ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 11pm - December 26, 2025

Episode Date: December 27, 2025

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Right now, live 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 eyewitness news. Right now at 11, we're keeping an eye on RDU Airport. A major winter storm impacting one of the busiest return travel days this holiday season. Anybody who is leaving after us, I think they were in the danger zone. But we got out just, time. We're tracking the latest delays in cancellations. Well, thanks for joining us on for eyewitness News at 11. I'm Bianca Holman. Steve and Lauren are off tonight. So right now, severe weather from coast to coast is having a ripple effect on holiday travel all across the country, including right here in central North Carolina, from flooding in California to snow in the northeast. We're seeing

those impacts right here in our area. And as we track the holiday weather travel, we have team coverage tonight, John Dowding at the airport with the latest from travelers there. And meteorologist Cruz Medina in the first alert weather center. We're going to start with Cruz. And so Cruz, we could be seeing our own cold weather in the next week. Absolutely. Tipures are going to go up and down and up and down. And that's going to be the trend that we see over the next several days. So this starts this weekend. Tomorrow's going to feel like spring. Tipters will top out around 70 degrees for many of us. You can see Sunday we cool down into the 50s. We warm up briefly again on Monday. And then that Arctic

front comes in and sends our temperatures crashing down into the 40s by the time that we get into the middle of the week. So thankfully it's going to be warm tomorrow. If you have outdoor plans, it's going to be good for that. But tonight we're not overly cold and that's because our winds have now shifted out of the south. So what we're going to see overnight is a warm front pushing in and the warmer air mass that resides to the south of that front. Those 60s that you see down toward Atlanta and Birmingham, that's what's coming our way as we go into tomorrow. So lows tonight will not drop much more than the tipters that I just showed you. So we should be in the 40s as you wake up tomorrow.

The cloud cover is actually decreasing as that front comes in. So you'll start the day with sunshine tomorrow. And then for the afternoon, it's still sunny. Tipters will be in the middle to upper 60s for most areas. Areas like the sandhills, you could end up in the mid-70s tomorrow. But overall, above average. And then, of course, turning cooler for Sunday. We'll talk more about the extended forecast, including what to expect on New Year's Eve coming up in just a few minutes.

back to you. Cruz, thank you. Let's turn now to the holiday travel rush, Raleigh Durham International Airport, seeing more than 100 flight delays today and nearly 40 cancellations, according to flight aware. So it comes as severe weather across the country continues to impact travel, including a major snowstorm in parts of the northeast. John Dowding spoke with travelers at RDU who flew in from parts of that region as they tell them they made it just in time. Delays and cancellations piling up tonight at RDU, all because of a winter storm causing major issues in the Northeast. So we were lucky to get off the ground without any problems.

Some travelers at RDU breathing a sigh of relief tonight as a winter storm in the northeast causes major travel headaches. We were watching the weather, so we were pretty comfortable getting out and everything went on time, so we were happy. Major winter storm is expected to bring several inches of snow across the northeast, stretching from Philadelphia to Boston. New York and New Jersey under states of emergency tonight. And that storm causing major headaches at airports, including at RDU.

According to data from Flight Aware, RDU saw more than 114 delays and 35 cancellations Friday. Many of those cancellations included flights to the three New York Area airports of JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark, as well as cancellations for flights to Philadelphia and Boston. IWitness News spoke with travelers who arrived from the New York area, beating the storm before it grounded their flights. It was just bumpy. Like, I heard some people in line before we were leaving, like going through security and stuff saying, like, anything before 6 o'clock will probably be okay.

But after that, like, it might start getting delayed. And our flight left at 4.30. Travelers say pilots notifying them, they would fly lower than normal because of the storm. They made an announcement that we had to fly lower than usual. And it did, you could like see it was kind of low. But most are just happy they could beat the snow. Anybody who was leaving after us, I think they were in the danger zone. But we get out just in time.

