ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 6pm - December 28, 2025

Episode Date: December 28, 2025

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Right now, live coverage from your local news leader, investigating new information tonight, and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11 eyewitness news. And right now at 6, we're taking you outside this Sunday evening. Here's a live view of both Raleigh and Durham. Some parts of the viewing area seeing some sprinkles of rain today, but things seem to be clearing out right now. It's still pretty gray day and things drying out, low humidity, high wind gusts, they have prompted a red flag warning for most of Central North Carolina, including right here in the triangle for tomorrow. You're watching eyewitness news at 6. I'm Bianca Holman. Glad to have you with us this evening. We first start this half hour talking about the weather. Tomorrow is a first alert day because of that red flag warning, and it's been issued from noon until 6 p.m. for tomorrow on Monday. Meteorologist Cruz Medina joining us now live to explain really what this all means for us.

Hey, Cruz. Hey there, Bianca. Yeah, we are expecting those possible fire conditions tomorrow. And it's because of what you just said. It's so dry outside. We've got a very windy day ahead of us tomorrow. And those winds are not going to just be a morning thing or an afternoon thing. It's kind of an all day thing where we could be catching winds above 30 or possibly even 35

miles per hour for tomorrow. So some things that you could do ahead of this wind event is if you have any outdoor decorations or something like even a trash can that's empty out. You might want to secure those things today before those winds start whipping because that picks up later tonight and last into the morning and afternoon tomorrow. So like we were saying, that red flag warning, in effect, not sure what's going on with my graphics here, but basically the triangle and points west are included in that. And that's from noon until 6 p.m. tomorrow. So we're giving you the heads up now. You can prepare ahead of time.

And then you can enjoy your evening because right now all is pretty quiet. So it's chilly out there. Tipters are in the 40s. And believe it or not, tipters are going to rise through. throughout this evening into the low 50s as we go into the overnight hours. So that's thanks to that breezy southwest wind that we have in place. Tipters will be in the 50s by later this evening and then tomorrow we start out near 60. The afternoon does feature a rain chance around midday.

Tipters top out in the mid 60s for most of us and then come down all the way into the 20s by Tuesday morning. So it's going to be chilly leading up to New Year's. We'll talk about the New Year's Eve forecasts. That way you can prepare for that as well. That's coming up in your seven-day forecast. Bianca. All right, Cruz, thank you. And remember, you can always stay up to date with the latest weather conditions.

With the free ABC11 mobile app, we'll send those watches and warnings straight to your device. And you can always check out the seven-day forecast and Doppler Net at any time. Let's go ahead and turn now to the holiday travel rush. 3.7 million North Carolinians expected to travel this holiday season. We're looking right now at a live look at RDU Airport and I-40 at Airport Boulevard. You can see traffic there on the roads pretty light. at this hour. But again, a lot of people traveling

between now until eight o'clock. And so it is going to be busy not just here, but elsewhere and where you're headed home. All right now, RDU is experiencing multiple travel delays and cancellations. According to Flight Aware, more than 100 flights have been delayed and more than 12 have been canceled.

So again, really impacting so many people here. It comes as the Northeast continues to deal with a powerful winter storm, putting down some snow. And our Tom George is at the airport tonight, speaking with past And they're having to come up with ways because a lot of people have those connecting flights and that's what's going on for so many people. I can see the line of travelers behind you going through TSA, Tom George.

Yeah, that's right, Bianca. I actually came home to North Carolina from the holidays from Maryland, so just able to dodge that system in the Northeast. But if you are flying, it is impacting a lot of people here today. I want to show you the big board right now. This is arrivals. I see about at least a dozen delayed or canceled flights on there. Same thing with departures. Now, you wouldn't know it from looking at RDU.

It's pretty clear outside, just a little cloudy and rainy, but it's what's happening in other parts of the country that is really leading to those delays and cancellations. A lot of those that we saw on the big board from areas like New York and Boston, even Chicago, where people have a lot of connecting flights as they're heading to the West Coast. So pretty much around the country. So from travelers that we talked to, it was very hit. miss. Those that were coming from the area is not impacted, we're okay, but others had not as good luck. Luckily, we've took some pretty early mornings to get to where we need to get to without any delays

and hiccups, so we've been fortunate. So what happened was my flight got delayed, and now I'm having to get a new flight, and it's kind of just all freaking me out. Yeah, so that gentleman you just heard from right there, he's from Raleigh. He was home for the holidays, but he serves in the Navy. He was trying to get back to Seattle. He should be getting ready for his, uh, new flight now, but definitely a stressful situation for him. I haven't changed, as you see right there. TSA, moving pretty smoothly, a decent line though, but obviously, again, with what is happening across the country, definitely you need to check flight aware.

