ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 4pm - April 2, 2026

Episode Date: April 2, 2026

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Breaking news right now at four, a major shakeup and a lawsuit to improve the state's public schools. The Supreme Court throws out the multi-billion dollar Leandro plan, the potential impact to school funding and to education. Major upgrades at the Lenovo Center from a beer hall to a new arena club. Elena Athens takes you inside for a sneak peek. And there's an app for that, the new feature for travelers to track wait times at the airport, but there is a catch. Right now, live coverage from your local news leader, keeping you connected to, your community and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11 eyewitness news. Thank you for joining us for eyewitnesses at four. I'm Barbara Gibbs.

And I'm Lauren Johnson. In for Amber Repenta. We start with breaking news at the top of the hour. The nation's top law enforcement officer fired this afternoon. President Trump announced Pam Bondi is out as Attorney General. Steve Daniels is in the breaking news center with why this happened and who takes her place. Hi, Barbara and Lauren. Yeah, source is familiar with the matter till ABC news, Pam Bondi's firing follows months amounting frustration by President Trump that the Justice Department in Washington isn't doing enough to target his political opponents for prosecution. Sources say Trump has been considering firing Pam Bondi for days and delivered the news in what one person described as a tough conversation.

The president also apparently frustrated with Bondi on several fronts, including her handling of records tied to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Bondi's removal is likely to set off concern among critics who have accused the Trump administration of the weaponizing of the Justice Department. and raise questions about whether the president plans to install a replacement who will be even more aggressive in pursuing his political opponents. In his statement posted to social media, President Trump called Bondi a great American patriot and a loyal friend who faithfully served as Attorney General over the past year. He goes on to say she did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown on crime across the country. He also says she moved to a new job in the private sector. That is her announcement. That is her plan going forward.

Bondi also issued a statement saying serving as Attorney General has been the honor of a lifetime. For now, Bondi is being replaced by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who President Trump says will serve as acting Attorney General. We'll have more updates on this as we get details throughout the evening, and you can stay tuned to World News tonight with David Muir for an in-depth look at Pam Bondi's firing at 630 tonight. Barbara. All right, Steve, thank you. And we have more breaking news. The State Supreme Court throws out a multi-billion dollar lawsuit to fund public schools. Yeah, the decades-oldly Andrew case is what we're talking about. It was aimed to strengthen North Carolina's public schools.

John Dowding is live at the State Supreme Court in downtown Raleigh. And John, you are talking to education leaders. What are you learning? Well, Barbara Lauren, we first heard this case in court about 30 years ago. And now today, the state's highest court overturned that lawsuit, which could have potential ripple effects on how public schools could be funded.

It has been really about whether the state is meeting what to most neutral observers is its constitutional obligation in the state to provide a sound basic education for all students in North Carolina. A major Supreme Court decision in Raleigh causing ripple effects across the state. The North Carolina Supreme Court overturned the Leandro School funding decision.

First decided more than 30 years ago, the case held that courts could demand the state to release funds to allow for equitable education in North Carolina public schools. The court issued a decision on procedural steps in the case stating courts do not have the authority to mandate the release of state dollars for schools. And a statement on X, formerly,

formerly known as Twitter, the North Carolina GOP responded in part, quote, today's decision confirms our belief that the General Assembly holds the exclusive power to appropriate funds. You can be pro public schools, whether you're a Republican or Democrat, so I would encourage everyone to ask anyone they're considering voting for if they believe in public education and will support our teachers and our students. Again, another topic of conversation during the midterm elections in November. Now, the court also dismissed this case with prejudice, which means The case is permanently dismissed and cannot be reheard in its current state.

Now coming up here at 5 will share new reaction from lawmakers at the legislature about the latest news here coming from the Supreme Court. Live here in downtown Raleigh, I'm John Douting. ABC 11, our witness news. All right, John, we'll see you then. Look forward to that. Thank you. Happening now, we are moments away from a sneak peek at the Lenovo Center with the multimillion dollar upgrades underway right now. Yeah, Elena, Athens was there to see improvements firsthand.

