ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 4pm - February 11, 2026

Episode Date: February 11, 2026

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Hi everyone coming up right now on eyewitness news at 4 o'clock. Health alert for people living in both Wake and Johnston counties. Health leaders reporting new measles cases, what we know about the locations, where the person went while they were contagious. Also breaking news out of Hollywood, actor James Vanderbeek dies a little more than a year after announcing his cancer diagnosis, the legacy he leaves behind. Also breaking this hour, a teenager in Fayetteville now charged with murdering his own mother. The latest in the investigation, what we know about that deadly stabbing right now on eyewitness news,

clock. 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 11I witness news. Right now at 4 and urgent warning about measles exposure in two local counties. Officials in wake and Johnston counties report new cases what people in the area need to know. Thank you for joining us for the news at 4. I'm Barbara Gibbs. Hi everyone. I'm Steve Daniels. Amber is off this afternoon. In Wake County, public health officials say someone with the measles went to five different locations in Raleigh, mostly North Raleigh, while they were contagious. And now officials in Johnston County are reporting a case of the measles there as well, making it the first case in Johnston County since 2018. John Dowding is live for us in Raleigh outside a location with possible measles exposure. John, good afternoon.

What are you hearing from people in that area? Well, good afternoon to you both. I mean, this is one of the locations here, this Harris Teeter, where there is that possible measles exposure last week. we spoke to here today telling us they are worried, especially knowing also that there is another confirmed case of measles not far away in Johnston County. And in that case, and an adult who lives in Johnston County. I was here on the fifth. Yes, I couldn't believe it. I checked my calendar. I keep a journal. I went, oh my goodness, that's my store. Way County officials say the person visited Harris Teeter and Walgreens off a Strickland Road, an O2 Fitness, and Everbal Asaii Restaurant off of Alexander Promenade Place and a Harris Teeter off of Creedmoor Road.

Public health officials say they don't want to scare people but want them to know about symptoms to look out for in case they were exposed, including a high fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes, tiny white spots in your mouth and a red raised blotchy rash. Margaret Seaver is a retired school nurse who said she contracted measles as a child before vaccines were available. She worries about the impact this could have on the community. There are too many kids and older people now who are going to deal with the devastation of this. The older folks, if they didn't have immunization, if they didn't have measles as a child, the younger kids, if they aren't immunized.

And now that retired school nurse that we spoke to as well as public health officials, just urging people to be cautious because measles is very, very contagious. They're coming up here at five and three. at six the concerns from those who might have been exposed and we'll talk more about ways that you can keep you and your family safe. Live here in Raleigh this evening, I'm John Dowding. ABC 11, eyewitness news. Okay, we'll see you next hour. John, thank you. And as we continue tracking the measles here on eyewitness news, ABC News has also launched this map showing how to spot the measles risk level in your zip code. You can see much of our state right now is in the

higher risk level. Flu deaths in North Carolina continue to climb. New numbers released today by the state health officials reveal since last week five more adults and another child have died from flu related complications. However, it is important to note that we are past the peak of the season and that both ER visits and deaths are significantly lower than they were a few weeks ago. There have been 263 total flu deaths this season. Flu season runs through May. Now the latest on the sentencing hearing for Raleigh mass shooter Austin Thompson. Last month, Thompson pleaded guilty to killing five people in his own neighborhood, including his own brother, in October of 2022. The defense team calling more witnesses to the stand today. As Thompson's

lawyers say he should be able to get out of prison on parole sometime in the future. Elena Athens was inside the courtroom as she has been through this entire process. She joins us live now from the Wake County Justice Center. Elena, we know some of Thompson's former teachers were called there to the stand. What did they have to say? Well, Steve, we heard teacher after teacher describe Austin Thompson as quiet, but they also said that they were shocked. He carried out this mass shooting. You generally would say he was a good kid while you were dealing with him. And you were surprised that he had killed so many people and shot the others.

Yes. An art teacher who taught Austin Thompson in six, seventh, and eighth grades also testified in his defense. The educator said Thompson was not a problem child, but prosecutors asked about drawings he made in a sketchbook before the attack. He had drawn weapons and things. of that nature. Was Austin the only one drawing guns? No, not at all. Did Austin ever draw any pictures of violence or killing? Not that I can recall, no.

