ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 4pm - January 28, 2026

Episode Date: January 28, 2026

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Ahead on Iwood's news at four. Snow is in the forecast for the second weekend in a row. We're checking in with one local business who says the storm actually boosted their sales. And President Donald Trump calls out North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis over his comments about Homeland Security Secretary, Christy Noem, and her response to the ongoing unrest in Minneapolis. What Tillis had to say about Trump's criticism. And today, marking one year since retired Green Beret, Clint Bonnell, was reported missing in Cumberland County. We're talking with the district attorney about where that investigation stands, Now a year later, eyewitness news at 4 starts 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 11 eyewitness news. Right now at 4, we continue to see lingering ice from this weekend's winter storm. This video of partially frozen lake crab tree is proof that the Arctic air still has a grip on us in Central Carolina. Thanks for joining us here this Wednesday for the news at four. I'm Amber Repenta.

And I'm Lauren Johnson. And for Barbara right now, all eyes are on this weekend. Snow in the forecast for Saturday. So here's what we know so far. There's an 80% chance we can see three inches of snow or more across parts of the viewing area. A cold weather advisory has been issued for some eastern counties overnight into early tomorrow morning. DOT crews are expected to start brining those roads tomorrow. Let's bring in Chief Meteorologist Don Schwenker who's watching this system closely in our first alert forecast.

And good evening to you. Let's talk about this first because this is in effect tonight into tomorrow morning. It's cold weather advisory. You'll see wind chills getting down into the single digits from Roanoke Rapids down through parts of Wilson, Edgecombe County, actually not Wilson, but Edgecombe County, Northampton, Halifax counties, and on back toward Rocky Mount. Just know that you will see those very cold wind chills overnight. We're not seeing any precipitation out there right now. Live look at First Alert. Doppler net scanning the skies yet is dry across our part of the. the Carolinas. We're looking live into downtown Durham on the Mutual Tower sky cam. We made it up to 40 degrees. This will be the warmest day for a couple of days. Mostly sunny skies and those winds are still ripping 22 miles an hour with gusts up into the 25 to 30 mile an hour range. Numbers from across the region 35 Roxborough, Oxford Roanoke Praphoods, threes and nines in Durham, Carborough,

Siler City. You're at 40 in Raleigh, 44 out your door in Fayetteville. A look at the evening ahead. if you've got plans, maybe heading out and helping out a local restaurant. Temperatures in the 30s will drop below freezing at 8 o'clock. By the time we go on for ABC 11 at 11, 29 degrees. We're learning more about this storm that will form this weekend. And here's where we are right now with our confidence. I am confident. High confidence that we will see cold temperatures.

High confidence we will see some snow accumulation, still determining where and how much. High confidence that risky travel is going to be a problem, especially on roadways. And the good news is this storm is different than the last storm. We're not expecting as much ice. So that means the risk of power outages is lower. You still could see some, but not as high as it was last weekend.

We'll talk more about the snow, where it's headed, how much we could see. And your first alert forecast, it's all coming up for you in just a bit. Ladies. All right, John, thank you. And as we prepare for this potential snow storm, some local businesses say they're seeing an uptick in sales because of this cold weather. Let's go to Elena Athens. She's joining us now live on Western Boulevard in Raleigh, where one hardware store under there says, business really picked up, as you can imagine, quite a bit over the past few days. Hi, Lena.

Good afternoon to you, Amber. Yeah, that business owner says right now we're in the lull. It expects things to really kick up tomorrow as well as Friday. Some businesses are seeing their sales really skyrocket with these back-to-back storms. This is the only place in town. I called him this morning. We were at Burke Brothers Hardware when nine-year-old Siler Yates was finally able to get his hands on a sled for expected snow this weekend. I'm excited for it. Meanwhile, his mom had to pick up a snow shovel. We're still got a thick layer of ice in our driveway.

Owner Jeff Hastings says he's had a tremendous few days of business. Foot traffic has soared. Oh, about 500%. Wow. Yeah. He has some cold weather merchandise in the parking lot. We have another two and a half pallets of snow shovels. Shipments of more propane, firewood, and batteries came today.

He still has hundreds of sleds left behind from the big order he placed. last week for 1,700 sleds. My belief is I'm going to go big or go home. And so when I've started ordering, I just maxed out. There is one item, though. He still can't get his hands on. I'd love to be able to get some ice melt, like half the world, but nobody around Raleigh that I'm aware of has any ice melt.