She's outside the Lenovo Center right now. Elena, give us a progress report and tell us how are things? looking. Yeah, we were inside earlier and we did see crews working up into the mid last minute, really, that the arena had to shut down ahead of tonight's cane game. You might be able to hear that there's a ban already starting the party here outside of the Lenovo center. But the chair does say once the season does come to an end, that's what things are really going to rev up. Most people want to just hang out up there. I love it. It's a cool view. Yeah. Centennial Authority Chair, Philip Isley, showed me around the new viewing bar on the third level. It's open

out to fans and offers unobstructed views of the Lenovo Center. We were shown other upgrades on the upper level. There's new lighting, the walls were freshly painted, new bathrooms, and the women's restrooms have been expanded. The work is part of the larger multi-million dollar renovation project. The next big improvement will be increasing the seating capacity to nearly 21,000. When we shut the building down in the summertime, we'll start doing stuff inside the actual bowl, make some changes to the seating, to the aisles. All right, so we also We also heard from the developer today and we're showed new renderings of what this space could look like. So we'll give you those images.

What could potentially be on tap here at the Lenovo Center? We'll have that all new at 5 o'clock. For now we're live in Raleigh, Elena Athens, ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right now, Elena's making us wait to see. Elena, thank you. All right now to first alert weather. I hope you had a really good day and a chance to get outside today. It was some beautiful weather to enjoy.

And the pollen seemed to not be flying around in everyone's faces. our photojournalist captured video of this person who decided to lay out at lake crab tree. Don Schwinnaker, it does not seem like a bad day to do it. No, and we're getting to the end of the yellow season. Paul wants with us for a while, but we're starting to get in it on the tail end of all that yellow out there, so that is good news. Not seeing any rainfall out there tonight. Live look at First Lirk Dopplernet. We always start with the most powerful network of live radars, but not much to show you the way of rainfall,

some fair weather, cumulus clouds working through on the mutual tower, sky cam, 80 degrees, partly cloudy, But it's still windy. Those gusts are up around 22 miles an hour that is increasing our fire danger through the evening hours. 80s in the northern tier, 79, Lewisburg, Raleigh, 81 in Durham, 79, Lillington, 81 of Fayette. Just a very nice day. Now, if you're headed out to Lenovo Center tonight for the hockey match between Columbus and us, 82 before some great tail getting weather after still mild under clear skies, we're talking 70 degrees. And we'll talk more about this beautiful evening ahead.

We do have some rain for the holiday weekend. We'll time it out for you in your complete forecast coming up in just a bit. Barbara? All right, Don, thank you. Well, now to some other local headlines in your speed feed. First, Bond is denied for a man charged in a deadly assault on the American Tobacco Trail in Durham. I witness is in the courtroom as Leroux Barbie made a virtual appearance before the judge this morning. Barbie is charged with first-degree murder and the stabbing death of Chesley Lions last month.

Police do not believe the stabbing is a random attack. New at 4, a Wake County couple is arrested over allegations of child abuse. The allegations include rape and a teenager kept in a dog kennel found covered in feces. According to our news gathering partners at the news and observer, Lacey Hoka Jr. is facing a number of charges including statutory rape of a child. Rachel Glalasso is charged with child abuse resulting in serious physical injury. A man is now charged with involuntary manslaughter and a housefire that led to his mother's death. That happened yesterday afternoon on in press lane and Fayetteville. Authorities say Maurice Briscoe Jr. escaped through a window.

His mother, 63-year-old Jamie Smith, was trapped inside the home. She was rescued but later died. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The DMV is adding more online services to help reduce weight lines. Anyone 18 or older can now upgrade their level 2 limited provisional license to a full Class C driver license online without having to visit the DMV in person. And that is your speed feed. Lauren, back to evening. All right, Barbara, thank you.

New at 4 U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, toward an energy facility and carried today. It was one of two stops he made across the state. Michael Perchick spoke to the secretary one-on-one during his visit. Michael, did he make any mention of the rising gas prices? Americans are paying at the pump right now? Yeah, Lauren, officials acknowledging the pain at the pump. Drivers are facing every time they go up to fill the tank,

but say there are ongoing efforts to try and blunt that impact. Every trip to fill up the tank seemingly costing more than the last. Reality, the Trump administration believes will pay off in the long run. When this crisis is over, we will have removed one of the greatest threats in the future to high gasoline prices. Ironic, you've got to suffer a few weeks of high gasoline prices now to assure lower gasoline prices in the next 10 years and 20 years. While prices in North Carolina are main below national averages, both have seen market jumps over the past month, which has coincided with the military conflict. in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Today we went one-on-one with the U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who broke down how the

administration is trying to limit the impact here. We've, you know, surged American oil production, our refineries that produce gasoline. They often slow down a bit in the spring where they've agreed to all run flat out this spring. We want to make sure everyone is supplied. He adds to the U.S. has benefited from a 20% increase in oil production from Venezuela since the arrest of President Nicholas Maduro and his wife, saying that has helped put downward pressure on prices. Last month, the International Energy Agency announced its largest ever release of oil from its reserve. Wright tells me he believes it premature to discuss an additional release at this time.

