ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 5am - December 16, 2025

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

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Right now, live coverage from your local news leader, breaking stories from overnight and this morning, and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11 eyewitness news. 5 a.m. news starts right now. Good morning, Carolina. Welcome on this Tuesday. December 16th. I'm Joel Brown. And I'm Anna Rivera. Thanks so much for joining us today. It's another cold day, but milder temperatures are slowly moving back into our region. Yeah, definitely not as cold this morning and certainly warmer by the afternoon with highs statewide closer to 50. I'll have your full forecast coming up. Meantime, President Trump planning a stop this week in North Carolina as the 2026 campaign season begins. We'll break down everything we know about the upcoming presidential visit.

And leaders in the state's largest district are set to address several topics today. We're live with what you need to know about today's Wake County School Board meeting. Time for a first check of weather and traffic together with meteorologist Quailin Murphy, a cold morning, but not as cold as maybe yesterday morning. Definitely yesterday morning. You missed it, Joel. It was the coldest morning of the year yesterday. He would have loved that back.

Yeah, absolutely what happened. Down the 14 degrees, definitely a warmer start this morning. And warmer this afternoon, the high will top out near 50 today. So that'll put us roughly five degrees below average. A lot of sunshine through the afternoon hours too. This morning, this is a treat. We're already starting off warmer than yesterday,

big time in the Triangle and North, nearly 20 degree warmer start for Roxborough. Here's a light look into down downtown Durham. And one reason why the temperatures are up a bit more is the cloud cover that we're seeing this morning, mainly cloudy skies and winds from the southwest at seven miles per hour. That flow, of course, boosts the temperatures. 18 and Sanford, the current temp. 31, though, in South Hill, right at freezing in Roxborough, warmer than Fidba, which is at 23, Chapel Hill 27. With the wind, it still feels colder in spots, so we have that wind chill right now in the teens and 20s for most locations this morning. But those winds will continue to build gradually through the day. These clouds that are in place at this time will start to scour out so we will have a lot of sun today. That high pressure also starting to slide offshore. So that's going to lead to the high near 50. We'll still be in the 40s at 5 p.m. and then upper 30s at 6 closer to freezing by 10 o'clock tonight. Get ready for some 60s. They return Thursday and take us through the end of the week. But we're also tracking the chance for some showers on Thursday with our next front. When I come back, we'll talk timing and totals. And that's just in a few minutes. A reminder. You can download that free ABC 11 app. It's a great way to. to stay up to date on the current conditions. Plus, you can check DopplerNet and the 70 forecast at any time. Right now, weather and traffic together, Anna, back to you.

Quailan, really quiet on the roads right now. Our crash count's still sitting at zero. Let's take a live look outside at the DOT cameras at 40 and Rock Quarry Road. We can take that to it. There it is. Really light traffic. We're really not seeing any major issues you need to worry about. And looking ahead, the White House says President Trump is traveling to Rocky Mount later this week.

Yeah, the president was last in North Carolina back in June to celebrate the Army 250th anniversaries coming back this week. Tamara Scott live at the Raleigh Eyewitness News Center with details about the event on Friday. Tamara. Hey, good morning guys. Yeah, the White House says that President Trump will be coming back to North Carolina visiting Rocky Mount in their event center on Friday at 6 o'clock. It's still unclear though as to what exactly Trump will be speaking about. Take a listen. Rocky Mount is home to one of the biggest congressional races in the 2026 midterms. State lawmakers redrew two Eastern districts at the request of Trump to try and give Republicans an extra seat in Congress.

Democratic Representative Don Davis currently represents the first congressional district, but after the redraw, his home is now in the third district, along with several other counties along the coast, which were held by Republican Representative Greg Murphy. Davis just announced he would be moving to stay within the first district and filed for re-election on Monday. Trump has not made any endorsements on the first district. Now, this will be Trump's third visit to North Carolina since taking his oath of office back in January. He had visited Asheville and Fort Bragg earlier this year. So stay with eyewitness news as we bring you full coverage of his visit later this week. Back to you. All right, Tamara, thank you.