I don't think anybody in North Carolina. So there are other small businesses reeling from closing their doors this weekend coming up all new at 6 o'clock. The push right now to patronize restaurants that are already trying to navigate what is the slowest time of the year. So we'll have that coming up ahead at 6 o'clock for now we're live in Raleigh. Elena, A.B.C. 11, eyewitness news. Yes, the story of highs and lows for our local businesses. Elena, we'll see you then. Thank you.

Last weekend's winter storm caused a lot of headaches for drivers. And now another one on the way could result in more accidents and dangerous conditions on the road. Just when drivers thought they would see some relief. John Dowding is live right on I-40 and Kerry. So, John, I know that you checked in with a local tow truck company today. What are they telling you about last weekend? Well, Amber, as you can imagine, it's been a busy couple days for tow truck companies across the triangle, including the one we spoke to in Durham. They told us that at the peak of the storm, their phones were off the hook.

They were getting calls from as far away as Greensboro asking for help. So they were just calling anywhere to see if they could get some help. Ice and sleet on the roads causing a busy weekend for tow truck companies across the triangle. David Overman owns Dave's towaway in Durham. His family owned tow truck company has been busy since the storm. At least two different cars sitting in their lot in Durham badly damaged after getting into accidents last weekend. But overall, Dave says even though their phone lines stayed busy, they did not see too many terrible accidents or car wrecks during last weekend storm.

Most of what we did have were stuck in the driveways, no fatality. thank goodness and very few fendipendous. People did go into ditch. Dave did tell us what helped a lot during the storm was a lot of people ended up staying home, which prevented a lot more accidents and issues on our road. So it's just an important reminder that during the storm,

if you can stay home, stay home just to stay safe. We actually spoke with the driver who was involved in a car accident during the storm. She was at that toll yard picking up her car to go get it fixed after she got in an accident. Coming up at five here about her experience on the roads during the storm last weekend and hear from local mechanics about ways you can prevent breakdowns during these frigid cold winter months. Live here above I-40 and Kerry. I'm John Dowden. ABC 11, our witness news. We'll see you with more tips coming up in an hour, John. Thank you.

Right now the jury is continuing their deliberations in the trial of Isaiah Ross in Orange County. Winter weather paused their work earlier this week and today they are back at it. Cindy Bay is live in Hillsborough. Cindy, any questions from the jury today or any. indication about where they are in their decision making? Well, still no verdict is reached as of this hour, but as of last week, the jury says that they are making good progress. Now, last week, the jury started their deliberations on Thursday, but due to the winter weather, the Orange County Courthouse was closed on Monday and Tuesday. All jurors were present this morning, and they have been deliberating for nearly four hours at this point. And so here are the jury's options that they are currently discussing. This includes whether they find Ross guilty or not guilty of first degree murder of Lyric Woods.

And if Ross is guilty or not guilty of first degree, second degree murder or voluntary manslaughter of Devin Clark. Now court also started late this morning, about a half hour delay. And so we're continuing to follow this trial closely. The jury is continuing to do their deliberations. And we're going to update you as soon as we can ahead on eyewitness news at 5 in Hillsborough. Cindy Bay, Navy C-11. I would to see. It should be an interesting verdict there, Cindy. We know that Ross told the jurors that he shot Clark, but he did not shoot Lyrick Wood.

So we'll see what decision they come to. Cindy, thank you. And tonight, nurses from the Durham VA Hospital are holding a candlelight vigil in honor of Alex Prattie. Yeah, he's the 37-year-old ICU nurse who was shot and killed by immigration agents over the weekend in Minneapolis. Prety was an ICU nurse at the VA hospital in Minneapolis. And tonight's vigil is happening outside the Durham VA main gate. It will be this evening at 6 o'clock. We will have live coverage coming up here on eyewitness news at 6.

And tonight's vigil comes at the two federal officers involved in that deadly shooting have now been placed on paid administrative leave, according to a customs and border protection spokesperson who says the move is standard protocol. Both fired their weapons during the incident, according to a Department of Homeland Security preliminary report sent to Congress and obtained by ABC News that report notifying lawmakers that a preliminary review of body camera footage has been conducted at no point in the report. Does it say Prady tried to reach for his weapon?