Not actively being discussed, but everything is on the table if it'll help lower energy prices for Americans. Everything is on the table. The Secretary's visit focused in part on a workforce development coming up at 5. We take a close look at the work being done over at Nash Community College. Plus a new investment right here in Kerry set to bring 150 jobs. I'm Michael Perchick. ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right. The message today, we have to pay now so we don't have to pay high prices later. Michael, thank you.

Developing now a new lawsuit claims President Trump's executive order targeting mail-in voting is unconstitutional. The president signed the order on Tuesday to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters. and to restrict mail-in voting. The lawsuit filed by Democratic congressional leaders and organizations accuses the president of violating the Constitution and several laws, such as those for the Postal Service, the Voting Rights Act, and others.

Well, President Trump threatens to ramp up attacks against Iran if a deal isn't reached coming up where the conflict with Iran stands today and when it could end. Plus, the legal action from one family after they were held at gunpoint in front of their children and die. And we're taking a live look at I-40 and Aven Ferry Road right now. Traffic moving along on both sides. Just fine, volume starting to pick up for that afternoon drive. As we hit a break here, your traffic hotspots brought to you by the First Alert Weather Team.

The ABC 11 First Alert forecast team is working to keep you safe. Oneies across the region. Some cloud cover starting to build. That rain is going to push on through. Cold air coming in. The First Alert forecast team. Only on ABC 11 eyewitness news. Get your eyewitness news. We are local news. weeknights four to six 30 and 11. Well now to the Middle East as this week marks five weeks in the war with Iran. Today new video released by U.S. Central Command shows U.S. airstrikes of multiple targets.

As it insists, the U.S. is making quote, undeniable progress in the war. During an address last night, President Trump says the operation is nearing completion while also threatening to escalate attacks over the next few weeks if Iran doesn't agree to a deal. The president said it's up to other countries to get their oil through Iranian controlled straight of her moves. Today, 40 countries held a meeting aimed at finding ways to reopen navigation once a ceasefire is in place. Also today, the price of oil surged 12% as gas prices continue to rise. Well, there is a new legal battle over a traffic stop in South Carolina. A state trooper pulled over a family with three children in the car at gunpoint. Family says they were wrongfully

detained. Here's ABC's Hannabata. A South Carolina couple has announced a federal lawsuit after they They say they were handcuffed and held at gunpoint in front of their young children while being wrongly accused of theft. I didn't know if my parents were going to be shot and killed. Carthrez Rush and his wife Jasmine were pulled over by a state trooper. Open the door and get out. Stop right there. All right. Drop to your knee.

Someone had called 911, claiming Rush's trailer was carrying stolen dirt bikes. Passager. Step out. They say a trooper tracked them down and conducted a guns drawn felony traffic stop without explanation, ordering the couple out of the truck. They say all of it was done without police verifying the caller's claims or even confirming that their vehicle matched the description. South Carolina's public safety department has not commented on the allegations. Rush says his kids, then four, six and 14 years old were left traumatized. Imagine if that was you and your family.

and they tell you to get out the vehicle with your hands in the air and leave your kids in the truck crying and you got a backup to the sound of their voice not doing that every step you take could be your last step the family's lawyers believe they may have been victims of so-called swatting when someone calls police to falsely report a crime to provoke an intense police response cases of swatting have been on the rise nationwide, leaving the violent encounters, even fatalities. Do more due diligence. Know what's going on before you pull somebody over. Hannah Bataa, ABC News, New York.

