ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 11pm - April 21, 2026

Episode Date: April 22, 2026

Eyewitness News at 11pm - April 21, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Right now. I have coverage from your local news leader, preparing you for tomorrow starting tonight and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11 I Witness News. Right now at 11, we're following two big stories unfolding right here in the triangle on the left side of your screen. Mayor Leo Williams addressing the people of Durham in his first state of the city of his second term. More to come on what he's saying about crime and development. But let's begin on the right side of your screen because tonight parents and teachers are really fired up after the Wake County School Board proposed cutting a total of $15 million from the upcoming budget.

Hi everyone, thanks for joining us here for the news at 11. I'm Steve Daniels. And I'm Lauren Johnson. More reductions could be on the way to Wake County Public Schools. There's a lot of moving pieces, but let's start with what we know so far. Tonight, Wake Schools proposed cutting $10 million. It comes just weeks after the county proposed cutting an additional $5 million. It's a plan that could lead to a reduction of school staff and funds going to lower performing schools. Jamice Price joins us live now from district headquarters and Kerry where that conversation happened tonight. Jamies, you were talking with teachers and say they're feeling tired of doing more with less. That's right, Stephen. They are wanting the district to push more for funding to help support those teachers in the classroom. Now, we know this all started with potential cuts to special education, but after parents and teachers push,

back against that that's no longer on the table but now we're talking about 10 million dollars worth of cuts being proposed here and you have parents you had teachers all of them sounding the alarm tonight during that school board meeting teachers back on the front lines fighting against potential cuts in the classrooms taking their concerns directly to the board tonight it comes after learning an additional 10 million dollars in cuts are on the table. Why are we balancing the budget off on the backs of our most vulnerable students? And I think that these new round of cuts is just kind of a panic reset to try to, again, balance the budget. A funding formula being considered would reduce the number of assistant

principals at 11 high schools. Those principals could be reassigned and those vacancies would not be filled. We love our assistant principals. They do play a vital role in, in ensuring our schools are safe, ensuring our students are, you know, meeting their goals and making sure their needs are met. And it's not just school leaders. There's also calls to remove instructional support specialists who serve as tutors. The proposed reductions also include a decrease of about $500,000 in supplemental funds for lower performing schools in the district. Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor presented these cuts after the board decided not to reduce special education. funding. They are now saying that there will not be any special ed cuts. However, what we're hearing from workers and what we're hearing from schools is that there will be cuts in IA positions, special education positions. Educators say they don't know what to believe. Board Chairman Tyler Swanson reaffirmed the board's position on trying to make all the dollars make sense. So to be clear, the board's position was no cuts to educators in special education. That commitment still remains. However, what principals choose to do with their allotments is at the school level.

And the board could approve this budget as early as May 5th before going to the board accounting commissioners on May 15th. Lauren, Steve. Jemise, another headline from tonight's meeting was an apology from the school board chair. What was that about? Tyler's Watson apologized for getting that speeding ticket in a school zone. He said he learned his lesson. thank the carry police officers who were a part of that ticket and giving him that ticket he is saying he is ready now to just move forward. And Kerry, Jemise Price, ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, James, thank you. Right now at 11 celebrating the Bull City, tonight residents and leaders in Durham came together for the annual state of the city address.

Eyewitness News was there as the Durham Mayor Leo Williams took the stage at the Deepak outlining his vision for the city, the high points, and also the challenges. Tom George joins us live from downtown now. Tom Affordable Housing and Crime were major topics of that conversation tonight. Yeah, that's right. It actually marks Mayor Leo Williams's first state of the city address since his taking office for his second term. And he touted a lot of the growth that the Bull City has been seeing, but also was very candid about the challenges the city is still facing, namely homelessness and crime. Who is the city for? Mayor Leo Williams sharing his state of Durham as a city open for everyone. touting the growth of the bull city and the fact that crime rates dropped 17 percent, but also acknowledging numbers aren't enough when it comes to people's lives. This is not abstract to me.