And now to a busy agenda for the Wake County School Board. Today, leaders are set to discuss several topics, including the budget and new policies in school enrollment caps. Arjames Price is live at Wake County School headquarters in Kerry with the details. Nice, good morning. Good morning, Anna. So several key issues to address today from enrollment numbers to building renovations, also the social, emotional behavior for staff and students. So those are some of those key issues in the three meetings that are playing back to back. So let's first start with the presentation on enrollment during the district's facilities and our operations committee meeting. White school leaders expected to recommend placing a cap on Zebulin. elementary school due to overcrowding, but removing enrollment caps on five schools with lower enrollment, including four elementary and one high school. Currently, there are 17 elementary schools, two middle schools and three high schools in the district with caps. Also happening today ahead of the Wake County School Board meeting, Wake County educators are expected to speak out in support of special education students. The teacher's union says current working conditions are at a crisis level. Educators feel burned out from a shortage of special education staff. So they plan to hold this news conference tonight calling for more funding and support positions. So all of this is happening around the same time as the school board meeting that starts at 5.30 today.

We're in Kerry. Jimmy's Price, ABC 11, Eyewoodness News. Okay, Jimmy's, thank you. And in Providence, Rhode Island, the search continues this morning for the person who opened deadly gunfire on campus of Brown University. Yeah, two students were killed, nine others were hurt. The two killed her 18-year-old Muhammad Umar Zokov, a freshman from Uzbekistan, and 19-year-old Ella Cook from Alabama. Authorities released new images of a new person of interest after releasing someone else who'd been taken into custody.

The masked man was in a dark jacket two hours before the attack on Saturday evening. We know one of the nine people hurt is a young woman from Durham. Durham Academy graduate Kendall Turner, who's known as an awesome student, took part in tracking. in field. Durham Academy says in part the community is rallying around Kendall. So is the North Carolina School of Science and Math, where they say Kendall briefly attended. Kendall Turner's family says she's in stable but critical condition. Right now, 12 firefighters are recovering after a house that caught fire exploded in Roan County. This happened in Salisbury yesterday evening. Fortunately, the injuries are not severe. Fire officials say the explosion caused the roof of the home

to collapse. They say there were two people rescued from inside. they're now recovering. Investigators are looking into what caused the fire and the explosion that followed. In Durham for the third time in a matter of weeks, Riverside High School put on lockdown. We learned it was because reports of a gun on campus. We had Chopper 11 over the school yesterday afternoon for the latest incident. Investigators say they searched the building and no weapon was found. We're told dismissal was delayed for about 45 minutes. 5.7 is the time in nearly two months after a father called 911 confessing to the murders of his four children. will reveal what we're learning about the previous investigations by child protective services at the home.

The conclusions they arrived at. And straight ahead, why the state attorney general is accusing Uber of cheating customers. Hey, good morning. Temperatures right now in the 20s, mainly. So we're a little bit warmer than yesterday, or a lot of bit, actually, from the triangle of north. Highest today, near 50 degrees with sunshine. It's been really dry around here lately, but we do have some rain in the forecast later this week. More on that coming up. If you're just now waking up, getting ready to head out the door and you want to warm up that car,

you'll have plenty of time to do so. Our crash count still sitting at zero. We'll be right back after the break. Well, good morning, 510. Welcome back. We have some clouds around, keeping those temps to the 20s this morning. A little wind out there around the airport too,

but high temperatures will climb higher. That's for sure. Closer to 50 this afternoon with a lot of sunshine to go around today. And pretty much statewide, a range of 40s and 50s. Here's the mountain set up with sunshine. More sun at the coast, too, with high temperatures in the upper 40s.

Pretty quiet weather for the, eastern half of the country. So again, once these clouds clear, we're looking at bright skies. We'll see our next batch of clouds rolling in late tonight into tomorrow morning. High temperatures around Atlanta today, 57, 74 in Tampa, a chance to thaw out a little bit around Pittsburgh with a high of 34. That full forecast, including the timing of our next rain batch is coming in, coming up in a few minutes. Anna, back to you. Quillan, thank you. Now to another court appearance for the former UNC Rex nurse who is accused of sexually assaulting patients after surgery. Brian Alvarez Ortiz was once again denied bond and remains in Wake County jail.

He's facing new charges after a third person accused him of assault. Authorities say the victims, all were men, were sedated and recovering from surgery when the crimes happened. The next court date for Alvarez Ortiz is December 31st. An update on that horrific story out of Johnston County, a father charged with killing his four children. The Department of Social Services now telling eyewitness news. The agency investigated the home months before the murders back in October. Dickens called 911 confessing to killing his children over the course of several months. Authorities would later find their bodies in the trunk of his car parked in the garage.