Now to the race to save oceanfront homes in the Outer Banks. This time lapse video shows crews moving a house on Buxton farther from the water. The process took about three weeks last month. It comes after several homes in the area collapsed into the ocean last year. Well, the risk of wildfires is raising safety concerns and leading to more local burn bands, including a new one in Wake County. The band expands on the statewide restrictions already in place. It now includes areas within 100 feet of homes. Under the band, burning leaves, branches, or yard debris is not allowed. That also includes campfires, firepits, outdoor fireplaces,

and even fireworks. Officials are also asking smokers to properly dispose of cigarettes to avoid sparking fires. The burn ban will stay in place until further notice. Well, dozens of new wildfires reported this week. This map shows the most recent ones. The red dots are those active fires, green are reported fires, and brown dots are ones that have been contained. Yeah, it's tough right now. We have the dry weather and the heat and the fire danger, no rain. It's all a big combination for bad things to happen outside. Yeah. Yeah. And today, especially, unfortunately, those winds are getting gusty up around 25, 30 miles an hour. So any fire that does spark could spread quickly. And so far, we'll keep on.

eye on it. No wildfires in our area, but those four in the mountains they're working on right now. Not seeing any rain in relief either. Unfortunately, live look on our first alert Doppler net tonight scanning the skies, we are dry across our part of the Carolina. So let's add live on our first alert camera. Looking into downtown Durham, looked like they had some maybe historical reenactors set up today. Now they're starting to break it down to 80 degrees right now in downtown carry. partly cloudy skies and windsor gusty up around 22 miles per hour. Actually, there's the updated temperature 83 now. Partly cloudy in the south-southeast wind at three.

Temperatures from across the region, 80 in Zebulon, Nightdale, 79, Wake Forest, 81 in Durham, 80, Chapel Hill, 80 in Morrisville. You're in the 70s down in Fukuave Arena and Lewisburg. 83 in South Hill, 81 in Roanoke Rapids, Golesboro's at 82. 83 in Smithfield, 80 in Irwin, and 84 out your door. in Clinton. Satellite radar composite shows 60s with passing clouds. It's going to be very mild again tonight, a very mild overnight. Now, tomorrow morning, oh, I need to adjust it. It's going to be so warm. My numbers have gone too high, but we'll be in the 60s, and then by lunchtime, we're up to 73 degrees. Satellite radar composite just shows those few cumulus puffy clouds working through. That is it. We see showers out here, pretty significant cold front out to the west. But look at the movement of everything. It's south to northern. We've got high pressure dominating our weather, and that's just pulling that warm air up and pushing the showers away from us. Unfortunately, as much as we need the rain, we're just not going to see a lot of it.

Now, by 11 o'clock tonight, temperatures are in the 60s. Gorgeous evening, if you've got plans outside. Tomorrow morning, you will wake up to temperatures in the 60s. Isolated shower could fire tomorrow less than a 20% chance across the area, but that chance is there nonetheless, and it would just be a sprinkle or two. As we head into Saturday, we'll start today in the 60. Saturday is really the spectacular day of the weekend. Now, surface map is overdoing it a little bit on the moisture. It does show showers in the mountains.

We're still dry on Saturday as this cold front approaches. It will bring some scattered showers. It looks like around a half inch or less, so not a drought breaker, but we'll take anything at this time. And then behind it, that's where the cooler air is that arrives on Monday. And we'll be back where we should be for this time of year. But tomorrow's going to be another warm day. Temperatures in the 80s, 82, Raleigh, 80, Durham, 81 in Fayette, Bill. Your first alert, seven-day forecast shows those numbers into the 80s on Saturday, a warm breeze, Sunday, a late-day rain developing.

I think your Easter plans are just fine, even if you're going to a later brunch, you still should be good. But evening hours, expect some showers, maybe a rumble of thunder will get cooler. That's a pattern shifter for a couple of days. 66 on Monday, 67 on Tuesday, Wednesday, 62. And notice those lows getting back into the 30s. So this is why we don't plant before tax day. We flirt with those frosty nights all the way into the middle of next week, ladies. That's right.

You can easily get fooled, can't you? Absolutely. When it's mid-80s, it feels like let's get everything outside, but not quite yet. All right. Don, thank you. Thank you. Well, the major software maker lays off thousands of workers. Why the company says the move is necessary. and the major airline rolling out an app upgrade to track TSA wait times.

