ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 11pm - March 29, 2026

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

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Right now, live coverage from your local newsleader, 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. All right now at 11, Duke's March Madness Run coming to a stunning end. Yukon stealing the game from the Blue Devils with a buzzer beater to send the Blue Devils back home to dirt. I mean, it was looking pretty good, and then all of a sudden, wasn't. IWitness News speaking with fans tonight as they react to this disappointing loss. You're watching eyewitness News at 11 this Sunday evening.

Thank you so much for choosing us tonight. I'm Dwan Hoggard. We start our time together this evening talking about First Alert weather. Now this evening, the statewide burn ban remains in effect as we continue to see dry conditions and strong winds and parts of our viewing area. And those conditions already leading to multiple fires, including this fire in Moore County. It happened at Valkyrie's Sport Horses Park in Aberdeen. According to the Sand Hill Sentinel, the owner of the property says a family member was riding around the property in a UTV when dry grass caught fire underneath the machine.

That fire then spreading to a wooded area. Officials were able to contain that fire. Multiple acres were burned as a result. Thankfully, there are no reported injuries or structural damage. On that note, we will send things over to meteorologist Cruz Medina. Now Cruz, just as reported, these dry conditions, they did play a role in these wildfires that we have seen pop up. So what can we expect in terms of any improvement, perhaps? Well, we are going to see some improvement throughout this week, DeWan.

So the drought is not going away, but the moisture content in the air is going to rise over the next several days as tipters also rise. So the muggy meter, this is regarding the dew point. So that's a moisture content in the air. And so that's going to be rising as we go through the middle of the week. coincides with our warmest tipters reaching those mid-80s. This moisture is coming all the way in from the Gulf, and that should help to, once again, lower the risk for wildfires this week. But just a reminder, that statewide burn bend we were telling you about,

that's in effect until further notice. So no open burning outdoors is permitted during that time, even if you were issued a permit before that bend went into effect. Now, tonight, the wind, it's going to still be a bit breezy, south wind sustained around non-mast per hour in Raleigh overnight. 49 degrees for that low. So it's not going to be as chilly as where we started off the day this morning. Partly cloudy, though, and we'll carry those clouds into tomorrow morning as well.

For the afternoon hours, though, start making some plans. I mean, your kids go into school tomorrow. If they're in a private school, I know most of the public schools are on spring break this week. But getting out to the playground tomorrow, not going to be a problem. Tipters will be in those mid-70s. It's going to feel great. So break out the shorts. And once again, very warm throughout this week.

We're actually going to crank it up a notch into the 80s as we go. into Tuesday and beyond. We'll talk about our next cooldown coming up in your extended forecast. Duane. All right, but first the 80s. Thanks, Cruz. All right, let's go ahead and talk college basketball tonight. A sad day for both the Duke men and women's basketball teams.

Both teams falling short in the NCAA tournament today. The women losing to the UCLA Bruins 70 to 58. But it's that men's game that has everyone talking this evening. The Blue Devils losing to Yukon in the final seconds of the game after leading for nearly the entire. entire contest. Yukon, hitting a three-pointer from well beyond the arc that ultimately won them the game tonight. Now, we do have live team coverage for you. Tom George is in Durham talking with disappointed Duke fans, but first, we will start this conversation with Trayvon Miles in D.C. Tray, you were at the game. There's almost no words to put it. You just hate what

you saw there on the court in that last second there. DeWan, sports are crazy and somebody's got to win, somebody's got to lose. But the way Duke lost tonight, hard to put into words what exactly we saw. As you said, Duke led this game for nearly 38 minutes of game action out of 40. They led for 19 minutes and 59 seconds of the possible 20 minutes of the second half. And somehow they are not advancing to the final four. The end of the game in particular is where things went wrong. There was a turnover late. Duke trying to end. the ball with 10 seconds to go. They get the inbound. It goes to Caden Boozer. He tries to pass over the Yukon press.

Ball tipped in the air and Brayland Mullins hits a 35 foot three-pointer for the game winner with 0.4 seconds to go. A crazy turn of events. The Duke locker room was stunned in stone silent when we went in. I turned the ball over. I should have been strong with the ball. That would cost our team our season. The ball ended up in their hands, you know, I'm listening up with the ball. I didn't realize how much time was on the clock. I probably could have been up a little bit more contested the shot. I mean, he made the shot.

