ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 11pm - September 27, 2026

Episode Date: September 28, 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. Well, right now at 11, a high-profile trial begins in Durham tomorrow. More than 10 years after UNC student Faith Hedgepeth was found dead in her apartment. The man charged in connection is going to trial. IWitness News is talking with one expert who says finding jurors could be. challenge. And it's been two years since Hurricane Helene hit Western North Carolina. And businesses in the area say they are ready to welcome visitors back. One of the best ways that you can support this community is to come here. Come and stay. Come and take in the fall come. And all new at 11 shine bright like a diamond. The Carolina hurricanes unveiling their 2026 Stanley Cup championship ring.

We will tell you what makes this diamond so unique. However, Before we get to all of that, we are first alerting you to a warm up in your forecast. And you may want to keep the short sleeves out this week because temperatures are expected to be in the 80s tomorrow. You're watching our witness news at 11 tonight. Thank you so much for joining us on this Sunday night. I'm Dwan Hogarth. So glad to have you join us. Now, we are starting our term together talking tonight about this wonderful weather we have been experiencing.

Monday starts bright and warm on to kick off your work week. And by Friday, we could see 90 degree weather. And you didn't stutter when you said that. earlier, 90 degree weather. This is Cruz Medina. We're here to talk about all this wonderful weather we're about to enjoy. All right, well, it's definitely going to heat up.

And so I know for some folks, that might be a good thing. Others of you, you might be ready for more fall weather. It looks like we've got that in the seven day forecast as well. But let's focus on the next three days. So tomorrow is going to feature a mix of sun and clouds. High tipters in the low 80s, mid 80s by Tuesday, and then Wednesday, we're in the upper half of the 80s.

So the sunshine continues. The low humidity continues. By Thursday and Friday, it will turn a little bit humid. It'll also be hotter those days than the three days that I just showed you. Now for tonight, we have a treat. We're going down into the 50s again, so it'll be another chilly evening or chilly morning, I should say, as you start off your Monday. We'll have a mainly sunny sky and we'll carry that forward into the afternoon.

The exception being our northern counties. Those areas could feature a bit more in the way of cloud cover. Tipures there will be a little cooler for that reason. Upper 70s, low 80s for the triangle and the sand hills and, of course, abundant sunshine to go throughout the afternoon hour. So if you haven't yet, go ahead and make plans for the afternoon and evening hours tomorrow. The high temperatures, again, kind of the coolest that we're going to see until next weekend. So upper 70s for our northern counties, low 80s for Raleigh and Fayetteville.

And then we crank it up a notch. The rain chances will also ramp up a little later in the weekend, especially as we go into next weekend. We'll be looking at that in the seven-day forecast and also talking about just how warm it's going to get and how we could also potentially challenge some records. DeWan, back to you. I'll enjoy this warm weather for a little bit longer. Thanks so much, Cruz. All right now at 11, the high-profile murder trial starts tomorrow

for the man charged with killing UNC student of Faith Hedgepath. Now, Hedgepeth was found beaten to death in her off-campus back in 2012, and Miguel Sigel Aliveras has pleaded not guilty. Well, tomorrow, jury selection will begin in that case. We have Cindy Bay alive for us tonight in Durham. Now, Cindy, this case has gained a lot of not just local. attention but national attention as well. So all lives will be on that courtroom. Go ahead and walk our viewers through what we can expect inside that courtroom starting tomorrow. Yeah, that's right.

So on the case attracted widespread attention but remained unsolved for nearly a decade. That all changed in September 2021 when a DNA breakthrough led to an arrest. And now after years of investigation, the case heads toward trial. More than a decade after you have UNC student, Faith Hedgepeth, was found beaten to death in her off-campus apartment. The murder case is finally going to trial in Durham County. It's one of those cases that's been pending a long time. It's gotten a lot of publicity over that time. It's been a real ordeal for her family.