It's time now for some news you can use. First, we begin with Oracle's mass layoffs, the software giant confirming thousands of job cuts meant to offset its spending on AI projects. Oracle reportedly laid off as many as 30,000 employees, including 12,000 in India. SpaceX is going public, reportedly filing the biggest IPO in history. Bloomberg says the company submitted its paperwork with the SEC confidentially. SpaceX is reportedly looking to raise $75 billion in the offering, and it's expected to seek an IPO valuation of $1.75 trillion.

United Airlines just added a new feature to its apps, so passengers can keep track of the wait times at security checkpoints. For now, it's only available at major United hubs like Chicago, L.A. and Newark, and it comes after those long TSA lines have already eased up a bit. Happening today, another flight, new flight, taking off at RDU Airport, Frontier Airlines adding non-stop flights to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Just weeks after starting service to Cancun, the new flights to Florida are happening four days every week. That is news you can use. Barbara, back to you. I can use that flight to Fort Lauderdale. Nothing bad about that.

All right, well, the cocoa market is finally starting to settle after record cocoa shortages last year. Don't expect much relief, though, at the checkout line this Easter weekend. Chocolate costs are spiking amid significant weather, disease and aging. trees in West Africa where a majority of the world's cocoa is grown. As the crop stabilizes, it may take a while for consumers to see the change since companies buy cocoa inventory months in advance. The time frame from when those are purchased, obtained, and processed to go into the candy, there's a significant lag. So essentially right now, even though current cocoa prices are down, they are manufacturing with that higher.

price cocoa. Now if you're looking to save on your Easter basket goodies, experts recommend buying fewer bunny and egg-shaped chocolates. Apparently they're more expensive and buying multi-packs over individual bars. Looking ahead, lower costs could reach store shelves by Halloween. You can always buy after Easter too. That's when they slash it. Prices go in half. Yeah. All right, a Cumberland County woman could face the death penalty if she is convicted of abusing her adopted children. Penelope Lopez will join us live with those new developments. And the grills, they're firing up and the Easter baskets are being filled ahead of tomorrow's annual Easter celebration in Durham. We're live with the special preparations at the Durham Rescue Mission.

We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. Right now at 4.30, it's been nearly two years since the Cumberland County mother was arrested in the deaths of her adoptive children. Now prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Penelope Lopez is live in Fayetteville with the very latest in Penelope. This is a major development in that case. That's right. Good afternoon. You know, this is a case that many people say they can't forget. Avanti Devon was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and child abuse. She was accused of starvation. She was accused of starving and ultimately killing two of her adoptive children, London and Blake Devin.

Now, I spoke with neighbors today who say the death penalty fits the crime. I think it's good. I think it's good. She knew what she was doing. She took advantage. of the lowest common denominator. It's a case that's described as torture. We believe he was mentally abused. He was physically starved and his body could no longer take the inhumane treatment. Investigators say the Devon family moved to Fayetteville in 2015, later relocating to different homes over the years.

By 2019, they were living on Barrydale Tribe. That's where we meet John Whitaker. He's lived in the community for decades. It just got worse and worse because you would find out a bit of piece of information. Other children in the home told police they were kept in a small dark room and were given little to no food.

Sometimes forced to write apology notes to earn meals. Partial skeleton remains were found in April 2024. Years after Blake and London were reported missing. The court alleges their mother never reported the children missing. They were like, you know, like kids that didn't have it easy and so she was taking advantage of that, you know, So it's kind of bad.

And now Devon is expected to go to trial sometime next year. Reporting live in Fayetteville, I'm Penelope. Lopez, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Okay, Penelope, thank you. And Amtrak train slams into a garbage truck in South Carolina. The crash happened Wednesday morning at a private crossing in Williamsburg County that does not have warning signals. The garbage truck driver was able to get out in time.