So we also learned a bit more about Thompson's time in custody at the Juvenile Correction Center in Fayette, as he has been awaiting this hearing. So some of the privileges that he has right now will have that coming up ahead at 5 o'clock. For now we're live in Raleigh. Elena Athens, ABC 11, I witness news. All right, Elena, we'll see you at 5 o'clock. Thank you. And we have some breaking news. Emerging from Fayetteville right now.

A 17-year-old is now charged with stabbing his mother to death. Police say it happened just after seven last night. At a home on Daphne Circle near Bingham Drive. And investigators say 17-year-old Isaac Tracy stabbed his mother. 49-year-old Catherine Sevaldi. He's now being charged with murder. He's being held without bond. Well, today, loved ones continue to seek answers after a garner man is shot dead inside a car.

someone shot the man identified as Joey Adams in his red Honda Accord near Timber Drive and Vandora Springs Road on Monday night. Gardner Police are asking anyone who's traveled in that area around the time of the incident to share information that could help the investigation. That includes dash cam video between the hours of 630 and 7.30 p.m. I witness news has been speaking with the victim's loved ones and now we're hearing from a family friend on how Adam's wife is coping. I don't think there's really words that you can explain. you know how somebody feels in this type of situation you know she's got a million things running through her mind right now on top of being a mother um so it's it's really just like taking

things day by day right now Megan Crowley says the community has been supportive as adam's wife tony adams navigates the loss of her husband with their children garner police say that they plan to have a press conference in the next couple of days as the investigation continues Right now before, we're learning some new details about the family at the center of a death investigation in Vance County involving two young victims. Deputies called to a home on Torrey Drive on Monday night. This is about 15 minutes northwest of Henderson. Well, today the sheriff's office confirms the two victims, a 13-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy are siblings. Michael Perjik is in Vance County with what we're learning. Barbara, Steve, I spoke off-camera with Sheriff Curtis Brame, who tells me that there were five people living in that home, a father and four children, including the two.

victims tonight. The sheriff's office continuing to seek additional information from the public as this case moves forward. As the sheriff's office awaits the medical examiners report, key questions remain unanswered. We are getting a clear picture of the family at the center of this case. Tonight, we now know all four children in the home were under the age of 18, though we don't know the ages or conditions of the other two kids. The mother does not live at the home, but has been notified. Sheriff Curtis Brame says there is no threat to public safety in the family is being cooperative. No charges have been filed at this time. The Vand County Sheriff's offices leading the investigation and the State Bureau of Investigation processed the scene. Neighbors tell ABC

11 the family largely kept to themselves and did not believe the children attended school. They add they heard nothing out of the ordinary in the lead up to Monday's call to the home where investigators remain on scene throughout the night and into Tuesday morning. Child Protective Services has been notified as is required by law coming up at 5. NCDHHS is now saying about this case. I'm Michael Perchick. ABC 11, High Witness News. Michael, thanks. Hey, we had another beautiful, warm day across the triangle after that rainy, cloudy stuff got out right about lunchtime. As we were telling you yesterday, people at Dick's Park in Raleigh taking advantage of this great weather.

Do some troll watching when it's out there in the 60s. What else are you going to do? All right, it's a good day to do that because the cool weather will soon return. Meteorologist Cruz Medina is here now with breakdown. of what to expect. I told you I felt like the other shoe was going to drop. You know, it can't be this nice for long. Yeah, it always does, but I'll tell you, there's some encouraging news in the seven-day forecast. Make sure you stay tuned for that. Looking back at what we've seen over the past seven days, most of them have been below average. So yesterday, that was our first above-average day by 15

degrees. Today, we're closing in on that number, but it's not going to quite be as warm as it was yesterday. So here's a live look into Durham. Like Steve said, the clouds cleared out. That allowed us to get a good amount of sunshine. So even with a northwest wind that normally makes a cooler. We were still able to make it well into those 60s today. Now speaking of Durham, if you're heading out to Deepak tonight to watch Diana Crawl before the show will be in the 50s. So that's tolerable, kind of mild compared to what we've seen so far this month. And then after the show, we're going to drop into the 40s. Now, the sunset today is going to be a little earlier in the evening. Obviously, we've been seeing that since the fall time. The sunset, I should say,

just before 6 p.m. today. By the time that we get into March, So March 8th, that's actually our spring time change. So daylight saving time begins then. And we'll be back to sunsets in the 7 p.m. hours. So that gives you something to look forward to. Now tonight, once the sun sets, northwest winds are going to drive our tipters down into the 30s. It'll be a chilly starts the day tomorrow. And then tomorrow afternoon, we should see those high tipterers pushing into the 50s.

