ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 4pm - September 23, 2026

Episode Date: September 23, 2026

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Right now, four, the rain sticking around in Central North Carolina. Doppler radar tracking who's getting rain right now. It is lit up, and we'll also tell you who could see it later. Meteoralges Cruz Medina is coming up with the evening forecast and what we can expect tomorrow. We are going through the new crime data just released in Durham as gun violence remains a big concern. What we're learning about overall violent crime. Plus, a day after Wake County Schools unveiled a plan to improve special education academics, parents now pushing back why they're telling what they are telling them.

And fighting for his life, the local eight-year-old boy battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, the fundraiser now underway that could give him a fighting chance. I wouldn't know it says at four. It 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 11. I Witness News. Right now, four umbrella is getting a little bit of a workout today.

I wouldn't see is finding a rain soaked downtown Raleigh today. And as you can see on our first alert Doppler net, the rain is not over yet. There's also a chance for more rain tomorrow. Thank you for joining us for the news at four. I'm Barbara Gibbs. And I'm Amber Repenta. The commute to work was pretty wet. And we're finding the same as you and your loved ones might be heading home this evening. Our fleet of live drive vehicles tracking this damp commute. This is what we're seeing in Raleigh and Durham right now. Some gray skies overhead. All right. Now here's a look at what we're seeing from our network of DOT cameras. Yuck. It's starting to get a little busy. out there. This is I-40 at Davis Drive in Durham. Meteorologist Cruz Medina timing out the rain and we know when we get a little rain on the drive home, it can be a little tricky sometimes. Yeah, and it could be the smallest amount, but any amount is enough to cause slow down. So it's important to slow down through your evening commute to avoid causing those delays. Here's what the next several hours look like as far as the rain chance goes. So it's going to stay elevated, at least isolated to scattered showers expected through the rest of this evening. Overnight, there could be some lulls and the rain, but I don't think it completely goes away. We could even be seeing pockets of drizzle through the overnight hours.

And that's pretty much what we're seeing depicted right now on First Alert Doppler net. So notice there's a lot of these little light green returns. It's not showing up everywhere, but with these drizzle situations, sometimes the drops are too small for the radar to even pick up on. So even if it looks like you're not seeing rain in your community right now, you very well could be. Closer look at the triangle from Wake County back into Chatham County. got some decent pockets of light rain up there. We've got some in Grenville County, right along I-85 as well. So again, watch out for the wet streets.

If you're walking to your dog or something like that tonight, those things apply as well. It's going to be slick out there. Tipped yours staying in the 60s overnight, cooling down into the 50s in most spots. Few of us, especially those of you down in the sand hills, could be in the low 60s to start the day, and that's where you should stay. So Tipped yours tomorrow, not expected to be that warm. We will dry out as we end the week, though. We'll be talking about a warm up as well leading into the weekend coming up in your seven-day forecast.

Back to you. Seeing a few with more crews. Thank you. We turn now to the deadly gun violence in Durham. Two people killed in separate shootings just minutes apart yesterday. One of the victims was a young girl. As police investigate the shooting, the department has released its second quarter crime report. It's something that will be top of mind for Durham's new police chief.

Cindy Bay live for us at DPD headquarters with the numbers and the community response. Cindy, good afternoon. Good afternoon. Well, that second quarter report is already online and it shows violent crime increased compared to the same time period from last year. And with several recent incidents involving young people and guns, community advocates are calling for more support. Durham Police's second quarter report is already online showing violent crime increase compared to the same period last year. The report also maps shootings from the first two weeks. quarters of this year, with many concentrated in central Durham. That comes as police investigate two shootings this week. A man was shot and killed on Eva Street and on North Duke Street, police say two young people were playing with a gun when it went off, killing a teenager, according to the victim's family. Durham Public School says the victim was not a student.

We don't have time to waste time for them to do more surveys, more summit. They need to use the data that they already have. Tiffany Swope leads Grace Inc., a nonprofit, working to create safe environments for young people. She reacted to the recent gun violence as police report 16 children under 18 have been shot so far this year. It really was traumatic and it changed my life. Jamaica Smith has a personal experience with gun violence. She was 19 when she was shot during NC Central's homecoming in 2024. I came up here with hopes of, you know, just typical college experience and it really kind of blew that up. And it just makes me feel like really uneasy a lot.