None of the more than 100 passengers and crew on the train were hurt either. Passengers were bused to the next station to continue. you on their journey. Your voice, your vote. We are focusing on big political stories of the day. And earlier I talked with ABC News political director Avery Harper about what's trending in Washington. Avery, good afternoon. Thank you for being with us. Let's start with President Trump's address to the nation last night on the war with Iran. What's been the reaction in Washington? I mean, well, these remarks were really belated. They are weeks into this conflict. And so what we heard from the president did not really lay out clearly any path forward.

or an off ramp to this conflict. And while the president did acknowledge that gas prices are high right now, he did not offer any insight into how Americans might seek relief. And so what we're hearing in Washington is from critics that are really raising concerns about the strategy behind the conflict with Iran and the cost. I do think that these remarks really did raise more questions than they answered. Avery, a group of Senate Democrats are demanding more information about Secretary of Defense

Pete Hegseth's finances and investments after a report which said the Pentagon demanded a retract or demanded that be retracted that he may have tried to invest in defense stocks before the war in Iran began. What do you know about that? Yeah, I mean, this could really escalate quickly. If there's evidence of financial impropriety here, this could open the door to investigations. And even the optics alone are quite damaging. the fact that the defense secretary has been tied to the sale of stocks at the beginning of a war, that does raise concerns of trust and judgment in his position. ABC News Political Director Avery Harper, Avery, thank you. Avery, thank you so much for your time today.

Well, right now, the Durham Rescue Mission is preparing for its annual Easter events. Yeah, volunteers are getting ready for tomorrow's community dinner and the big giveaway, Tom George, at the rescue mission. With a look at those preparations that are underway, Tom, it's a well-oiled machine there. They have everything under control, I'm sure. Yeah, that's right. Those volunteers are hard at work right now. They got a whole assembly line.

They got it down to a science right here, helping make those Easter baskets special. So you see, they're starting over here. They got the bunny chocolate right there filling it up, and then they got the toy station over here. And then, of course, wrapping it all up, all helping those in need. So so many volunteers out here in during. all for a good cause out here ahead of that dinner for Easter. And we also have Adam with us. He is, he works here for the Durham Rescue Mission.

Talk about this event and why it's so important. So we're, we're super excited to do this event. This event is going to be really helping folks in our community that are struggling this year. You know, times are hard, things are more difficult. And what we're doing is trying to just give back a little bit and make sure that every child in our community has a fantastic Easter. And kind of, you know, as you said, times are tough.

I mean, the costs of everything has gone up. I mean, are we seeing a lot of families here in Durham and in our area that are in need? Yeah, absolutely. We've seen dramatic rises in the number of folks that are turning to the rescue mission for help. And we're kind of anticipating that for tomorrow as well. We've prepared about 1,400 Easter baskets you guys saw that we're preparing more and more. So we're really bracing for a big day tomorrow. So 1,400 and counting.

How many are we going to get in the end? I'm not sure. We'll see. Maybe 1,500. We'll see. But I think 1,400 is probably going to be right around where we finish. So all right, Adam, we'll let you get back to it. I know it's busy out there.

As he said, 1,400 and counting, a well-oiled machine will go for 1,500 maybe, but all to make Easter special for families here in Durham. Reporting live, Tom, George, ABC 11, Howdeness News. It's a real labor of love, of course. We know that, and it just shows the need in our community for a number that high. Absolutely. So great to see what they're doing. It is. Tom, thank you. All right, coming up next to for the Artemis 2 mission is officially underway,

as it orbits the Earth with astronauts set to travel deeper into space than ever before. we're hearing from the crew on board. And as they make that trip into space, the crew's sporting some unique patches that were made right here in North Carolina. And as we head to break, let's take a live look outside, downtown Raleigh from our Pindo Sky Cam,

beautiful blue sky, some puffy white clouds there. Don, it was a gorgeous day outside today. Really was. Tomorrow's looking very nice too. We'll talk about that. And we do have some much-needed rain in your seven-day forecast. We'll tell you when it lights up on the first alert, Doppler net coming up.

Four astronauts, including NC State alum Christina Cook, are on board NASA's Artemis II as it orbits the Earth before setting course for the moon. Yeah, today is all about the safety checks with the crew checking the capsule systems, making sure everything is good to go for their historic journey. ABC's Rainer Roy has much more on that mission. Three, two, one, booster ignition. The Artemis 2 mission is officially underway as it orbits the Earth with astronauts set to travel deeper into space than ever before. So after a brief 54-year intermission, NASA is back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon. The crew of four testing out Orion Space Capsule's systems. The temperature has been cold in the capsule, which they are working on correcting. They've already performed a manual flight demo, piloting the spaceship in the same way they would if they were docking with another spacecraft.