So most of the morning is chilly. You'll want at least the light jacket. And then for the afternoon, we see some improvements. So tipgers are right where they should be for this time of the year tomorrow. 54 the high in Raleigh. We'll talk about some warmer temperatures, including some more 60s in the seven-day forecast coming up in minutes. Back to you. Sounds good. Cruz, thank you. Now to some other local headlines in your speed feed. First, authorities in Durham were searching for a young suspect wanted in connection with an early morning stabbing. The Durham Sheriff's Office says it happened just before 3 o'clock this morning on Cheek Road. The victim told deputies he was stabbed in the head and was taken to the hospital. That victim expected to be okay. Authorities say they do know the young person. They are now looking for it. The school's employee now fired as an investigation continues into a 2024 incident at Eno Valley Elementary School. Aisha Hunter, Senior Executive Director of Employee Relations for the district, is one of three staffers indicted. They're accused of not being fully forthcoming about an investigation of child abuse involving a six-year-old girl with autism, allegedly tied to a chair by educators.

Today, the district telling eyewitness news that Hunter has been terminated. She's facing six counts of felony obstruction of justice and two counts of perjury. In Wake County, part of I-540 is closed right now after this dump truck overturn. We have Chopper 11 flying over the scene there. That dump truck spilling sand, you can see there across the eastbound lanes causing some traffic delays. The driver was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. No other cars involved. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

And right now, drivers are being diverted onto 64 business until I-540 reopens. And that is your speed feet. Let's talk to Lauren Johnson now about some breaking news coming in from Hollywood. Lauren. Yeah, that's right. Stephen Barber. This afternoon, the entertainment world is mourning the loss of actor James Vanderbeek. The 48-year-old died after a battle with colorectal cancer. His loved ones sharing the news today on his Instagram account saying, quote, our beloved James David Vanderbeek passed peacefully this morning.

He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace. They go on to say they're asking for privacy as they grieve their loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend. Vanderbeek was diagnosed with staged the colorectal cancer back in August of 2023 and shared his illness with the public in November of 24. Colorectal cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. Vanderbeek was best known for his role in TV series Dawson's Creek, which was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina. And last month, we learned from a very brand new study that colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death and people younger than 50 years old. Stephen Barbara. So devastating and shocking news. Lauren, thank you. Coming up here on IWitness News for an honor

for a Wake County woman who was detained by federal immigration agents here in the triangle last year. You'll see how Democratic leaders in Wake County are recognizing Fatima Velasquez Antonio tonight. And after a break in the case, the search continues for the mother of today's show host Savannah Guthrie. The latest in the investigation as FBI agents follow all leads in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. And coming up later in this hour, the latest jobs report is now out. And we're diving into how artificial intelligence is really shifting the job market. All right, it's time for a check of First Alert traffic. This is I-440 at Newburn Avenue.

And you can see there's a little slowdown here. This is on the northbound lane. So if you're heading in that direction, just be prepared for that slowdown. You're heading out toward areas like Nightdale. You should be good to go. As we had to break, here are 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. One ease across the region. Some cloud cover starting to build. That rain is going to push on through. A cold air coming in. The first alert forecast team. Only on ABC 11, IWitness News. Eye witness news.

We are local news weeknights four to six 30 and 11. Happening this evening in Raleigh, an honor for a Wake County woman who was detained and then released by federal immigration agents last year. Fatima Velasquez Antonio was held for more than a month after federal agents detained her at an HVAC job site in Raleigh in November. She was held at a detention center in Georgia and then released after her attorney asked a judge to review the legality of her detention.

