon chicken at Little Rey doesn't just advertise - it winks at you, saying "something good is happening here." Both stories ask the same question: What happens when we let people see who we really are? From struggling businesses to city character, these Wake County stories show that authenticity creates stronger community bonds than polished perfection. Sometimes the best moments happen when we stop hiding and let our real selves - and our neighborhoods - glow.Join our community at https://TapYourNews.com for show email alerts and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best local reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

When the same Raleigh rideshare trip costs $14 on one app and $84 on another, you know something's broken. Steve explores how algorithmic pricing is turning getting home into a high-stakes gamble, then discovers a local Wake County startup using AI to actually make government services work better for residents. From surge pricing mysteries to multilingual government support, these overlooked stories reveal what happens when technology gets too smart—and when it gets smart in the right direction.Sign up for show alerts at https://TapYourNews.com to never miss stories that are actually worth your time.

Two strangers. Two different places. But the same decision — to show up when no one was watching.In Raleigh, a retired Enloe High School theater teacher named Koko Thornton just won a national award, thanks to a former student who decided she deserved recognition. For 24 years, Thornton focused not just on theater skills but on helping students "see their own potential inside of them." Connor Kruger, now studying acting at USC, nominated his former teacher for the 2025 Inspiring Teacher Award at the Jimmy Awards.Meanwhile, on a Nebraska highway, a pregnant woman made a split-second decision to help a stranger whose pickup truck caught fire. She was hospitalized after being overcome by smoke and heat, but her instinct to help rather than drive past reveals something worth noting about human nature.Both stories share the same thread: people who see what needs doing and just do it, whether it's recognizing potential in students for decades or stopping to help someone in danger on a Sunday afternoon. Plus, a skeleton joke that might shake you to your bones.Good Morning Wake County brings you authentic conversations about overlooked stories that matter, delivered from Wake Forest, North Carolina, for people who want to know what's really happening without being told how to feel about it.Join our community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast for show reminders and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

You ever have that moment where your brain blanks and your body just moves? Today we've got two stories about exactly that kind of decision-making.First: Eddie Hunnell, a 57-year-old software engineer from Holly Springs, was at his son's wedding rehearsal when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina. When he saw 66-year-old Leslie Worth swept into the flooded North Fork New River, his Plan A with a canoe didn't work. So he jumped in himself. Now he's receiving the Carnegie Medal—North America's highest honor for civilian heroism.Then: Sydney commuters are discovering that sharing their morning ferry rides with 40,000 migrating humpback whales is just part of life now. These school bus-sized creatures are turning one of the world's busiest harbors into the gentlest traffic jam you've ever seen. It's a conservation success story happening in real-time, complete with whales who seem genuinely curious about the humans they're meeting.Both stories reveal something about what happens when the unexpected shows up and people—or whales—decide to engage instead of look away.Plus: a dad joke that might actually make you groan out loud.From Wake Forest, North Carolina, this is Good Morning Wake County—where we find stories that remind you what's possible when ordinary people decide to jump in.To sign up for email alerts visit https://tapyournews.com/podcast

James Watson, 64, bought his first home in Southeast Raleigh for $850/month through a housing model most people have never heard of. Steve discovers how Community Land Trusts work, why a former real estate developer had no idea they existed, and the surprising origins that make it all possible.Learn exactly how James saved 22% below market value and why this 50-year-old solution feels revolutionary in 2025.Plus: a dad joke about getting tired.New episodes Monday through Friday.Visit TapYourNews.com to sign up for the notification email.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:This episode explores two remarkable examples of human problem-solving under impossible constraints. At the University of Alabama, Dr. Jalai Wang and the engineering team have developed a revolutionary process to transform potato skins and agricultural waste into sustainable construction materials, capturing carbon while reducing cement emissions. The $6 million National Science Foundation project involves collaboration with researchers from the University of Idaho and the University of New Mexico, combining fermentation technology with large-scale 3D printing to create metamaterials with properties not found in nature.The second story examines the extraordinary endurance required for B-2 bomber missions lasting up to 44 hours. Captain Mike Haffner from the 13th Bomb Squadron at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri details the planning and physical demands pilots face during these extended flights. Lieutenant General Steve Basham, who flew B-2s for nine years before retiring as deputy commander of U.S. European Command, shares insights about nutrition and sleep management in cramped cockpit conditions. The episode reveals how crews adapt commercial solutions like Walmart cots and rely on flight surgeons' expertise to maintain peak performance over marathon missions.Both stories demonstrate how professionals excel when working within seemingly impossible limitations - whether solving climate change with kitchen scraps or maintaining combat readiness during multi-day flights.Join our community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast for show reminders and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

A Florida surgeon performs the first FDA-approved transcontinental robotic surgery on a patient in Angola, Africa, an Indiana good Samaritan stops a drunk driver with a potentially fatal BAC of .40, and UK researchers develop tiny robots that could revolutionize water infrastructure maintenance. Steve explores three stories about intervention, medical, personal, and technological, that show how the most important work often happens where we can't see it.Join our community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast for show reminders and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

Three overlooked stories worth knowing: A Cary nuclear engineer's true impact had nothing to do with his PhD or judicial career, Australian engineers copied 400-million-year-old shark skin to save airlines billions in fuel costs, and why your plumber has more job security than corporate executives in the AI age. Featuring Jeff Jeffries' mentorship approach that touched "numerous men," MicroTau's biomimicry breakthrough saving 4% fuel per flight, and Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison's honest assessment of which jobs AI can't replace. Real stories from Wake Forest, North Carolina about what actually lasts versus what we think matters. Join our community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast for show reminders and to suggest stories you think we should cover. The best reporting often starts with neighbors who know where to look.

