ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 4pm - February 5, 2026

Episode Date: February 5, 2026

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Coming up at four, another day of emotional testimony in the sentencing of Raleigh mass shooter Austin Thompson. Multiple people, including Thompson's own father, take the stand today describing the day of the shooting spree. Doorbell video also shares the gunfire in the Headingham neighborhood that fateful day. And an update into a former Raleigh police officer charged with sex crimes while on the job. What we know about civil rights, the civil rights investigation, the FBI has now launched. And the Nash County Sheriff's Office is about to give an update and a deputy involved. shooting investigation what they have to say about what happened. I Witness News at 4 starts right now. 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 and I witness news at 4 another emotional day of testimony as the sentencing hearing continues for convicted rolling mass shooter Austin Thompson. Thompson's father taking the stand, saying that he never thought his son was capable of mass murder. I just don't understand why. I can't put the problem I have. I can't put the two and two together. I witness is also learning many new details about the note found revealing the apparent motive behind the shootings. Thank you for joining us for eyewitness news at four. I'm Barbara Gibbs. And I'm Amber Repenta. Right now, sentencing continues for Austin Thompson, the teen who confesses.

to killing five people in the Hedingham neighborhood mass shooting. It's been three days of testimony from victims, survivors, and eyewitnesses. And it was another very emotional day in court today. Jasmine Torres, the widow of Officer Gabriel Torres, gave an impact statement. Thompson's father also took the stand calling the shooting a parent's worst nightmare. Alan Thompson said on the stand that he saw no signs that his son was capable of committing this crime. The prosecution also called a Raleigh police sergeant to the stand, who revealed they found a note in Thompson's bedroom on the day of the shooting that said the reason he went on the killing spree was because he hates humans.

Elena Athens is joining us now from the Wake County Justice Center. So Elaine, I know you were shown some doorbell video from the day of the mass shooting today. Yeah, Amber, in one of those clips, you actually see children coming home from school and they're running to their respective homes. And then just seconds later, you start hearing a series of shots being fired. In another clip, you see Austin Thompson walking through a mobile home park. He's seen talking to someone off camera and is actually trying to throw that individual off his trail. For the first time, we are seeing the apparent confession letter. The note reads, the reason I did this is because I hate humans.

They are destroying the planet slash earth. I killed James because he would get in my way. He kept breathing, so I stabbed him. I don't want to die, but it is going to happen anyway. After that gripping victim impact statement, Thompson's father took the stand. At least not experienced a parent's worst nightmare. That afternoon, we lost our entire family. We did not know why Austin murdered his brother and shot six other people.

So Alan Thompson was crying as he was walking to the stand to testify. here today. Both parents say that there were no signs, something like this would happen. Elena, just devastating testimony there. I know earlier today, speaking of devastating testimony, you brought us heartbreaking words from the widow of Officer Gabriel Torres, who was back on the stand today. Absolutely heart-stopping message directly to Austin Thompson. During that time, it seemed like maybe everyone in the courtroom was hanging on every word. It was difficult for me, certainly, and many others who were there. in that courtroom.

She spoke for 18 minutes. And she kicked off her conversation, her impact statement telling the judge, you see that person over there, the one who has showed no emotion, who hasn't really looked up. That person does not deserve a normal life. She later demanded that he look at her

as she was speaking. We'll show you that interaction ahead at 5 o'clock. All right, Elena, Athens, thank you so much, and we'll look forward to your next report. And breaking now here at 4 o'clock, the Nash County Sheriff's Office, is giving an update after a deputy was involved in a shooting last night. Authorities say the incident happened last night in a neighborhood along Tom George Road,

just north of Nashville. So let's go to that press conference right now. Please surrender. Despite these efforts, Erb continued to make threats. Warrants were obtained for assault on a female and assault with a deadly weapon. At 11.01 p.m. Erb came out of the front door of the residence with this AR-15 rifle in his hand, Numerous commands were given by the deputies to gain compliance. Herb stepped off the porch and began toning law enforcement and started moving away from the residents, and there is other residents near this residence. He was walking across the yard, and then he turned and raised a rifle towards law enforcement.