Fatima has been in the country legally since she was 14, leaving behind gang violence in Honduras. Her attorney says she was allowed to stay in the country as her asylum case was being processed. Federal documents show Velasquez has no criminal record and the government classifies her case as involving a non-criminal individual. So this evening, Wake County Democratic leaders are honoring her at their annual Valentine's Day gala. That event is happening from 6.30 to 8.30 p.m. at the downtown Raleigh Marriott City Center. Developing now, speculation continues after the FAA lifts, a temporary closure of airspace over El Paso, Texas. And flights have resumed at the airport. Last night, however, the FAA grounded all flights in the area, citing special security reasons. The agency did not go into detail about what those reasons were. The Trump administration officials said that Mexican drug cartel drones breached U.S. airspace and those have now been disabled.

sources familiar with the issue are telling ABC News the shutdown was because of an interagency dispute within the Trump administration on the use of a counter drone laser system from a nearby army base. The official went on to say that there is no threat to commercial travel. Right now, a week and a half into the search for Nancy Guthrie, the mother of today's show host Savannah Guthrie. Investigators are hoping some new video released of a masked man at Nancy Guthrie's front door will bring some more clues about her kidnapping in Tucson. A man detained and questioned in the case in Arizona last night has now been released. he's not facing any charges. Here's ABC's Alex Stone with more. FBI agents today conducting what they say

is an extensive search along multiple roads in the Catalina Foothills area of Tucson as they investigate the suspected abduction of Nancy Guthrie, a delivery driver detained by the Pima County Sheriff's Department and the FBI overnight for questioning in connection with Guthrie's disappearance is out of custody and free.

The man who says his name is Carlos tells ABC affiliate KNXV he was pulled over about now. hour south of Tucson and was detained for six hours. The detectives got here. It was the FBI agent in the Santa Cruz County. And they told me I was being detained for kidnapping. And I asked him, like, kidnapping of who? And it told me this lady, I don't know her name. And Nancy Guthrie? Yeah, that's her. He says as a delivery driver, he may have delivered packages to Guthrie's neighborhood. Law enforcement sources tell ABC News he had been on the radar of law enforcement

before the public release of the doorbell video. The sources say the FBI, identified him through his cell phone usage and traffic data. He was questioned for several hours and was released without any charges. Carlos' mother-in-law says she owns the home they searched. They only said that they gave a tip that she was in my house, and they told them, you can go in and search my house. There's nobody there. Today, the case remains focused on this video,

recovered from Nancy Guthrie's front doorbell camera. Investigators hoping somebody recognizes this person's walk, his eyes, mouth or what he's wearing, enough to offer a tip. Now, investigators have been back at the home of Nancy's daughter, Annie, going to neighbors asking questions, but Nancy Guthrie's whereabouts remain unknown. Alex Stone, ABC News, Los Angeles. This afternoon, eight people are dead and more than 25 injured after shootings at a school and home in Canada.

Video here shows the students running out of the school with their hands up. Police in British Columbia say a woman opened fire yesterday at a second. secondary school and Tumblr Ridge. Two bodies were then found at a home believed to be connected to that incident. The 18-year-old suspect is dead. Police say they have a history of visiting her home. Among the dead are members of the suspect's family

and students between 13 and 17 years old. Canada's Prime Minister has announced seven days of mourning. Back here in our area, the Reverend William Barber announcing a moral march from Wilson to Raleigh. That event called It's Time to Love Forward Together is coming up on Saturday, February 14th, Valentine's Day. The goal is to draw attention to several issues, including living wages and ending poverty, welcoming immigrants, and guaranteeing health care for everyone. All right. Let's go to meteorologist Cruz Medina with the forecast.

We've been enjoying these mild temperatures. That was like the other day, it felt like springtime. Yeah, it kind of felt like that today, too, if you take away the wind. But as we go into the next few days, it cools down. And then by the time we're into Saturday, Valentine's Day, folks are going to want to be outside since it's dry. It should be a little milder then. So that's... And you're serving up some chocolate for Valentine's Day right there, huh?

Yeah, that's right. All right. So let's get you prepared for this weekend. So Valentine's Day itself, high temperatures top out around 60 degrees in areas like the triangle, the sand hills. By the time we get into the evening, should be dry. Tiptures will be in the upper 50s at 4 p.m. right around 50 at 7 p.m. and mid 40s by 10 p.m. So if you have plans that evening, I would definitely bring a light jacket with you. But of course, we at least see warmer temperatures earlier in that day. Now for tomorrow, obviously not going to be as warm. Temperatures will be in the 50s. and we'll stay that way through Friday as well. Saturday is that brief form up. So I'm going to call it a 50-50 weekend because Sunday the rain returns. And that's going to be a good soaking rain. Good news is even though that cools us down, once again, we will see very warm temperatures into next week. So let's talk about this weekend storm system. This is what's going to be riding up in our direction on Sunday.

