ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 11pm - October 5, 2026

Episode Date: October 6, 2026

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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. I know they got to have tax money to operate up a city, but here it's just going too far. Tonight on eyewitness news controversy over yet another round of increases when it comes to property revaluations in Wake County. News was there as the concerns came to the forefront during a public hearing. Hi everyone, thanks for joining us here for eyewitness News at 11. I'm Steve Daniels. Lauren is off tonight. Wake County Commissioners held a public hearing this evening focused on how they'll conduct 2027 property revaluations.

And that's what they use to determine how much you'll pay in property taxes. They'll use the plan to come up with new assessed values for all real estate, everything from homes to businesses to vacant land all across Wake County. DeWan, Hogan, was at that meeting in Raleigh. DeMond, tell us about the timeline for those changes. Yes, Steve, at least we know right now that nearly 460,000 parcels are to be revaluated as the county looks to assign these new values and in turn create more revenue. The move, however, is not being welcomed by folks who have lived here in the county for decades. The heart breaks me. Break my heart. I got my house of selling, virtually, because I can't pay the taxes on it. Joseph Gordon has lived in his Raleigh home for 27 years and has watched property value soar, steps from his front porch.

Everything right here sells over $6,700,000. A far way off from the less than $100,000 he paid for it. As Wake County Commissioners meet just a few miles away in downtown Raleigh to discuss property values, he says the values have gone too far too fast. I know they got to have tax money to operate a city, but here it's just going too far. The reason is too high. North Carolina state law requires property values to be reassessed every eight years. Wake County Commissioners have opted to do so more frequently. They say it's to assign fair market

value to properties and to allow the increase in property tax payments to be gradual instead of all at once. People being so upset that we're just randomly pulling things out of the air. And so I hope that everyone that's listening tonight can at least appreciate that is absolutely not the case. Property taxes are a major revenue source for the county accounting for some 75% of the county's budget. The higher the value, in turn, means more money a property owner is set to pay for in their taxes. But for a long-time Wake County resident Brenda Williamson, she believes it's unfair to the people who have called Wake County home for so long to pay for the increase in value the area is rapidly experiencing. I think that people who have been here for a long time should

not have to pay the brunt of it. And tonight it is important to note that the property tax rate will remain unchanged. However, if your home value is to increase, the amount you pay in taxes is likely to increase as well. To find out how and when you can appeal your revaluation, look for this story on our website. Right now, live inside the Raleigh Witness News Center tonight. Duane Hogarth, ABC 11, IWitness News. Yeah, that's a good point.

We have seen valuations going in one direction here in Wake County in recent years, and that's up, so we'll be watching this very closely. Duan, thank you. And here are some important dates to Mark. Revaluation results will be presented to county commissioners on January 19th, and your notice of assessed value goes out beginning January 22nd. And then if you want to appeal it, you have until April 30th to file with the Board of Equalization and Review. November 17th is the final day to appeal to the State Property Tax Commission.

All right. All right. Let's talk about the weather right now because we've got a potential weather maker we are tracking right now in the Gulf. And Don, you say that that could bring some rain our way potentially for this weekend. Possibly, yeah. And it's funny. We have not had a hurricane yet this year. Or the latest we've gone into a season without a hurricane. This thing has a potential to at least become a tropical cyclone.

All major models tonight. All four of them showing this becoming a tropical cyclone. If it does become something, its name would be Issa Eus, the next name on the list. Now, these are some of the major models that bring this low up in possibly anywhere from Port Arthur, Texas, all the way over to the panhandle of Florida on guard tonight as this happens. But you'll notice it pulls to the north and up through the Mississippi River Valley. It will drag a lot of moisture with it. And that's what we're watching for Saturday night, possibly into Sunday.

Now, at this point this far out, only about a 40 to 50% chance of this happening exactly like this. But we'll show it to you anyway because this is what we're looking at tonight. And as we go through Saturday night into Sunday, there's the showers working through as that system pulls to the north. And it works out of here on into next week. Before that gets here, though, we've got a five-day dry stretch. And it's going to be cool the next couple of mornings. Live look at Mutual Tower, Skycam, downtown terms at 57, mainly cleared in north wind at three miles per hour. As we look ahead in the fast forward forecast, today we had the clouds in the morning.

Skies cleared as we headed through the afternoon. Tomorrow, nothing but blue skies, sunshine, lower humidity, and cooler temperatures. We'll top out at 73. We'll talk about the cool mornings the next couple of days and a first alert tomorrow on that weekend forecast. All coming up in just a bit. Steve. All right, Tom, we'll see you soon. We have a big development tonight in case of the ABC 11I team first brought you earlier this year.