If you're traveling out of RDU to airports like JFK, LaGuardia, Philly, Boston, any of those airports in the northeast, tomorrow you should be okay. We are seeing those flights on the boards this evening here at RDU. But again, just keep an eye out on your flight status and check with your carrier before heading out to the airport. From RDU this evening, I'm John Doughton. ABC 11, eyewitness news. John, thank you. Meanwhile, if you're driving this holiday, AAA says tomorrow and Sunday are expected to be busy, and you'll want to avoid the roads from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on both days. Well, tonight, the SBI is

investigating after an officer involved shooting in Rocky Mount. It happened around 415 this afternoon in the 700 block of Sutter's Creek Boulevard. Police say they responded to the area after reports of a car matching a bank robbery suspect from Zebulin. During that interaction, officers were involved in a shooting that left the suspect wounded. That person was taken to the hospital and no word yet on their condition. Well, the suspect in that incident is, is believed to be connected to an armed robbery that happened at the First Citizens Bank on Wakeland Street and Zebulan. Police say that this happened around 1130 this morning.

They responded to a report of an armed robbery and the suspect left the scene in a semi-truck. No one was hurt in that incident. We're still working to learn more about that suspect. Well, now to a heartbreaking story. A Henderson family is coping with the loss of a beloved mother who died on Christmas Eve. Police say 37-year-old Tiffany Lasseter was allegedly shot and killed. by her boyfriend at her home on Dabney Drive. The boyfriend, 52-year-old, Milan-Hebron, is facing a murder charge

and is being held at the jail without bond. We're angry. We're very angry. The kids are very angry. I'm just numb right now to it. I think a lot of us are still in shock, but we are determined to make sure that we get justice. because this, like I said, this is something that should not happen to anyone, especially in front of their children. So I hope justice has served.

Lassiter leaves behind five children, four of whom are staying with Stevenson, who says the family is doing everything that they can to stay together. Police are investigating the circumstances around this shooting. Lassiter is being remembered as a great mom and an amazing person. If you're a victim of domestic violence and you need help, advocates are available 24-7 at this number, 799 safe or 7233 and you can also text the word start to 88788. In Harnett County, the state highway patrol is investigating a deadly two-car crash.

It happened just before 5 p.m. at the intersection of Walker Road and Starfruit Lane. First responders say when they got there, they found a pickup truck upside down in an SUV in a ditch. The driver of the SUV, 42-year-old Asia Callaway died at the scene. The other driver, a man was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and were still. still working to learn more about his condition and his identity. Investigators tell us they're still trying to figure out the cause of the crash. We're learning more about two people killed in a tragic Christmas morning fire in Johnston County. The Wilson's Mill Fire Department says a father and son ages 74 and 53 were killed in that fire.

The flames broke out just before 5 o'clock yesterday morning at a home on Red Oak Drive. Officials say the father and son both had health issues and were unable to escape. The fire is being ruled accidental. Officials say that they believed an unsuspecified electrical malfunction caused that fire. Well, loved ones and friends of former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt gathered at the First Presbyterian Church in Wilson this afternoon to say their final goodbyes. Hunt passed away last week on his family farm at the age of 88. He was the longest serving governor in state history in office from 1977 to 1985 and once again from 1993 to 2001. A hunt is remembered for his impact on everything from education to the economy and today a mix of family and friends and lawmakers and member of the public showing up to pay their respects.

While media was not allowed inside the service, we spoke with those who did attend, including a family friend about his legacy. It is very rare today. There's so much divisiveness in our state and in our country too. But Jim Hunt could bring everybody together in agreement. He had that trait to do that. Hunt is survived by his wife, four children, and his brother. His daughter, Rachel, is the state lieutenant governor, a role Hunt himself held from 1972 to 1976. He also has 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Governor Josh Stein is inviting the public to sign a book of condolences for the former governor. The book is lying at the North Carolina State Capitol in the rotunda, and you can write a brief message to Hunt's family from now until next Friday, January 2nd.

Governor Stein will then present the book to Governor Hunt's family on behalf of North Carolina residents. Still to come here at 11, the push to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine's president says he's ready to meet with President Trump to finalize a draft peace deal. But could Russia throw a wrench in their plans? Christmas may be over, but one local farm is still lighting up the holiday season. After the break, we're going to take you inside the Granville Christmas Farm. And Cruz is back with a check of the tips. Well, tipters tonight are in the 40s, and that's after a very warm Christmas day.

