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

Episode Date: June 5, 2026

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Leaders considering naming rights for the convention center. And the bank that could pay thousands a year for its name to appear on the building. Plus, eye on the economy, new jobs, numbers shatter expectations, but it is not all good news as Americans continue to have a tougher time keeping up with higher prices. Plus hockey fever, growing the ice, getting crowded in North Carolina, coming up why youth hockey is heating up and drawing in more players than ever before. Also, we are hearing from the Carolina hurricanes after that amazing, over. time win last night. Plus the lawyers of a man arrested in Wake County accused of threatening President Trump now questioning

his competency. What a new motion is revealing in this case. Eyewitnesses 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 at 4, it is Getting hot in here. Live look at Raleigh Durham where temperatures climbed into the 90s today. And by Sunday, we could break a record. We get at 100 degrees on Sunday. Thank you for joining us on this Friday. I'm Barbara Gibbs. Triple digits. I'm Amber. Repented. The good news is it will not be too humid. He'll be aologist on Swindekers joining us now. The first alert forecast center to break down the weekend heat and that air quality alert.

Yeah, the air quality alert actually continues through 8 o'clock tonight for our part of the viewing area to the west. actually goes till midnight tonight. It's just an air quality action day code orange. That means people who already have breathing problems. The air is not good to be out in, so please stay inside. Live look at first alert Doppler net tonight. We're dry across the region. We're looking live on the Pendo Sky Cam, downtown Raleigh, mostly cloudy, and a south, southwest wind at seven miles an hour. So here are the temperatures, 94, Raleigh, 96 Durham, 93 Carbro, 93 in Fayetteville. Now let's show you the feels like temperatures. Usually that jumps up. Uh-uh. It actually goes down. It feels like 91. That's because the humidity is actually lower. So it's taking some of that moisture off you. 91, 94. It's still hot. It's just not we're not seeing those triple digit feels like temperatures across the region. As a matter of fact, a lot of 80s on the board because of that lower humidity. It's first alert you to the evening ahead. Maybe you're headed out to watch Dave Matthews and Walnut Creek tonight. Temperatures will be in the 90s before the concert starts. As we go through the concert, we will. will drop into the 70s for ABC 11 at 11.

We'll talk more about the overnight cooldown and that weekend heat in your seven-day forecast coming up in just a bit. Ladies. All right, Don, thank you. Another big story. We turn to the economy, a rough day for investors. The Dow closes down, dropping nearly 700 points after a better than expected jobs report after an AI stock sell-off and then concerns over higher interest rates. The Bureau of Labor says 172,000 jobs were added in May, double what was expected. A resilient job market, as the unemployment rate stays at 4.3%.

But many Americans are still feeling the pinch. The price of food is still up. That's right. So the skyrocketing cost of beef, also forcing some barbecue joints in Texas to close. Here's ABC's Perry Russum with more. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics says 172,000 jobs were added in May significantly higher than expected. The hospitality industry, local government and health care, all seeing an increase in jobs. as jobs in the financial industry are going down.

We're at a pretty miserable 2025, but it looks like the middle or the early and middle parts of 2026 really suggests that labor markets moving along. And I think the thing this will really do is it's time to stop talking about the word recession. Recessions don't happen when the labor market's motoring along like this. The positive news on jobs is met with the rising cost of food. Texas, more and more barbecue joints are closing. Price of beef, absolutely insane. Beef prices have been climbing for years.

There are 86.2 million cattle in the U.S. A historic shortage, the lowest number since 1951. Drought, the cost of feed, and other economic pressures being blamed. The price of ground chuck is up more than 15% over the last year. Economists say it could be 2028 before things improve. Rangel's barbecue is one of the 3,300 barbecue restaurants in Texas feeling the pitch. And for pit masters who depend on brisket, the cost increase, is hitting their bottom line.