At that point, Sergeant Garrett Cohn of the Nash County Sheriff's Office sniper team was involved in a shooting where Mr. Erb ultimately met his death. This is a very sad situation for the family. My heart goes out to the family. My heart goes out to my officers that had to see this. EMT was on scene and tried life-saving measures at that point. But it's a case where these law enforcement officers go out here every day, saving lives, protecting property,

in trying to defuse situations. In this situation, Mr. Irby had had mental problems before. Law enforcement had been called out before. And it's another case when people have mental illness and they've got firearms in their house. I urge our community. If you have people with mental illness, please don't have firearms around them.

And especially rifles like this that can go through one side of a house and threw another one. And we're monitoring that press conference from the Nash County Sheriff's Department about an incident with an individual who actually, according to the officer, pointed a weapon at other law enforcement

and was fatally shot. We'll continue to follow this story and bring you updates as we get them. All right, let's go to Steve Daniels now. He's following some breaking news. Steve? Hi, Barbara and Amber. We have more breaking news coming in right now.

This unfolding in Wake County right now. I want to show you what happened. We've had Chopper 11 overhead where this car smashed in front of the Whole Foods. that Waverly Place the shopping center in carry. I want to show you the map now. Zoom into this location where this is happening in Wake County. You know Waverly Place right there,

Killed Air Farm Road and Tryon Road in the heart of Kerry. Back now to the video from Chopper 11 overhead. You can see here it was a Toyota SUV. It appears it was parked in a handicapped spot. We'll roll the video and I can tell you what happened here. It rolled, it was in that handicapped parking spot there and it crashed right into the front of the Whole Food Store. There's a large pane of glass that is now smashed.

We're coming around here in Chopper. Now you can see that paint of glass smashed out. It doesn't appear there's other structural damage there to the Whole Foods. We are in touch right now with Kerry Police to find out if anyone was injured, how this happened, and who was behind the wheel of that silver Toyota SUV. More as we get it from Carrie PD here in the breaking news center, Amber. All right, Steve, keep us posted. Thank you. We're also following breaking news that's unfolding in Los Angeles.

At least two people are dead and several others are hurt after police say a car drove through a grocery store there. Our sister station in LA providing these images here from the chopper. You can see just how large the emergency response is. It looks like we're getting word that seven people are hurt along with the two who died. Details are limited. We do know this crash, though, happened around noon today. Some of the victims were initially trapped underneath the car. At least two are dead.

Seven others hurt right now. The cause of that crash remains under investigation. And right now, at Ford, the FBI is launching a civil rights investigation into a former police officer. Trammell Cogdale already faces sex crimes charges for allegedly being involved in an incident with a woman while on duty and now federal investigators believe more victims and witnesses could be out there. John Dowding is live outside of the federal courthouse in downtown Raleigh with more so. John, what are local law enforcement agencies telling you? Well, Amber, this is all part of that an ongoing investigation into Cogdell involving the

Raleigh Police Department, the North Carolina, SBI and the FBI as well. Investigators believe if there might be more victims out there and are urging them to come forward. Tonight, federal investigators asking for help, locating potential victims and witnesses connected to sex crimes allegedly committed by a former Raleigh police officer. The FBI announced a civil rights investigation into charges former officer Tremel Cogdell is facing. As eyewitness news previously reported,

Cogdell was arrested in October 2025. He worked for the Ralee Police Department for more than two years prior to his arrest. Court documents from his arrest say last September he allegedly failed to conduct and charge a DWI investigation in exchange for sexual acts. A grand jury indicted Cogdell in October on several charges, including obstruction of justice and at least five charges of soliciting prostitution from multiple other alleged victims. Cogdell was released on bond. The FBI field office in Charlotte would not go on camera today to talk about the case. The Raleigh Police Department also denied our request for an interview, but did say the department appreciates the ongoing efforts

by the FBI. In a statement to eyewitness news, the FBI said, quote, the agencies are coordinating investigative efforts, sharing information and encouraging any additional victims or witnesses with relevant information about Cogdale's alleged conduct to come forward so they can be identified, supported, and their allegations thoroughly investigated. We also reached out to the Wake County District Attorney's Office, as well as the attorney who is representing. for a comment about this latest development. We're still waiting to hear back from both of them. Coming up right here at 5 o'clock,

we spoke with police security and police procedure experts as well about what federal involvement in this case is signaling about the investigation. You'll hear what they have to say right here in the next hour. Live here outside the federal report house in downtown Raleigh, I'm John Dowding. ABC 11, eyewitness news.

