ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 5am - October 22, 2026

Episode Date: October 22, 2026

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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. on your Friday Eve, good morning, Carolina. Welcome on this Thursday, October 22nd. I'm Joel Brown. And I'm Anna Rivera. Thanks so much for joining us today. This morning on eyewitness news, a surprising twist pushes the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial near its end. What you need to know ahead of the closing arguments this morning. And the City of Raleigh hosting an affordable housing conference today. Sean Coffey standing by with the goals and challenges ahead. And it's hunger relief day today.

I can tell you more information on how you can give back to your community today and still go to the fair. We will check in with Tamara Scott at the fairgrounds very soon. First, though, let's do weather and traffic together. There is meteorologist, Quaylon Murphy. Chili start to the morning. And if you were hoping for rain, it ain't happening anytime soon. It's not. Drought's going to get worse through the end of the month. I do expect those rain totals to be at zero, but we do have another bright day in store. Cool north wind, great for outdoor activities and also any yard work that needs to get done today. Pleasant afternoons and we'll be a little bit cooler this weekend, upper 60s on Saturday, but the dry weather continues. Josephine is that tropical, sub-tropical system in the Atlantic waters. It's departing, but the coastal impacts will linger through today and tonight. Here's a live look downtown, Raleigh. We're down to 42 degrees right now. Now that's six degrees lower than yesterday's temperature, dew points, low 40s and light winds as well.

A mixture of mid-30s to the low 40s at this time. So looking at a bigger change from yesterday for all of the area, winds are light, but they'll pick up a little bit more later today. Still coming in with that northerly component. Bus stop temperatures, 40s, I think all the way through 8 o'clock approaching 50 at 9. I would say long sleeves again for this cold start. But by the afternoon, we're climbing again low 70s today. 9 o'clock when the gates open for the state fair, still near 49. 9 degrees. Mid 50s at 9 o'clock tonight. Their sub-tropical system, Josephine, Max,

wins 65 miles per hour. So it's definitely a strong system, gusts 75, but it's booking, moving northeast at 13. The system continues to pull away, but we'll still have the influence of the baggage of that system, so minor coastal flooding concerns will continue for the coast. Big improvement, so on the winds, you can see here 15 to around 20 miles per hour. So that's some good news for the coast as we cover from some of that minor flooding happening. We'll talk When I come back right now. Our first check up weather and traffic together. Anna, back to you.

Coiland traffic really quiet right now. Our crash count at zero, which is pretty typical for this time of morning. Now let's take a live look outside at the DOT cameras. Maybe you have an early morning flight. I-40 in Aviation Parkway traffic is really light. 5.02 and this morning a woman is in the hospital after someone stabbed her at a Durham Hotel and police still don't know who did it. It happened in broad daylight just after four yesterday afternoon at the Clary in Point Hotel off NC-55.

Officers found the woman hurt and rushed her to the hospital. She has serious injuries but is expected to survive. This morning, no suspect and no word on what sparked the attack. Staying in Durham, the Faith Hedgepeth murder trial now in its final stretch. Closing arguments begin later this morning after the defense rested its case yesterday. Miguel Salgaro Oliver's lawyers decided not to present new evidence or witness testimony. That's despite telling the court they plan to call witnesses to testify. Meanwhile, Faith's parents have sat through the trial.

as prosecutors presented 23 witnesses over nine days of testimony. Hedgepeth was 19 when she was killed in her off-campus apartment in 2012. Our full conversation on the state of the case is available now at ABC11.com and it's on ABC11 streaming channels. In Raleigh, stakeholders are expected to discuss the future of affordable housing. Yeah, it's at a two-day affordable housing conference, which city leaders say will help generate new solutions as the city grows. Sean Coffey live in downtown Raleigh this morning.

Sean, you spoke with a Raleigh housing official. What does she tell you? Yeah, that's right, guys. Good morning. She said that the city views rising costs and the relative lack of affordable housing as a crisis, but said that the work being done at events like we're going to see later today at the convention center are making progress in reaching a goal there. But nevertheless, the city said that they are viewing this issue as a top priority currently, and that they're confident that the solutions being implemented are working currently. Those include a focus on not only increasing affordable housing supply, but housing supply across. the board to bring costs down. Today's event over at the convention center will provide an opportunity for developers, housing officials, and stakeholders to get together for breakout

sessions and networking with the hope of generating new partnerships and eventually projects. I think as much as we can share, you know, what's worked, what hasn't, and bouts ideas off one another in the housing world, the better. I think we're all better for it. And we can better serve residents. The event comes after two major affordable housing announcements that we've covered here on eyewitness news. That event begins this morning at 9 a.m. It's put in part by sponsorship with the North Carolina Affordable Housing Coalition,

guys. Back to you. All right, Sean, thank you. And eyewitness news will be live at the fair this morning as we highlight hunger relief day. Yeah, this is a fair tradition that started back in 1993. Fairgoers donating over 6 million pounds of food to the Food Bank of State. Central and Eastern North Carolina. There's Tamara Scott.