It's an area of low pressure, but it's actually going to be quite expansive. So most of the southeast is going to get in on this rainfall. We can see rounds of that rain throughout. out the day. So once again, it's going to be pretty wet. Now, we started today with a little bit of rain. This is a live look at downtown Raleigh from our Pendo Skycam. You can see that has since cleared out. Tiptures are in the mid-60s right now. So there's another much above-average day. And if you didn't get to get out and enjoy the warmth while we had it today, still got at least another hour or so before those tipters fall into the 50s. So you're evening out, not looking bad.

We will have a few clouds around. Aside from that, not much going on through the next 12 hours. So tomorrow morning, when you wake up, tipters are chilly and the 30s stepping out the door. We get a decent amount of sunshine for tomorrow, just a few fair weather clouds at times. And high tipterers will range from the low 50s up north to mid-50s in areas like the sandhills. By the time we get into Friday morning, we're clearing out again, tipters will start off once again, pretty chilly. So recapping tomorrow's forecast in the morning, chilly with tipter's in the 30s. Parents keep that in mind for your kids heading to the bus stop. and then the afternoon features 50s.

By the time we get into the end of the week, high pressure to our north, keeping our winds out of the north, that's what's going to keep us cool. We warm up briefly again on Saturday, and it's because our winds turn back out of the south, and that's ahead of that system that's going to bring us the rain throughout this weekend.

Once again, that's a soaking rain on Sunday, and we could really, really, really use some of that rain. So we are still dealing with drought conditions, but you can see that rain, once again, it's going to soak throughout the day, and then by the time we get into Monday, we're drying out and warming up. So I told you, we had very warm temperatures into the seven-day forecasts. Look at that, 69 for next Wednesday.

We're not even done with this week, and I'm already looking forward to next week. Bring it on looking good. Absolutely, Cruz, thank you. You got it. Coming up on I would as use it for Coca-Cola says goodbye to one of its classic flavors. Also, Bojangles serving up something fun for Valentine's Day. We'll tell you about that. We're talking about the heart-shaped boberry biscuits.

How long are you able to get your hands on one of those? and how they're helping kids who could use a little help with their hearts. Time now for some news you can use. A popular streaming service is lowering prices. YouTube TV will offer 10 new packages with lower prices. The company says the move is in response to growing consumer resentment over the rising cost for the service. When the service launched in 2017, the monthly price was $35. It is now up to $83.

We'll know this hour, Coca-Cola is discontinuing the Coca-Cola orange cream soda and said the company is now offering a new flavor for customers to try. It is the Coca-Cola Cherry Float. The company says it's an effort to help grow sales. The orange cream soda could come back as a limited time offer. And happening this weekend, a local health center is celebrating children's dental health month. The Poe Center is offering free dental screenings for local children. The center is partnering with the Raleigh-Wa-Waek County Dental Society to raise awareness to youth dental hygiene.

And according to the CDC, 50% of children ages 6 to 9 years old have had cavities. The terrific Teeth Day event will be held this Saturday at the Post Center for Health Education on Sundaybrook from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. So you may need to get a hold of that if that's for you. Could be a good way to get kids' teeth checked out. Absolutely. All right. Still ahead here on Iowa News. Camberlin County school leaders are proving a plan that could close nine different schools, sending all those kids to different schools. What we know about the growing petition now, a lot of parents fighting back against that plan. And Wake County is growing, crews breaking ground, the first Islamic center in Southeast Raleigh, the role it will play in the community.

We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. New at four, Cumberland County school officials approve a series of school consolidation plans, and that has sparked outrage among parents in the community. Yeah, in fact, nine different schools could close under this plan, and now a key year-round schools in Carmelin County petition has gathered more than 400 signatures. Penelope Lopez live now in the Sand Hills, and I know you've been talking to parents. What are they telling you? That's right, parents in Cumberland County say they feel worried and they're frustrated

about how these potential changes could impact their children's future. You know, nine schools may close and families are left wondering where will all those students go? I think it's a terrible idea. Alice Bennett says she's having a hard time processing the news. It's a lot of changes and they're not good changes. She has four children who go to school and Cumberland County. Three of them attend E. E. Miller Elementary School and one is set to go to Ann Chestnut Middle School. All of her children's schools could be closed. Her biggest worry is a mental toll on her daughter's school schedule, especially with the talk of changing E.E. Miller Elementary from a year round to a traditional calendar.