We look forward to their insight into this case. In about an hour, John, see you then. Thank you. Let's go outside now. This is a live view of Raleigh from our Pendo Skycam and a few clouds out there, but the good thing is it is dry. It's expected to be another cold night, though, temperatures dropping below freezing. Yeah, that's why Cumberland County is opening some of its white flag shelters tonight. We have a list of those shelters there on your screen.

And Chief Peter Algeist, Don Schwinnaker, is here with a check of the forecast. It's cold today, Don, but a warm-ups on the way. Yeah, we could see 60s next week. We'll talk about that coming up. Good evening to you. Taking a live look at First Lord Doppler, a couple flurries out in western Chatham County. Out towards Silor City, not much. It is diving east so you may see a flurry in Pittsburgh or Sanford over the next hour or so.

Live looking north hills, the sun's starting to fight through those clouds to the west. Temperatures across the region running in the 30s, 37 Nightdale, Raleigh, 37 Morrisville, Durham at 37. If you got plans this evening, good night to head out and maybe catch some dinner. Help out those local restaurants who took a hit last weekend. Numbers will fall through the 30s by 11 o'clock when we go on 28 degrees. We'll talk more about the cool air overnight and a big warm up on the way in the seven-day forecast coming up in just a bit, ladies. All right. Thank you, Don. A developer has big plans for downtown Kerry. Kane Realty files plans to build a seven-story building with apartments and space for retail and restaurants, and you can see the space there.

This is Chatham Street where it intersects with Old Apex Road at the roundabout. Across from Vicious Fish's Brewery and Southline Brewing Company, the site would include an eight-level attached parking deck. Kane Realty is also heavily involved in the expansion of North Hills in Raleigh. And we have an update on the Raleigh Convention Center as the recovery process continues after that devastating fire in December. The center just passing an inspection for various areas impacted by the fire, including an office, dressing room and small conference room. You'll recall the fire was caused by a mechanical failure in the cooling area of the heating and cooling unit. The Convention Center reopened late last month. Still ahead here at 4 o'clock, the urgent search for today's show anchor Savannah Guthr.

Marie's mom continues her family making an emotional plea for her return. Everyone is looking for your mommy everywhere. What investigators are now saying about their investigation and the reward now being offered in the case? And Governor Stein announces a new effort to address behavioral health care and public safety. We're hearing from a local woman whose family has been touched by mental health challenges why she believes the effort can make a difference. And we're taking a live. Look I 40 airport. It's a parking lot right now.

Lots of folks out and about to this afternoon. Just know that's going to slow everybody down. As we had to 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. One ease 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 ABC11. I witness news. Get your. Zip bound. Okay. Remember A is for. asking the questions that matter to me. Andrea, the doctor will see you now. B is for beginning

the conversation. Hey, Andrea, good to see you. So, what brings you in today? C is for choosing which treatment is right for me. And Zed is for Zepbound. And I'm ready to ask. Ask a doctor about Zepbound quickpen. Get your savings card at Zepbound.ca. Exclusions and exceptions may apply. Now to some other local headlines in your speed feed. First, Durham police make an arrest in a deadly shooting. It happened last month when two people were shot while driving down Hillsboro Road. Police say someone in another car opened fire into a Chevy Malibu, hitting a man and a woman as they were in the vehicle. Both victims were rushed to the hospital.

The man, 30-year-old Irice Jeffrey, died and the woman is seriously hurt. 25-year-old Tony Scott, the second and 26-year-old Ariana Mangum, have been charged in the shooting. they're facing multiple charges, including murder. In Durham County, the sheriff's office says that they seize more than four kilos of fentanyl as part of a drug trafficking investigation. They also seized three kilos of marijuana, 215 grams of cocaine, 12 grams of heroin, and 23 grams of mushrooms. Authorities executed a search warrant on Newland Place in the Grayson Green neighborhood. They also found a number of weapons, including an AR-15 and an AK-style assault rifle, 49-year-old Rodney Ehran. is facing a number of charges, including trafficking and felony drug possession.