The biggest concern for us in the barbecue industry is how high is it going to go? My total food costs, say if I spend $100,000 a month on groceries to bring in here, $45,000 of that is brisket alone. With the strait of war moves still closed, the price of oil remains higher than it was before the war. The average price for a gallon of gas is $4.19.

cents. Perry Russell, EBC News, New York. Well, drivers are finally getting a bit of relief at the gas pump. After prices have declined for two weeks straight, we found prices as low as 341 to as high as 379 in Raleigh today. While drivers are seeing lower prices when filling up, analysts say gas prices could remain unpredictable in the weeks and months ahead. Right now, the nationwide average for a gallon of unleaded is $4.22 a gallon. North Carolina's average has fallen below $4 to $382. a gallon. And there is some good news for homeowners. Mortgage rates are falling heading into the hot summer home buying season. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 6.48%. When

mortgage rates decline, they give homebuyers more purchasing power. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors from the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy decisions to beyond bond market investors' expectations for the economy and inflation as well. Now here at four, new reaction coming in today after Chapel Hill Carborough City Schools voted to close one elementary school after months of debate. The board unanimously approved closing Glenwood Elementary last night. Cindy Bay is live in Chapel Hill now with more on what the decision means for families. A lot of reaction to this, Cindy. Yeah, Amber, and for many families, it's an upsetting decision.

District leaders say no one wanted to make this decision, but supporters of Glenwood say the school's impact will be hard to replace. A tough night for the Glenwood Gators. The Chapel Hill Carborough City School Board voted unanimously Thursday to close Glenwood Elementary. It is sad that our system doesn't have the ability to keep all the schools open. Our system is a good school system, and I think that we can trust that good will come of this, but it is a sad day to close this school. school that is so remarkable as part of our institution. The decision comes after months of review.

Glenwood was one of three elementary schools under consideration as the district grapples with declining enrollment and rising costs. Officials point to factors including lower birth rates and the high cost of living. We used to be a district of 12,000 students. We're trending toward being a district of about 9,500 students. District leaders say closing one school could save nearly two months. million dollars a year plus additional revenue from the sale of the property. The schools under review were also among the district's oldest facilities.

Still officials acknowledged the decision carries a heavy emotional toll. The idea of closing any school is extremely emotional and painful for everyone involved, including the district administration as well as our students and families. No one wants to be in a position like this, but generally it's understood that the conversations we're having are in the long-term interest. of our success, not just for students, but for staff and for everyone who calls CHCCS home.

Glenwood Family say the school's dual language program is one of its biggest strengths and so coming up what happens to that program plus the timeline for students and staff as the closure moves forward in Chapel Hill, Cindy Bay, ABC 11, Eyewitness News. Yeah, there was a lot of feedback

leading up to this decision and we have followed it every step of the way. Cindy, thank you for that. for that. And just last month in Cumberland County, school leaders voted to close J.W. Coon and Manchester Elementary's. The board said the move will save money on aging buildings. Students from both schools will be reassigned when the new school year begins. All right, new tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes are now Vegas bound. Indeed they are. Chopper 11 over RDEU this afternoon, and you see that Delta Airlines flight taking off. The team's plane took off for Sin City this afternoon.

The Cains and Golden Knights will face off in game three of the Stanley Cup final on Saturday. after last night's remarkable comeback by the Keynes. If you were watching, you know they were down two to nothing. The canes clawed their way back, taking the game into overtime, hitting the winning puck and then tying the series, one game apiece. Here's what they had to say about that big game two win last night. You know, game one's definitely feeling out process for both teams. You know, you got to get a feel of, you know, the tendencies of each team and whatnot.

And you saw in game two is a little tighter for sure. You know, just waiting for that one mistake or that one turnover you can pounce on and there's not a lot out there. But, you know, just sticking with it, like I said earlier, just, you know, getting those results. It's really uplifting in the sense that, you know, you got to believe and, you know, just keep going. I think we believe in a group, you know, we're covering what we're doing it and how we're doing it. You know, we believe in our system and we just try to go there and play our game. and that's what we kind of been doing. Still locked in.

Kate Rogerson and Trayvon Miles are going to Vegas with the Canes. Watch for their live coverage right here on ABC 11. And don't forget to tune in to our pregame special chasing the cup tomorrow night at 7 o'clock here before the puck drops at 8 o'clock. You can catch that special on ABC 11 or wherever you stream. All right. And as you probably are feeling or as you could imagine, Keynes fans are still flying high after their dramatic comeback win last night.