Now Smith is now part of a movement to keep young people away from crime. What community advocates say needs to happen next is ahead on eyewitness news at 5 in Durham. Cindy Bay. ABC 11, eyewitness news. Right, Cindy, thank you. And all new this hour, we're learning about a man stabbed in Durham. Unfortunately, he was not seriously hurt. Police say they responded to North Duke Street just after 11 o'clock this morning.

We're told that man is now recovering at the hospital. We are working to learn if any arrests have been made. New at 4. Frustration is growing for some Wake County family. Just yesterday, school district leaders discussed plans to improve the experience for special education students. Some parents, however, reached out to Iwood News saying that the plans made no sense to them and do not address the needs of their students. The district outlining a three to five-year plan looking at addressing.

in graduation rates as well as math and reading proficiency. John Dowding is live from outside the Wake County School District headquarters. John, lot to unpack here. What's going on? Yeah, Barbara, those conversations that were held right here on Tuesday fueling some concerns from parents now today here in Wake County. Some of the parents I spoke to said that they felt that presentation, that proposal from the district doesn't address all of the needs of their students and worry about whether their students will have everything they need to succeed.

I think we need to talk more about what it looks like to have children with disabilities in a classroom, interacting with their peers. Questions growing from some Wake County parents as the state's largest school district rolls out a plan to improve the experience for special education students. Wake County school leaders discussed a new three to five year plan Tuesday meant to bridge the gap between the experience of students in special education versus those in general education. The plan highlighted gaps in graduation rates and proficiency rates of special education students and presented paths forward to address them. But parents of special education children say the plan doesn't do enough to help their students. I mean, there's no way we have the money to add on. We've brought some of those concerns to Wake County school leaders, the district, referring us to comments made during yesterday's meeting, while parents say more help needs to be in the classroom for students. If they are going to move even more kids into that general education space, shouldn't we have even more adults to assist them in that process?

And that wasn't part of this plan. And that mom I spoke to also said she felt that presentation that was brought up yesterday. It was a little hard for her to understand. And she heard the same thing from some other special education parents here in Wake County. And again, she's not the only one who felt that way. Coming up here at five, here's some of the other concerns from other parents here in Wake County, specifically related to social emotional learning. and how they hope that they see that instituted in the classroom. Live here in Kerry, I'm John Dowding.

ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, look forward to that next report. John, thank you. Now to some other local headlines in your speed feed. First, we are working to learn more about a report of shots fired in Raleigh. This is new video from the scene here right along Capitol Boulevard. You can see a lot of police officers on the scene investigating. It is not clear yet if anyone was hurt.

Once we do learn more from RPD, we'll, of course, pass it along to you. And a 14-year-old is facing charges this afternoon for an alleged bomb threat that caught the attention of the FBI. Police and Smithfield say that they were notified by federal agents after they learned about an Instagram post, referencing Smithfield-Salma High School. Officers quickly identified a student behind the post. Police say the student admitted to the post, but told officers it was intended as a joke. Investigators say there was no actual threat to the school. And if you have a first-year student at UNC Chapel Hill, they're in good company. The university is reporting its largest first year class in school history. A total of 6,300 new students are beginning their tar heel journeys, and that includes 5,300 first year students and just over 1,000 transfer students.

And take a look at this long line here. All these people turning out today for a brand new sneaker from Fayetteville rapper Jay Cole. The Indy 5,000 is part of Jay Cole's Dreamer line. The shoe release happening this morning here on Ivan Drive. A lot of people turned out for it. And tonight is the final show of Jay Cole's The Fall Off Tour. He'll be performing at the Crown Coliseum. And you should be aware of heavy traffic if you're in that area. Parking open just a little few minutes ago at the top of the hour for doors open at 7 for the show. And then the show starts at 8 o'clock. And that is your speed feed. Barbara, Rodeo.

All right, Amber, thank you. Well, President Trump is pulling out all the stops to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington. The visit includes a state dinner. There are, however, a number of thorny issues, as you may know, between the two leaders. They are expected to discuss them, including AI, trade, and the war on Iran. ABC's Olivia Rubin has the newest details on the visit. Today, Chinese President Xi Jinping set to arrive in Washington, D.C. for the first time in more than a decade, kicking off a high-stakes summit with President Trump. In an unusual move, Trump greeting Xi with a personal welcome on the tarmac,

instead of at the residence, ahead of a formal ceremony at the White House and a state dinner. Even some Republicans criticizing such a lavish welcome. Had the White House asked me for advice, I would have suggested the President not invite Xi Jinping to Washington for such a lavish welcome here in the United States of America based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi. One big issue likely on the table for the two leaders, artificial intelligence.