And that is your speed feed. Amber, back to you. Barbara, thanks. Investigators in Arizona have provided a number of new details in the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, mother of today's show host Savannah Guthrie. The FBI now offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to her safe return or the arrest of those responsible. ABC's Olivia Rubin has all the new details. Today, the frantic search for 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie stretching into day five. We believe Nancy is still out there. We want our home. But they say they have no suspects and no leads. A DNA test shows it was Nancy's blood on the porch. To anyone that may be involved, do the right thing. This is an 84-year-old grandma.

Authorities have said they believe Nancy was taken from her home in the middle of the night on Saturday. Now providing this timeline after they say Nancy was dropped off at home after dinner and her garage. door closed at 9.50 p.m. At 147 a.m., the doorbell, doorbell camera disconnects. At 2.12 a.m., software detects a person on a camera, but there's no video available. They had no subscription. Police say Nancy's pacemaker disconnected from her phone at 220 a.m. Savannah Guthrie and her siblings posting this video on social media last night, making this emotional plea. is looking for you, mommy, everywhere. Authorities say they are still investigating the authenticity of ransom notes sent to various

media outlets. In the video, the family is speaking directly to the possible abductor. We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated. We need to know, without a doubt, that she is. alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us. And on the ransom notes, the FBI says at least one of them was a hoax and an arrest has been made. They are still encouraging anyone with information to please call that tip line. Olivia Rubin, ABC News, New York. The story gets more disturbing. The more you.

you hear about it and we'll continue to follow it here on ABC and ABC 11. All right. The weather story getting better and better over the next couple of days. We do, I know, lots of applause for that and we're going to be warmer by next week. Now you may see a couple of flurries if you're out in Chatham County right now. First, Doppler not working overtime picking up some snowflakes out there. Some of this is radar trash out here. This is actually, I would bet that's the steam coming off the nuclear power plant.

But out here, these are just some light flurries. through Silar City right now. We zoom it out the rest of the region. Pretty much dry, maybe an isolated shower down here in Wayne County and that'll all dry out overnight. Skies starting to clear as we look from Kerry down Academy Street. You can see the sunlight out in the distance. 38 degrees right now, cloudy skies. It's a cold day today and it's going to be even colder tonight as those numbers drop under clear skies. 36 in Oxford, 37 Lewisburg, Rocky Mount, 39 Lillington, 37 Sanford, 36 and Southerd, 36 in Soutle. City in 39 in Fayetteville. Tonight we'll drop into the low 20s about 10 degrees below average for this time of year under a partly cloudy sky.

Tomorrow morning you're going to want to allow a little extra time for the car to warm up to high. Temperatures in the low 20s by 8 o'clock. We're at 24 and we don't go above freezing until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. And then another round of cooler air works through. Satellite radar composite shows this line working east. The mountains taking most of the moisture out of it. We've got a second system diving out of the Great Lakes. That's what's going to bring us a reinforcing shot of cold air as we head into the weekend. First alert predictor forecast model as we go through over 19 to tomorrow by 11 o'clock tonight. We're down below freezing across the region. Skies will clear out.

Temperatures will tumble into the 20s for lows. Now late day tomorrow and tomorrow afternoon, a system will drop south. It could bring us an isolated shower, mainly right here to the north and east of the triangle. It would be the best bet at seeing some rain. You may get some snowflakes mixing in up to the north of us. It's not going to be a big snowmaker, but that will work through, maybe dusting up through South Hill, Virginia. And then it clears out as we head through the day on Saturday. Surface map shows the cold front dropping through on Saturday.