She's live at the fairgrounds with the largest single day food drive in our state. Hey, good morning, guys. Yeah, today is one of the most popular days for the North Carolina State Fair as well. And it's a great chance to help out your community. It's Hunger Relief Day.

And all you have to do is bring in six non-perishable food items and you get into the fair for free. Now, this is its 33rd year of the Hunger Relief Day, the largest single food drive in North Carolina. And this year's event comes as a need for food items. assistance continues to grow. The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina says more than 1.6 million people across the state are facing food insecurity. Some local food pantries are reporting up to 60 percent more visits compared to last year. Now if you are planning to come

out today here is what the food bank needs most peanut butter and jelly plastic containers, canned chicken, tuna or salmon and ready to eat hot meals like soup and ravioli. Now remember six and non-perishable food items get in one person for free but no glass containers. We often like to think of hunger as an issue that affects someone else, somewhere else, and it couldn't be farther from the truth. We know that hunger is an incredible issue right here in the place that we call home across the state of North Carolina. The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina tells us that the need that they're serving

today is even greater than at the height of COVID-19. And so the gates open at 9 o'clock this morning. That's when they'll start taking those donations. They'll keep taking them until 945 tonight. Remember, you don't have to just bring six items. You can always bring more back to you. You can always bring more. Tamara, thank you.

And you can catch Anna, Quaylan and myself on the road today. We're broadcasting live from the fairgrounds on Hunger Relief Day. That's happening on IWitness News at 10. 507 is the time. And this is a time to focus on preventing violence and giving students a voice. Coming up, we're going to hear from a mother about her child's experiences and what's being done about it. But first, we're following an increase in complaints at the Palm. how your attorney general is taking action with the help of his newly launched NC fuel check tool.

Good morning, hey, good morning. Great day for a car watch. A little cold this morning, but temperatures climbing into the 70s, all about the sunshine over the next several days. We'll talk more about this trend in my forecast. And the traffic map is clear. So far, so good for your Thursday morning commute. Now let's take a look at those traffic hotspots brought to you by the Fred Anderson family of dealerships on Glenwood Avenue. Fred Anderson Toyota, Fred Anderson Kia, Fred Anderson, Nissan, all home of the Fred Anderson Family Plum. including lifetime oil changes, lifetime car washes on all new Toyota's Kia's Nissan's and hundreds of used cars.

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More ride time. More lake time. More camp time. More go time. The new 2027 Subaru Cross-Trek hybrid. Consumer Report's top-rated subcompact SUV. Stop by your local Subaru dealership or visit Subaru.ca to learn more. Consumer Reports that's not indoors products or services. Uh, hold music. Not what you want to hear when a pipe just first and your basement is flooding. That's why intact insurance answers two million claim calls per year within 20 seconds. So instead of hearing this lovely track, you'll hear this in seconds. Hello, intact insurance. 510, welcome back on this Thursday morning. A live look from North Hills, a nice quiet start again. Clear skies. We do have some colder pockets in Wake

County, Knightdale, Zebulin, Rollsville, Wake Forest, all mid to upper 30s. Holly Springs and Fugue, you're down into the upper 30s too. And in Clayton and Willow Springs, Upper 30s around the triangle low 40s. Siler City, 35, a mix of 30s to the north and to the south, mainly 40s at this time, including Fayetteville. Eight o'clock, we're still upper 30s north, low 40s triangle sandhills. Lunchtime today into the 60s with highs, lower 70s. So it will be seasonably warm again today with the winds coming in from the north, mainly 5 to around 12 miles per hour. Later this evening, 60s by 6 o'clock, low 50s at 10 o'clock tonight and more clear sky on the way. We have Josephine, that subtropical system pulling away from our coastline but impacts greater around the mid-Atlantic

and New England states between today and early weekend. RIP current threat also coming down a bit too from Hatteras, Carolina Beach, still a bit higher for the Outer Banks. Your seven-day forecast is coming up. Anna and Joel back to you. Okay, Quaylon, thank you. Gas prices are falling, but complaints at the pump are piling up. Attorney General Jeff Jackson says his office has now received more than 470 fuel check complaints. Yeah, it's all after the state suspended. It's 41. sent a gallon gas tax. The gas tax holiday started last Friday, and stations are required to pass those savings onto you. Last week, there were about 200 complaints, and now that number is more than doubled, and the AG's office is stepping in. The message is you owe us an explanation.