His officials had intentionally claimed Governor Tim Walls visiting the site of the shooting today, saying he would like to see federal officers removed from Minneapolis. We just need them out of here. We need accountability for what's happening. On Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urging Republicans to remove the Homeland Security budget from a package of bills to fund the government.

This Friday is the deadline on that bill, or there could be a partial government shutdown. More reaction this afternoon after North Carolina Republican Senator Tom Tillis called out top members of President Trump's cabinet in regards to what's happening in Minneapolis. Tillis spoke to reporters last night calling Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem incompetent and saying she has caused serious damage to President Trump's reputation. Trump responded calling Tillis a loser. And when asked about it today, this is what Tillis had to say. The president called you a loser, I believe. I am thrilled about that. That makes me qualified. Homeland Security Secretary and senior advisor to the president.

Tillis has been more critical of the Trump administration recently. Last year, he voted against Trump's big, beautiful bill. Tillis' statement comes as the fight for his Senate seat here in North Carolina continues after he announced back in June he would not seek re-election. Now, state elections leaders are investigating whether Margot Dupree, one of the Republican, candidates, is a Florida resident. It comes after complaint by Jerry Roanel, a Fayetteville Republican, suggested she might be living in Marion County, Florida, and that she last voted in Florida in the early

April 2025 primary election. You must be a North Carolina resident to run for our state seat in the U.S. Senate. The Board of Elections held a hearing today. Dupree says she feels as though the complaint was politically motivated. The complaint regarding a registration in Charlotte, North Carolina was lodged by a complainant living in Fayetteville, North Carolina. This begs the question. The Board of Elections decided to delay a legal hearing on Dupree's eligibility. Dupree, one of seven Republicans, seeking to replace Senator Tillis. And we are looking ahead to the North Carolina 20-2026 election. In-person, early voting starts next month. It starts February 12th and runs through February 28th. March 3rd is the primary election day. The last date of register to vote is on February

6th. Still ahead, a hit and run in Durham turns deadly. What we know right now about the car crash in the chain of events leading up to it. Plus, the Federal Reserve announced its latest interest rate decision that came today. Today, the Federal Reserve decided to hold interest rates steady, ending a string of three interest rate cuts in a row. I'm Christiane-Curdero in Washington with that story coming up. And we're taking a live look at the roads this hour. I-40-Avon-very-Froad traffic moving along on both sides just fine. Could see some of those wet spots re-freezed tonight.

As we hit a break, here are your traffic hotspots brought to you by your first alert, weather team. The ABC 11 First Alert Forecast team is working to keep you safe. One is 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, I Witness News.

Let's get to check up some other local headlines in your speed feed this Wednesday. First, two people are dead. Two others seriously hurt after a car crash in Durham. Police telling eyewitness news, this started around 5 o'clock last night when a Ford Explorer, driven by 22-year-old Jordan Jones. hit another car on Hebron Road and then took off. Police say shortly after Jones ran off the road on Denfield Street hitting a tree. You can see some of the bark was ripped off of that tree from our video here.

Pieces of the car are also still laying on the ground there. Jones, along with the backseat passenger, 20-year-old Chimerian Williams died on the scene. Two other passengers were taken to the hospital with serious injuries, and that crash still remains under investigation. Flu deaths in North Carolina continue to climb. New numbers released today by state health officials revealing since last week 26 more people died from flu related complications. There have been 207 total flu deaths this season, and the number of people visiting emergency room departments and admitted to hospitals continues to trend down across most of the state except Western North Carolina. Flu season runs through May.

A family is displaced after flames ripped through their home in Wake County. This was a scene on Fowler Road near Mitchell Mill Road. The battalion fire chief says the call came in just after 5 o'clock this morning. They immediately saw flames shooting from the roof. Several agencies responded to clear the fire, and thankfully the family inside that home were all able to make it out safely. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. And that's your speed feed, Lauren, back to you. We are keeping an eye on the economy.