And, of course, we're going to see warm tipters tomorrow. But winter's going to remind us that it is still the season that we're in. We've got a cold day coming up in the seven-day forecast. Stay tuned for that after the break. At Capital One, we're more than just a credit card company. We're people just like you. who believe in the power of yes, yes to new opportunities, yes to second chances, yes to a fresh start. That's why we've helped over 4 million Canadians get access to a credit card,

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Make three times the impact with a donation today at camh.ca slash holiday. Tonight we're hearing from eyewitnesses after a deadly shooting at a shopping center in Mecklenburg. County left two police officers hurt. The incident allegedly began with the child custody exchange. Police say the suspect pulled out a gun and there was an exchange of gunfire. Two Mint Hill officers were shot. The suspect was shot and killed. Eyewitnesses describing the aftermath following the altercation. Everything happened so quickly. Just seeing the officer and blood on his hands and another one down, our prayers just go out to them. We just, you know, wished them all the best. So unfortunate, once again, that this took place day after.

Christmas. The two officers who were shot are expected to recover. A third officer took himself to an area hospital for a mental evaluation. New tonight, Ukraine's President Zelensky says he's meeting with President Trump on Sunday to finalize a draft peace deal with Russia. Zelensky says a 20-point plan is 90% complete, but he and the president need to discuss finalizing the most sensitive elements of the latest draft that's being worked out between Ukraine and U.S. negotiators, and that would include security guarantees for Ukraine. However, the Kremlin shows no sign of accepting the new proposal. Russia's deputy foreign minister saying Zelensky's plan is radically different from what

Russia has discussed with the U.S. Tonight, new details emerging about the U.S. strike in Nigeria on Christmas. The Pentagon releasing this video of a U.S. warship firing a Tomahawk cruise missile from the Gulf of Guinea. President Donald Trump says he ordered the U.S. this strike on Islamic State terrorists and a true social post Thursday, Trump accused ISIS of killing innocent Christians in the country there. It's unclear how many people were killed. Nigeria's foreign minister and ministry department confirmed its country worked with the U.S. to hit terrorist

targets. The strike comes as the administration focuses on the ongoing plight of Christians in Nigeria. And back here in the triangle, Kwanza celebrations have begun today marks the beginning of the seven-day cultural holiday created to honor African heritage and values. Today, the Haitai Heritage Center in Durham hosted their annual Kwanza event with cultural dances, educational exhibits, and candlelight ceremony. The holiday is observed from today until the day after Christmas through New Year's, with each candle representing one of seven principles, including things like unity, self-determination, and faith.

And you can find a full list of Kwanza events on our website at ABC11.com. Tonight, while Christmas may be behind us, one Granville County family is keeping up the holiday spirit with their festive light display. Our photojournalist, Austin Hill House, takes us on a tour of the Granville Christmas Farm. We're just finishing up our fourth year during the Christmas lights and our 11th year altogether. You know, we start out as a Halloween event and then we transition to Christmas over time. We can take down Halloween and put up Christmas in three and a half weeks, so we're ready for the day for Thanksgiving. Hearing the laughter of the kids is the best part.

We have snow machines working, and yeah, that's the best part. It's just hearing the laughter and the screams of the kids, having a good time. Yes, if you want to hang on to that Christmas spirit, we're here through New Year's Eve. So come on out, 5.30 to 9 every night. You have a diehard display over there. I do. So does that officially end the die hard being a Christmas movie debate? Grimble Christmas farm ends the debate. It is a Christmas movie.

Merry Christmas with Grimble Christmas Farm. Let's see you soon. And the Granville Christmas Farm is open every night from 5.30 to 9 p.m. and runs through New Year's Eve. So you still got some time to get out there. And when it's one of these cold nights and maybe that time to do it because we got some cold air coming through, Cruz. Yes, we do. Sunday's going to be kind of a glimpse of what we see next week, and then there's plenty of days next week where we're going to be cold, including New Year's Eve as well. So for any of those that are going to be outside, it's going to be a cold one. I can tell you this weekend, though, it's split down the middle. So tomorrow is far from cold. Tipters in many locations could push into the 70s. So in Raleigh, 70 degrees tomorrow. Areas like Fayetteville, you could be closer to 75, and then a huge change on Sunday, only reaching the low to mid-50s across our region. And that's because we're going to see a front that moves through tomorrow, warming us up, push back to our south, and the cloud cover is going to increase in a big way. So tonight, tipters are in those 50s and 40s across the region. We're going to see those continue to rise as we go into tomorrow. So by midday, here's that front. You can see the sharp cutoff.