Traditional is hard. I have a child that has autism, ADHD, ODD, and anxiety. And she does so well being in school. for nine weeks and then having that three week break to get herself together. And Alice says that her children have gone through this process before when they lived in Wake County. So it only adds to the stress coming up in the next hour. Hear from students at E. Miller School. They tell me how they're grappling through these potential changes. Live in Fayetteville, Penelope Lopez, ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, we'll continue to follow this.

Penelope. Thank you. Let's take a look at some other 4 o'clock headlines right now in your speed feed here at 432. First in Franklin County, a firefighter has died while responding to a fire call. Officials say Dale Malone responded to a fire on Hickory Road in the White Level community northeast of Lewisburg. Malone had a medical emergency on the scene there. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. He served with the White Level fire department for more than 45 years and was a founding member of the department at a post on Facebook.

Fire officials say Malone's legacy will live on in every fire truck that rolls out of the bay. and in every firefighter who continues the mission he loved so much. Today, crews began construction on the first ever mosque to be built from the ground up in Southeast Raleigh. Religious leaders were joined by local and state officials for the groundbreaking ceremony this morning. The new As Salam Islamic Center is being built on Anson Drive between Newburn Avenue and Pool Road. The mosque will have religious and educational and cultural activities when it is built. New here for Cumberland County leaders kicking off their coffee with the commissioner series this month. It's a chance for people in the community to connect.

directly with county commissioners over coffee and conversation. That first session is happening next Wednesday, February 18th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Spring Lake Town Hall. And then they have three other sessions planned for June, August and November. You can go to the Camberland County website to get more information about that. That's the speed feed here at 4 o'clock. Barbara, over to you. All right, Steve, thank you right now for the mayor of Kerry delivers his state of the town address. Carrie has been in the spotlight recently as it faces financial issues that led to the former town manager's resignation. Bianca Holman has the mayor's message.

It was a packed room here at the Preston Wood Country Club, filled with members of the chamber and also other officials from the town of Kerry. And you know, the mayor, he did not shy away from some of the challenges that the town faced at the end of last year. He addressed the situation regarding the former town manager, Sean Stiegel, stepping down after an audit revealed financial issues, including questionable spending. Mayor Weinberg highlighted their efforts to be as transparent as possible, the state of the investigation and what they plan to do moving forward. to ensure something like this never happens again.

The current interim town manager is Russ Overton, who has served in various leadership roles before. I have a council members sitting down here that described it as an oil spill. And to me, that is such a perfect analogy. We're going to be going through cleaning up this oil spill for weeks, if not months. We don't know what we're going to find,

but we know we're going to confront it and face it. Now, the mayor also shared the town receiving, around 40 different awards and accolades last year, such as safety from Ford's magazine and also having the state's lowest unemployment rate. He shared updates in the area of sports venues and entertainment. And finally, while the town saw minimal population growth last year, they are still finding ways to increase mixed income housing and bringing more businesses to downtown. Now, there is a recap of the mayor's speech on the town's website. In Carrie, Bianca Holman, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Bianca, thank you. Covering the Carolinas. We're learning more about the deaths of

Two seven-year-olds from Anzo County who died after falling into an icy pond on Sunday. This is such a tragedy unfolding in that part of North Carolina. Their mother, Barbara Zarlinga, telling investigators they were twin brothers, Benjamin and Sebastian. She says she was making dinner. She called for them to come inside the house and eat, and they were nowhere to be found. She continued yelling for them. Neighbors eventually went to look in the pond, and that's when they saw Sebastian in the water. They pulled him out, started performing life-saving measures.

Medics arrived and got Benjamin out of the water as well. they were taken to Camp Lejeune Naval Medical Center where both of those twin seven-year-old boys died. Devastating. And South Carolina oral arguments begin today in the appeal of Alec Murdoch's double murder conviction. Murdoch is currently serving two life sentences and a South Carolina prison for the 2021 murders of his wife and son. Murdoch's defense plans to argue the 2023 double murder trial was tainted because a former clerk of court tampered with the jury. The South Carolina Supreme Court will release a decision at a later date. Okay, let's go to Charlotte right now, and the NBA is suspended four players following that big fight on the court during that game this week between the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Hornets.