Are there wholesale issues? Are there logistics issues? Are you working off of inventory that you bought before the gas tax suspension went into effect? If there's not a real explanation, then you need to know you are not in compliance with the law and you need to fix that immediately. So flagged stations are now getting letters. Those who do not comply could be hit with penalties up to $5,000 per transaction. If you plan to vote early, the clock is ticking. We are now less than two weeks out from Election Day and the critical November midterms, how some ballots are getting tossed out already.

And a reminder, you can find eyewitness news live on ABC 11, Disney Plus, and everywhere you stream. The new Subaru Cross Trek Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient cross-track yet. That means less time filling your tank and more time filling your day. More court time. More ride time. More lake time. More camp time. More go time.

The new 2027 Subaru Cross-Trek hybrid. Consumer Reports top-rated subcompact SUV. Stop by your local Subaru dealership or visit Subaru.ca to learn more. Consumer reports that's not indoors products or services. Oh, hold music. Not what you want to hear when a pipe dispersed and your basement is flooding. That's why intact insurance answers 2 million claim calls per year within 20 seconds. So instead of hearing this lovely track, you'll hear this in seconds.

Hello, intact insurance. We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. It is 515 and in vote 2026, Wake County now surpassing 100,000 ballots cast during early voting. And now advocacy groups are sounding the alarm. That's following a reported uptick in spoiled ballots from absentee voters. According to numbers from the State Board of Elections, 3.1% of ballots have been tossed out so far compared to 2.6% during the same time period in 2022.

The exact reason for why a ballot is tossed out is not included. The increase coincides with new guidance, putting stricter enforcement on the ceiling of envelopes and limitations on who can submit a ballot on behalf of a vote. voter. We sounded the alarm about this when the state board put forth the proposed rules that got held up in the rules review process earlier in the summer. We told them that there needed be more notice and opportunity for voters to correct these issues. County Board of Elections need to notify voters if their ballot is rejected. The State Board of Elections is also highlighting instructions for those voters on its website and encouraging them to

use ballot tracks to track their submission. You still have time to vote, but make a plan soon. Early voting runs through Saturday, October 31st, but the final two to three days are historically the busiest to find an early voting site near you. Just visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections website. Keeping kids safe at school takes more than preparing for the worst. It also means knowing what they face every day. From clashes with classmates to pressures that can turn into bigger problems. It's National Safe Schools Week. Focused on Prevent. preventing violence and giving students a voice. A mother and daughter told us about bullying, vaping, and fighting,

even though state data shows violence and crime are down in North Carolina schools. They say the numbers don't tell the whole story. So they started a voice for the youth, a safe space for young people to be heard. These are our children. We know our children. We have experience. We need to show them experience or we need, you know, talk to the kids. At least once a week try to engage that in school.

IWitness News reached out to Wake County Public Schools to learn how the district is working to create safer spaces for students. It is 517. How about a live look outside from the Pendo Sky Cam? A view of downtown Raleigh this morning. Temperatures in the 40s. Be glad you don't live in Roxborough and it temperatures in the 30s. Yeah, no, I think about that a lot. The temperatures are always lower. They get snow first, all those things. Most of the time. Some people are really loving this cold in air. They're ready for it. Because like fall. Yeah, some people are ready for snow. No, we can't get any of that anytime soon. Hey, state fair gates open at 9 o'clock this morning.

We'll see you out there for eyewness news at 10 o'clock. By 9 will still be in the upper 40s. But 70s again this afternoon with a breeze comfortable, lots of sunshine, mid-50s at 9 o'clock tonight. We have chilly, coldish mornings through the rest of the next seven days, along with pleasant afternoons. State Fair weekend will be a little bit cooler, but still pleasant and bright, no rain in the forecast.

So all good there. Drought will worsen though. We're going to be dry the rest of October. That takes us all the way through the end of next week. Our next best chance for some rainfall doesn't come into early November. Here's a live look downtown Raleigh, 42. Right now, 42 in Durham, mid-30s, Roxborough, Sanford, Goldsboro, 38, Fayetteville, it's 46 degrees.

We're going to have really dry air in place again today. We're going to start the day with 40s on due points, but ultimately by the afternoon into the 30s, so the dry air continues through the afternoon today. More of the same tomorrow. I have the high temperature right around So we're going to spend most of the day Friday in the 60s, mid to upper 60s. Here's a look at P. Island along North Carolina Highway 12, about 800 foot of pavement damaged here with the onshore push of the winds, the inundation of the waters there.