This is actually very personal. The people during the shooting and the people mostly getting shot, they look like me. I've said that publicly before. I've said again tonight because I think it matters. It's not just policy. It's pain that I refuse to become numb to. And that is why I refuse. to give up. Mayor Williams joined by the mayor of Baltimore to talk about ways to reach out to

the community to keep crime down and support opportunities for young people. I am going to call out some of the things that have caused us to struggle with providing housing supply. I'm going to call out some of the things that are providing that are giving us a lot of adversity when it comes to being able to reduce crime. But right now, I think if I was to chalk all of this up into one phrase, I would say that Durham is experiencing a time of permissionless prosperity. For some in the audience it validated why they chose to move to the Bull City. I'm really proud that Durham is embracing that growth and embracing newcomers as a strength and not a weakness while also taking care of the people that are here. Again, it's just like the things that makes me proud to be part of Durham.

My favorite thing about going up here in Durham is having for my family and spending time. Eight-year-old Evan walking downtown with dad Dominique, who says Durham has been getting better, but he wants to make sure it's still a good place to raise his son. Honestly, I think it's getting way better than what it was. But I think that if we had more outreach, outreach places for the youth, more stuff for the youth to do, that would definitely help out, especially cut down on crime. That's something the mayor touted, announcing donations for money raised to support local community groups through the Bull City Future Fund. So I want you to repeat after me like I did last year. I love this city.

Yeah, a lot of love for the Bull City tonight. And the mayor also touting his goal to try and end homelessness by the year 2031. He also touted the success of the heart program from being able to divert non-emergency calls away from police. He says that program has been able to become a model for other cities. Live in Durham. Tom George, ABC 11, Iwoodness News. Yeah, there is an extraordinary growth in Durham. You can really feel the energy in the streets of Durham right now.

Tom, thank you. And in Raleigh, police chief Rico Boy speaking out today, calling the recent violence the city has seen in the past 10 days. Chief Boys holding a press conference this morning calling Raleigh a safe city while also condemning the crime that the city has seen. The department also releasing its crime statistics for the first quarter of the year. Overall crime is trending downward, homicides down by 64% compared to the first quarter of 2025. However, some in the community say there's more to be done as the city's population grows. RPD says they are increasing resources in areas with heavy foot traffic such as transportation hubs and areas where there is a lot of nightlife. New here at 11, a Wake County man is behind bars tonight, charged with murdering his own baby girl.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office says 25-year-old Christopher Gonzalez was arrested today and booked into the Wake County Jail on a murder charge. The case goes back to 2024 when deputies responded to reports of an injured infant at a local hospital. The baby died from her injuries four days later. Investigators spent more than a year building that case before obtaining an arrest warrant earlier this month. In Orange County, the district attorney is taking the death penalty off the table for a Hillsborough man who was charged with stabbing his housekeeper. death. Matthew Vookmer is charged in the murder of Paula Floyd who worked for him for years. Today, prosecutors announced they'll proceed without pushing for capital punishment. The district attorney Jeff Neiman says the decision is in line with a campaign promise,

adding that his office did speak with Floyd's family before making a final decision. The North Carolina House and Senate have reached an agreement in rallying out of fund the state's Medicaid rebase. That's the amount needed to cover the cost increases in care for the rest of the fiscal year. The House is expected to take up the bill for a final vote tomorrow. The deal coming on the same day, Governor Josh Stein released his budget proposal calling for further investments in public education, public safety, and the full Medicaid rebase. This budget ensures that we continue investing in our people, meeting their needs, and keeping North Carolina strong. I'm optimistic more so than I have been in the past that we're going to get a budget done and a good budget. Again, the House is expected to vote tomorrow on that agreement to fund the Medicaid rebase.

So to come here on Iowa news, a major shift in Washington as President Trump and now, as an extension with the ceasefire with Iran. What he's saying and the reaction it's already having on the markets, and a wild chain of events caught on camera, what caused a man to snap and drive his car through the front of a police station? And Don's checking on the temps outside. Beautiful evening in the triangle, Don. Gorgeous out there, not seeing anything in the way of rainfall tonight on the first alert,

Doppler net, but this will change. We've got an increase in those rain chances since 6 o'clock. We'll tell you when. Coming up next. All right, Don, and a quick reminder that we are just days away from the Fayetteville Dogwood Festival. It's celebrating its 44th year. It's a free community event at Festival Park in downtown. It runs Friday through Sunday, and once again this year, ABC 11 is sponsoring.