As the team looks to capture its second Stanley Cup in franchise history, their success has led to the surge of interest in the sport. Michael Perchick joins us now live from outside the Lenovo Center with more on the rise of youth hockey in North Carolina. Hey, Michael. Hey, Amber and Barbara. The Canes made the playoffs eight straight seasons, a period of sustained success that has coincided with an explosion of kids wanting to join youth hockey leagues across North Carolina. I have so many moms and dads come up to me and say, well, this wasn't on my bingo card when I had children. Former Hurricane Shane Willis now serves the team's director of youth hockey and community outreach. And recalls a time when low attendance was the norm.

A far cry from the team's current multi-season salad streak. Winning breed success and success breeds fandom. And we've been able to do that across the entire state. That's led to not only more fans cheering on the team, but wanting to get involved themselves. Data from U.S. hockey backs it up. In 2017-18, the last season, Carolina missed the playoffs. There were 3861 registered players 18 and younger in the state. Last season, that figure topped 5600 of 45% increase.

Now the focus is on continuing that momentum. I used to be able to go to a park in the wintertime and just skate for free. I used to jump on the lake and just go skate. We don't have that option here. So rinks are starting to develop a little bit faster. There's another one coming on track here and a little bit here in Raleigh. But we're going to need more because the growth isn't stopping. The canes have also been directly involved in efforts to grow the sports, with the first goal program providing equipment, practice sessions, and tickets to a game.

In the past decade, it's introduced more than 6,000 boys and girls to hockey. We eliminate that barrier from a hurricanes organization and make sure kids get into the game. Then it's about keeping them there. Yeah, and certainly all this winning doing a big part in keeping them involved in this sport. Coming up at 6, we speak with Mary Darymbacher, a Raleigh native representing Team USA on the international stage. her perspective and insight on the growth of hockey amongst youth right here in North Carolina. From outside the Lenovo Center on Michael Perchick, ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, it is definitely getting popular and only going to get more.

Only going to keep going. And those littles, they just move on that ice like it's nothing. I know. It's fun to watch. Thank you so much, Michael. And this afternoon, while fans are celebrating the Canes win, some season ticket holders say that they never even got a chance to buy tickets in the first place. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is now demanding answers from Ticketmaster after complaints about problems during the Stanley Cup final ticket presale. Jackson says some season ticket holders logged on with valid presale codes but got stuck in long cues or were pushed into the back of the line because of technical issues.

Many say by the time they got through, tickets were gone and only resale seats costing thousands of dollars remained. Jackson wants Ticketmaster to explain what went wrong and how many tickets actually went to season ticket holders and what steps were taken to stop. bots. He's giving the company one week to respond. Coming up next on eyewitness News at 4, the town of Benson naming an interim town manager. The move comes weeks after the town manager abruptly resigned and as the town faces a financial crisis, we'll show you who's taking over the help. Also coming up, the city of Raleigh is considering naming rights for the convention center coming up details of a public hearing on the proposal and the bank that could pay top dollar

to put its name on the building. Hey, and at first alert traffic, we're taking a live look at I-40 in Fayetteville Road, and you can see traffic really heavy for a Friday afternoon, volume up on both sides of the road there. As we head to break here, your traffic hotspots brought to you by the first alert forecast team. The ABC 11 First Alert Forecast team is working to keep you safe. Wannies across the region. Some cloud cover starting to build. That rain is going to push on through. Cold air coming in.

The first alert forecast team. Only on ABC 11. I witness news. In Toronto, every arrival. is a statement, and nothing says it better than this. Cadillac Optic was the number one selling luxury EV in Canada for 2025. Find your rhythm across a seamless 33-inch display and an immersive 19-speaker AKG surround audio system. This city demands agility and Optic delivers with precision to make every drive extraordinary. Let's take the Cadillac.