I'm not even thinking about next year right now. I'm so hurt. Yeah, I'm not thinking about next year at all. There, you saw it right there. An emotional locker room after the game, head coach John Shire, He didn't think this particular group deserved that ending. It's hard to argue with them. One of the all-time great Duke teams, 35 and 3 to end the year.

Three losses all come within five points. Three losses by a combined five points this year. Heartbreaker. We'll have more later on in sports. Yeah, it hurts even more. When you see that buzzer-beater, I mean, they were leading nearly the entire game, and this is how it ends, not how they wanted it to end for them tonight in the Elite 8. So thanks so much.

We'll see you a little bit later on in the broadcast. Thanks, Trey. Meanwhile, back here at home, somber evening for Duke fans following that tough loss tonight. Tom George, I'm speaking with fans this evening who told them they thought their eyes were deceiving them. Well, a pretty quiet night out here in the Bull City. A lot of Duke fans upset here tonight. First, the women's losing to UCLA, then the men's team losing in that shocker of the last 10 seconds to Yukon. Two Duke teams, the same excitement, the women and men, both in the elite eight. looking for a ticket to the final four, both up at the half, but eventually falling.

First, the women to UCLA. Georgia Schweitzer went to the final four herself for Duke back in 1999, disappointed tonight, but proud to see women's hoops packing a big crowd at Eos in downtown Durham. Yeah, I think just women's sports in general. It's been awesome just to see the growth, and the success definitely helps build the fan base, but it's just really exciting to see so many people that came out that were here from the women's game, even before the men's game started. So that's awesome.

Then the men off to a strong start against Yukon. I think when I was watching the game, I was super excited, but I knew at halftime that it wasn't going to be done, even though we were leading by quite a bit. And so I knew like the second half was going to be kind of tight. And so it just was really disappointing to see what had happened in the last 10 seconds. But Duke fans still reeling from that last second stunner, Yukon, grabbing a Duke turnover to hit a three-point bomb with just a fraction of a second remaining to pull out the win. I mean, it was looking pretty good.

and then all of a sudden it wasn't. Duke fans at a loss for words tonight. I certainly thought they were at least going to make it to the final four. So I guess it's sad to sum it up in one word. But, you know, I'm also with my friends here. And so, like, we have each other. And so, you know, it's not all bad. Yeah, a lot of people are going to be talking about that Yukon play right there.

And Duke fans, again, sad news for both the men's and the women's teams, both eliminated in the elite eight. Some of the fans said they had already been looking up flights to the final four. Now both ending in disappointment in Durham. Tom George, ABC 11, Iwoodness News. All right, Tom, thanks so much. Tough day for all Blue Devil fans. We do want to remind you that you can watch the women's championship game next Sunday.

That's April 5th. It will be in Phoenix, Arizona. That broadcast will take place right here on ABC 11. Tip off, scheduled for 3.30 in the afternoon. Well, UNC Chapel Hill also making some headlines this evening. the university telling us they are pausing discussions about the proposal to relocate the Dean Smith Center as the Tar Hill search for a new men's head basketball coach. On a statement sent right here to Iowa News, Carolina Athletics telling us, quote, the University of North Carolina is suspending the ongoing discussions about the future of the Smith Center in order to focus on identifying and selecting a new head men's basketball coach.

Arena discussions will resume after the new coach has had time to acclimate to the program and focus on future needs. The university fired Hubert Davis after the Tar Hills were eliminated in the first round of this year's tournament for the second consecutive season. As students telling I went as news tonight, Davis is firing is bittersweet for them. I do appreciate all the work that Coach Davis did at the university. I don't think we're going to find someone who loves UNC as much as Coach Davis. And the legacy he's leaving along with the legacy of the people that came before him is incredible. and shows how remarkable the Carolina family is. So it is a little bittersweet to think that we are going to go to national search

and that we might have someone from the outside coming in and coaching at Carolina. Well, Hubert Davis led Carolina to the national title game back in 2022, but unfortunately did not deliver championships and won seeds like a program stakeholders had hoped for. Well, next 11, paychecks are on the way for TSA workers, but wait times at some airports are still long. We'll have the latest in the partial government shutdown as lawmakers continue. to fight over DHS funding. And more troops are heading to the Middle East.

