We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook. 

Your Weather Planner

Rain will linger overnight into Friday morning with a chance for strong storms. Temperatures will only drop to the 60s by sunrise.

Temperatures will warm up to the lower and middle 80s on Friday with scattered storms returning in the afternoon and evening. Those storms could produce damaging wind gusts and hail along with a low risk for a brief tornado.

There is a level one out of five risk for strong storms Saturday afternoon and early evening. Dry and warmer weather is forecast into next week.

Get the full forecast for areas across the state: Charlotte | Triad | Triangle | Coastal | Mountains

Today's Big Stories

1. Family, civil rights attorneys call for highway troopers to be fired in Mason case

The family of Tyrone Mason, a 31-year-old man who died in a crash in Raleigh in October, held a rally in front of the Wake County Courthouse on Thursday, proclaiming the failure of Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman to bring charges against troopers in the case as an injustice and demanding the troopers be fired.

2. New lawsuit against Trails Carolina alleges sexual assault in 2018

The lawsuit filed in Wake County Superior Court claims that a 16-year-old was sexually assaulted in 2018 while attending the camp and that staff failed to document the report of the assault. The lawsuit names Wilderness Training and Consulting, an Oregon-based company operating in North Carolina.

3. Person injured after 'potential shark bite' at Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach officials are urging caution after a potential shark bite was reported Wednesday morning. A swimmer was injured on the leg around 11 a.m., according to the Sunset Beach Fire Department, while in the ocean near the 31st Street beach access point. 

4. With more homes for sale, it's becoming a buyer's market

After years of increasing prices and prohibitive mortgage rates, it’s becoming a buyer’s market for homes. There are nearly 500,000 more people selling homes in the United States than buying them, according to a new analysis from the real estate website Redfin.

5. Tying it Together: North Carolina’s Innocence Inquiry Commission faces elimination, what it means

Since 2007, the Innocence Inquiry Commission has exonerated 16 people, many serving over 20 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. However, the state Senate wants to cut its funding. The commission’s leader, Laura Pierro, discusses why she thinks the state must continue funding it.

Your Notes for Tomorrow

  • Advance Economic Indicators Report
  • Donald Trump convicted on all counts in hush money trial a year ago
  • Miley Cyrus releases new, visual album “Something Beautiful,” featuring the single “End of the World”
  • UK court hearing for Russell Brand, charged with rape
Over the next three years, the U.S. will host three mega sporting events: the Ryder Cup in September, FIFA World Cup matches next summer and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Those events will require thousands of athletes and spectators from around the world to get a visa to enter the country, and the window is closing for travelers to get their visas with wait times excessively long.