The Federal Reserve kept short-term interest rates unchanged today, despite pressure from President Trump to lower the cost of borrowing money. It's the first rate decision since the Department of Justice launched an investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell regarding his testimony last June about the multi-year renovation of the Federal Reserve building. ABC's Christiane Cordero has the latest from Washington. Today, a string of three interest rate cuts in a row ends with the Federal Reserve deciding to hold rates steady. The economy is growing at a solid pace. The unemployment rate has been broadly stable and inflation remains somewhat elevated. The move signals a cautious approach from Fed Chair, Jerome, Rome Powell, who said last month that the agency wants to see how the economy evolves. President Trump's tariffs, the rise of artificial intelligence, and a stubborn job market

have contributed to an uncertain economic outlook. ABC's Selena Wang asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent today what message he has for Americans worried about affordability. Americans should be worried about affordability. The Biden administration destroyed affordability. It's the worst inflation. We are getting inflation under control. The latest government data, however, shows food prices.

are rising at their fastest monthly pace since 2022. Powell, with a reality check on inflation today. Inflation has eased significantly from its highs in mid-2020, but remains somewhat elevated relative to our 2% longer-run goal. Despite consumer spending being up, major companies are now announcing cuts to their workforce. Amazon today said it's cutting 16,000 jobs in the company's second round of layoffs in three months. Last summer, Amazon's CEO said he expects Amazon's work. workforce to change because of AI.

Several other companies have also announced cuts, including Pinterest, Meta, Nike, and UPS. UPS expects to reduce its workforce by 30,000 jobs this year. Today's Fed decision was the first since Powell announced he was being investigated by the DOJ regarding the Fed's building renovation costs. Powell immediately denied any wrongdoing and did not elaborate today. The president says he was not involved in the DOJ's

investigation. Cristiano Cordero, ABC News, Washington. Today marks 40 years since the space shuttle challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight. All seven crew members were killed, including Kristen McCullough, a high school teacher. It was the first fatal accident involving an American spacecraft while in flight. The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the space shuttle program and resulted in greater safety protocols for the space industry. Now at four, the monks continue their walk to the nation's capital. and during winter weather and below freezing temperatures, Chopper 11 capturing the monks walk for peace as they bravely make their way through our state.

The monks starting their day in Warren County. Today they are expected to make their way into Virginia. I remember Amber and Don seeing the early pictures of their journey from Texas. Some of them were walking with no shoes on. We're not in that kind of weather anymore, right? No. No, they're going to need the boots probably all the way to D.C. Yeah. We've got very cold weather tonight in the Easter part of the viewing area. of that, the National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory for Nash County, Edgecombe,

Northampton, and Halifax counties in our area. This is just a heads up that Winchels could get as low as six tonight. Rest of us will see some bitter cold winchills. Mecklenburg County, you're under that too. The rest of us will see Winchell's around 10 tonight, so not into the advisory category, but it is going to be a very cold overnight. Not seeing anything in the way of precipitation, the first alert Doppler network scanning the skies, and it is, across our part of the Carolinas head live up to Roxborough. You can see that wind out of the west at 10, keeping the flag standing straight out. Blue skies, 36 degrees in person county.

We do have a west-southwest wind at nine miles per hour. We'll go from the 30s to the 20s and teens tonight. Roxborough, down to 17, 20 in Durham, 20 in Sanford, 24 Goldsboro, 24 Clinton, and 23 in Fayetteville. Normal for this time of year in the Raleigh area is 32 will be at least 10 degrees below that. satellite radar is clear and dry, a couple of high clouds working through, but everybody wants to know about the weekend. So let's get to it and show you what we know so far. This is a list of all the major models. There are tons of weather models we can look at, but you've got the American, the North American, the Canadian, the European, the German, that's the icon, and the United Kingdom.

Four of the six show path number two, and that would be all snow. But the German and the United Kingdom one still showing it going out to sea. So it's not in consensus yet, but it's looking more and more like we will see snow. So let's walk you through the American model first. Snow flying overnight into Saturday morning and will last all day Saturday, possibly into Sunday morning. And then it moves out of here. That's the American model. Don't expect these totals.

22 inches. It was 29 earlier today, but that's just the American model. That's way out there. But let's go ahead and show you the European model. The European model also showing the snow with us through the day on Saturday. This has tracked to the west more than it did yesterday, and that's up the snowfall totals. 7.2, 6.4. Are we going to see these exact mounts?