Sky is clearing, lots of sunshine and cold as we go into Sunday. Same story. We're dry all weekend. It's just going to be chilly, but then the warm up begins. Forecast looks like this for tomorrow, 47 in Raleigh, 46 in Durham, 50 in Fayville. this time of years 54. So we're still about 5 to 10 degrees below average for this time of year. Your first alert, seven-day forecast showing temperatures in the 30s. And on Saturday and Sunday, just a cold weekend, but a dry weekend. We're not seeing anything in the way of rain or snowfall after

tomorrow. So you wash the car, hopefully it stays thawed out. Monday, a little warmer, 50 degrees. And then comes the warm up, Tuesday, 58, 62 on Wednesday. Slight chance of rain, no snow. And could see stray shower as we go into Thursday. So nice warm up on the way next week, but a very cold weekend ahead with temperatures staying in the 30s. Ladies. Bundle up this weekend. All right, Dom, thank you. Coming up next year at 4 o'clock, are you hosting for the Super Bowl, the cost of your food might surprise you. Yeah, that's right. You could actually see some prices dropping if you're going to be shopping for the big game. We'll explain coming up. Plus, you may soon be able to use a buy now, pay later plan for your rent. Why some experts are warning that that

It might not be a good idea. Investing is all about the future. So what do you think is going to happen? Bitcoin is sort of inevitable at this point. I think it would come down to precious metals. I hope we don't go cashless. I would say land is a safe investment. Technology companies.

Solar energy. Robotic pollinators might be a thing. A wrestler to face a robot, that will have to happen. So whatever you think is going to happen in the future, you can invest in it at Wealth Simple. Start now at WealthSimple.com. It's time now for some news you can use this Thursday. If you are hosting a Super Bowl party,

it's going to cost you a little more to feed your friends this year. There's a silver lining, though. The price hike isn't really as bad as you might think. Wells Fargo estimates a food spread with typical game day foods for 10 people will cost about $140.40. That's only 1.6% more than last year. And it is a lot less than the overall cost of groceries, which has gone up 2.4%.

Spotify is launching a new feature designed to help readers finish more books. It's called Page Match. It syncs audiobook playback to the exact passage on the page. So whether you're reading a hardcover, an e-book, or you're listing on the go, users can just scan a page with their phone's camera, and then Spotify automatically jumps the audiobook to that same spot. And scan it again, and the app shows where to pick up reading in your hardcover or your e-book. Spotify says the feature works across most English language titles,

limited do a single device or book format. And the feature rolls out for some users this week. It'll be available to all users by February the 23rd. Minute Made is discontinuing its frozen juice concentrates after 80 years. A spokesperson for its parent company, Coca-Cola, cites consumer preferences. The representative says shoppers are opting for ready-made juice instead of frozen cans. And by now, pay later is extending to rent. New services are now sprouting up that let renters split up their payments over the course of a month. Customers say they appreciate the flexibility, but experts warn the fees involved can add up to hundreds of dollars every year. About 109 million Americans or about 42.5 million households are renters in the United States.

And that is your Thursday news you can use. Barbara back to you. All right, Amber, thank you. Well, coming up, the push to address behavioral health care and public safety. Governor Stein signs an executive order today aimed at enhancing services. We are. Everyone needs help with something. If investing is your something, we get it. Cooperators' financial representatives are here to help. With genuine advice that puts your needs first, we got you. For all your holistic investment and life insurance advice needs, talk to us today.

Cooperators, investing in your future together. Mutual funds are offered through Cooperators Financial Investment Services Inc. To Canadian residents except those in Quebec in the territories. Segregated funds are administered by cooperators' life insurance company. Life insurance is underwritten by cooperators' life insurance company. Local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. Today, Governor Stein signs an executive order to address coordination between behavioral health care and public safety. He says it is an issue that's impacting both adult and youth offenders while placing a heavy burden on law enforcement.

Michael Perchick is joining us live outside the executive mansion with more details. Michael? Barbara Amber, good afternoon. This is a fairly broad effort impacting everything from diversions to how emergency calls are handled to reentry for offenders back into the community. For many families, it's a welcome development. He was an awesome person, very bubbly, always creative, smile could light up a room, and he definitely was not his condition. Day, Linesse Henderson, discussing her late brother Jacques, who struggled with schizophrenia and substance use prior to his death in 2024.

She's encouraged by the new executive order, which, among other points, would strengthen the behavioral health crisis system and improve the involuntary commitment process. Governor Josh Stein, noting 40% of 911 calls don't involve a crime. It has to do with somebody who's in a crisis and somebody else around them doesn't know how to handle that crisis. Well, law enforcement get some training in this crisis intervention work, but they're not a social worker who has had an entire professional education on how to deal with people in these situations.