A Wake County judge has entered a default judgment against Holly Christina photography, and its owners. It's a victory for upset brides who lost a lot of money. The Raleigh-based wedding photography and videography companies accused of failing to deliver services and products those brides paid for. The state attorney general is trying to get nearly $600,000 in restitution for affected customers, along with $1.1 million in civil penalties. Jimmy Price, live now at the Attorney General's office in downtown Raleigh, tell us more about what this ruling means for those brides. Steve, this could mean more than 100 brides would receive a refund for money. money owed. And for other brides, this could mean they could receive those videos and pictures from

their big wedding day, something many have been waiting months for. A picture is worth a thousand words. But in this case, some couples say they don't have a single picture to show. They claim they never received photos from Holly Christina photography on what was one of the most important days of their lives, their wedding day. They have to themselves be quite untrust. The state attorney general's office has received 228 complaints against Holly Christina photography. Through ABC 11's I-Team, months-long investigation, we met many upset brides who have demanded their wedding day photos, videos, and refunds. Those allegations prompted a lawsuit filed by the state attorney general Jeff Jackson earlier this year against the photography company and its owners. On Monday, the state attorney general's office laid out the state's case against Holly.

Christina photography. No one representing the company or the couple was in court. They promised couples packages that included but was not limited to 700 edited photographs, a 30 to 45 second social media reel and over an hour of video footage, including drone coverage on ceremonies. The 228 complaints were broken down into two groups. Couples who wedding had occurred and photos and video were taken. The second group were those who had paid a deposit for their upcoming wedding. But the company closed its doors before they said, I do. As for the couples whose weddings were scheduled to occur,

most of them had paid in full after being encouraged to do so to receive a discount. 82 customers who did receive money back were able to obtain those funds through their financial institutions. That leaves 142 consumers who have not received any form of refund. to the tune of $59,468.88. The state requested nearly $600,000 back in restitution for impacted customers and another $1.1 million in civil penalties, $5,000 for each of the 228 alleged violations. And the state also acts a judge for Holly Christina to turn over those videos and photos that customers pay for. They want the raw and the edited version. Now we did reach out to Holly

Christina photography today. We did not hear back from them, but we have talked to them in the past. And Holly said that she's done everything in her power to fulfill what she can and that this has been a very difficult time for their family. Steve. Yeah. And as the assistant attorney general pointed out there in your piece, if you pay with a credit card, you may have some recourse and be able to get your money back when things go sideways in what, whatever your particular case is. Jimmy's thank you. New here at 11, a Clayton teenager who disappeared last month

after his car was found wrecked in Greensboro has now been located several states away in Pennsylvania. Robert Book the 3rd was found at a men shelter in Pittsburgh. The 17-year-old was reported missing in early September after last being seen on surveillance video at a Clayton gas station early on the morning of September 12th. And then just hours later, the car he was driving was involved in a crash in Greensboro,

but it was unoccupied when first responders arrived. According to police, book is being held until his family can make arrangements to pick him up there in Pittsburgh. Sexual assault allegations at Cornell University have sparked a renewed conversation about safety on college campuses. And a local rape crisis center tells us college students make up about a quarter of the sexual assault victims they've helped this year. The director also says sexual assault cases often go underreported. The ABC 11I team and the ABC News data team looked at the numbers at major universities here in the triangle. The latest data shows 16 rapes reported at UNC Chapman. Hill in 2025 on campus, zero off campus, nine rapes reported on campus at Duke, one off campus,

three reported at NC State on campus and zero off campus. Three also reported on the NC Central campus in Durham. And some schools like NC State have a sexual assault helpline and that's one way people can report an incident. Universities also have counseling centers that can help. We have more information right now at ABC11.com. In Durham, after a week of jury selection in the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial, the district attorney now says, They expect opening statements to begin on Wednesday. They've now seated a jury and they're working to pick the alternate jurors. One alternate has been selected.

Three more do need to be chosen before opening statements can begin. The 12-member jury will hear that case against Miguel Soluero Olivares. He is charged with killing the 19-year-old UNC Chapel Hill student back in 2012. A deadly crash is now under investigation in Southern Way County. According to Fukuay Verena Police, a car and a motorcycle crashed at about 830 last night. This happened at US 401 in Banks Road, just south of the NC 540 toll road. The motorcyclist is about identified as 25-year-old Hunter Rich. A preliminary investigation found the motorcycle was going northbound on US 401, and it was speeding.