Trump rebuffing calls to slow down AI development or create guardrails. Adamant the U.S. must beat China in the so-called AI race. Whoever wins, super-intelligent wins. We're leading now over China by a lot and everyone else, and we're going to keep it that way. Some Democrats urging Trump to restrict Chinese access to American AI equipment. Trump is handing China the technology it needs to win the AI. race. The two leaders also likely to discuss China's ties with Iran amid the war. China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, as the Trump administration has threatened to punish those who aid Iran economically.

And top of mind for Xi in this meeting, U.S. support for Taiwan. The Chinese leader is expected to call for an end of U.S. arms sales to that self-governing Democratic island. A $14 billion The dollar arms package has been delayed and she is expected to push Trump to stop it altogether. Olivia Rubin, ABC News, Washington. Olivia, thank you. Happening now, a First Amendment battle in court. Just in the past 30 minutes a hearing got underway in Washington on President Trump's media ban at the White House. Reporters from CNN, MS Now and Politico not allowed inside.

The Trump administration says that access to the White House is a privilege, not a right. The critics say the ban violates the First Amendment. is reportedly investigating a breach of its networks. A prolific cyber criminal group claimed it stole the personal data of thousands of FBI agents. A job application portal on the agency's website was down on Tuesday as the agency dealt with the incident. The FBI statement came hours after the hacking group, Shiny Hunters, claimed that the FBI is a victim on its dark website. The group said it was offended by a recent public advisory from the FBI that analyzed the group's alleged tactics for extorting victim organizations. The hackers claim to have access the

FBI starting on Monday night. A scam alert that is new at four with the state fairgrounds wants you to know about a flyer circulating on social media what it means for the vendors you'll find at the state fair. And the eight-year-old boy battling an aggressive form of cancer. How you can help him get the help he needs that could save his life. It's a story you'll only see on eyewitness news. Plus gnarly conditions on the North Carolina coast. Check that out. The advisory in effect right now is strong winds caused these white caps. All right, it's time for a check of first alert traffic. This is our first alert storm chaser there on 440 heading west or eastbound, I believe. So I saw the Nightdale exit there. Looks like there is no rain in this shot, but you could

encounter some spots of drizzle as you head home on your evening commute. So as we head to break, let's check it with some other spots here. Your traffic hotspots brought to you by West Shore home. This is what a bathroom is supposed to look like. No grout lines to scrub. No surfaces to seal. No maintenance every other week. Just a finish that looks beautiful every single day. Introducing Nexha from West Shore home. This is the new standard in luxury bathroom design. It's our summer send off. Get 20% off your project.

And locked in 12 months of no payments and no interest financing. Plus, get started today with no money down. Call 1-800 West Shore or visit west shore bath.com for this limited time offer. New here at Forest Scam Alert. The North Carolina State Fair once again warning the public about a flyer that is circulating on the internet, calling for food vendors for this year's fair. The state fair says this flyer, take a look, is fake and is not managed by state fairground staff. And they are urging people not to engage with the post or click on any links.

And by the way, vendor applications for this year's fair closed back in July. And ABC 11 together is highlighting the help to fight hunger in our community. It is Hunger Action Month and local groups are stepping up to make sure no one goes without a meal. Food Lion Feeds is part of those efforts investing in makeovers at 33 local food pantries and donating food items for those pantries to distribute. News since noon. We're getting a look at today's event at the Durham Center for Senior Life. They're getting help to remodel and stock their food pantry.