Hornets forwards Miles Bridges and Musa Diabate are being suspended for four games each. Pistons forward, Isaiah Stewart, received the longest penalty with a seven-game suspension. Pistons Center Jalen Duren is suspended for two games after that fight that everyone is talking about in Charlotte earlier this week. Still ahead here on eyewitness news, the country's Attorney General Pam Bondi confronting a new wave of criticism over the release of the Epstein files. Her response to members of Congress and what she's saying about the DOJ and how it handled those files. More changes coming to the Kennedy Center. The staff of the arts organization bracing for layoffs will tell you when when we return. And as we go to break right now, look at that.

Beautiful afternoon over the Raleigh skyline. We've reached up into the 60s today. Kind of a cloudy, dreary start with that rain. a beautiful afternoon turning into a beautiful evening. Cruz shows us the cool down on the way. Coming up after the break. On Capitol Hill today, the Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the Department of Justice handling of the Epstein files

as she testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee. The line of questioning almost entirely revolved around specifically how some sensitive personal information was made public and whether anyone else will be held accountable for the crimes Epstein committed. We've released more than three million pages, including 180,000 images, all to the public, while doing our very best in the time frame allotted by the legislation to protect victims. Who in your organization made this massive failure and released the victim's names? Did you ask Merritt Garland that the last four years?

Several Epstein survivors were at today's congressional hearing. So far, only one person is serving prison time. Epstein's female co-conspirator, Galane Maxwell. Also in Washington, a grand jury refuses to indict Democratic lawmakers in connection with a video in which they urge U.S. military members to resist illegal orders. The Justice Department opened an investigation into six Democrats, including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, who released a video urging U.S. service members to reject orders believed to be unlawful but did not define those orders.

All the lawmakers previously served in the military or at intelligence agencies, According to a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity, grand jurors in Washington declined to sign off on charges. Grand jury rejections are extraordinarily unusual, but have happened repeatedly in recent months in Washington, D.C. The Kennedy Center is planning significant job cuts as they get ready to close for a major renovation project. The center's president told employees, most departments will be reduced to skeletal teams with some operations paused until a planned reopening in 2028. He said the goal is to maintain core operations while preparing for that reopening. As you know, it was renamed the Trump Kennedy Center by its board last year. The venue is expected to close as early as July for that two-year-long renovation project.

President Trump says the closure is subject to board approval. It's not yet clear whether the board has formally approved that renovation plan. Coming up next here on eyewitness news, the American Girl doll brand is celebrating its 40th anniversary in a big way in 2026. We'll tell you about the new collection. The doll maker is rolling out to mark that big milestone. And as Valentine's Day approaches, some people are breaking the bank to put a smile on a special someone's face. how much money shoppers are expected to spend on the holiday. ABC 11 First Alert Weather on eyewitness news every day.

Now today's top trending stories in real news. First, Irish singer Nile Horan gave surprise performance at a pub in London. The former One Direction singer sang his new single Drive Safe. As you just heard, the crowd joined along with him. He was also joined by fellow singer Miles Smith. A resident porcupine at the Oregon Zoo, made some new friends while enjoying a walk around the property. This is Nettle, the porcupine, sending some quality time with otters, flora, and Hobson. The zoo says they think Nettle was just

curious about the otters and the tasty snacks that they had. And love is in the air at a zoo and Boise for this lovely porcupine. Ozzy, will you be my Valentine? The zoo sharing the sweet video showing a keeper delivering a single red rose to Ozzie, the porcupine. He looks like he thinks it takes it. pretty good. You can see the Ozzy grabbing the flower and nibbling on its petals. I think Ozzy's answer is yes. I hope so and that's real news. Steve Beckett. I think I saw a smile there. All right. Love is in the air. As you know Valentine's Day is coming up on Saturday and the National Retail Federation expects we'll be spending a record amount of money this year, $29 billion. According to the NRF annual survey, shoppers are budgeting nearly $200 for gifts. That includes gifts for romantic partners, family members, children's classmates and teachers, coworkers.

and even our pets, too. They're getting in on Valentine's Day. Candy remains the most popular Valentine's gift, followed by flowers, cards, taking someone on a night out, and jewelry as well. But don't give chocolate to the pets. Don't forget the jewelry.