So when we can marry counseling with law enforcement, that's when we're going to get the best result. Henderson believes greater use of 988 can be effective in response situations. It really does make a difference when you're talking to a counselor and they can calm you down versus seeing a police officer with police cars. And coming up at 530, what the governor says can be accomplished through this executive order and what requires further funding from the General Assembly. In Raleigh, I'm Michael Pertschick, ABC 11, eyewitness news.

All right, Michael, thank you. New here at four, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, releasing the list of 3,500 people on the COVID settlement list. The 2021 settlement was reached after the North Carolina NAACP, the ACLU and other activists sued then Governor Roy Cooper, asking for the prison population to be reduced due to the spread of COVID-19. No names are listed on the document. Instead, the former inmates are listed by their ID number. This is the first time the entire list has been made public. Other headlines in your speed feed. First, happening today, another meet and confer session for Durham Public Schools. Educators meet face-to-face with district administrators to discuss a collective grievance policy and budget priorities for the next school year. The meeting starts at 6 o'clock at the Staff Development Center on Hillandale Road. Educators say they will rally with school board candidates beforehand. Happening today, the public's first chance to buy tickets for this year's Art and Bloom, the popular event now less than six weeks away, starting in March. On the 18th at the North Carolina. Museum of Art. More than 50 floral designers will participate in the four-day event.

Public tickets are limited and will sell out quickly. A new study highlights the economic benefits of expanding passenger rail service in North Carolina. The DOT is looking into restoring the link between Salisbury and Asheville. The agency says the service would generate $67 million per year in economic output, including employee earnings and state and local tax revenue. But the project currently has not been funded. And that is your speed feed. Amber back to here. Barbara, thank you. Covering the Carolinas now. The state is investigating after a man was killed in a crash involving snow removal equipment. State troopers say 55-year-old Brandon Atkins was killed Saturday night on U.S. 74 East in Rutherford County. This after his pickup truck hit the back of a motor grader that was performing snow removal during winter storm cleanup.

That motor grader was operated by a private contractor working for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Under NCDOT contract requirements, snow removal equipment operated by private contractors must be inspected and approved by the agency and also maintained throughout storm response operations. And investigators say they are now working to determine whether those requirements were met at the time of the crash. Authorities in South Carolina are searching for a missing woman. 49-year-old Sabrina Hines was last seen January 28 while working at a gas station. She was reported missing last Friday after her employer told investigators that she didn't show up for work. Her supervisor used Heinz work car GPS system to track down the car. It was found abandoned on the side of an interstate.

Heinz's phone was also left inside the car. Investigators say surveillance video from the gas station shows Heinz at work the night she went missing. 20 minutes later, nearly three miles from the gas station. The car was left running on the side of the road, leading authorities to believe that she went missing that night. Investigators say they've gotten no tips so far. A group of forensic anthropology students from Western Carolina University, helped us all the missing persons case from 2023. The students had the help of five professors

and a group of officials from the Durham Police Department. School leaders say that those students searched the woods for evidence. The program's director then found the remains of a person who had been missing since 2023. WCU students also helped to recover human remains in Cherokee last year. Getting some real world experience there. Absolutely. Still ahead, a change in the grocery aisle.

The latest guidelines from the FDA for, labeling food dyes in hopes of keeping foods with artificial colors out of your kitchen. Speaking of food, there's a new reason to consider the Mediterranean diet. The health benefits plan forward eating could have for women in particular. And as we get a break, here's a live look at the Raleigh Skyline on this Friday Eve. New here for the FDA is a tin's donut and coffee is the original collab. And now any classic donut is a dollar when you buy any size original or dark rose coffee. Get a deal on the iconic duo with a tin's dollar donut plus tax. I participating restaurants for limited time.

Terms apply. See app for details. It's time for Tims. Updating its guidelines for the no artificial color labels on food packaging. For the first time, the label will now exempt foods dyed with natural sources like beets or watermelon juice from being designated as artificial colors. Products made with synthetic petroleum-based dyes, though will not qualify for the label. It's all part of a push by the Trump administration to discourage American families from buying foods with artificial coloring. Big household brands like Walmart, General Mills and Hershey have already pledged to reduce artificial dyes and some of their products by the end of next year.