They tell us it's all part of an even bigger goal. We started food line fees in 2014, and we've donated $1.5 billion meals so far. And by 2032, our goal is for $3 billion. In the meantime, the countdown is on to the ABC 11 Food Drive. Happens every year. This year's a big one. It's 40 years. We'll be partnering with local organizations, including food lions who look for our big community push in the days ahead. New this afternoon, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. And tonight here on eyewitness news, an eight-year-old Harnett County boy who has cancer is fighting for his life at Duke Hospital. His name is Jansen Herring. There's a picture. Just days ago, doctors diagnosed Janssen with DIPG. It is a rare brain cancer where once diagnosed, only 2% survived. past five years. Ardawan Hogarth spoke to Jansen's uncle about what his nephew and the family are facing. Well, I spoke with the uncle of eight-year-old Janssen-Haring today, and he tells me that

family is doing all they can to give young Jansen a fighting chance. There's nothing that we can do but pray and hope for a miracle here because this is not a good diagnosis. Dylan Herring is doing his best to hold it together for his young nephew, eight-year-old Jansen Herring. He's really sweet. He plays baseball. He's awesome. Last week, Jansen was diagnosed by doctors with DIPG, or diffuse intrinsic punting glioma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. It all started when Jansen began complaining of headaches and clumsiness and started talking, Dylan said, like a three or four-year-old.

Saturday, my brother brought him to Wake Med. And once they did the CT, they found a mask on the back of his brainstem. They said, we cannot help him here. And he was rushed to Duke Children's, where he is right now. Since the diagnosis, the family has painfully watched Jansen's mobility and speech rapidly declined. His speech is different. He's not Jansen right now. And that's part of this cancer.

It's just quick. And right now, the family is hopeful their fundraiser can get Jansen to Seattle Children's who enroll in a clinical trial that will give him a fighting chance and increases life expectancy from just nine more months to another three to five years. Give us a chance to have our sweet Jansen for a little bit longer and maybe something better will come out in that time. And there's currently no cure for the cancer. The family hopes that their fundraiser, as well as Jansen's diagnosis, will raise awareness about DIPG. Reporting in the newsroom in Raleigh, DeWan, Hogan, Abis 11, eyewitness News. Duwant, thank you. Blessings to that family. I pray they get the miracle what they're asking for.

New right now at four. A judge sentenced his disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein to 50. 15 years in prison. The sentencing comes one year after his retrial conviction for assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. In court, Haley said Weinstein, quote, abused his position and power, causing a devastating effect on her life and sense of security. Weinstein also spoke, apologizing to anyone he may have hurt, but maintaining his innocence. Weinstein has been behind bars since his initial conviction in 2020. It's expected. The time behind bars since then will apply to his New York sentence. Now to the dangerous storms targeting parts of the country impacting millions of Americans.

Another round of torrential rain is targeting New Mexico and creating life-threatening conditions across much of the state. Dangerous storms swept through Tuesday, triggering flash flooding and water rescues near the town of Moorah, northeast of Albuquerque. The rising waters closed roads and inundated a local high school. Forecasters are also tracking a developing nor'easter. That could skirt the eastern seaboard and take aim at New England this weekend. And here's a live look at the conditions at Hatteras on the North Carolina coast. Not a great beach day. There is a high rip current risk that is in effect for most of the coast.

And a wind advisory is in place for Carteret, Dare, Currituck counties on this Wednesday. Wow. Meteorologist Cruz Medina joins us now. I mean, that's kind of an interesting day at the beach while we're having rain here. And the first full day of fall really feels like it. Yes, it certainly does. And that system that's going to develop into that Nor-Easian, Those are really impactful along our coastline.

So all up and down the eastern seaboard, this storm is going to wreak havoc, including our coast. So this causes lots of coastal erosion and things of that sort. Here's a look at it. You could see it off the coast, and over the next few days, it's going to gain strength as it continues to move to the north. Now, the way that it gets that name,

Northeaster, is because the winds from the system are coming out of the northeast. That persistent flow could actually cause some coastal flooding, not only along our coast, but all up and down the mid-Atlantic. Atlantic and Northeast on the seaboard. All right, back home, that same system is what is causing us this cloudy, dreary day that we've been having today. It's also kept us cooler. We could expect these conditions to continue into your Thursday as well. By the time we get into the weekend,

it's going to be a much different scenario here. We're talking sunshine returning as early as Saturday. That carries us through the weekend. It also starts to warm up. So this weekend, Tipters will be in the 70s versus the 60s we're seeing now. And next week, we will actually be in the 80. So this is just a brief cool down that we've experienced this week, kind of a taste of fall, but again, around here might be a while before we get consistent cooler temperatures. Here is that tipped your trend. So average high around 80 for this time of the year. 67 tomorrow, 70s for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday by next week. We could be in the mid 80s again by Tuesday. So we're going back to summer. And of course, it's going to feel a lot warmer than it does today.