No chocolate for pets. And just in time for Valentine's Day, a big favorite here in North Carolina is Bojangles, of course, and they're bringing back their heart-shaped bowberry biscuits. The fast food chain is offering the biscuits between now and February 22nd.

And part of the proceeds are being donated to former Panthers player Greg Olson's Hardest Yard Foundation. It supports kids who are getting treatment for heart problems. And this might be a sweet Valentine's Day gift for a little girl in your life, a next generation American Girl doll. The doll maker is celebrating his 40th anniversary this year with some brand new dolls. Presale for Samantha of the next chapter and the modern era collection begins today. Other dolls in the collection include Addie, Kirsten, Josefina, Molly, and Felicity as well.

Lots of new choices there. Absolutely. All right, hey, we've got a little bit of cool down after a couple days in the 60s and 70 yesterday. We knew this warm up would not last. Very long cruise. You know, it's not even spring and we see stuff like this in the spring. These crazy tipter shifts, right?

So thankfully, this isn't going to be a huge one. Like we're not going down in the 40s, but we can at least expect 50s for the next two days. So that's our cool down. It arrives tomorrow. You'll notice it when you step out the door in the morning. It's going to feel chilly already. Tipters for the afternoon mid-50s tomorrow.

Friday is bright, but chilly. right around that low 50 mark and then Saturday we warm up again. So we could be right around 60 in the triangle. We will see some morning sunshine and then the clouds built in throughout the second half of the day ahead of the system that brings us rain on Sunday. Now back to today, we now know our official high was 66 at RDU. That's what 11 degrees above our normal of 55. So it was definitely above average day.

And because that warmth is going to stick around for a little while longer, if you're getting out walking the dog for this evening, tip your should stay in the 60s, about 6 p.m. And then after that, we'll see the temperature's falling into the 50s. So if you have any evening plans, you might bring a light jacket with you. I think you could leave the thick winter jacket at home this time. But some of you may opt to break it back out for tomorrow. Temperatures will start out in the low 30s for the morning. Those are our low temperatures. But throughout the afternoon, loads mid-50s are expected. We see most of our sun shine tomorrow for the first half of the day. In the afternoon, the clouds will build in at times. And they could be locally thick depending on your location. But But still, not a bad day tomorrow. It just gets colder as we go into Friday. So this weekend, 50-50, 60 degrees on Saturday. We've got sunshine in the morning, clouds build in,

but at least it's a dry day for Valentine's Day plans. By the time we get into Sunday, we've been talking about a soaking rain. So what does that mean? This is an inch to an inch and a half of rain widespread across Central North Carolina. And with drought conditions in place, we could really use this. Tipters do drop into the 50s there,

but look at next week. We're going well into the 60s, mid-60s, Mid-60s by Tuesday, upper 60s on Wednesday. And we've got Lauren Johnson joining us now with a look at what's coming up on eyewitness news at 5. Hey, Lauren. Hello, Cruz. Let's start in the nation's capital tonight. The president's pet project at the Kennedy Center is costing some staffers, their jobs.

What employees were told about skeletal staffing during the makeover and when the building is expected to reopen bearing Trump's name. Speaking of the president, we know he'll be visiting Fort Bragg on Friday. Visiting with special forces now we're learning. Senator Bernie Sanders will be visiting Durham. that same day in an event he's calling fighting oligarchy where we go from here. Concerns over consolidation in Cumberland County. We're talking to some students there about school closures and combining classrooms. We've heard from the parents, but now the students are going to speak out about how this will impact their learning.

And something stinks near the Virginia and Maryland border. A broken pipe has spilled millions of gallons of wastewater in what's now being called one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history. more on that massive cleanup effort that's underway there. And a major makeover for a military family and Air Force Sergeant is now flying high with gratitude after getting a new car. We'll tell you about the gift when we see you next for the news at 5. Steve, I will see you soon.

Okay, good stuff. Come up in a few minutes, Lauren, I'll see you soon. Thanks. Coming up here on IWitness at 4 o'clock, we're breaking down the brand new January jobs report. Things are looking good, how many jobs were added to the labor market and how artificial intelligence could play a part in that increase.