Retired Superior Court Judge Carl Fox has followed the case closely and knows the impact it's had on Hedgepeth's family. A break in the case came through genetic genealogy, which helped investigators identify Miguel Sergero Olivares. A DNA match from an unrelated traffic stop helped confirm his identity and he was arrested in 2021. Now with jury selection getting underway, Fox says years of publicity could make finding impartial jurors a challenge. It's just a lapse of time in itself can create reasonable doubt in juror's minds. The case also comes with a complicated investigative of history, one that Fox says could be difficult for jurors to follow.

I think there were suspect. It was a suspect or suspects, but there was no evidence to tie them to the murder. It's very alarming to have a young woman 19 years of age or any other female student or woman student murdered while attending a university. And whether that's on the campus or whether it's at her residence. residents in an apartment complex or a home or anything of that nature. Really a tragic situation. They're very sad. Now, ABC 11 will be there for the trial.

The Durham District Attorney's Office says it's expected to last about four weeks in Durham. Cindy Bay. ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, Cindy again. Thanks so much. We'll be in that courtroom starting tomorrow. Well, now to a shooting investigation playing out in Wake County. A woman is recovering after being shot Saturday night.

It happened on Westbury Lake Drive around 1130. She was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The search for the suspect is still underway. Police have not released any details about the person they are looking for. In Raleigh, police are investigating a string of car break-ins. This was the scene at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites on Little Brianc Creek Lane. Police say 27 cars were broken into overnight. Property was reported stolen from at least one of those vehicles.

Police say the investigation is ongoing. Well, tonight a Fayetteville man arrested for impersonating a police officer. officer. Police say around 3.30 this morning, a man dressed as a police officer robbed a home on Osceola Drive. Police say he knocked on the door before entering and then taking money. No injuries were reported. The suspect is being identified as 27-year-old Jaden Boone. He is charged with robbery with the deadly weapon, possession of stolen goods, and impersonating a law enforcement officer. Investigators say the equipment Boone was wearing was stolen from a Faydeville police officers home while he was away on vacation. Well today marks two years since rain from

Hurricane Helene led to major flooding that devastated Western North Carolina. More than 100 people died because of that storm. Governor Josh Dynne spending the week in some of the hardest hit areas. He even took part in a Helene remembrance service at St. James Amy Church in Asheville. Two years ago today, Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina. and changed the state forever. More than 100 of our neighbors lost their lives, including 42 just in Buncombe County alone. Thousands of people, like Ms. Chapman, lost their home. Thousands more lost their businesses or their livelihoods. The sorrow has surely lasted through the night. Families will read their loved ones forever.

Last week, Governor Stein announced $5 million in new infrastructure grants to help small business recovery in Western North Carolina. And as recovery efforts continue in Western North Carolina, some business owners in Asheville are encouraging people to visit the area. Bianca Holman, sharing how they say you can support. It was likely the worst day in many, many people's lives. And for us, we want to make sure that we take the time to remember those people who were lost, that we also take the time to acknowledge that there are people who still need support. Kyle McCurry of Explore Asheville remembers the moment that changed Buncombe County two years ago. Businesses, homes, historical sites, roads, all damaged and families who lost loved ones.

We saw a lot of things happen in those early days from the return of access to the roadways to water and people returning to the area to work, live, and recreate. And at the same time, we know that it's been an uneven recovery. So in all the ways visitors can see and feel Asheville's back, and at the same time, some parts of our region will need more time. With help from across the state and nationally, Western North Carolina has been able to rebuild, and tourism has helped bring money to the area. McCurry says visitors' spending reached about $2.6 billion last year,

with tourism representing about 20% of the county's GDP and supports one in seven jobs. However, this spending still remains below 2023 levels and the hospitality workforce is still down. Belaine is a milestone for us. And so as you think about it, one of the best ways that you can support this community is to come here. Come and stay. Come and take in the fall color. Visit some of these folks and add volunteerism to your trip. With autumn here, leaders want to remind folks about the fall colors. 114 continuous miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it's one of the longest fall color seasons in the country. We're propelling forward.