Today with all of the showers, the cloud cover, that's what's kept us cooler. First Alert Doppler net shows still lots of showers, especially for Wake County and points to the west and also northwest. That's where we expect most of the rain to be, but it'll slide slightly to the east as we go throughout the rest of this evening. So really anywhere in Central North Carolina, even if it's not showing up on the Doppler, you could get some of those pockets of drizzle that redevelop. Walk in the dog this evening, I would take an umbrella or rain jacket just because I would expect more of those lightshadow. showers to continue at times. Tipped your stay in the 60s through this evening. Let's check out first alert predictor and what to expect through the overnight hours. So I mentioned those showers slide very so slightly to the east. So by 10 p.m. we're still seeing rain in areas like the triangle

and the sand hills in our northern counties. The I-95 corridor, you'll likely wake up with some showers by tomorrow morning. Other spots, there could be still a few pockets of drizzle through the morning commute, but I think the morning hours tomorrow are going to be the wettest part of the day. We should see some improvement but still spotty showers popping up in the afternoon with tipters only rising into the 60s. So my advice is tomorrow also bring a rain jacket with you. Don't know when exactly you'll need it, but it is going to be another cloudy and cooler day. So it'll double as keeping you warm, but also protecting you from the rain if you get caught in a brief shower. Here's a live look outside. It's very gray from our Pindo sky cam, but I'm not seeing any drops on the lens at this

point 62 degrees in the city of Oaks 67 in Fayetteville, 59 in Roxborough. So a huge temperature variance across the region. Your first alert, acuether seven-day forecast looks very bright and sunny through this weekend. Make some plans if you haven't already warming up to about 80 degrees again on Sunday. The best part of this weekend is the cool mornings in the 50s. And then as we go into next week, more cool mornings expected, but the afternoon's not so cool. They'll actually feel more like summer in the low to mid-80s. Back to you. Still not bad, though. Thank you so much, Cruz.

Coming up, singer Hillary Duff is headed to the Triangle. We'll tell you when you can see the superstar live in action in Raleigh. And empty the shelters. Cumberland County Animal Shelter is waiving its adoption fees. We'll tell you how you can take home your forever friend. Leading insurers know that fragmented operations don't cut it anymore. Policyholders expect more, and modern insurers meet those expectations with Adion. From effortless premium collections to instant claims payouts,

Adion's single platform automates the entire policy life cycle. One platform to manage how money moves, control claims fraud, and automate operations. Adian, FinTech built for your next move. All right, 90s fans, listen to this singer Hillary Duff is coming to the triangle next fall. Duff announced today she is extending her the Lucky Me tour, including a stop at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. The concert is October 10th of next year, 27. Tickets going on sale next Friday, October 2nd. Time now for some news you can use coming up here in just about a half hour so the Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh is hosting sensory-friendly playtime for kids with special needs and their families.

It's an opportunity for kids to experience marbles in a calmer, quieter environment. The museum will be showing a lights-up, sounds-down movie. Admission is free for these events, but registration is required. The movie will be shown at 5 o'clock. The sensory-friendly playtime will take place between 5.30 to 7.30. And if you're looking for a new pet, Cumberland County Animal Services has kicked off its Empty the Shelters Campaign. All spade and neutered pets are free to adopt, free. Adoptions are limited to one dog or puppy or two cats or kittens per household.

The campaign runs through next Wednesday, September 30th. And we're about three months out from the holidays and we're helping you plan ahead. The U.S. Postal Service has announced its recommended mailing dates if you want your cards and gifts to arrive before December 25th. So if you are mailing within the contiguous 48 states, the earliest deadlines, December the 17th for Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories, you need to back that up to December 16th. And if you use priority mail or priority mail Express, you have until December 18th for priority and the 19th for Priority Express. So mark your calendars. Earlybird gets the worm there when it comes to mailing. And that's news you can use, Barbara.