We'll have the latest with the war with Iran. Here's Cruz. All right, temperatures are in the 50s tonight. We're going to turn that up all the way to the 80s this week, but we also have our next cool down end site. I'll tell you the details on that coming up on the other side of this break. Well, now at 11, the U.S. now has 50,000 troops stationed in the Middle East with more on the way. The Pentagon says these additional troops give the president who has not ruled out using ground troops,

more options. Tonight, here's ABC's Alison Kosuk with the latest. With the war now in its second month, there is growing concern the U.S. could put boots on the ground for military operations inside Iran. The first U.S. ground troops have arrived in the Middle East, 3500 sailors and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, equipped with transport and strike fighter aircraft and amphibious assault capabilities. A second marine unit is expected to arrive in the region in May. And another 1,500 soldiers from the Army's elite 82nd Airborne are also preparing to deploy. Those troops trained to parachute behind enemy lines.

Lawmakers urging President Trump to consult Congress before sending in ground troops. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise would not speculate if such a move would receive widespread Republican support. Obviously, you're seeing troop movement, and we've got a number of bases in that region, too, that have been there for a long time. So until that day comes, I'm not going to speculate, and you're not going to see the president go negotiate this in public. Democratic Senator Andy Kim criticizing the possibility of U.S. boots on the ground in Iran,

telling CNN, we cannot have American troops on the ground in Iran. This is going to be such a risky operation. Meanwhile, U.S. US and Israeli attacks continue, missiles lighting up the skies in Tehran over the weekend. This, as Iran's armed forces say, they would target the homes of American, Israeli commanders, and political officials in the region as retaliation for attacking their citizens. President Trump says he could see a deal with Iran soon. Probably, I think we'll make a deal with them, I'm pretty sure.

But it's possible we won't. Alison Kosick, ABC News, New York. Well, it's day 44 of the partial government shutdown. On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to redirect funds to pay TSA personnel their back pay starting tomorrow. It comes as lawmakers remain at an impasse. House Republicans rejected the Senate's bill because it stripped out funding for ICE and Border Patrol, even though both of those agencies are already fully funded under President Trump's mega bill that was passed last year. Republicans and Democrats passed the Senate that would immediately fully fund TFRA.

while we continue to negotiate reforms to ice, a lawless ice operation. And the Republican Speaker of the House refused to even have a vote on that in the House and went home. We have very big differences between the House and the Senate. The Senate bill they sent over, by the way, defunds about 7,000 positions at the Department of Homeland Security. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says that plan is dead on arrival in the Senate, which along within the house is currently in a recess until April the 13th. With TSA officers are not getting paid, travelers have been facing long wait times to get through airport security lines.

On Saturday, more than 10% of TSA workers even called out across the country. Well, today, thousands of people gathered at the Vatican for Palm Sunday Mass, marking Pope Leo's first as pontiff. The celebration began with a procession of cardinals, bishops, priests, and crowds walking there into the square, carrying olive branch, in Palm France. For Christians around the world, Palm Sunday marks the start of the Holy Week leading to Easter. All right. Let's go and talk all things weather again. We're bringing back Cruz Medina. Durham Public Schools, Way County Schools at least, the largest ones here in the area, spring break this week.

So kids are thinking about what they're going to do. Parents are going to want to get these kids outside the house to enjoy the weather. Well, it's going to be nice even locally. So even if families aren't going to the beach or the mountains, the one, we certainly have some nice weather. in store for them even here. So it's going to be very warm. Tipters are going into the 80s. So tomorrow, actually the coolest day of the week, mid-70s there, and then we jump into those 80s. But they're eventually going to come crashing down like you would expect throughout the spring months. Tipters go from 80s to 60s, kind of like when you don't see that state trooper on the other side of the bridge and then you finally see it. That's what you do to your speed, right? Well, we're going to see the same thing in our forecast with a cool down as we go beyond what you'll see in the seven-day

forecast. Back to today, though, we were only in the 60s for highs. That was an improvement from yesterday where we had 50s for highs. Average high this time of the year, 67, so we were just one degree shy of that in Raleigh and definitely nowhere near record, but we could be close to records as we go throughout this week on certain days. Now tonight, we are not going to cool down a whole lot. Tipters will go into the 40s. We'll have some clouds sticking around into tomorrow morning. So you start off the day, it's partly sunny. So there'll probably be a bit more in the way of clouds than sun. Probably get a nice sunrise out of that though. And then for the afternoon, we should see those temperatures pushing well into the 70s. A partly cloudy sky expected. Overall,