Our goal has never been just a comeback. It's a stronger and more resilient visitor and creative economy for everyone. The Appalachian spirit continuing to beam bright from the land of the sky. Bianca Holman, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Yonka, many thanks. And all new tonight, Carolina Hurricanes are celebrating their Stanley Cup championship win with some new. Bling the team unveiling the 2026 Stanley Cup Championship ring. Take a look here. These rings were designed and created by luxury jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills. Now each ring features nearly

900 individually set stones, including 9.8 carrots of white diamonds and 1.4 carrots of natural red rubies. Now other a little details on the rings include each player's signature, a removable championship puck pendant that shows Stormy the Kane's mascot when it taken off. And speaking of your Carolina Hurricanes, you can relive the team's Stanley Cup run. A championship film is already premiering, recapping the major highlights and moments that led to the team's first title in 20 years. A dozen players will be featured while sharing their perspective on that championship run. You can find that film. It is streaming right now on Disney Plus and Hulu.

Well, next tonight, signs of recovery on the North Carolina coast after a powerful Northeaster hit the area. State officials say part of NC12 is reopened after sections of the road were underwater due to flooding. Plus all new at 11, thrill seekers getting the chance to go repelling down a Raleigh sky scrapper this weekend. It was all for a good cause. We'll have that story and much more when we come back. But first, let's get back to Cruz. All right, temperatures tonight are cooling into the 60s for most locations. Tomorrow we're going to see highs in the low 80s, but are you ready for possible record highs? We could see those by midweek. Coming up, I'm going to show you the seven-day forecast and just how hot it's going to get.

And also when we can expect the next cool day. Well, welcome back. Some good news off the North Carolina coast. NC Highway 12 on Ocarcoke has reopened after it was forced to close because of a powerful nor'easter that caused flooding, the NCDOT. Sharing the news today, officials say the northern end of Ocarcoke Island is open. The Hatteras, Okrake Island. Coke Ferry route remains suspended and will resume service only once the roadway there is cleared. Meanwhile, across the East Coast, coastal communities are on high alert tonight because of that Northeaster.

New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency as the storm and high tides bring dangerous coastal flooding. Waves of 16 feet and more have been reported off southern New England as well as the Jersey shore. And so far, at least one person has died in New York because of the storm. New York Governor Kathy Hokel is urging coastal residents to stay away from the water. Stay away from the water. Don't go near boats. Be smart if you live in those coastal areas. Because between the vicious rip currents, the heavy winds and the mammoth waves, conditions are extremely dangerous.

The storm also disrupting travel across the region. Amtrak and major airlines are offering travel waivers to some passengers affected by the storm. Well, new details tonight after U.K. authorities arrest five men on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act near REF Fairford. It's about 90 miles west of London. The base has been used by U.S. forces in the war with Iran. Tonight, ABC's Lionel Mouyez is in New York with our latest. Tonight, a massive scene unfolding in the UK near a U.S. air base after a member of the public reported suspicious vehicles nearby. Counterterrorism investigators are examining the scene. 12.45 a.m. today, Sunday the 27th of September.

Police received a call relating to three suspicious vehicles traveling towards R.A.F. Fairford. Five men are now in custody on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, officials swarming the area after the call. British police say the public report led them to the vehicles. President Trump, however, telling reporters the suspects were already under surveillance. The arrest in the UK was fantastic. We had them under investigation. They were looking to do big damage. We got him. Since March, the U.S. has been launching operations against Iran from that base with heavy bombers. While it's unclear whether the men arrested have ties to Iran, in July, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard said any U.K. base used to attack Iran is a legitimate target.

Bomb disposal robots seen examining the vans with officials blocking off the area and evacuating 85 nearby homes. The U.S. Embassy in the U.K. is now urging American citizens to exercise caution throughout the country. Lionel Moyes, ABC News, New York. All right, so Cruz is back, and we were talking a little bit earlier about that false fall that we had. And then that second summer, if you're new to North Carolina, this is what we get around this time of year. It's normal. Yeah. So how long should we expect this to last before?