President Trump tonight is extending the ceasefire with Iran for an undetermined amount of time. It comes after, he said, initially, extending it was not likely, and as Iran is refusing to negotiate right now with the U.S. And there's also mounting evidence that a growing number of Americans do not support the ongoing war. ABC's Alex Stone reports. President Trump had said it was, quote, highly unlikely he would extend the ceasefire with Iran. And only 24 hours after announcing on social media, he has extended the ceasefire, saying the government of Iran is seriously fractured. And he'll extend the ceasefire until such time as her proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded one way or the other. Vice President J.D. Vance had been preparing to travel to Islamabad for 10.

talks with Iran, but Iran is refusing to talk. Its foreign minister says Iran knows how to, quote, resist bullying. The country now refusing to budge and insists that Trump must lift the naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz saying, only then will the next round of negotiations be held. Earlier on Tuesday, President Trump had sounded confident Iran would send its own negotiators to Islamabad for the talks with the U.S. They'll be sending them. They have no choice but to send them. The president even threatened to resume attacks on Iran if there was no movement on a deal by the end of Wednesday. Well, I expect to be bombing because I think that's a better attitude to go in with, but we're ready to go. I mean, the military is raring to go. But now the president

reversing course and extending the ceasefire. Pakistan is among the countries thanking the U.S. for not resuming fighting. And it comes as a new Reuters-Ipsos poll shows only 36 percent of Americans approve of the U.S. military strikes in Iran, 60% disapprove and a record 62% disapprove of the job President Trump is doing. Alex Stone, ABC News, Los Angeles. Alex, thanks. And news of today's ceasefire extension, cost stock market futures to rise. The S&P 500, the NASDAQ and the Dow are all up, meaning tomorrow should be a good day for the stock markets. Tonight we're following two wild incidents that happened in the city of Philadelphia. First, a man is under arrest after deliberately driving his car into a police station with people,

standing just feet away. Five people were in the lobby when the vehicle comes right through the building. You see it there surveillance video showing the driver making a hard right turn, heading straight into the station. The suspect tried to run, but witnesses say a bystander tackled him until officers arrived. Police report officers responded to a disturbance involving the suspect and his father earlier in the day about two hours before that crash. In a separate incident, two armed men robbed an armored truck of $1.8 million. Tonight, is in custody. It happened just before 10 o'clock this morning in northeast Philadelphia. Police say two men with assault rifles hit a brink's truck servicing a nearby financial center.

The pair fled in a blue getaway car. Officers found the car, but no signs of the robbers. All right, back here in the triangle tonight, we have video proof showing why you need to be bear aware this time of year. Yeah, a bear has been spotted on camera roaming in a Durham neighborhood. Take a look. You see the black bear casually walking across the driveway in front of a home there. The video was taken in a community adjacent to Sandy Creek Park near high. highway 501. Another neighbor reported finding a little bear poop nearby on the same day. Bear activity increases this time of year all over the state. Experts advise not leaving your trash or food out even in the bird feeders because it could

be attractive to the bears. Now they're hungry after the long winter's nap, right? Yeah. Don't make it easy for them to find that food. All right, we are now in the second day of water restrictions for Raleigh water customers. And a landscaping company tells eyewitness news. They've had to change the way they're doing business right now. Hardison landscaping is based in Raleigh, and we followed along as they installed plants at a Fukuave Arena property. While watering restrictions were not at play here, the severe drought is still impacting their work around the capital city. Raleigh and neighboring towns that rely on the city for water are being told to conserve when watering yards. Hardness and landscaping has been keeping plants longer at nurseries as a result.

Logistically, it's been a little bit of a nightmare, so we're picking them up maybe a day before or hours before installation just to prevent that watering restriction. And IWitness News also reached out to Raleigh officials about the city's water use while restrictions are being imposed. There are water fountains and splash pads still operating right now. And the city says they recirculate the water. And that's why those are allowed to operate. You can find all the details about the water restrictions right now at ABC11.com. The first solar forecast team also keeping us updated on the drought conditions and the next chance for rain around here. All right, Don, when is it?

The next chance for rain because we need some desperately. Not until the weekend. Now chances have increased. and we'll talk about that coming up in just a bit. But look at the past couple of months. January, March, April, at least two inches below average, all three of those months. And even though we were just a touch above average in February, we are way behind for the year, 2026. Now, looking ahead, here's what's changed since 6 o'clock.