So that's why we're seeing the shutdown from Basnight Bridge all the way Rodanthi still seeing impacts from what's now sub-tropical system, Josephine. It's pulling away, but we have the strong high pressure building in from the north and west. And there's going to be several lows developing to the south. So that's going to keep the pressure gradient tight around here, which is why we'll keep breezy conditions, too. Still some minor coastal flooding possible for the beaches with some overwashed concerns. The winds, though, around 15 to 20 miles per hour, maybe up to 30. And the inundation still possible one to four feet. The first high tide cycle happened this morning at 5 o'clock.

The next will be 5 p.m. later today. Those waves are calming down a bit three to six feet for Beaufort down to Oak Island. Still around 10 to 15 feet for now. But I think later today, closer to. around 6 to 12 feet along the coast. We're looking at a front that will move through Friday. A week one will still be near 70 degrees. Lots of sun and nice northerly breeze and bright on Saturday,

but once again, temperatures dip into the upper six season. No rain here in the next seven days. So that's how it's gonna look. We have to go west to find that rainy set up. Temperatures today in the 70s, lows in the 30s and 40s again tonight. There's your first alert 70 forecast powered by ACUweather. We're up to 72 Monday, mid 70s, Tuesday, right into Wednesday.

Weather and traffic together, Anna, back to you. Quailant, still looking good on the roads. You can see there's nothing that you need to worry about. No slowdowns, no crashes. Let's take a live look outside at the DOT cameras. This is I-40 and Jones Sausage Road, and traffic there is still light. 520 now and still to come, it's a major layoff in the state. We'll hear from Pfizer as questions remain on when the layoffs are happening

and just how many North Carolinians are out of a job. And you can now catch up with breaking news and the latest headlines with our ABC 11 eyewitness news podcast. Listen anytime or anywhere, just follow ABC 11 eyewitness news wherever you get your podcast. We're coming right back. The new Subaru Cross Trek Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient cross-track yet. That means less time filling your tank and more time filling your day. More court time. More ride time.

More lake time. More camp time. More go time. The new 27 Subaru Cross-Trek hybrid. Consumer Reports top-rated. subcompact SUV. Stop by your local Subaru dealership or visit Subaru.ca to learn more. Consumer reports that's not indoors products or services. Hold music. Not what you want to hear when a pipe dispersed in your basement is flooding. That's why Intact Insurance answers 2 million claim calls per year

within 20 seconds. So instead of hearing this lovely track, you'll hear this in seconds. Hello, intact insurance. Alert weather on ABC 11. 524 and Airbnb hosts are sounding off over a new policy prohibiting them from requiring guests to perform chores. Here's ABC Sophie Flay with this morning's TechBites. In today's TechBits, Airbnb is rolling out new house rules next month on what hosts can ask their guests to do. Guests will no longer be required to strip beds, take trash with them, or wash dishes.

Airbnb says guests should not be expected to complete tasks that require significant time and effort. Next, some big changes coming to video game developer electronic arts. It's shutting down its BioWare Studio, the maker of Mass Effect in Dragon Age and laying off about 400 people. EA says the next Mass Effect game has been canceled. And finally, audio equipment maker Bose has acquired Skull Candy, the budget headphone brand, popular with skaters and gamers. The two have already been partners for several years. The deal gives Skull Candy full access to Bose's technology while giving Bose away into a younger audience.

Those are your TechBites. I'm Sophie Fleigh. Have a great day. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer revealing a round of layoffs to eyewitness news at its locations in Rocky Mountain and Sanford. What's not known is how many people are affected, which positions and when the layoffs are happening. The news comes weeks ahead of the company's third quarter financial report. Local leaders and economists say it's too early to know what it means for the area. A lot of reasons why companies can lay off, lay people off. and how much does that tell us about the macro economy, are there net hires in somewhere else?

What is this telling us? It's really hard to know. To what degree it affects the local economies depends on the number that are laid off, say, in Rocky Mount or the Twin County area. In the statement to eyewitness news, a Pfizer spokesperson says in part we've conducted a series of these evaluations focused on operational efficiencies and head count reductions are part of this initiative. Weiser does not take these changes lightly.

Our colleagues are top priority, and we are committed to keeping them informed throughout the process and providing them with support services. 526 now, and we've got breaking news in the next half hour following reports of shops fired in Northeast Raleigh. Plus, we're following the homecoming of Stephen Hubbard. He was jailed for over four years in Russia on charges of fighting for Ukraine, the latest on talks to end the war. And there is a town hall tonight putting flat cameras back in the spotlight.

We'll tell you where you can ask your questions and share feedback. That's coming up next at 530. Old music. Not what you want to hear when a pipe dispersed in your basement is flooding. That's why intact insurance answers 2 million claim calls per year within 20 seconds. So instead of hearing this lovely track, you'll hear this in seconds. Hello, intact insurance.