The switchup actually really does happen. Well, that could be several weeks, maybe a month. But I could tell you, we've got both summer-like temperatures and fall-like temperatures in the seven-day forecast. Going into tomorrow, it's going to be the least hot day of the week. days. By next weekend, we'll get a more significant cool down, but expect low to mid 80s over the next two to three days. By the time we get into Wednesday through Friday, that stretch is going to be a little warmer. So we could possibly challenge some records. We'll fall within a degree or two of reaching those record highs. Could even end up breaking some. It depends on how much those

temperature soar. But then by next weekend, we enter another cloudy, gloomy pattern similar to what we had last Wednesday and Thursday. High temperature is barely reaching into the 70s, a lot of clouds, and maybe even a little bit of rain. Forward tonight. Rain, not much of a concern. We're also not expecting many clouds around. So just a few passing through at times. When you wake up tomorrow morning,

some of our northern counties will be stocked in on cloud cover. So I'd call it mostly cloudy. You're still going to get at least some sun. The farther south you go, the more sun you see waking up. Tipters will be in the 50, stepping out the door. By the afternoon, clouds hang a little more firm in those northern counties. So tipters there will likely be limited to the mid to upper 70s, while the rest of us from the triangle down into the sand hills could see low to mid 80s for tomorrow.

And then, of course, throughout the evening, the cloud cover should start to increase once again, and that'll encompass all of Central North Carolina by that time. So a decent day, it's going to be dry for certain tomorrow. Tipter is pushing into the low 80s in the afternoon. That's only a degree or two higher than what our normal averages for this time of the month. So it's going to be a great day from start to finish. If you have anything you need to get done outside, might even be a little chilly in the morning. you get a nice evening and afternoon for tomorrow. I highly recommend making some plans.

Now by the middle of the week, it's still going to be dry. High pressure takes over our forecast, but also a system near the coast, low pressure, that's going to turn our winds out of the southwest. That's going to be responsible for our next warmup. So we should push into the upper half of the 80s, already at 88 and Raleigh on Wednesday. And from there, it could get even warmer going into Thursday and eventually Friday as well. So those days, like I said, we could be within a degree or two of tying or even breaking those records. I'm forecasting 88 for Wednesday. The old record is 89.

89 for Thursday, and that record is actually 90. So again, just one degree off. We'll see if in time we can tie those records. But, of course, we are expecting another cool down next weekend, and tipterers will fall back into the 70s, so it's going to be short-lived. Here's that Nor-Easter that we were just telling you about that's wreaked havoc not only on our coast,

but all up and down the eastern seaboard. So that low continues to spin right through the mid-Atlantic, it's centered just to the southern portion of New Jersey right now. That system was post-tropical, but we know northeastern can be very damaging, especially to coastal communities. So that's exactly what we saw play out on the outer banks. As far as the actual tropics go, there is a system that we'll be watching through the next seven days. The chance of it developing right now about 60 percent, so I'd say a medium chance of development. And then, of course, to the south of that, there's tropical depression, Faye.

That is not expected to redevelop at this time. Your first alert, actually. of the weather seven day forecasts shows the tipters continuing to climb. So Thursday, that is the first day of October. Looks like we're going to start on a very warm note, 89 degrees by Friday, 91 degrees, and then we get a big cool down going into next weekend. Likely going to be similar pattern to one to what we saw last weekend. So our last week, I should say, Wednesday and Thursday, you remember how cloudy and gloomy it was? That's likely what we're going to see for this upcoming weekend so stay tuned and it was like a welcome disruption to like the warm weather we had like yeah those 60s I actually liked it and then we went back to the warm weather shakes things up right

absolutely keeps it interesting we'll take these these next few days of warm warm tips thanks for us all right next at 11 culture community and connection that was the goal today in apex we'll show you how neighbors spent the day bonding well now 11 one-way county town honoring national good neighbor day community members in apex coming together for an event at sweetwater town center. That war, there was live music, local vendors, even prize giveaways. The organizers say it's an effort to celebrate community, culture, and even connection. When you are in a relationship one-to-one or one-to-one in a community, your spirits are lifted, your life gains purpose again. And so that's why what I like to do is have events in neighborhoods

so that neighbors can meet neighbors, support each other, get to know each other, and life becomes a lot better, more meaningful. The very first National Good Neighbor Day was celebrated in the 1970s in Montana. Well, new tonight, some brave souls went over the edge this weekend to raise money for the Special Olympics, North Carolina. Our cameras stopping by a one-city plaza in Raleigh, where dozens of people repelled down the side of a skyscraper. Each of the participants raised more than $1,000 that will go toward the Special Olympics. Well, let's go ahead and check in with Kate Rogerson for a look at what's coming up next in. Coming up next in sports, we're talking about the Carolina Hurricanes, specifically Seth