Rain chances have gone up for Saturday night. That's good news. We need all the rain we can get. Up to 70% chance there. And then Monday night, 50% chance. The bad news, even though the rain chances have gone. up. Look at the rain amounts all the way through the weekend. Right now the American and the European model are in agreement less than a tenth of an inch. So we need all we can

get. Unfortunately, there's just not a lot to get. Let's show you that seven-day forecast, 84 for Earth Day tomorrow, 87 on Thursday. We'll stay in the 80s, Friday, Saturday, and cooler as we go into next week. Live look at first alert Doppler net tonight, scanning the skies were dry across the Carolinas another night. It was a gorgeous evening out there. Still nice looking live. on the mutual tower, sky cam into downtown Durham, 56. South winds at six miles per hour. Let's check some temperatures from Mandy Oter Murphy tonight. We've got 40s out at the coast, the water cool out there, 54 down at Greenville, 53 in Chase City,

56 in the triad, 57 down in Lumberton, Charlotte's still close to 60, 56 down in Columbia, South Carolina, Atlanta checks in at 63. Overnight, we'll go from the 60s into the 40s. But temps will be about 10 to 15 degrees warmer than they were last night. 45 rotocrap. It's 48, Raleigh, Durham, 47 Clinton, 48 in Fayetteville and 47 in Carborough. Frost and freeze warnings, not in effect tomorrow. That is the good news.

We are nice and dry. We will stay that way and stay a little bit warmer, at least compared to where we were today. Satellite radar composite shows a few clouds working through that is it. We do see some showers up through Pennsylvania tonight, some showers down. into Louisiana and parts of Mississippi, but around here we are dry. Look at your first alert predictor forecast model as we go through the overnight into tomorrow. We'll start the day in the 50s. We'll end the day around 80 degrees.

Forecast looks like this for tomorrow. Those temperatures across the region topping out in the 80s. 84, Raleigh, Durham, 86 in Fayetteville and those 80s sticking around. That rain chance Saturday night. So we've got the Dogwood Festival going on all weekend. Maybe some of the Saturday night concert goers get a little bit of shower activity. Nothing severe at this point. The walk ALS event in downtown Raleigh on Saturday morning looks great.

We'd love to see you down there walking or you can make a donation at ABC11.com or on all my social media pages. Then cooler, 72 Sunday, Monday 74. Another chance at some storms, actually, not just rain, but some storms as we go into next week. Guys. Yeah, we'll take every drop we can get right about now. Absolutely. Hope we're downpour. That's right.

All right. Don, thank you. Still had downtown Raleigh undergoing a facelift of swords, how some new construction and some projects could change the look of the capital city in the future. Eyewitness News. We are local news weeknights four to six 30 and 11. Downtown Raleigh has a new gathering spot and it's really just the beginning of a much bigger transformation right along Fayetteville Street. Mayor Janet Cowell cut the ribbon today on Lichten Plaza. It's designed to be a more accessible entrance to the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. Right across the street, construction's already underway on the future Omnihne. hotel. City leaders say the Omni size will allow Raleigh to host multiple convention center

events at the same time. Durham Parks and Rec is giving teens a chance to take flight through a new aviation flight simulator program. And one local teenagers using the experience to move toward a career in aviation as a pilot. That's Jarius Mateu. He's a sophomore at Riverside High and he heard about the program through his Air Force JROTC instructor. He signed up because he wants to become a fighter pilot. The simulator program lets teens 13 to 17 get into the cockpit with the professional grade flight simulator, the same technology that real pilots use. The 12 teens who took the course were presented with certificates of completion earlier this month during Parks and Rex says it'll have that program again soon. I've heard. College football because of the transfer portal, NIL, all that fun stuff.

So the canes, of course, flying tomorrow. They got practice and the tar heels keep rolling in Chapel Hill. All right. Kate, thank you. And thank you at home for watching. That's going to do it for us tonight. Remember, the news is always on at ABC11.com. And we'll see that here tomorrow night at 11.

Good night. ABC 11 eyewitness news is sponsored by Capital Chevrolet. Together, let's drive. Shop capital Chevrolet.com.