Find out more at Cadillac Canada.ca. Luxury sales claim based on S&P Global Mobility Canadian New Vehicle Total Registrations for calendar year 2025 for the Cadillac definition of luxury. Eyewitness News. We are local news weeknights four to six 30 and 11. Now to some more local headlines in your speed feed this Friday first. Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell is marking gun violence awareness month encouraging people to wear orange today. Every day in the United States, 130 people died by gun violence and another 200 are injured. That makes 19,000 people a year nationally who die as victims of gun violence. violence. At the local level, mayors, council members, police are working alongside anti-gun

violence groups to stop this senseless violence. Mayor Cowell went on to say by wearing orange today, June 5th, you can honor the lives of people who lost their life due to gun violence, also for survivors. And the attorney for the South Carolina man who was arrested at a car wash in Apex is asking a federal judge to have his client examined at Butner to see a few. he is competent to stand trial. The filing claims Daniel Swain may be suffering from a mental disease or a deficit rendering him mentally incompetent to stand trial. Swain was taken into custody in Apex after the police department responded to the car wash there when someone at the business called 911. He is now facing federal charges accused of threatening President Trump.

Swain's expected back in federal court next month for arraignment. Happening now, the search continues for those two inmates who has. escape the Vance County Detention Center. Michael Miles and Lee Sean Knott, seen and video here leaving the jail have now been on the run for two days. They were both charged in violent drug and gun cases and authorities are offering a reward now of up to $40,000 for any information leading to their arrest. And happening tomorrow, Wake County Veterans stand down. Veterans in need of support are invited to come out tomorrow for a free day of service services and care all in one location. Some of those services include showers and hygiene kits, free hair,

hot breakfast and lunch, pet services and health screenings. It runs from 8.30 in the morning to 3.30 at William Peace University on East P. Street in Raleigh, and that's your Friday. Speed Feed. Barbara, over to you. All right, Amber, thank you. Well, new it for the town of Benson announces its interim town manager. Tanner O'Quinn is appointed to the position. He's currently Benson's planning director. O'Quinn will carry on the duties of the town manager while the leaders of the town begin the process of conducting a search for a permanent manager. Benson's former town manager, Dane Rydout, resigned last month after recordings surfaced on social media that reportedly captures him using profanity and making derogatory comments about town commissioners.

The assistant town manager also resigned the drama coming as Benson faces a financial crisis. New here at four, the Raleigh Convention Center could have a new name. The city is exploring the possibility of naming the facility, the Atlantic Union Ben's. Bank Convention Center. In exchange for the naming rights, Atlantic Union Bank would pay Raleigh an annual fee. The first annual fee would be for $525,000 and then it would increase by 2% each year over the 15-year term. A public hearing on the proposed naming rights will be held June 16th at 1 p.m. during the City Council meeting. And Dick's Park's popular Gibson Play Plaza is marking a milestone this weekend will mark one year since it opened to the public. Thousands of

families have visited the play plaza over the last 12 months. Dix Park is planning several fun activities this weekend to celebrate and make sure to bring a change of clothing for the kiddos. That splash area has reopened now for the season. Real popular. New at 4. A drought is taking its toll on Lake Wheeler, Chop 11 over the lake today. The city of Raleigh has closed the boat launch ramp to tailored boats and will until further notice due to low water levels. The boat launch access for hand carried boats will remain. open. So we're obviously looking for some rain with these levels and our yards are not liking it either. I know. We are so far below average in many locations. All of our lake levels, the big lakes even are down.

Look at the latest lake levels in from our reporting sites in Falls Lake over five feet below where it should be for this time of year. Jordan Lakes a foot and a half, half a foot car lake and Lake Gaston just about half a foot as well. And we just don't really have any big replenishing rains coming in. We do have rain chances coming in. So that's some good news. We'll talk more about that in just a moment. Good afternoon to you at live. Look, first Lord Doppler net tonight.

We are dry across our region. Let's head up to Roxborough. Person County. Beautiful shot looking into downtown Roxborough. You are in the 80s right now. Actually, you've gone up now 91 in Roxburgh. 88 in Oxford, 91 in South Hill, 88 Roanoke Rapids. 93 Wilson, Raleigh, 96 in Durham.