Jarvis. Will he play on Tuesday? Will he not? And who got called up to the team for their big season opener on Tuesday night. Now ABC 11I with this news sports. On Tuesday night, the Carolina Hurricanes will put a bow on their Stanley Cup champion season. A banner will be raised. Some tears will probably be shed. Then it's on to a new chapter. When the canes take the ice versus the Florida Panthers, there's going to be some new faces wearing red and black. Two newbies and two guys to know, Charles Alex Lago and and Cade and Primo. Lago has been in the Cain system since 2023. The 6-4-20-year-old defenseman earned his spot on the blue line since Alexander Nekhian remains out without a contract.

Primo is listed on the roster as the Kane's third goaltender behind Brandon Bussie and Peota Kochekoff. Plus, Seth Jarvis, he's not going to play on Tuesday because his name is on the injury non-roastered list. Jarvis is recovering from right shoulder. surgery. He's been wearing the yellow non-contact sweater at practice, so there's no definite timeline for his return. So all eyes are on Tuesday night. Cain's, cats, 5 o'clock inside the Lenovo Center. This game will be televised on the ESPN. The Carolina Panthers went to Cleveland with the league's best passing offense, and they ranked second in scoring. Today, they were just sluggish versus the Browns. The run game was held to 98 yards, and the Panthers didn't

score a single touchdown until there was four minutes and 25 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Bryce Young didn't look his best and getting sacked and limping into the medical tent certainly didn't help anything in the 21-18 loss. But regardless of the pain and the injuries, Young says the entire offense needs to execute better going forward. Yeah, wasn't able to end the way that we wanted in any capacity. It takes all 11. I haven't watched the film yet. No one knows. I trust our run game.

We all trust it. We're going to get it going. I haven't watched the film to analyze yet. But I have all the confidence in the world. Those guys are in front and the backs. Coaches, we're going to get it ironed out. Gonna get it going. They need to do that quick because they play in the prime time next Sunday.

Panthers Lions Sunday night football the first time the organization is playing in the spotlight since December 2016. Now things got a little dicey last night at Carter-Finley Stadium. NC State played a strong first half, then App State crawled their way back. They tied the game at 31 in the fourth quarter. The student section was even chanting fire Dave. Wolfpack Nation has shared their frustrations and concerns following the loss to Virginia and the loss to Vanderbilt. But when things got rocky last night, Wolfpack players were in the huddle telling each other,

hey, we've been here before. We've got them right where we want them. Running back Duke Scott and quarterback CJ Bailey helped pull out the 41-31. victory and they say when all the outside noise is coming around they're not listening to any of it i think we do a great job of like you know whether we're down up or tied we just were always trying to build and build and build and just finish the game so when we got tied up we were exactly where we wanted to be at it wasn't a situation where we were nervous or scared we uh we knew we we were going to you know we put our fist up in the fourth quarter because we knew we were going

to fight and that's what we did i did a good job with just bringing everybody up eight once let's come up here and get in the huddle like get in the huddle on the sideline before the kickoff started or whatever kids may be and just talking to each other, feeding in, giving each other good words. And that was the best way to block out everything. Like, nobody can hear if we're talking, you know what I'm saying? Even more noise is coming to the triangle this upcoming weekend on Saturday. Carolina returns from their by week to face Notre Dame, the number three team in the nation. NC State will have a huge ACC matchup with Louisville.

Campbell and NC Central will meet in Durham. Meanwhile, the Duke Blue Devils are undefeated team in the area will be on the by. All right, Kay, many thanks for that. That's still come tonight on eyewitness news, a local nonprofit, putting hundreds of thousands of dollars of COVID relief funds to good use. When we come back, we dig into how that money was spent. And the success stories that came up.