You need to check your flight status. Get there early if you need to, but really, these could all change. So definitely make sure you stay on top of it if you are heading out at RDU, Bianco. All right. And if you can afford to stay an extra day, if the family lets you stay one more night, maybe you know what, call it night and come on back and get to the airport in the morning or Tuesday. Tom George, live for us at RDU. Thank you, Tom. Well, if you are driving this holiday season, be prepared to hit some traffic. According to AAA, the worst times to drive today are

actually right now through about 8 o'clock. So if you can't hold out and head out around and do some night driving, that may be best. You also want to avoid the roads tomorrow between noon and 8 p.m. And on Tuesday from noon to 7 p.m. A reminder, the annual booze it and lose it campaign is underway. Authorities in all 100 counties, increasing patrols. and sobriety checkpoints try to catch those impaired drivers. The campaign runs through January 4th. We're also following new details into an armed robbery that led to an officer involved shooting in Rocky Mount. The man charged in the case, 42-year-old Willie McGee Jr. is now facing federal charges.

It began Friday morning. Police say Willie McGee Jr. allegedly went inside First Citizens Bank on Wakelawn Street with a letter claiming his truck was rigged with an explosive. Hours later, police found McGee in a Hobby Lobby parking lot on Sutter's Creek Boulevard in Rocky Mount. But when police approached his truck, McGee hopped out and started shooting. Officers returned fire hitting McGee. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. McGee is now facing multiple federal charges, including discharging a firearm in the, and also, if convicted, he can face up to 20 years in prison, the bank robbery charge, and the mandated minimum of 10 years in prison.

consecutive to any other sentence on discharging a firearm charge. So pretty intense there. And we are just days away from the start of a new year. And also there are going to be some new laws that are said to go into effect on January 1st, including changes to the Raleigh noise ordinance. The new rules will apply to amplified sound from commercial establishments like bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. Tamara Scott has reaction from people in the Glenwood South District.

it's a quiet day here on glenwood south but that's not always the case not interruptively loud at all i don't find it to be problematic that's one opinion of josiah geist who lives near the social district but for someone who feels differently starting at the first of the year they will now have a formal opportunity to complain i guess that's tough if you've lived here a while and you're unhappy with the noise but if you live here and you're surprised by noise i'm not sure i understand understand why you're here. It's a part of the new adoptions to the city noise ordinance. It only applies to places like bars, clubs, and restaurants. Citizens will be able to file a complaint if they think the decibel levels exceed the rules based on location, time of day,

and day of the week. Glenwood South will be rated on a separate level from the city and permitted events. I guess it depends what they do with those complaints. If it's just some forum for someone to feel heard, then maybe it's good for them. There could be real consequences. There could be a $1,500 penalty for three or more violations. A fourth violation means restricted outdoor sound equipment. Tamara Scott, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Tamara, thank you. Still ahead.

At least one person was killed after two helicopters collided midair in New Jersey. But the FAA and NTSB are now saying about that deadly crash. Plus, a high stakes meeting at Marilago. President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky meeting face to face today to discuss ending the four-year long war in Russia. Now to a deadly mid-air collision between two helicopters in New Jersey. Witnesses say one of the choppers was engulfed in flames within seconds of the crash. At least one person is dead and another critically injured.

Here's ABC's Reno Roy with details. A terrifying mid-air collision in New Jersey. Shortly before noon, the Hamilton Police Department in New Jersey, received a call of an aviation crash between two helicopters, one of those choppers seen in this video spiraling out of control. Black smoke rising from the crash site, witnesses describe the terrifying moments. I see one helicopter slowly descending down in a rotating motion, almost as if the rudder and the tail had lost control. And then I see a second one come down with the same issue behind it. Police, fire, and EMS responded to the scene, extinguishing the flames that engulfed

one of the aircraft. The FAA describing the incident as a mid-air collision between two helicopters over Hamilton Municipal Airport. Only the pilots were on board each aircraft. Both the FAA and the NTSB will be investigating the crash. Authorities have asked residents to avoid the area while the investigation continues. Rina Roy, ABC News, New York. Right now, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky meeting with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida today. So the two leaders discussed 20-point peace proposal to end the nearly four-year-long war with Russia. Zelensky has proposed a demilitarized buffer zone in the eastern part of Ukraine, but Russia has indicated that it wants Ukraine to give up all of that territory and even land that Russia doesn't currently control. President Trump says

he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone and says it was a good and very productive call. The people of Ukraine wanted to end and the people of Russia wanted to end, the two leaders wanted to end. President Trump says he plans to speak with Putin again after his meeting with Zelensky. Next at six, Cars and Coffee will take you inside the big event that gave people in Raleigh a chance to check out some unique cars and shop local. The annual Cars and Coffee event was held in Raleigh today on Capitol Boulevard. The theme for this month was everything right-hand drive featuring four new rides from Japan, Britain, and several other countries with rare cars. The event also featured local food vendors, giving people a chance to shop local.