93 in Carborough and 93 in Fayetteville. Believe it or not, this is the first day officially in the 90s in Raleigh since May 21st. So it's been a while. We've had some, we got close yesterday, went to 89, it felt awfully warm. Tonight we'll drop into the 60s. Normal for this time of year is 63. That's about where we'll be tonight under partly cloudy skies. Satellite radar shows a few high clouds working through that high pressure continues to dominate the East Coast weather and keep us dry. Rain up through Michigan down into Illinois tonight. Shows down in the Arklotex region. Closer to home, your first alert predictor forecast model shows the clouds building in. By the time we go on for ABC 11 and 11, we're in the 70s. But you got any Friday evening plans?

You're going to be just fine. Then as we go through the overnight into tomorrow. We'll start today in the 60s and the heat returns. 90s back in tomorrow afternoon. And then as we head into Sunday, it could be even warmer starting in the mid-70s. We've got high pressure building in on Sunday, pushing us to a near record high. 97, 98 degrees. The record is 100. We're going to get awfully close. Tomorrow we won't break a record, but we'll be in the 90s, 95, Raleigh, 94, Durham, 93 in Fayetteville, out to that seven-day forecast. And the heat is here on Sunday, 98, the record 100. So we'll get close to it.

Lots of sunshine on Monday, but there's a chance of an isolated storm. 94, a little cooler on Tuesday, 88. And then we're in the 90s all the way into next weekend till getting next Thursday, 95 degrees. Yeah. All right, Don, thank you. It's Friday. Good night to watch a movie under the stars. Right now at 4.

This is a live look into downtown Kerry. We'll talk about the movie that is playing tonight at the downtown Carrie Park. And a new court ruling in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Shanguela Robinson, the Charlotte woman killed while on vacation in Mexico. Tori Johnson with your ABC Secret Savings. We're dropping limited time discounts right now. Grab your phone, get ready to shop. You won't want to miss these deals. Yes, we have ABC Secret Savings with deep discounts on wellness. Take it away, Shakira. Oh, baby, when you start like this. Okay, we're going to start with this vibration plate from Life Pro. It's body vibration,

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save 50% from Atta Cosmetics. Wow, great deals. Thank you so much. Scan that QR code on your screen or head now to ABCsecret Savings.com to shop. We got all these great products. Cheers. Friday night Flicks is returning to downtown Kerry Park tonight. Here is a live look at the popular park. Tonight back to the future we'll be showing on the lawn there. There will also be pre-show activities along with food trucks. And the fun starts at six. And we have a live look at Fayable Street in downtown Raleigh as well.

It is first Friday and there is a lot happening tonight. Pride First Friday Raleigh is happening at Commerce Place in the warehouse district from now until 8 p.m. There's going to be games and photo ops there. And then there will be a first Friday morning. First Friday Market and movie night in Moore Square as well. Tonight's movie is Puss and Boots, The Last Wish, Showtime 715, but you can also enjoy food trucks and local vendors. Coming up here at 430, we head to Washington, D.C. as the battle over President Trump's anti-weaponization fund continues on Capitol Hill. Details on the early morning vote that's giving

the president a boost. Plus, after two young children are killed in a crash in Fayetteville this week, we're taking a closer look at car seat safety. What parents need to know. That's coming up new at 4. And the NTSB releases new details in a crash that killed a family of five in Charlotte. What a toxicology report says was found in the system of a teen driver. How can working at your local Tims take you further? Sure, you can level up your teamwork skills. You also get a chance to receive a Tim Horton scholarship award. Ready for what's next?

Apply today at careers.timhorins.ca. We are Local News. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. We're following breaking news right now in Harnock County, Chopper 11 over a crash involving two SUVs and a tractor trailer. This is on NC 87 at Olivia Road. That's just a short distance south of the Harnett Lee County line. Stay with eyewitness news as we work to find out more about this crash,

including injuries involved. But again, this is quite a serious crash. We're following in Harnett County. And tonight we are also taking a closer look at car seat safety. This comes on the heels of a crash this week in Fayetteville that killed two children and left another critically injured. Authorities say none of the children was properly restrained. Penelope Lopez spoke with a local nurse who says those few extra seconds to buckle up can make all the difference. Carl wrecks are still one of the leading causes of deaths for children.