Eyewitness News learned Johnston County Social Services went to the Zebulin Home twice in April, 2024, and months later in June of the same year. The result of those visits did not warrant any action or investigations, according to DSS, and there were not enough evidence to, there was not enough evidence to suggest harm or injury to the children. We spoke to a local child advocacy worker about the case. It is deflating if you feel like you've done the right thing, that you've tried to make a difference, that you've reached out to child protective services. You've called 911, and yet this is the outcome. It is not an individual's responsibility for understanding whether those concerns are valid, how serious those concerns are.

but it is our legal responsibility to report concerns of a child's welfare. Kristen Duranga tells us children's advocacy centers across the state last year handled more than 12,000 child abuse investigations. It's 512 now, and the state auditor of North Carolina is calling for more financial accountability and Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, how he says the state could do a better job of accounting for the dollars spent. Scientists warn the world is heading towards peak. glacier extinction by the mid 21st century. What they say is to blame will break down the findings

from a new study. Watch Amber Rupenta today on ABC 11 I Witness News. North Carolina Attorney General. Don't me to do it? You go ahead. Okay. North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson is joining 21 other attorneys general and suing Uber over alleged deceptive practices. They accuse Uber of lying to customers about how much money they could save with an Uber one subscription and also made it difficult for people to cancel the subscription. The lawsuit says some customers had to navigate 23 screens in order to cancel. The lawsuit says was initially filed by the Federal Trade Commission and now North Carolina and 21 other states have joined. The lawsuit is asking for restitution. Now me. The state auditor is calling for better

financial accountability in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. Dave Bolick has previously criticized the state's handling of recovery efforts from Hurricanes Florence and Matthew, calling that a disaster. As Bolick looks at Haleen recovery efforts, he says the state has to do a better job of accounting for the dollars spent. Bolick points to contract workers as an example, saying there needs to be clear key performance indicators. To let both sides know, both the state and the contractor know, what's expected, what timelines are expected, and what the costs are associated with each and every part of that contract. You know, a key point here is we need to make sure that there are reasonable expectations on both sides, and that includes the state of North Carolina.

This means the state cannot hold up progress. Bolick says a full report on Helene's recovery will be released in the coming weeks. More than 200,000 glaciers exist on Earth, but experts say climate change has made thousands of them disappear over the past few days. decades. A new report suggests as the planet continues to heat up, the base of glacier extinction is expected to pick up. Researchers predict by the middle of the century, up to 4,000 glaciers a year will go away if people do not stop pumping carbon dioxide and other chemicals into the air. One of the studies authors said climate change does not just lead, doesn't just lead to some

ice melt, but leads to the complete extinction of many glaciers. All right. So that's the macro picture of climate. The micro picture, we are in the midst of a very, very cold stretch as we take a live look at downtown Raleigh from the Pendo Sky Cam perched high atop 301 Hillsborough Street. It has been a very cold stretch, a very cold start to meteorological winter. December 1st, December 1st, December 21st is astronomical winter. That's right. That's what they call it on the street. Real winter based off the tilt of the earth. And we're going to see some moderation.

We will. Actually, starting today, highs will climb to around 50 degrees. We're still going to be below average, but by around 5 degrees. A big bump from yesterday's high of 37, 57, 56. 6 Wednesday 60 on Thursday, 62 Friday. A little dip for you on Saturday, but this is Sunday. The start of winter, high temperatures will be above average in the low 60s in the afternoon on Sunday. Here's a live look into downtown Durham and the sky conditions are a bit different. From yesterday morning, we have more cloud cover around and that's why temperatures are now mid to upper 20s. So definitely a big warm up from yesterday. We have temperatures in the triangle mid to upper 20s, 21, Irwin Smithfield, 24, Clinton, Fable 23. In Sanford, you're down. the 18 it's warmer in Roxborough right now in South Hill than those usual cool spots 32 in Roxburgh 30 degrees in South Hill but it feels colder teens and 20s on your feels like temperatures because of the winds from the southwest with these same winds will help push temperatures a bit higher we have a little batch of clouds overhead right now triangle north and east you're clear to the south you're going to see mainly sunny skies throughout the day today right around freezing at 9 a.m. 31 degrees mid 40s at noon so maybe you do head out for lunch this afternoon to grab your favorite bike to eat 50 degrees at 3 o'clock and then we're back into the 30s at six clear skies tonight temperatures will be closer to freezing tomorrow morning we do introduce some rain in the forecast Thursday we'll dry out early Friday morning and then the rest of the weekend looks dry for now Sunday another front