No, but I think by tonight at 11 o'clock we'll have a really good idea at least this far out where that heavy snow will fall. Now, this is a tool the National Weather Service uses to determine whether they need to issue a winter storm warning. This is a chance of three or more inches of snow, and most of our area now seeing an 80% chance of seeing at least three inches. It's looking more and more like this could be a bigger snowfall, one to three inches up to the north, three to six to the south. We will, of course, be keeping an eye on that and keep you updated. By the way, the last weekend, this was lit up the chance of a quarter inch of ice. This can be an all snow event. Notice we don't see any colors on here.

Ice is not going to be a big deal, and that's why I'm not worried about power outages with this storm system as much. High confidence this Gulf Coastal Low will develop this weekend. High confidence there'll be enough cold air in place to give us the snow flying. and now this has gone up. Yesterday day this is low. Will we see sledable snow where you can break out the sled? That's going up as well.

I think some kids will get some sled time in on Sunday or Saturday into Sunday, at least for now. 38 degrees, Raleigh, 37 Durham, 42 in Fayette. Bill, your seven-day forecast shows the first alert days, both Saturday and Sunday. The snow would begin overnight into Saturday morning. It's around throughout the day on Saturday. Sunday 29.

Very cold weekend. and then we warm up into the 40s and it will quickly melt away as we go into next week. But we'll be keeping an eye on it and giving you updates throughout the evening, ladies. All right. In fact, Don is going to be doing a streaming special tonight at 6.30 as we continue to track the storm and its potential, he's going to be diving into an extended forecast and we'll have tips on what you can do to prepare right now. We all had some preparation and some practice last weekend. So I think we're all ready, right?

Get your snow stats. That's true. Get them ready. All right. Up next, tax season is here. But you could get your refund check late. later than expected this year. We'll tell you why after the break.

Time now for some news you can use, and Amazon says it's laying off 16,000 employees. It cites a need to be nimble to increase decision-making speed around AI. The cuts follow 14,000 others in October. Amazon says it will continue to adjust staffing as needed. That includes with potential hires

in other strategic areas as well. Breeze Airways is announcing three new nonstop routes at Raleigh Durham International Airport. Breeze flyers at RDU will soon be able to catch a straight flight to Atlantic City, New Jersey, Madison, Wisconsin, and San Antonio, Texas. Flights to San Antonio and Madison begin on May the 8th. Flights to Atlantic City start June the 11th. A government watchdog is warning that your tax refunds could be delayed this year. A new memo blames IRS staffing shortages and technology issues. The IRS lost 19,000 employees last year and many of the seasonal employees haven't been trained yet.

The iconic Valentine's Day candy, Spangler's Sweethearts, is acknowledging the realities of the current economy. They are adding some relatable sayings to its conversation hearts like this. Among the new sayings, share login, split rent, and cook for two and even carpool. Don't worry, though, if you're a fan of the classics like Cutie Pie and Mary Me, the company says you will still find those sayings in boxes and bags with sweethearts at retailers nationwide. That's funny. Share login. That's news you can use, Lauren, back to you.

How about split rent? I would love that. Diamond doesn't pay a dime, Amber. All right, still ahead. One year after retired, Green Beret was reported missing in Cumberland County. Questions about what happened to him still remained. After the break, we're talking with District Attorney Billy West about the investigation into Clint Bonnell's murder and where the case stands right now. And we have an update in a lawsuit filed by the family of Shenquella Robinson, the Charlotte woman who died while vacationing with friends in Mexico, the latest in the case as her family fights for answers. We are local news.

ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. Right now at 4 as we prepare for potential snow this weekend. We're taking a look back at years past when we saw quite a bit of snow. This is the infamous February 2014 snowstorm. You can see traffic. Look at that at a complete gridlock. Now you remember, Don, people spinning out across the roadways, abandoning cars. That's where that state puffed marshmallow man meme came from.

I get that. Okay, so newbies to the area may not remember that storm, but those who are living in the area might remember that, Don, you were here so you can recall. Help us understand what made that storm worse than other ones we've seen in this area. And is that anything like what you're forecasting this weekend? Well, it all depends on where that track of that low moves. If it moves a little closer to us, it pulls all that moisture up into the cold air and bang, you get those big snowfalls. We'll talk more about that in a moment. I do want to talk about this.