The other vehicle made a left turn onto Banks Road, resulting in the crash. Dukwaiverina Police are now asking anyone with information may have been an eyewitness to that crash to contact them to help in that investigation. We're learning tonight. The State House is meeting on Wednesday at noon for a special session. to tackle high gas prices. It comes as gas and diesel prices remain really high because of the ongoing war with Iran. Lawmakers telling eyewitness news, the Senate is also expected to meet in Raleigh on Wednesday. It's still unclear what leaders might do to bring down gas prices, but some lawmakers have publicly talked about addressing the gas tax here in North Carolina,

which is 41 cents a gallon, so we do have some latitude to try to bring down our gas prices. Still to come here on eyewitness news, the future of the Head Start program for young kids is heading toward a crucial decision point by Governor Stein is pushing back on some major changes. The Trump administration is proposing for that Head Start program. The details on that coming up. And a celebrity with local ties is shooting a project at the Triangle Town Center will tell you about today's big reveal that's sure to put the local mall in the spotlight. And Don's checking on those temps outside and some good looking weather on the way. Yeah, we've got a great week ahead, although it might be a soaking Sunday. Again, we'll talk about your rain chances as we head toward the following weekend and some cool weather

on the way next. Stay with us. We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. The future of the Head Start program for young kids is at a critical turning point with a public comment period ending tomorrow. The Trump administration is proposing some major changes, including giving states more control over head start. Opponents are worried the changes could affect quality and access. The program provides education, health and family support services to more than 700,000 children across the country, including hundreds of families and Durham. They address mental health issues. They help families through, they help them navigate through different systems to qualify for public assistance for food, stamps, for housing.

They help people in accessing new employment. So the family support services are unique to Head Start and are not available in the traditional early education programs. The proposal also includes English only. classrooms, less funding for administrative work and letting states decide on classroom sizes and ratios. The administration says the changes would save billions of taxpayer dollars, cut the cost of the program and return decision-making to parents and to states. Governor Josh Stein here in North Carolina is pushing back, calling for Head Start to be protected, and the current standards maintain just as they are.

Durham Police have now identified two men who were shot and killed in separate incidents over the weekend. DPD officers responded to Durham Chapel Hill Boulevard about 1230. on Sunday morning. And that's where they found 54-year-old Enrique Gomez-Vargus and another man shot. Both were taken to the hospital where Gomez Vargas later died from his injuries. And a second man was shot and killed on Saturday night near Sharon Road and Wake Forest Highway. 23-year-old Davion Thompson died at the hospital. Anyone with information on either shooting is asked to contact Durham Police. The secret is out.

The Triangle Town Center in Raleigh is host to the most recent Mr. Beast segment. You can check it out. This video from the mall's TikTok account showing video of the popular YouTubers team working on this new project. We're keeping our eyes open for any details about this special local project and we'll update you as we learn more. If you don't know about Mr. Beast, he is probably the most popular guy on YouTube and he does these stunts and he's a big philanthropist and it's fun stuff to watch.

So we'll see what happens at Triangle Town Center. In downtown Raleigh today, some kids got the chance to see what it's like to be a champion. The Stanley Cup made a visit to the Marbles Kids Museum. We spoke to the museum's leaders who told us about the excitement there with today's visit. When they first unveiled it and put that shiny trophy on the table, everybody lit up, myself included. You can just feel the energy in the space pick up. So it got super excited. We bring everybody together behind one great team and it's so cool to see the excitement

that these kids and families have to see the cup and just be part of it. It's part of the brand new power to play exhibit featuring new banners, a mock hockey rink, and the videos to teach kids about the Carolina Hurricanes very successful 2026. Stanley Cup Run. All right, we want to take a moment right now to celebrate our birthday girl around here tonight. It's Lauren's birthday, and she's with her family and friends for that celebration. Her mom sent us some of her favorite pictures of Lauren through the years, and we want to show you those. Lauren grown up, doing all her fun things over the years and her fun adventures as well.