All right, Amber, thank you. Coming up on IWitnesses at 4, Raleigh's iconic round hotel set to reopen its doors under a new name. Coming up after the break, a look at the newly renovated former Holiday Inn, how city leaders are hoping this project will bring even more people to Raleigh. And the Triangle Town warning people about an increase in activity of venomous copperheads and those stinging yellow jackets. We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. Now at 4, we know you've probably seen it. You can't miss it. It's one of the most iconic landmarks in downtown Raleigh.

And now the former circular holiday inn is getting a glow up. A big one. The new owner is showing off dramatic new renovations. Hotel Indigo is one of three projects happening in downtown, including the Triangle's first Omni Hotel. Elena Athens joins us live inside the Indigo Hotel with a closer look at how these hotel projects could help to attract larger events to the capital city. Nice digs, Elena. Yeah, it's super nice inside here. I love the design, and they had somebody from New York who actually helped them with the design space here inside Hotel Indigo.

So I did also today meet with Visit Raleigh, and the CEO says the opening of this hotel will certainly help the officials attract bigger and perhaps larger conventions, maybe even two at the same time, which really hasn't been done before here in the city of Raleigh. So this is something that they've been looking forward to. And eyewitness news today did get a first look at the renovated space. The entire place was gutted out. It was a $36 million investment. Hotel Indigo is getting ready to reopen doors next Tuesday, and we were taken to the 20th floor to see the crown jewel of renovation efforts. High ground offers unobstructed panoramic views of downtown Raleigh. The old Holiday Inn was closed in 2025. After being a staple in the community for decades, these photos are from the state archives.

Efforts were taken to preserve the iconic building. Holiday Inn built just 25 of these circular hotels. There's only nine left in the United States, and so we are one of those nine left. Visit Raleigh says the opening here is just the start of many more projects that will help boost tourism. We have 17 new hotels under construction that will open in the next three years. Says there is currently $2 billion worth of infrastructure investment underway right now in the city of Oaks. So some of the other projects are going to be coming online to help with some of these hotels, as they two are opening at the same time.

We'll have that coming up here at 5.30 on eyewitness news. For now we're live in Raleigh, Elaine Athens, ABC 11, eyewitness news. It is an iconic landmark right in downtown Raleigh cannot wait to check it out. Elena, thanks for the sneak peek. A breaking news update now about shots fired on Capitol Boulevard in Raleigh.

Just in the past few minutes, we've learned a 19-year-old is now charged with assault by pointing a gun and resisting an officer. This was the scene. Around noon today, a number of officers they're investigating. It is not clear, if anyone is. hurt. Well, from first in flight to the future of flight, Governor Stein headlined an aviation

showcase today, touting recent advances in electric and self-flying aircraft. Sean Coffey attended the event at the Rale Executive Airport in Sanford. He's showing us the possible use of these futuristic aircraft and how they could someday make a difference in critical situations. You could see a couple of these projects that are part of what's being heralded as the future of aviation today. Right behind me, this first aircraft is an electric plane developed by a company called beta that's done work here in North Carolina through a partnership between North Carolina and the federal government, while the other one over to the left is a Cessna aircraft that's been fitted with self-flying technology. But these two companies behind these projects, Beta and

Joby, are two of the E-Lift North Carolina partners that are here today. It's the product of a new aviation initiative here in North Carolina that started with an executive order from President Trump last year to speed up production of next generation aircraft. North Carolina is one of just seven states participating in this pilot program, which, includes new air taxis and those self-flying planes. America has long been the global leader in aviation innovation. Maintaining that leadership requires more than developing new aircraft. It requires developing the operational ecosystem that allows those technologies to succeed safely. There's hope that one day these planes will be used in new ways, including the rapid delivery

of critical supplies and medicine and providing access to more remote areas and be used potentially by first responders. Governor Stein will actually become the first governor in the entire country to fly in one of these today. You can look for that later this afternoon on eyewitness news. In Sanford, Sean Coffey, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Sean, thank you. Kerry could be getting the Triangle's next Raising Cains. Eyewitness News has learned the Louisiana-based restaurant chain

could be eyeing the former site of Averde, Cochina, and Tequila Library right there on Walnut Street and Carey. The company has submitted a development plan, but it is under review right now. There are two Raising Cains in the Triangle, one in Raleigh on Hillsborough Street, across from Ency State. The other is on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. A raising canes is set to open this fall in Fayetteville as well. And new here at four, watch where

you step. The town of Hillsboro is sending out an alert about copperheads and yellow jackets. The town posting on social media urging people to be aware of their surroundings as both have been more active in the area. As you know, copperheads are the most common and widespread venomous snake in North Carolina. Right now we're in the middle of baby copperhead season. Yellow jackets are at their peak season as well as natural food supplies dwindle. In the fall, the insects become more aggressive as they forage for food. And fall is officially here. That means leaf season is right around the corner.