Today we share incredible stories of second chances and service from right here in Wake County and beyond. From John Walter's miraculous recovery after defying 1% survival odds following a tragic accident near Wakefield High School, to twenty new firefighters who chose to run toward sirens through Wake Tech's Career in a Year program. Plus, meet the Taylor family in Oklahoma who are teaching their kids that service isn't just an act, it's a way of seeing the world. These are the stories that remind us good news is happening all around us - sometimes it's as simple as showing up with your whole heart.Join our listener community at https://tapyournews.com/podcast where you can get show reminder emails and send in suggestions and stories you think we should tell. Because the best good news often comes from neighbors who know where to look for it.

We begin with the extraordinary legacy of Lunsford Lane, a man born into slavery in Raleigh, North Carolina, who returned not for vengeance but for love. His story lit a fire in two children, Anna Julia Cooper and Charles N. Hunter, who would go on to shape American education and history.Then we travel to Philadelphia, where doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine used groundbreaking gene-editing technology to save baby KJ from a deadly condition called CPS1 deficiency.Next, we follow hikers Krissy Tower and Gavin MacNeil through Prince Edward Island’s Island Walk, where a rainy night turned into a heartwarming stay with local hero Ellen Locke in Fortune Cove. Her porch — and her kindness — made all the difference.In Garner, North Carolina, we meet Pamela Noel, who thought she won $2,000 on a scratch-off… until the North Carolina Education Lottery told her it was actually $1 million. She chose a Hyundai Genesis — and a debt-free future.Finally, we visit Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where 8-year-old entrepreneur Aubrey Brosch runs Aubrey’s Farm Adventures, selling eggs and handmade goods, all while charming the local Chamber of Commerce and going viral online.These are feel-good stories of resilience, kindness, hope, and hard work — stories to make your coffee warmer and your morning better.Join the community, sign up at https://tapyournews.com/good-morning-wake-county-podcast/

In this episode of Good Morning Wake County, host Steve shares four powerful stories of people who saw something broken and stepped up to fix it. From the rugged backcountry of Colorado where the Good Samaritan Remediation Act offers hope for toxic mine cleanup, to a Denver contractor whose stolen tools sparked a wave of community kindness. You’ll hear how a WWII dog tag lost in a 1945 plane crash on the Isle of Man made its way back to a family in Philadelphia, and how one new dad in Raleigh, North Carolina, started the Raleigh Stroller Society to help fathers find connection and support.These aren’t stories about headlines — they’re about heart. About the folks who repair not just tools and landscapes, but faith, memory, and community.Join the community, visit https://tapyournews.com/good-morning-wake-county-podcast/

Feel-good news is alive and well — and today’s stories prove it.An HVAC team in Scottsdale, Arizona shows up unannounced to fix a shelter’s broken air conditioning. A nurse-led reunion in San Jose gives Jerry and Judie Butler one final moment after 66 years of marriage. And in Clermont, Florida, someone finds $2,000 at an ATM… and returns every penny.Join host Steve for stories of kindness, integrity, and everyday heroes — from Family Promise of Greater Phoenix to Good Samaritan Hospital and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.This is the kind of good news that sticks with you.Join the good news community at https://tapyournews.com/good-morning-wake-county-podcast/

In this enlightening episode of Good Morning Wake County, we bring you feel-good news stories that uplift and inspire. We start with a remarkable tribute as Karin Neilson fulfills her late husband Stephen’s dream by launching his ashes into space aboard a Celestis memorial flight. As a lifelong fan of space exploration, Stephen’s wishes come true as he circles the Earth, reminding us that dreams transcend life itself.Next, we journey to Raleigh's Dorothea Dix Park to meet the unique Goat Crew, the 30 goats, including fan favorites Bernie and Pastrami, tirelessly working to restore the park's beauty by tackling invasive plants the natural way. Led by Stephen Paul from Goats on the Go, these goats not only protect the environment but charm the community.Lastly, we share a heartfelt story from Blount County, Tennessee, where community spirit shines in the wake of adversity. After Deputy Tim Pace lost his home to a fire, fellow deputy Ryan Hickman rallied the community, raising over $21,000 and support for the Pace family in just 24 hours. This is a profound reminder that kindness can flourish even in tough times.Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3GM9Q7MWGNJH9GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/07622203Join your host Steve in celebrating these real-life heroes and uplifting stories that prove goodness is all around us. New episodes of Good Morning Wake County drop fresh by 5AM every weekday. Subscribe and be part of our good news community at https://TapYourNews.com

Today's episode of Feel Good News highlights remarkable stories of hope and kindness, starting with the miraculous return of Charlie, a lost dog who found his way home after 2.5 years in Raleigh. Next, we celebrate hero road foreman Dale Iles, who bravely rescued a man from a fiery truck crash in Iowa. And we finish on a heartwarming note with 11-year-old Ella Young in East Lincoln, Mississippi, showcasing her handmade jewelry at the Brookhaven Kid’s Mini Market, brightening the community one piece at a time. Tune in for these inspiring feel-good news stories that remind us of the extraordinary kindness present in our everyday lives.Join the community and get podcast notifications. https://tapyournews.com/good-morning-wake-county-podcast/