it's a dry day, though. So to Dewan's point with many kids out of school for tomorrow, probably going to want to get them outside, get some of that energy out, and tomorrow's a great day for it. It's short's weather with those mid-70s on the way for our highs tomorrow. Now, if you are going to spend a lot of time outside this week, we talk about this a lot this time of the year, but the tree pollen remains very high. So those pollen counts extremely elevated as we go throughout this week. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we're in the high to almost extreme category for those pollen counts. So if you're affected by allergies and pollen, just make sure you're taking care of yourself, get your meds in this week, and definitely don't

skip a day since that pollen count is going to remain elevated all throughout the week. As we go into the middle of the week, Tuesday, that's the first day we jump into those low 80s and then when Wednesday is even warmer. I was likely going to be the warmest day over the next seven days. Could see a late day storm. It's really going to depend on the placement of this front. So even compared to yesterday, the rain chances have really backed off for most of the week. But there will be at least isolated rain chances each day.

And then Easter Sunday, there's a rain chance to tell you about in just a moment. Let's take a quick look outside, though. This is our Pindo Sky Kim in Raleigh, 57 degrees in Raleigh, 54 in Roxborough and 55 in Fayetteville. Again, tonight we go down into the 40s, so it won't be as cold as last night. Partly cloudy skies and a bit breezy at time. South winds sustained at nine miles per hour. Those winds are going to crank up another notch tomorrow, but that southwest wind at 12 miles per hour, that's actually what's going to push us into the 70s tomorrow.

Overall, a decent day, partly sunny sky, and then from there it just keeps getting warmer. So mid-80 is expected by Wednesday. Once again, a late-day storm possible. Into Thursday and Friday, not discounting the fact that we could see a space. body shower. That said, the rain chance doesn't look as widespread as what it looked like yesterday. And then going into next weekend, it's still very warm. Temperatures in the mid 80s as we go into Saturday. By Easter Sunday, there could be some late day showers and storms. So temperatures will be in the low 80s for highs. Most of the day is dry, but late in the day, there could be some rain

chances as our front comes through. And of course, we'll keep you updated on that throughout the week. So make sure you check back on the forecast each day. DeWan, back. to you are looking like a pretty good seven days. Thanks so much, Cruz. Our one local church giving back to North Carolina Central University in a major way today. The big donation, the congregation made to their local school in the community. Well, welcome back. Now at 11, North Carolina Central University receiving a major donation. Durham's St. Joseph A&E Church asked their congregation to raise $10,000 in support of NC Central, but they were able to double that amount to $20,000. The church presented the university's chancellor, Dr. Carrie Dixon, with the money during today's service.

This gift is to show the congregation steadfast support for their neighboring HBCU institution. Also in Durham today, ending hunger one step at a time. The annual Durham Crop Hunger Walk kicked off today. ABC 11 was a proud sponsor. Our very own Joel Brown served as MC for the event. Dozens of people participated in today's walk to raise awareness in the fight against hunger. Last year, Durham led the nation in raising money to fight hunger in the U.S. and overseas. And it's almost time to get moving for a good cause. In less than a month, thousands of people will hit the streets of Raleigh for the annual ALS walk. Registration now open for anyone who wants to join the ABC 11 Stogner Strong Team.

The ALS walk takes place on Saturday, April the 25th, there in downtown Raleigh at Halifax Mall. All right, of course, we are talking. sports tonight and look if you are a blue devil fan you've got to be fighting air tonight because it just the balls just didn't it didn't it didn't go our way today listen the sun will come up tomorrow okay yeah a silver lining sure silver lining sure that's why we call march madness marked sadness unfortunately two losses for the blue devils duke men and their women seasons end in the elite eight we got to talk about the men landing losing i should say on a near buzzer beater john shire's reaction we go into the locker room and check in with

Trayvon Miles one more time when we come back with sports. Thanks much. Well coming up, challenging times for farmers from the ongoing drought to the economic impact from the war with Iran. Love the growing cost that so many are facing tonight just to keep their operations up and running. And North Carolina in the travel spotlight, two towns highlighted as underrated college towns. The big draws for each one.