But that right there, that's the picture we love the most because that's her right here with us here at Eyewitnessu. So Lauren, happy birthday. We are glad you're with your family and friends. She's watching her Falcons tonight. I know she wanted to check out that game, and they're kind of putting a stomping on the same. So I think she's probably happy about that in addition to her birthday. I sent her a happy birthday jiff, you know,

and sometimes you can find them with a name. So it says like happy birthday Steve or Don or whatever. I couldn't find Lauren, so she got happy birthday, Lokesh. Lo Keshe. Yeah, that was the closest to Lauren. Well, you were thinking about her, and I was at least. It's all in the thought process there. All right, let's show you.

happening tonight live look at the next three mornings because I want to first alert you to some cooler attempts on the way we'll be in the 50s tomorrow 40s on wednesday could be lower 40s up in parts of person county and then Thursday more sunshine a bit warmer we'll start today again in the 50s let's take a look at the next big thing the one thing you want to take away from tonight you might need the jacket the next couple of mornings with those temperatures running in the 40s and 50s depending on your tolerance live look at first alert Doppler net this is all radar trash. Excuse me, on a clear night. We're not seeing any rainfall out there. So let's head live it to RDU. All the planes parked in for the night. 57 right now, mainly clear and in North Wind at three miles per hour. Maniota Murphy tonight, 67 at the coast. 10 degrees cooler here, 10 degrees cooler out in Boone at 48. And tonight we will drop into the 50s for lows. And Roxborough could sneak down into the 40s. Now that wake up temperature tomorrow in the 50s, good morning for exercise. If you're it out and about. We will see those numbers running in the 60s through lunchtime. We'll actually top out tomorrow in the 70, 73, Raleigh, 72 Durham, and 75 in Fayetteville. First alert, seven-day forecast. Powered by ACUther sunny, typical temp, 77 on Wednesday. Thursday, 84, we warm it up. Friday, high clouds, 81, Saturday, becoming cloudy 75, and that rain on Sunday, Monday, depending on the path of what could be the next tropical system. So let's keep an eye on that.

We won't see anything terrible from that tropical system other than some rainfall. The winds will have died down and that won't be a factor, but it's certainly something we'll be watching all week long. Rain on the weekend, too. We don't like the idea of that, but we'll be keeping it on. Don, thank you. We're counting down to a very important day here at ABC 11, the kickoff to our annual ABC 11 together Food Drive. We do it every year, but this year we're marking 40 years of serving our neighbors in need. And we, along with our partners at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina,

and the Second Harvest Food Bank in Fayetteville, collect food and monetary donations. leading up to the drive-through day. And this year, our goal is to raise 1.4 million meals. The ABC 11 Together Food Drive gets underway on November the 18th. Still ahead here on eyewitness news. We're taking the look at an ultramarathon with a stomach-turning twist. We'll tell you about the Taco Bell 50K, where runners stop to eat at Taco Bell locations

as they run more than 30 miles around Denver. And remember, you can always watch us here on ABC 11, Disney Plus, and wherever you stream. For 50 years, Canadians have wondered what the names of IKEA furniture mean. Like Natopa, the guardrail for children's beds. Natopa means giving your favorite person room to grow. It means their safety and your piece of... No.

In Swedish, Natapa means night monkey. IKEA, 50 years of Swedishness at home. Look, he's wearing little pajamas. So cute. All right, we are back now with tonight's top top. Trending stories in the segment we love around here. We call it real news. First, the average marathon runner, they say,

burns 100 calories every mile, but for one 50K ultra marathon, there is no danger of you being out there running on empty. We're talking about the international Taco Bell 50K, where hundreds of people run 31 miles around Denver while stopping to eat at nearly a dozen Taco Bell locations along the way. And a small group of ultra marathoners

ran the first Taco Bell 50K back in 2018, setting up specific rules, Like you have to eat a Chalupa Supreme by the fourth stop and then a burrito supreme by the eighth stop. And here's the kicker. You have to keep it all down. If you can't keep it down, you're disqualified. I don't know how that works for all those runners in Denver. Mile High City.

It's hot. The air is thin and you're eating all that Taco Bell. That's a challenge. Okay. The Tops Field Fair north of Boston, there's this kaleidoscope of sights and sounds and smells on the midway to celebrate. But day one is all about the pumpkins. And you can see these guys are absolutely huge. In this year's giant pumpkin contest, they have several judging categories.

But it's the way in that gets the crowds every time. One of the final two pumpkins in the night belonged to Larry Masters of Nassau, New York. His weight in at a whopping 2220 pounds. It's a personal best for the Tops Field Fair Record there. And actually a new state record there in Massachusetts as well. All right, from giant pumpkins to miniature pups. Thousands of doxins have taken to the streets of Paris for the annual sausage dog walk. They're short on legs, but they're long on charm, as you know.

Doxins are the star of the show in Paris, often known as sausage dogs. Thousands of these little dogs poured onto the Champsie Lise with their owners for the yearly Paris sausage dog walk. People dressed up in their sausages, dressed them up in all kinds of costumes from a bumblebee, even a hot dog. And take a look at this, a pair of sausage dog owners even dressed themselves. an inflatable doxin coffee. That's it for us here at 11. We'll see you tomorrow.