Organizers also accept donations to give to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. It brings people together in general, and I think it's important that the car community be involved in what the needs of the community are. So if we come together to help the food bank or to help a hospital or a clinic or something like that, we just come together around some kind of event and that kind of help the community with either the food. donations or bringing awareness to a particular need. The event is held every 4th Sunday of the month. North Carolina's first black-owned children's bookstore is making a comeback. The Raleigh store closed last year after the owner reported receiving racist threats

and saying that they no longer felt safe. Liberation Station is now set to reopen tomorrow on Hill Street. That's in East Raleigh off of Oakwood Avenue. There will be a reopening celebration beginning at 10 a.m. All right, Cruz is here with a check of the forecast as we actually start the work week. I know we do have New Year's this week, but still some of us got to go to work. So what can we expect on Monday? Well, some weather whiplash is in store for tomorrow.

So we've issued that first alert day because we have a red flag warning in effect. And that means that wildfires will be possible tomorrow as a result of gusty winds and dry air. But look at that temperature, 66 degrees. That's what we'll achieve early in the afternoon. and then tipters will tank and we will see much cooler conditions as we go to the middle of the week and into New Year's Eve as well. So tipures are all over the place in this forecast. One thing for certain, we do have this red flag warning and effect from noon until 6 p.m. tomorrow. And it's for all of the counties that you see shaded here in pinks. That includes the triangle region and basically down into the sand hills as well. So if you were included in this, please know that any outdoor burning is not advised for tomorrow. And also that tonight before those windy conditions arrived, you might as well go ahead and secure any loose outdoor objects. Now take you out to Kerry, this is the Coco Booth Amphitheater Chinese Lantern Festival, and tipters near there should be in the mid-40s right now.

We will see those tipters continue to rise throughout this evening, so it won't be feeling too bad. I would definitely take a jacket with you, though, if you're going to be outside tonight. Now notice those temperature is getting warmer throughout the night instead of cooling down like we normally would. There also could be a little shower or sprinkle in the mix, But as we go into tomorrow, watch how these tipters are going to shake out into the morning. So we should be near 60 degrees as you're stepping out the door. It's going to be very warm, very breezy, and those winds will pick up throughout the course of the morning and into the afternoon as well.

Now here comes the front itself that's bringing those windy conditions. We could see a few showers around midday. So either late morning or early afternoon, those push through pretty quickly. So we're drawing out as we go into the late afternoon and also getting some clearing behind that front. but temperatures will tank all the way down into the 20s by the time that we get into Tuesday morning. So like I said, this is really a roller coaster of a forecast. Temperature starting out warm tomorrow. It's warm into midday, and then we see those temperatures come right back down as we go into the late parts of the day.

Now, something to note here, the wind shift with that front, that's what's going to cause these gusty conditions. It'll be gusting already up to 30 miles per hour in the morning, possibly up to 35 in the afternoon. But we get winds switching from the southwest to the northwest as that front passes through. And that's going to usher in that cooler air, bringing us down into the 20s by Tuesday morning. So definitely not as cold tonight as what we will see into Tuesday morning. Tipjurs will stay generally in the 40s and 50s tonight. By tomorrow, highs reach those mid 60s, even a few low 70s down in the sandhills. And then for the second half of the day, obviously turning much colder after that front passes through our area.

So Tuesday, 40s for highs, low 50s for New Year's Eve. If you have plans for New Year's Eve, you could see that 34 there. It's definitely going to be a chilly night. So you'll want to keep that in mind for any of those New Year's Eve plans, especially if they're going to be outdoors. And then by the time we get into the new year, Tifter should be back in the 50s, that's seasonable. So that's actually what we expect for this time of the year

and watching a rain chance for next Saturday. And we could really use some rain. All right. Let the rain come. No complaints. Right. All right, Cruz. Thank you. All right, let's go ahead and check in with the Tray Miles.

We'll look at sports. Don't bring me no bad news. Don't bring me no bad news. I tried not to, Bianca, but the Panthers had a chance to clutch the division for the first time in 10 years. All they had to do was get a victory at home. We are revisiting today's game in the Queen City when we come back with sports. THEIRMANILEEN SULLIV. We're going to be able to be.

I'm going to be able to be. We're going to be able to be. I'm going to be. I'm going to be able to be. I'm going to be. I'm going to be able to be. Thank you. To wrap up the division, but I feel like if you told Panthers fans at the beginning

of this year, you would have a chance to make the playoffs in the last regular season game of the year. I think they would take that. What do you think as a fan of yourself? Yeah, absolutely, because I know they wouldn't have believed it going into the season, but hey, what a season for them. We love drama. I got to give credit to the office. She's preached faith. She's been faithful. One more week. Saturday or Sunday. We'll see. I mean, this would be the best story ever, right?

I mean, this is like a 30-for-30 season that they would do a story about in like 10 years. Like the Panthers crawling, crawling their way. They're clawing their way. I see what you did there. And you know what? It's pretty cool because I think all the betters had the Panthers at seven wins this year. They have eight right now and they have a chance next week to get into the playoffs. We're on a way back, baby.

Don't count us out. Don't count us out. Keep counting or whatever they say. That's right. All right, Trey, thanks. Well, that's going to do it for us tonight here at 6. We'll see you right back here at 11, you guys.