Good Morning Wake County: Smart News Stories from Down the Street and Around the World

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 ge...

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 colla...

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...

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 bre...

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'...

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...

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 ba...

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 Fam...

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 journ...

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 t...

Dive into today's feel good news with incredible stories of community spirit and compassion.

A baby falls out of a moving car in Lumberton, North Carolina, and three strangers, along with quick-moving EMS and police, race to save his life. In Davenport, Iowa, a $3,000 medical helmet goes missing, until a man named Scott Cline sees a post in the What’s Going On Quad Cities Facebook group and quietly mails it back. And in Wake Co...

Today’s episode takes you on a tour of North Carolina’s most surprising — and inspiring — feel-good stories.

We start in Johnston County, where high school students are skipping the minimum wage grind and jumping straight into $52,000-a-year jobs in pharmaceutical manufacturing thanks to a one-semester BioWork program funded by industry giants like Novo Nordisk and Grifols.

Then we head to the airport, where the TSA had to remind tra...

In this episode of Good Morning Wake County, hear good news about second chances.

We start in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where David Peters turned his struggles with addiction into a national Facebook support group called Never Give Up — now 15,000 members strong and led by his brother Jason Peters. It helped transform the life of Chris Puddy, a former drug dealer turned restaurant general manager at Greece E Spoon.

Then we head to San Di...

In today’s Good Morning Wake County, Steve brings you three unforgettable stories of everyday people stepping up in remarkable ways. This episode shares feel-good news about quiet heroes.

🦅 First, we head to Morrisville, North Carolina, where a red-tailed hawk crashes toddler storytime at the town library — only to be rescued by the Morrisville Fire Department with the help of Library Director Christina Adams and a firefighter will...

This episode highlights good news on Good Morning Wake County, we travel from Massachusetts to North Carolina to South Carolina — and meet the good neighbors who showed up when it mattered most.

First, the Murdock High School Blue Devils in Winchendon, Massachusetts thought their final baseball game was lost to lightning and Memorial Day rain, until Pastor Jason Cox at the United Parish of Winchendon helped organize one last, unforg...

In today’s episode of Good Morning Wake County, Steve brings you three stories of quiet strength and unexpected comebacks, from a historic wool mill in Minnesota to a mother’s long-awaited graduation in Alabama, and a talent-filled triumph right here in Wake County, North Carolina.

We begin in Faribault, Minnesota, where the Faribault Woolen Mill, founded in 1865 and once shuttered after 144 years, has roared back to life thanks to ...

Meet Jevin Millsaps, an 8-year-old from Axtell, Texas, who’s turning roadside cans into a retirement plan and a vending machine business, with a little help from KCEN News reporter Brandon Cote.

Then, travel to Redding, California, where students at Parsons Junior High are changing lives just by telling the truth at their school’s ROAR Assembly.

And in Mercer County, New Jersey, The College of New Jersey and the Princeton Mercer Re...

Today on Good Morning Wake County, we take you from a missing tortoise named Tank in Greenfield, Illinois to the streets of Raleigh, where law enforcement officers ran for the Special Olympics. Then we head west to California for the inspiring story of Trevor Turner, a former inmate turned award-winning college graduate, before coming home to Raleigh to remember Eliza Craven and the $2.5 million gift that will help other families f...