This is an active advisory for tonight. So I want to give everybody a heads up in our north and eastern counties. cold weather advisory. If we look at the fields like temps into tonight, down to nine Roanoke Rapids, nine in Lewisburg. And you can get down to four in Oxford. So just be prepared for a very cold overnight. All right, let's go back to the history a little bit. First Lord Doppler, not showing any snowfall out there tonight. But if we look back at the last 10 years, the last big year was 2018. We saw 17.5 inches of snow. That was the big one over the past 10 years. Remember last year, we have ended the year with 4.9 inches. We had that four inches of snow in February. So it hasn't been a long time since we've seen measurable snow like this. But we did have a couple of years in there that were without anything. Now looking at the storm as we go into the next weekend. Here's the bottom line. Weekend snow chances are increasing 70 to 90 percent chances seeing some heavy snow. When Friday night through Sunday morning, Sunday morning still kind of iffy, whether it'll linger or not, but I know Saturday is.

going to be a very snowy day. 70 to 90% chance of major impacts for most of Central North Carolina. And that's especially going to be roads. Airlines should get out. They're able to clear the snow, but there will be delays and cancellations. And I would not be surprised to see a winter storm warning issued because of the possibility of three or more inches of snow as we get closer to it. As a matter of fact, either tomorrow or Friday, National Wildlife Service will

probably issue a winter watch first to get a heads up and then it turns out. And then it turns into a warning as that snow flies. We'll talk more about those snow chances in your seven-day forecast. That's coming up in just a bit. Ladies. It's all anyone's talking about, Don. We'll see you with more. Thanks. And as we continue to keep an eye on some possible snow showers this coming weekend, be sure to download the ABC 11 app.

We'll keep you up to date on what's happening in your community. Today marks one year since a retired Green Beret was reported missing in Cumberland County. It was January 28th last year when Methodist University leaders said Clint Bonnell did not show up for his classes. His wife, Shana Cloud, told deputies she hadn't seen him since the day before, but authorities saw his personal items at his house. Pineau's torso was found in a pond near the family's home in February, but the rest of his remains still have not been found. Penelope Lopez joining us live. So Penelope and I know that you spoke with the district attorney today to get some answers on where this investigation stands a year later now. Dry District Attorney Billy West says while the progress has been slow, the case has been moving forward for the past year.

investigators have been interviewing multiple different people, collecting evidence, and building a strong case. We certainly want justice to be done, but we want to do it right and make sure that we've done everything correctly in this particular case. One year after retired Green Beret Clint Bunnell vanished, questions remained. This case, there was an extensive investigation done, you know, once the crime occurred and the police department, sheriff's office, an excellent job, you know, putting together what we call the investigative file, all the testing that has to be done, all the interviews, witness statements, those sort of things. Bunnell was last seen on January 27, 2025 in the Grease Creek area of Cumberland County. On January 28th, when he failed to show up for class at Methodist University, an employee at the

university requested a wellness check. His then-girlfriend Kelly Edwards also requested a welfare check and filed a missing person's report. This comes after, Bonnell told Cloud he wanted to file for divorce. Three days later, the case was reassigned to the homicide unit. On February 25th, Sheriff deputies found human remains in a pond. The autopsy showed Bunnell was shot four times in the upper and lower back.

On March 28th, Cloud was charged with first-degree murder and concealment of a death. The whereabouts of his arms, legs, and head are still unknown. Yeah, it certainly has touched them. Mr. Binell was very well thought of by by family and friends and co-workers and people he went to school with out at Methodist. And of course, it was a former soldier and we love our military here in Cumberland County. And so it was just a very tragic, tragic case. And we're going to do everything we can to see that justice is done in the case. Certainly a tragic case. As for what's next,

this case is set to go before a grand jury. The trial date is still not said and it's expected for some time in 2027 coming up in the next hour hear from two of his former high school classmates how they're remembering him a year later live in Fayetteville penelope lofaz abccccdivus eyewitness news yeah penelpe this was a case that just captured national headlines so a lot of people wondering where to go from here we'll see you soon with more thank you covering the carolinas the shuncuela robinson family's lawsuit will now be in a different court. Robinson died on vacation in Mexico with a group of friends back in 2022. Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming Amani Green punched Robinson in the face,