Back in 2023, nearly 200 children under the age of 13 died because they weren't properly buckled up. I spoke with a nurse today who shared that even if you're running a few minutes late, It's always worth taking the extra step to make sure your child is properly buckled up. You have to take that extra five minutes and just make sure that everybody's restrained properly. Stacey Coons has worked in the pediatric emergency department for 21 years. She's seen the consequences of crashes firsthand. I've seen children in the same vehicle that were in car seats and some were not. And the one that was not had been thrown through the window and the one that was restrained,

obviously, you know, did not have any injuries. Wednesday's deadly crash on Cedar Creek Road sparked conversation about the importance of car seats. Nurse Coons says every crash is different, but properly restraining a child gives them the best possible chance of survival. Marianne Murphy with the Fayetteville Fire Department says choosing the right car seat for a child's age, height and weight is just as important as using it correctly. So the straps need to go across the chest, not up under the chin, not on the belly. they wanted to be taken by the stern. So you want to make sure that the... Car seat is across the chest

and you should not be able to pinch. And the Fayetteville Fire Department offers free car seat checks at three of their locations. Coming up in the next hour, what you should know and how to keep your child safe. Reporting in Fayetteville, I'm Penelphi Lopez. ABC 11. Eyewitness News.

Well, now, in four, a live look at the U.S. Capitol where a battle continues over President Trump's controversial $1.8 billion anti-weapon Fund. Congressional Republicans with a rare pushback prompting the Justice Department to say it won't move forward. But early this morning, the Senator approved a $70 billion immigration enforcement package without putting a block on that fund. ABC's Olivia Rubin has details. Today, a victory for President Trump on Capitol Hill over his controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Senate Republicans refusing to pass the law to ban it from ever going into effect.

It comes after a rare rebuke. Several Republicans pushing back against the fund, which would use taxpayer dollars to compensate allies of the president who claimed they were mistreated by the Biden administration, including January 6th rioters. On Tuesday, acting Attorney General Todd Blant backing down, testifying it wouldn't happen at all. Not moving forward ever. Correct. But a day later, President Trump not making that same commitment.

The weaponization fund, uh, As far as I'm concerned, was a beautiful thing. But with no law outright banning it, Democrats overnight sounding the alarm. Republicans are trusting the word of Todd Blanche, who built a career on lying, that the administration will just drop this slush fund. The issue could be problematic for Blanche's confirmation, as the president says he'll nominate his former personal attorney for attorney general. Do you think I'll have a hard time getting confirmed? hard to say. Already two Republican senators,

John Cornyn and Tom Tillis, say they're undecided. Tillis adding January 6th will be key. They better not have said for one minute that the people that beat up police officers like these right down here were righteous people. Now Blanche's road to confirmation might be tight. He first needs to win over the approval

of the Senate Judiciary Committee where he can likely only afford to lose a single Republican vote. Now both Cornyn and Tillis are on that committee, meaning depending how the other votes shake out, he might need to win one of them over. Olivia Rubin, ABC News, Washington. New at 4, a judge in Charlotte has denied a motion

to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Sianquela Robinson. Robinson died on vacation in Mexico with a group of friends in 2022. Her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming Imani Green punched Robinson in the face, neck and other parts of her body while Robinson was unable to defend herself. Documents claim Green was acting in self-defense, though. Green filed a motion to dismiss the case

claiming she was not properly served and the limitations had expired. The judge denied the motion. Robinson's death certificate cited a severe spinal cord injury and broken neck. However, the six people she went on the trip with claimed she died of alcohol poisoning. Also in Charlotte, the National Transportation Safety Board has now released a report on the crash that killed a family of five last July. According to the investigation, a teen driver had Delta 9 THC in his system during the crash on Interstate 485. The NTSB found that 16-year-old Logan Sauer, who was driving the vehicle that caused the collision, never stepped on the brake before the impact.