The Mediterranean diet may have serious health benefits for women. A new long-term study from Neurology Open Access found that the plant-forward eating style may lower the risk of stroke for women. Researchers followed more than 100,000 women who were part of a study that began in 1995, and those who ate a Mediterranean diet were 18% less likely to have any type of stroke. The diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, fish, and olive oil. It limits consuming meat and dairy and allows for moderate alcohol consumption. Past studies have found the Mediterranean diet may lower the risk of dementia, gum disease, depression, breast cancer, and diabetes. And tomorrow is National Wear Red Day.

The day marks a critical nationwide effort to raise the awareness of heart disease, which is the number one killer of women. Alex Price, the executive director of the American Heart Association of the Triangle, I've witnessed news today to talk about this year's campaign and why it's so important. National Rare Red Day is so important because it gives us the opportunity to talk about something that affects millions of women and their families. It's not just something that happens later in life. We know that about 45% of women over the age of 20 live with some form of cardiovascular disease. The Go Red for Women campaign is this Friday. That is tomorrow. So we're red. Give a donation to advance research if you can and awareness.

If you'd like some more information, go to ABC11.com. Silahead here at 430. You can now say I do at one of Disneyland's most spirited attractions. After the break, we'll tell you which spooky spot people can soon run out to tie the knot. All right, and we are catching up with a former American Idol contestant to hear his perspective as a new season gets underway. Also, horseplay in the middle of an intersection. We'll show you the two animals that brought traffic to a standstill. I witness news. We are local news weeknights four to six 30 and 11. Season 24 of American Idol is airing now on ABC 11, and we've been checking in with some contestants from past seasons to see what they've been up to since they appeared on the show.

Today, we spoke with season 15 contestant Jordan Sasser. What a pleasure. He made it all the way to top 24, and he shared what life has been like since appearing on the show and whether any of his four kids have picked up the singing bug. You know what? They're singing, and Alex and I, we will look at each other when when they're, when they're, you know, when they're singing. they sing and we like make eye contact. I'm like, that was really good. And then we we try not to say a lot because we don't want them to get nervous and like stop singing because like mom and dad are professional singers and we're singing all the time. But we just just affirm how special they are and how much we love their voices and they're so creative and, you know, we're kind of trying to pick up on which of them would want

to, you know, do more singing in their life. Such a nice guy. New episodes of American Idol air Mondays at 8 p.m. right here on ABC 11. Well, the view has lined up a series of guest co-hosts when Alyssa Farah Griffin goes on maternity leave. Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Abby Huntsman will return to the show with other guest co-hosts, including Amanda Carpenter, Cheryl Underwood, and Whitney Cummings. Savannah Crisley will be the first guest co-host starting on February the 17th. President Trump, as you may have remembered, pardoned her parents, reality. TV host Todd and Julie Crisley of Crisley knows best last year on fraud and tax evasion charges. Griffin is expected to have her final show before her leave on February the 13th.

Now let's take a look at today's top trending stories in real news. First, a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary in the Dominican Republic had a real treat when their son, who had organized that trip, showed up to surprise them. Jabari Brown documented the whole surprise, saying that he was supposed to fly his boss's private jet to Punta Kana. before his parents' anniversary. He decided instead, though, to fly out on the same day as them and travel incognito. So on the day of the anniversary, Brown showed up at the restaurant. He had reserved for his parents playing the saxophone.

And you can see from the video and their faces, it was a very pleasant surprise. What a nice sun. Let's go now to St. Albert Canada, where two runaway ponies temporarily brought traffic to a halt. Officers say they responded to this unusual call about the loose ponies running around. And you can see here the pony pair running across the row while officers worked to capture them. An officer and two volunteers were eventually able to stop those ponies in a parking lot. They held them until the owner arrived. The owner said the horses had escaped through an open gate on their farm that morning.