head, neck and other parts of her body while Robinson was unable to defend herself. Documents claim Green was acting in self-defense. Robinson death certificate cited a severe spinal cord injury as well as a broken neck. However, the six people she went on the trip with claimed she died of alcohol poisoning. A judge has turned the case over to the Mecklenburg, Superior Court. This comes after the Robinson family's claim against the FBI and State Department have been dismissed. State lawmakers delaying a hearing on public safety in Charlotte. It comes after a federal judge is ruling preventing state lawmakers from releasing the investigative files of De Carlos Brown. He's the suspect in the deadly light rail stabbing of Ukrainian refugee

arena Zerutska. Lawmakers are probing public safety in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and have invited seven city and county leaders to testify about safety. The hearing, the hearing, was already rescheduled from January 22nd until tomorrow, but now will be held on February 9th. Still ahead here at 430 measles cases continue to rise across the nation. What we know about the new cases now confirmed here in North Carolina. And legal troubles for multiple weight loss drug makers, the severe side effects on people now say they're having from GLP 1 drugs. In your health check, there is another case of the measles reported in North Carolina, the latest case in Mecklenburg County near Charlotte.

That makes 14 cases in just the last month. Just across the border, measles cases in South Carolina hitting yet another record. There are now nearly 800 confirmed cases there and more than 550 people are quarantined. That's the biggest outbreak since measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. 25 years ago. Vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. The measles outbreak in South Carolina is now the largest in the U.S. since the disease was declared eliminated. As of yesterday, the number of measles cases grew to 780.

more than the Texas outbreak last year, which saw 762 cases. At least 12 people have been hospitalized. Doctors say the number of cases has gone up because fewer people are getting vaccinated for the disease. It breaks my heart. We have this amazing vaccine that would help protect us all from getting the measles. And we are just seeing that people aren't as excited about giving that vaccine anymore. And this is why we're seeing measles come back into the United States. The disease was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000.

However, the spread of measles over the past year has left the nation at risk of losing that elimination status. The Pan American Health Organization could decide to revoke that status when it meets in April. And as we continue to track the measles outbreak across the country, ABC News has also launched this new map that shows how to spot the measles risk level in your zip code. As you can see, much of our state is in the higher risk level. Meanwhile, lawsuits over weight loss drugs are growing. More than 4,000 individual plaintiffs are now part of consolidated cases. They claim GLP1 drugs like Ozympic and Wagovi caused complications like so-called stomach paralysis. The drug makers say the medicine is safe.

They point to benefits around obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Up next, big costs to attend. The big game will tell you how much tickets for Super Bowl 60 are selling for. Plus the surprising group of intruders, a homeowner woke up too and why it has the internet cracking up. You can take a guess. Now here for an in-depth look into a major threat to community colleges, including those right here in the triangle, a threat that also potentially impacts your wallet. Trouble shooter Diane Wilson is here with her investigation into Go students in collaboration with ABC News.

These Go students, which investigators say are an army of digital crooks are stealing identities and using them who siphon off hundreds of millions of dollars in student financial aid. Steve Osun Sommi, a senior national correspondent with ABC News, is joining me now. Steve, thanks for being here. Question for you, your investigation discovered this impacts hundreds of colleges.

You know, we're talking to experts who say that there are hundreds of schools that are being impacted by this. Most of them are community colleges, but there are some four-year schools, but the reason why community colleges are being impacted is because those are schools that will accept more non-traditional students,

students of different backgrounds, of different ages. It's easier for the thieves to hide. You know, and this scam starts when someone's identity gets stolen. What's happening to everyday people who are discovering this, if they discover this, is that they all of a sudden get a letter from the IRS or from a creditor or from a student loan site, basically saying that there's a loan in their name, and oftentimes this isn't happening until the person is trying to buy a car or a house or applying for credit. Or if they happen to be watching their credit get a notice on their phone. Thanks Steve and tonight at 5.30 our investigation into these ghost students impacting

triangle colleges and how a FAPA woman was able to get 3.5 million in student loans by stealing identities plus how you can protect yourself from becoming a ghost student. Diane, thank you. Yale University helping ease the financial burden of attending its campus. Starting in 2027, the school is expanding its financial aid and program and offering free tuition for undergraduates who come from families with an annual income under $200,000. It will cover all expenses for those whose families are making less than $100,000. Officials say with these changes, nearly half of all American households with kids under 17 could qualify for its total financial aid package.