His vehicle slammed into a minivan, which forced both cars into the path of a parked tractor trailer. The teenager also died. Another teenager in the van was the only survivor. A South Carolina community is grieving and demanding answers. It's after a jury acquitted a former gas station owner charged in the 23 shooting death of a 14-year-old. The teen's family, local leaders, and civil rights advocates gathered this week to remember his life and voice frustration with a verdict. Cyrus should not be gone. Every day, I will not be able to speak to my son, to hear his voice change, see him grow. Cyrus Carmack Belton was killed in

2023 when former gas station owner Rich Chow and his son chased him out of their store, falsely accusing him of stealing a bottle of water. 130 yards later, Chow shot Carmack Belton in the back. Chow's defense team winning on a self-defense argument saying Carmack Belton, who also

had a gun, pointed it at Chow's son. The Richland County Sheriff, Leon Lott, also disagreed with the verdict. Chow who had been jailed since his arrest in 2023 was released after this week's verdict. Well, no mowers or machinery needed to keep the landscape clear at Dix Park in Raleigh. Coming up here at 4.30, we're getting an update on these grazing groundskeepers a year since they've been on the job. And the Red Wolf exhibit reopens at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham a month after five critically endangered Red Wolf Pups were born coming up. See if the pups were ready to meet the public.

Well, close to three dozen goats are back at Dix Park, grazing along the Rocky Branch Creek. Yeah, they first cleared parts of the hills near one of the troll statues last year, and they're back to clear out invasive species of plants. John Dowding is live from Dix Park where those goats are hard at work. Hey, John. Hey, Barbara, Amber, this is actually safer for goats to clear out this area than people. And this is right where they're working. I mean, look at them right now. They're definitely hungry going after that tree over there.

And that's exactly what they're supposed to be doing here. They're out here to help clear some invasive plants and trees here along the creek here, and they're only just beginning. Didn't see any goats and smelled them at first and then happened to walk by again, and then all of a sudden. Goatscaping returns to Dick's Park, catching the attention of people along the Rocky Branch Greenway Trail. The 32 goats have one job over the next few days, clearing out several invasive species of plants and trees, like Kudzo, an English ivy.

While the goats feast, they slowly kill the invasive plants, including the seeds that pass through their system. Stephen Paul from Goats on the Go Raleigh-Durham say problem areas like this are a perfect goat solution. Because it's very steep, there's a creek, and it's just really challenging to maintain. And because the park has seen the benefits of the goats, they've decided to move forward with more grazing projects.

Now, Barbara Amber, don't kill me for making this, pun here, but these goats will be back at it later this year at Dix Park. They have other parts of the park here. They'll be going after some other invasive plants and trees out coming up at five will tell you where. And also the reminders you need to keep in mind if you decide to come out here and see these goats hard at work. Live here from Dix Park, I'm John Dukes, 11. We expect no less than a bad pun, John. Bad pun. That's what she meant to say, John. They are cute and echo friendly. Thank you, John. Well, let's head, let's stay on the animal beat and head to the Museum of Life and Natural Science in Durham where eager guests waited to set their eyes on the new red wolves, pups that were born just a month ago today. The Red Wolf exhibit reopened today after a month after those five critically endangered pups were born. That is so cute. But it appears that the little pups were not quite ready to leave their dins or meet the public.

But you need to come with a lot of time and a lot of patience. The pups are only a month old now. They're still spending most of their time sleeping behind the scenes in the den, but coming early in the morning or late in the afternoon and coming often. I haven't even seen them yet. I'm very excited to see them. So if you want to see them as well, again, the best time the experts there say is in the morning just after the museum opens or in the afternoon before coming.

afternoon before closing, remember to use quiet voices when walking by the habitat or at the Overlook. How fun. I know, it's phenomenal. They're cute. Such an awesome museum. Next year at four cuteness overload. Let's let's stay on the cuteness overload. This is headed your way. Look at that. We introduce you to some of the newest and smallest Carolina hurricanes fans. And a newly discovered, a newly discovered spider is baffling scientists and it glows. We have details of where the erected was recently found. Wow. Time out for some news you can use. The U.S. Postal Service says it is avoiding a cash crisis running out of money in a matter of months by suspending contributions to its employee pension plan. Postal regulators told lawmakers a decision in April

to temporarily suspend some payments into a retirement fund has significantly improved the agency's finances. It's estimated that will free up about $2.5 billion. The fiscal year, that savings could be made. It could keep the postal Service operating for several more years. Regulators stress the action is only a temporary fix. The Postal Service continues to face long-term challenges from declining mail volume and rising costs. While some gas acts extra strength soft gels are being voluntarily recalled for a safety-based concern, the Food and Drug Administration says the products might have become contaminated with a coolant caused by machine leakage while the packages were processed. Company officials at Haleyon