And this year, the town of Pittsburgh is encouraging people to leave the leaves. The town has launched its voluntary Leave Your Leaves Initiative. The program promotes healthier landscapes as leaves decompose. They return nutrients to the soil and also provide the natural habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. But also watch your step in the leaves. Anytime Raleigh is also encouraging people to leave their leaves in their yard But if you want to rake your leaves the city has launched a new leaf collection Leaves are now being collected weekly with yard waste pickup and you can either put your yard waste in bins or biodegradable bags and Durham offers yard waste pickup as an optional service as well households that participate in the yard waste program pay a 750 monthly fee which is added to their water bill and yard waste including leaves and grass

go in the big brown bin. It's picked up every other week, the same week as recycling pickup. Still to come, authorities have issued a warning after the deaths of two University of Mississippi students. What we're learning about the packaged drug connected to both investigations. Plus, Aldi is cutting prices.

The change is the grocery chain is making to help customers save money. Authorities are investigating the deaths of two University of Mississippi students. Police responded to a dorm Monday for a possible overdose. And officials have not confirmed if the two deaths are connected, or the cause of deaths.

But there are reports that Kratum, a drug not approved by the FDA that is used for pain may have been involved. Narcotics investigators are dealing with the cases as two separate cases. In other news, the organization Dolly Parton designed to protect her legacy is suing her nephew. She's Alive, LLC, also has a temporary restraining order

against her nephew, Brian Siever. He's the son of Parton's sister and was the country star's head of security for more than 20 years. Parton's estate says Siver became emboldened when the singer died leading to his termination. It says that he made repeated violent threats and threatened to smear the late star's name. Seaver did not immediately respond to comments, to request for comment. ABC News reporter Melissa Adon is closely watching this developing story.

And coming up new at 5 o'clock, Melissa Don will have the new details she's learning about this estate fight. Some important news for high school seniors and parents. The Department of Education, free application for federal student aid, also known as FAFSA is now open. The site went live today ahead of its October 1st deadline. The critical resource is used to help college students and their families apply for financial aid. Officials say that some changes have been made to the site making it easier for families to use. Well, after spending 15 years perched atop a ranking of U.S. colleges, Princeton has been beaten out and falls to number two. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. MIT is now on top.

according to U.S. News and World Report, its rankers say that the Cambridge school showed well in metrics, including faculty research, incoming student standardized test scores, and how much graduates earn. Among national universities, Harvard ranked third with Yale 4th, Caltech, and Stanford tied for fifth. Aldi is lowering prices on about a third of the products it regularly stocks. The grocery chain says the cuts are already underway and will run through at least November 3rd at stores nationwide. All the estimates the reductions will save customers about $86 million. Items include fall staples like pears, Brussels sprouts, and squash. The company says its family packs of chicken breast are also down to $1.99 a pound,

their lowest price since 2022. Speaking of money, Americans could pay an average of 8.7% more to heat their homes this winter. A new report from new projections from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association says people who use heating oil might face bills more. more than 30% higher than last year. That's as the U.S. War with Iran drives up energy prices. Customers who heat their homes with electricity could see a 9% jump. The forecast for propane users is just behind that number. Coming up next to four, there's a new special edition of Monopoly, and you might see some familiar landmarks on the board here. Coming up after the break,

we're getting firsthand look at the new edition of Raleigh Monopoly. And hitting a high note, we'll tell you what secret technique, both lemurs and our opera singers use. Newt for a special edition of Monopoly is now reality. And that is Raleigh Mayor. Janet Cowell revealing the board game today. Mr. Monopoly himself came to town for the big reveal of the customized version of the classic game. We know Raleigh is super special. Now everybody who plays Raleigh Monopoly is going to understand all of those special things about the city of Raleigh.