And there is a stork in upstate New York probably still recovering after delivering an extra heavy load. Jessica and John Lott-Brine from Buffalo are now the parents of Quintuplets. Mason, Holly, Layla, Stefan, and Connor. They were all born last month, roughly two pounds each at birth. Over a month and a half time, though, they've all since doubled their weight. They're doing great. Doctors say the family's five new arrivals are all in great shape. However, they still need a little more time at the NICU before they're allowed to go home.

And that's when they will start living with their older sisters, Hannah and Brooke. So they just went to seven, just like that. That's the real news. Seven kids. Back to you, Barbara. Hannah and Brooke going to have to help out at home with those babies. All right, Disney fans looking to tie the knot will soon have two creepy new options for their weddings. The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland will open its doors to host weddings starting in July. Ceremonies will take place in the attractions outdoor courtyard.

It can hold up to 25 guests. Also starting in May, the Haunted Mansion parlor will start hosting weddings on the Disney Destiny cruise ship. And as of now, the Haunted Mansion at Disney World in Florida is not available. a wedding venue yet. Disney is the parent company of ABC 11. So just got to hang on and wait. All right, that's one way to tie the knots. Don. What would that cost you? Oh, probably a pretty penny. Well, some people, that's their dream. And let them do it. And it's worth it. And we are happy to have them do it. Disney's a parent company, ABC11. There you go. Worth every dime. Exactly. All right, let's show you what's happening out there. We got a few flurries flying out

towards Siler City between Pittsburgh and Siler City. It's not much. We zoom it out. The rest of the region is dry. We're not seeing anything in the way of rain or snow around here. Live lookout toward Duke Chapel out there in the distance. 37, cloudy, and a northeast wind at 8 miles per hour. 32 for you in Oxford, 35 Roxburgh, 30, Raleigh, Irwin, 31 now in Fayetteville. This evening, we'll see those temperatures tumble if you're headed out for a walk tonight. Those numbers get below freezing by about 8, 9 o'clock, and then we'll stay in the 3rd.

until about 10 o'clock. We'll be in the 20s when we go on for ABC 11 at 11. Not a lot of precipitation over the next four days either. You get your car wash after tomorrow, Saturday. You can keep it dry all the way into the middle part of next week. Your four-day forecast at four o'clock shows those temperatures in the 40s. Tomorrow a few light showers are possible late in the day. Saturday, a biting breeze. It will be sunny, but it will be breeze.

It could see winds gusting 30 plus miles an hour on Saturday. And that means feels like temperatures in the 20s. Sunday, more cloud covers still cold 37 and on Monday a little milder as we top out near 50 degrees. And we'll talk more about that warm up coming up at 5 o'clock. We could be in the 60s by the middle part of next week. Let's find out what else is coming up at 5 o'clock. For that, we check in with Steve Daniels. Hi, Don, thanks very much.

We have an update on the breaking news unfolding right now in Southern California. I want to show you the video from overhead at TV News helicopter over the Westwood neighborhood near the UCLA campus. We now know three people have been killed, seven others injured, after a car crashed into that grocery store right there. We'll explain why police think that happened coming up here at 5 o'clock. We'll also have new perspective on the now fired Raleigh police officer charged with driving a woman involved in a DWI investigation back to his house and having a sexual encounter with her while he was on duty.

Now the FBI is involved and we're exploring why this is now a federal investigation. Also coming up, Triangle Congresswoman Valerie Fushi is co-sponsoring the Melt Ice Act. She wants to defund ICE in Washington and strip it of its authority to detain immigrants. Also, a college student named Layla Edwards is making history at the Winter Olympics in Italy. She's the first black woman to play for Team USA in ice hockey. The women's team was in action today, and we'll show you how Layla did on the ice. Also, a North Carolina mom won a big lottery scratch-off prize. And when she went to lottery headquarters in Raleigh, she said, all that cash is going to her son's college fund and also to her church.

She has a very generous heart and we'll tell you all about it. Amber, I'll see you for the news at five in a few minutes. Ooh, I can't wait. All right. See you at the top of the hour. Steve, thank you. Sweet lady. As we got a break, here's a live look at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the home of Super Bowl 60 this Sunday. And, of course, while the game itself is a big reason to watch, so is the halftime show. When we come back, we'll tell you what you can expect from Bad Bunny's highly anticipated Super Bowl performance.