So if you're in areas like the triangle, the sand hills, it'll be very warm there. But the farther north and east you go, some areas like Roanoke Rapids and South Hill, Virginia could be stuck in the upper. 50s to around 60 degrees tomorrow and that cold air will keep spilling in as we go into Sunday. So tonight it's a quiet night where we still have some clouds around like we've had throughout today. This is a live look at RDU. We were telling you about all of those delays and cancellations earlier. Not because of what we have going on with our weather here, but what's happening in other parts of the country, including the northeast. So keep in mind that could impact you. Just make sure you're taking your flight status through the night and tomorrow. Tipters in Raleigh

sitting in the mid-40s right now and first alert predictor shows us that even into tomorrow morning we should stay in those 40s to around 50 degrees so we're starting off with plenty of sunshine watch out for some areas of fog down in the sand hills tomorrow morning otherwise in the afternoon very nice once again a sharp cut off in those warmer tipters compared to the cooler tipters to the north and east and then into Sunday that's when the cold air really sets in we should be in the 30 starting out and afternoon highs will only reach into the 40s to around 50 degrees so recapping tomorrow It starts off chilly the afternoon, feeling like spring, middle to upper 60s. I recommend if you haven't made any plans for your Saturday to be outside, go ahead and do something outside.

I mean, it could even be that Granville County light show that we were talking about tomorrow evening. Just anything that involves getting outside because once again, that cool down is coming. And tipters will be coolest across those northern counties, warmer in the triangle and in the sand hills. Now, that'll be the case as we go into the evening as well, still staying pretty mild for this. time of the year. Tipters will be in the 50s if you're going out to the Canes game tomorrow evening and 40s as the game is wrapping up. And we've got a big Arctic front coming in. This moves in and not as we go into Sunday. It's just approaching then, but the cloud cover increases ahead of it. We could see a shower on Monday, but the big thing there is going to be

that front moving in with some very, very cold air behind it and that cools us down just in time for the new year. So you can see it here in your first solar ACUweather 7-day forecast. We cool down into the 40s for Tuesday by the time we get into Wednesday night. If you were celebrating New Year's Eve outside, you're going to want to bundle up as midnight temperature's will be between 35 to 40 degrees and staying around 50 degrees to bring in the new year. Bianca. All right, Cruz, thank you. Still ahead, we're counting down to ABC's New Year's special Dick Clark, New Year's Rockin Eve. And of course, when we come back with him from some of the big stars set to take over Times Square this year.

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Commission's fees and expenses may apply. Read the funds or ETF's prospectus before investing. Funds and ETFs are not guaranteed. Their values change and past performance may not be repeated. Well, we're counting down to Dick Clark's New Year's Rock and Eve with host Ryan Seacrest. This year's event will feature the largest concert lineup in this show's history. Diana Ross will take the stage as the headliner. We've got Mariah Carey, Post Malone and Pitbull and so many more performers.

Here's ABC's George Pinocchio, with more from this year's performers about what we can expect. Four, three, two, one. Happy New Year! Just before Ryan Seacrest counts down to midnight, Diana Ross will headline New Year's Rock and Eve on ABC, with performances from Mariah Carey, Post Malone, Chapel Rhone, Pitbull, and many more. This kind of energy by head. of just us coming together. We keep this going and keep this growing. We're going to have an unparalleled

2026. This is the thing that you grow up, you know, you know that everybody in the country is watching this tonight. Among this year's first time Rock and Eve performers, Big X, the plug. I'm excited. I'm blessed. Yeah, it's just an honor.

And the singing voices of Huntrix from K-pop Demon Hunters. Bringing the epic. Energy. We're lit. The 2026 energy. Dick Clark Energy, let's go. Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again. We'll see Charlie Puth on stage again, 10 years after this performance in Times Square. I'm happy to be inside this time now.

I was outside in Times Square, and it was a particularly chilly 2015. Other performers include 50 Cent, Demi Lovato, and Tucker Wetmore. whose normal New Year's plans are a little more low-key. Usually I'll rent a cabin in the woods with my buddies, and we'll just party, get a six-pack, maybe 12. It's a good night. It'll be a good night of music this New Year's Eve, live on ABC. George Pinocchio for On the Radio.

We're going to be able to be. Thank you. You know what I'm going to do. We're going to be able to be. We're going to be able to be. We're going to be able to be. I'm going to be. I'm going to be.

We're going to be able to be. I'm going to be. We're going to be able to be. At 2 p.m. Bianca, back to you. All right, Trey, thank you. Well, that's going to do it for us here tonight on Eyewitness News at 11. We'll see you right back here in the morning. ABC 11 eyewitness news is sponsored by Capitol Chevrolet.

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