The board features the acorns, Sir Walter Raleigh. State Park, Dr. M.T. Pope House Museum, Marvel's Kids Museum, the executive mansion, Out Raleigh Pride, Chavis Memorial Park, Lenovo Center, the Carolina Hurricanes, and so many more Raleigh landmarks, organizations, and businesses. Monopoly Raleigh Edition will be available in stores and online. Now to today's top trending stories in a segment we call real news. First, the world's only known singing lemurs may have something in common with trained opera singers being able to hit a high note. That is the injury. Leamer of Madagascar, researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK found the animals

opened their mouths wider as their songs reach higher pitches. And that, by the way, is similar to a technique human singers used to amplify high notes as well. The lemurs use their songs to bond with their groups and communicate across dense forests. Researchers say the similarity is especially remarkable because humans and these lemurs last shared a common ancestor about 74 million years ago. And let's go to Western North Carolina where ring camera captured a tense bear encounter as the black bear chased a man right outside of his Asheville home. James Pellerin says that he had gone out of his back door to turn off a water hose back there when he was chased by a large mama bear, as you saw. After a few seconds, the bear did run off. Pellarin believes the mama bear may have been trying to protect her cub who was at the top of his pond.

Yikes. That is the real news for today, Barbara. Over here. Wow, what a scene. All right, Amber, take a look at this. A group of fishermen in India make a rare catch, a baby elephant that they found stranded in a river. It was a calf. A little baby. The anglers worked together to lift it into their small boats so they could bring it to safety.

And from there, forced officials took over and were able to return the playful Pachyderm back to its mother. Don't mess with those mama elephants and mama bears for sure. Yeah, don't cross pass with Ben. I'm surprised that didn't flip that canoe. I know. But glad it ended up well. Absolutely. All right, well, it looked wet in that video, and it's wet here.

It's been such a gloomy day. But some people are really praying for this cooler weather. Nice. Hey, one way or another. We finally got it. Here's a look at what to expect the next three days. Tomorrow's going to be similar to today. Breezy, there will still be some pockets of drizzle around.

And, of course, the tipter staying cooler in the 60s. By Friday, we start to see the clouds at least break apart, but there will still be clouds around. We jump into the low 70s by Saturday. That's where we're expected to be back to bright and sunny skies. Temperatures will be in the upper half of the 70s by then. For this evening, it's going to stay cool.

It'll stay breezy. First, Doppler net still picking up on some pockets of light rain or drizzle. It looks like most of that is from Wake County down into areas like Lee and Moore County. So Sanford, Southern Pines, and moving toward Anderson Creek very, very slowly. So this evening, staying wet. Tipters will stay in the lower half of the 60s. Not much movement there just because of how much of cloud cover we have. But of course through tonight, the conditions will stay breezy.

You'll wake up tomorrow. The wind will still be whipping out there. We could catch some gusts tomorrow, possibly up to 25 miles per hour. Tipters will be similar to today mid-60s. The morning is likely the wettest part of the day. But throughout the day, if you're not seeing rain, you'll probably see the streets dry out pretty quickly with these 25-mile-per-hour gusts that we're expecting all the way through tomorrow evening.

and that's associated, of course, with the system that's moving in and it's likely going to bring us some drier conditions for the weekend as it pulls away and moves to the north and east. Rain chances go down significantly into this weekend. Don's got another look at your seven-day forecast coming up in the next half hour of eyewitness news. And now Steve and Lauren have what's coming up at 5. Hey, guys. Hi, Cruz, thanks very much. Violent crime is up right now in Durham. And it comes after two deadly shootings, including a teenage girl killed when a gun went off inside a home. Also with a new police chief now on the job, what community advocates are saying needs to happen to keep young people out of trouble in Durham.

Yeah, also ahead. Wake County parents are sounding the alarm tonight over changes to special education services for their students. Also, an eight-year-old's brain cancer diagnosis has rallied a community around him. New here at five, the warning signs and symptoms every parent needs to know. In your voice, your vote, new poll numbers for Donald Trump ahead of the midterms and the latest legal fight over mail-in ballots in North Carolina. And then a little glitz and glamour. the ABC show viewers can't stop talking about right now. We have a preview of tonight, Dancing with the Stars.

We'll see you next for the news at 5 o'clock, Barbara and Amber. All right, sounds good. Thank you both. Curriculum changes could be coming for some Cumberland County students. New here at 4. We have what parents need to know about potential changes to the popular school choice program.