We've got a little rumble, like driving on a rocky road. The Orion spacecraft is now in high Earth orbit, which you can see here on this. animation. Later today, they plan to fire up their rocket engine to propel out of Earth's orbit towards the moon. It takes about four days to get there. Orion will then loop around the moon, traveling about 4,100 miles beyond the moon, and could go the farthest distance a crewed mission has ever ventured from Earth. They'll get home with the help of gravity pulling the spaceship back to Earth to complete that figure 8 flight path before splashing down off the coast of California. The crew checking in as they orbit the Earth.

It's an amazing right uphill. The views, we've got two moon rises that we've had so far, and the views of planet Earth. We've circled it completely, and we forgot how beautiful it is to look down on Earth. Now Artemis II won't land on the moon, but they will get a good look at the far side of it. The goal of the mission is to pave the way for future landings.

NASA aiming for that in 2028, with further sights set on the potential exploration of Mars. of Mars. Rena Roy, ABC News, New York. Rena, thank you. The Artemis 2 crew is carrying a piece of North Carolina with them into space. The Artemis 2 patch designed by the four astronauts is being produced at AB emblem in Buncombe County.

NASA has contracted the company since the 1970s when they produced the patches for every mission. The 134-year-old custom embroidery company says many people are surprised to learn where the patches are made. It's pretty amazing to know that, you know, a small town can do something this bit. The patches are sent to the astronauts for their suits and to share with friends and family. They are also distributed to museums and to local retailers. That is so cool. It is cool.

I have patches in my book bag. I love a good patch. I do too. Those are cool. Got to get one of those. All right. Coming up next on I Witnesses is it for DNA Evidence has linked prolific serial killer Ted Bundy to a new victim more than three decades after his execution. And music mogul, Sean Diddy Combs,

could be released sooner than expected what we're learning about the new date. ABC 11 First Alert Weather on eyewitness news every day. DNA testing confirms another victim of serial killer Ted Bundy. Authorities in Utah say Bundy killed 17-year-old Laura Ann Amy. She vanished on Halloween in 1974. Her remains were found by hikers less than a month later. Bundy confessed to killing 30 people, including Amy, before being executed in 1989. Sean Diddy Combs is getting out of prison slightly earlier than previously expected. The FBI's website now shows a release date of April 15th, 2028 for the music mogul. That's 10 days earlier than the previously listed date.

The 56-year-old's release date has shifted a few times in both directions recently, but usually by no more than a few weeks. Combs is serving a 50-month sentence for transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted on more serious sex traffic. trafficking charges that could have resulted in a life sentence. Combs' legal team is still working on appeals to try to get him out sooner. He's incarcerated at FCI, Fort Dix in New Jersey. Now to an update on Tiger Woods Street, days after pleading not guilty to DUI charges in Florida, a judge is allowing the pro golfer to leave the country for his care. Woods's attorney saying

the comprehensive treatment cannot be done safely in the U.S. Woods also formerly turned down the Ryder Cup captain's job as he steps away from golf activities. Today's top trending stories in real news. First, the Eiffel Tower lights up in purple to celebrate a big announcement from award-winning singer Celine Dion. The star is scheduled to make a stop in Paris for her return to the stage. The announcement was followed by a bright light show at the Eiffel Tower with her name projected in purple lights. It also marked her 58th birthday birthday. The French embassy in the U.S. said the light show was an iconic birthday message from the Eiffel Tower. Dionne says she will perform 10 shows in Paris. Well, a crow shows off some impressive skills at the Cincinnati Zoo. This clever bird is named Tippy, and as she demonstrates her intelligence by sorting objects by color, the zoo says crows are toolmakers and problem solvers. The crow was taken from the wild and raised by humans, so they claim it was easy to train her.

Birdbrain is no insult for this crow. And now to a man's attempt to help a lizard goes wrong when the lizard climbs onto the man's head. Take a look at this. An Australian wildlife photographer says, He was driving on the highway. When he noticed a lizard in the middle of the road, he pulled over to help the little guy, and that's when the reptile, look at that,

climbs up the man's leg, and then climbs up, sits on his head. The man says he kept school, walked to a nearby tree, and the lizard eventually jumped off. Yikes, that is realness. Lauren, I'm not a fan of lizards. I would not be that calm. Listen, after living in Florida, the lizards and frogs can stay far, are away from me.