and say that there's been no report of any related illnesses or injuries, no other lots of gas has extra strength, gas X Ultra GasX maximum and GasX Ultimate are affected by this recall. More information is available on the FDA's website. UKG estimates the World Cup could cost businesses about $17 billion in lost productivity globally. The workforce management company bases that on a survey and other data. It says that the hits come from employees skipping work or showing up tired or hungover. UKG predicts the loss for U.S. employers will be almost $12 billion. According to UKG, 20% of employees say that they think about finding a new job if work negatively impacted their World Cup experience. That is a hefty weight comparison there.

And that's news you can use, Amber, back to you. Yeah, they take it very seriously, dedicated soccer fans. All right. Well, Robert, thanks. Now to today's top trending stories this Friday in real news. First, a look at the Carolina hurricane's tiniest fans and they are super cute. U.S. Health Rec sharing these adorable picks of their pre-vis all dressed in Caniacs gear. The hospital telling us that parents gave permission to share photos of their little ones jumping on the Canes bandwagon. OMG. NICU nurses at Rex and Raleigh say the costumes and photos offer parents welcome distraction during what can be a hospital stay lasting days, weeks or even months. Health is wishing the Cain's best of luck as they prepare for game three in the Stanley Cup final in Vegas tomorrow.

The series of course now tied one to one and those are priceless. Well, from cute to creepy, a newly discovered fluorescent glowing spider has scientists baffled by its radiant blue gleam. It's really pretty though. A recent survey conducted by the Wilderness Project documented dozens of species, some previously unknown to science, in the remote highlands of Angola, that's in Central Africa, including the spider here. Researchers say it is a previously unknown species of crab spider that glows radiantly when exposed to ultraviolet light. And as to why scientists say for now, they just don't know. A lot more to be studied. Okay, that is cool looking. Define pretty.

I think it's cool. I think the color was pretty. Hey, it's cool to look at right there. I don't want to see it in real life. That is true. Yeah. I don't need to see that glowing in my face. All right. We've got air quality alert. This continues through 8 o'clock. tonight if you've got problems breathing try and stay inside stay in the air conditioning if you're healthy you're fine but just keep an eye out for that again that goes through 8 o'clock live look at first alert Doppler net tonight we're not seeing any showers out there we'll head out to the box yard Friday nights are live music night plenty of seats in the sunshine there everybody's in the shade

95 mostly sunny in a south southwest wind at 7 96 Durham 93 Raleigh 93 Carborough 90s through the southern tier 88 up in Roanoke Rapids. You got plans out this evening. Maybe you're headed out to dinner on a Friday night. Great night for it. Temperatures in the 90s falling through the 80s. By the time we go on for ABC 11 or 11 tonight, we are down into the 70s. We'll talk about an even warmer weekend ahead coming up at 5 o'clock for what else is coming up at 5 o'clock. We check in with Steve Daniels. Hi, Don, thanks. Twice as many jobs added across the country last month than expected. And new here at 5, we're at a job placement center in Raleigh to show you what kinds of businesses are

hiring and what people looking for a job are actually finding out. there right now. And from the I-Team Troultry, a triangle woman says her lawnmower caught fire while she was cutting the grass, and even though it was under warranty, her claim was denied. You'll see how Diane Wilson was able to get John Deere to change its mind. And our Cain's coverage continues at 5. We're hearing from coach Rod Brindamore and goalie Freddie Anderson as they explain what it'll take for the team to win on the road in Vegas. And a doggie play date along a fast-moving creek in western North Carolina leads to a rescue operation. Manchu got swept away in that fast-running water.

The owners turned to social media to help find the dog. Unfortunately, this one has a happy ending. And there, we'll see you in just a few minutes for the news of five. Stick around, Amber. I was a little concerned on a Friday. It wasn't going to have a-it- It's all good. Feel good Friday with Manchu. All right. See you soon.

Next year at 430, we're putting a spotlight on things made in North Carolina. That's right. After the break, we're going to take it. Take you to Big Spoon Roasters and Hillsboro see how a couple turn their side hustle into a big business.