comes through I do have a low range chance at this point I'm going to keep it low it looks pretty dry we do have more clouds to the west and the plains these will start to work in tomorrow but the system we're tracking for thursday is still well offshore the west coast of the United States and that will roll in and bring us some rain potential so by the evening today 30s we're going to still be clear and then tomorrow morning those clouds start to build in low to mid 30s to start the day a load of mid 50s tomorrow afternoon Wednesday is dry for us though and then as we head into Thursday morning the early commutes six seven eight a m still looking dry right now in the 40s but by 10 11 o'clock I think we're looking at the rain and start building gradually from the west and taken over for the entire area through the afternoon by evening I do expect better coverage some of the rain could be locally heavy in spots that front rolls through early Friday morning and temperatures will start to fall actually behind the front Friday most of us will pick up about an inch of rainfall this time around but with that front Friday comes some really gusty winds these are the wind gusts in the thirties and even some 40s as the front is passing and that's why temperatures will go from the low 60s

early into the upper 50s by Friday afternoon so we'll have a day of upside down temperatures highs today will be low to mid 50s for most of us maybe some upper 40s north tonight clear and cold with upper 20s low 30s 50s tomorrow 60 Thursday with breezy conditions and showers rolling through temperatures falling Friday into the upper 50s by the afternoon. 53 Saturday for your final day of fall. And then Sunday, we welcome winter, mainly sunny, high temperature low 60s. Monday, 53. Now looking into the holiday, Christmas Eve, 61 degrees is how it looks right now. Yeah, this is nice. And then mid 50s on Christmas Day. So we go from very cold air, Arctic blast to temperatures closer to average just in time for the holidays.

It's a Christmas miracle. Yeah. I love that. That's great, Quay. Thank you. The road's really quiet right now. If you do want to warm up that car, you'll have plenty of time to do so. Our crash count sitting at zero. Let's take a live look outside because congestion is really low in most spots, including 40 and Carreytown Boulevard. ABC 11 and the Whitley law firm are paying tribute to our everyday heroes currently serving or who have previously served in the armed forces. Nominate your hero for their chance to be featured here on eyewitness news. You can find the link to share your submission at the bottom of the homepage on ABC11.com.

521 is the time and hitting pause why Ford is stopping the production on all electric F-150 lightning pickup trucks. And you can now catch up with breaking news and the latest headlines with the ABC 11 eyewitness news podcast. You can listen anytime or anywhere. Just follow ABC 11 eyewitness news wherever you get your podcast. We'll be right back. Watch Don Schwinnaker tonight on ABC 11 eyewitness news. 525 and Ford pulling the plug. on its all-electric truck.

Here's ABC Sophie Flay with this morning's TechBites. In today's TechBites, Ford is scrapping its all-electric pickup truck. The decision to pull the plug on the F-150 Lightning comes amid waning consumer demand. Ford plans to focus instead on hybrid vehicles. It expects to take a $19 billion hit this quarter because of the EV business. Next, Disney Plus is now available to stream

on Meta's Quest Virtual Reality headsets. Recent improvements in the headset's entertainment features made it possible. It's only available for U.S. users right now, but international capability is coming soon. Disney is the parent company of ABC. Finally, money-saving bubble wrap. Scientists in Colorado have invented a material that they say is so well insulated it can protect your hand from being burned by a flame. It's believed the substance could be applied to windows to make them even more energy efficient. Those are Techbytes. I'm Sophie Fleigh. Have a great day. For Christmas is you.

Okay. It's official. All I Want for Christmas is You has now spent more weeks at number one than any song ever has on the Billboard Hot 100. Mariah Carey's holiday hit is back on the chart again, and it has now held the top spot. A record smashing 20 weeks since its original release way back, way back, Joel, in 1994. Oh, that's a classic. One way to celebrate the life of the late Rob Reiner is to enjoy the films he directed, some of which are currently streaming. His groundbreaking mockumentary, this is Spinal Tap, is on HBO Max.

The Coming of Age classic Stand By Me can be found on Netflix, and the timeless fairy tale, the Princess Bride, is on Hulu. 527 now, it's another cold start, though not as cold as yesterday. No, no, no, how soon we could soon see warmer temperatures? Meteorologist, Quaylon Murphy's up with your forecast next F hour. And breaking overnight, a car crashing and burning and bursting into flames. After crashing off of Wade Avenue in Raleigh, we'll break down what we know about the wreck.