Don Swinnaker, you know what I'm talking about. out, don't you? Right? Yeah, my son just did a trip to Australia a while back, and the one thing he brought back from there was everything in Australia wants to kill you. So I wouldn't want to touch anything, let alone that lizard. All right, live look. First, Lord Doppler net tonight. We're scanning the skies were dry across our part of the Carolinas, take a live look into Fayetteville. Self-help sky cam shows 81 degrees, mostly sunny skies, and a south wind at 14. Temperatures right around 80 degrees across most of the region, 79 Durham, 81, Raleigh, 8,1, 50. Daveville and 81 out in Silar City.

You got plans this evening. Those temperatures will fall from the 80s into the 70s. By 10 o'clock, we're down to 70 degrees, but a gorgeous evening nonetheless, and we'll see the nice weather sticking around. A look at your chances for rain over the next several days. Friday, there's a chance of a sprinkle. Most of you won't see anything tomorrow.

Really, the best chance for rain is Sunday night into early Monday morning, and that will be our best chance at rain. And even that's not a huge chance, and we're talking half inch or less. outbreak. Your four-day forecast at 4 o'clock, 82, and a stray shower around on Friday, Saturday, 84, Sunday rain developing 77 late in the day. Your morning plans are fine for Easter, and we're clearing as we head into the day on Monday. Let's find out what's coming up at 5 o'clock. For more on that, we check in with Steve Daniels. Hi, Don, thanks very much. Yeah, I knew at 5 with these temps in the

80s. You know it's almost pool season. And Wake County inspectors are making sure pools of all kinds are safe to jump in for you and your family, what they need to do to pass those inspections coming up at 5. And the canes back at home tonight. Counting down to the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, we're live at the Lenovo Center ahead of tonight's game. And you'll see Tiger Woods on camera moments after he flipped his SUV in that DUI crash in Florida. The police body cam video shows what they pulled out of his pockets and Tiger hiccuping while being questioned there by police. Lauren, I'll see you for the news at 5 here in just a few minutes. All right. I will be here. Steve, thank you.

College life can be tough in a new Hulu film. Three Friends rely on a special helper to get them through the night. The pizza movie premieres tomorrow. ABC's George Pinocchio has more. Vince, it's an incredible high. No. Come on. No.

No. No. No. No. No. What happens when three friends take a mystery mint from the ceiling of their dorm room and trigger a pizza obsession? Pizza does solve a lot of my problems.

It's soothing. It goes down easy at any time of the day. Well, in pizza, A single slice can mean the difference between life and death. The true inspiration behind it all was how hard it is to order food when you're high. I love that it was a comedy of friends and that it was like a stoner movie kind of like some of my favorites that I like to watch. When you're this age and in college, things that aren't high stakes are super high stakes. Like coming across as alpha or getting your friends on this party bus.

Like, that's the highest of high stakes. But then you also add this crazy experimental drug, and then, like, the RA killing you isn't that far off of the crazy reality of what's happening. There's no way we'll make it to the lobby. There's R.A. Roomsack! My brother came to the two screenings.

He leaned over. He was like, this is what happened to me, sophomore year or something. Not the specific thing, because it certainly couldn't be, but he's like some RA interaction. So he verified, He's like, this is the real deal. That's some craving.

George Pinocchio for on the red carpet. All right, tonight we're gonna be cheering on a local contestant on Jeopardy. Brian Chu of Kerry making his debut on the iconic quiz show. You can see how Brian performs tonight at seven right here on ABC 11. All right, with gas prices going up, long care companies are some of the many businesses that are getting pinched. Coming up next, Cindy Bay joins us live with the local company's concerns. Here's tonight's ABC Price. primetime preview.

The night starts out with 911 at 8.7 Central, where a rescue goes up in smoke, and the 118 must deal with the aftermath. You told a young mother it was safe to return back home, only to have the building burned down later that same day. Then it's 911 Nashville at 9-8 Central with guest star Kyle Richards. Richards placed the sister of a woman who is tragically murdered

in the episode titled Love to Death. And at 10-9 Central, it's Grey's Anatomy. Joe returns to work from her leave. Owen struggles when someone close to him is admitted to Gray Sloan, and Bailey navigates hospital leadership. That's followed by your late local news, then Jimmy Kim alive with guests, Elizabeth Banks, and Jimmy O. Yang.