The full cost to attend the university is more than $90,000 per year. Now to today's top trending stories in real news, first, a woman was in for quite a shock When she woke up to a surprising group of intruders, they were wandering right onto her front yard in the early hours of the morning. Those visitors who happened to be a group of horses can be seen walking across her lawn. But they weren't there to steal anything, of course, instead they helped themselves to a little bit of her grass. Before police arrived and rounded the horses up,

the homeowner joked in the post that her garden had turned into a stable. Let's go to Ohio now, where one college student made the most of a record snowstorm by hitching a ride on some skis. Brock Miller was sliding down the street when he captured this video here. You can see him showing off some tricks as he avoided hitting any cars. The National Weather Service recorded 11.9 inches of snow

in Columbus, Ohio, this past weekend marking a record of daily snowfall. That skier wasn't the only one who took part in the snow day fun. Check out this little one taking a ride down a sledding track. So cute. Sarah Renner says that her husband built

the mini sledding track in their backyard for their kids. She said the baby watched the other kids and looked so excited, so they decided to let her try a small part of the track. You can see from that baby girl's excitement coming down the hill. She just loved it. Very cute. That's real news, Lauren. Over to you. So cute. All right. We are less than two weeks out from Super Bowl 60 and tickets are selling really fast. According to Ticketmaster, the cheapest ticket for the big game is under $7,000, but you have to sit in the very last row of the stadium. Others were posted at $25,000 each. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will face off in the big game February 8th at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Speaking of the Super Bowl bad bunny, getting fans geared up ahead of his halftime show.

The Puerto Rican superstar dropped a limited edition merch capsule in collaboration with Ceremony of Roses and the NFL. The fans' conto collection includes teas, hoodies, plushies, baseball hats featuring his towed mascot, concho in different uniforms. Super cute. Super cute. I like that. Got to find ways to make money. Always, Don, right? Boy, you got that right. I mean, 25 grand a ticket. Who. That is nuts. All right, let's talk about the weather tonight. It is going to be very cold. We have a cold weather advisory in effect for a north and eastern county. Just no wind chills tonight, single digits. So be ready for another chilly night. Live look on first floor Doppler. We are dry out there. Gorgeous sunset about to happen down in Fayetteville. The stuff helps.

sky cam show in 43 degrees sunny skies on a southwest wind at nine miles per hour. Let's walk you through the next 24 hours, partly cloudy skies this evening. Temperatures falling by 2 o'clock. We're down into the 20s. Then as we hit through the day tomorrow, it's going to be cooler than it was today by a couple of degrees. We'll see some clouds working in the afternoon. By 11 o'clock, we're up around 30 and into the afternoon 36 degrees under partly cloudy skies. As far as the next four days go, Saturday and Sunday, both first. alert days. That's because of the potential for snow. Still too early to make snowfall forecast, but it's looking more and more like multiple inches are possible. We'll have an update tonight at 11 o'clock and tell you more what the evening runs as we get the model runs in. But 38 tomorrow, Friday, 38, 24 on Saturday, 29 on Sunday. That's key. This is going to be cold. And unlike last weekend where we saw that kind of warm push of air in the middle part of the atmosphere, this one, we're cold from the ground all the way to the sky, all the way to the clouds. And that means nothing but no falling across the area. Ladies.

All right. Don, thank you. Here's what we're working on coming up here at 5 o'clock. Some major developments unfolding in the murder trial of Isaiah Ross. No verdict has been read. However, we do know right now that the jury there in Orange County is split when it comes to the murder of Lyrick Woods. We'll tell you what the judge is now saying and how this could be, we could be on the verge of a mistrial. Coming up next and all new on eyewitness news at 5 o'clock authorities in Wayne County, searching for a gunman after man was found dead inside his home. We're back in that neighborhood today, pressing to learn more about the investigation.

And we have an update to an I-team troubleshooter investigation after dozens of brides, reached out to Diane Wilson claiming they never received wedding photos that they had paid for. How many complaints have now been filed after the state attorney general joined the investigation? And college students now soon state election officials calling for campus polling sites ahead of the upcoming primary election. All right, coming up here, all new at first. 4 o'clock of medical breakthrough. The new study from researchers at Duke that could one day help shorten the time it takes you to get over a common cold.