ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 9am - December 13, 2025

Episode Date: December 13, 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. Good morning, Carolina. I'm Bianca Holman. It's Saturday, December 13th, this morning on eyewitness news and overnight mystery, a sinking SUV found, but no driver anywhere. They're still looking. Plus, a former UNC Rex nurse faces new charges as more patients come forward. And new Epstein photos show ties to some of America's most powerful men what we're learning this morning ahead. All right, let's go ahead and take a live look at the Raleigh skyline. The sun is up looking good, but it is chilly.

Not as chilly as it's going to be. So let's check in with meteorologist Steve Stewart. A great day to be outdoors. So much to do this Saturday. You've got to get out and enjoy it. The parades are going to be good. The early one's a little chilly, but still the afternoon is going to be fantastic. Fantastic. Enjoy it because tomorrow we got big changes. See that swath of snow there that's moving across Iowa, starting to get closer to Chicago now. It's going to move in there a little bit later on out ahead of it. It's snow, but behind it, it's a really cold Arctic air, and it's coming here.

57 this afternoon, so a pleasant afternoon to get out, a little bit above average. The Arctic front moves through early tomorrow morning. Maybe we'll squeeze out a shower or a flurry. That's not the headline. It's the cold Arctic air that's going to come in. It'll be delayed behind the front, so it'll happen. temperatures will be dropping as the day where it's on. We just need a good old-fashioned soaking rain. That's not going to happen anytime soon. Lake levels are way below full pool. You see a lot of the banks there on the sides of the lakes. And as you would imagine, just minimal releases happening right now. Just a tiny trickle really going into the noose river there. All right. So if you want to get the car wash today, that's what I'm doing, washing my wife's car. We'll get up to those mid-50s, lots of sunshine. Really a decent day to get out today because tomorrow you don't want to be out in the afternoon at all. degrees the temperature right now we got some passing high-level clouds out there 34 into Durham 34 into Smithfield kind of a popular number still some 20s there southern pine Sanford and Silas City but we'll warm up nicely as we go through the day evening planner if you're heading to the D-Pack tonight to see a Christmas Carol little chilly but not bad we'll get down to 42 by the time you're heading on home but enjoy it because it gets really cold tomorrow and tomorrow night more on that

coming up in just a few minutes Bianca all right Steve thank you and of course Make sure you go ahead and download the free ABC 11 weather app and be sure to have a close by as we track the weather conditions all weekend long. You can, of course, get the latest weather forecast up to the minute forecast right in your hands. Breaking overnight, emergency crews rushed to Cedar Creek Road in Cumberland County after reports of a sinking vehicle. Firefighters found a white SUV fully submerged in a creek about 20 feet off the road. Cruise lifted the vehicle to check for victims, but it was empty. State troopers are now investigating and at some. clear where the drive or any passengers are at this moment.

New images from Jeffrey Epstein's estate continues to raise questions. They include some of America's most powerful figures. Here's ABC's Johnny Fernandez. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee releasing more images from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein. The images show the convicted sex offender what some of America's most powerful men. Among those appearing on the photos, Donald Trump, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, Steve Bannon, former Prince Andrew and billionaire Richard Branson. Here is also a rare image of former President Bill Clinton.

ABC News has reached out to those appearing in the photos, including Bill Clinton, but has not received responses. The context, time frame, and location of the photographs are unclear. The appearance of these men in the Epstein photos is not evidence of wrongdoing. Three of the photos are with President Trump. One with Epstein. Another shows Trump at what appears to be a public event, posing with women, all who appeared to be adults.

President Trump was asked about the photos. I haven't seen it, but I mean, everybody knew this man. He was all over Palm Beach. He has photos with everybody. I mean, almost there are hundreds and hundreds of people that are photos with him. So that's no big deal. I know nothing about it. The 19 photos are a part of more than 95,000 images turned over to the committee

by the Epstein state in response to a subpoena. Obviously, there are photos of, powerful men and folks that we want to have an opportunity to speak with and ask questions of. Republicans say Democrats are, quote, cherry-picking photos and are creating targeted redactions to create a false narrative about President Trump. The Department of Justice has until next Friday to comply with the new law requiring the release of all the Epstein files. And now House Oversight Chair James Comer, who is a Republican, is threatening contempt proceedings. if Bill and Hillary Clinton do not show up to be deposed next week as part of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.

Johnny Fernandez, ABC News, New York. Johnny, thank you. New charges were filed against the former UNC Rex nurse accused of sexually assaulting patients. So far, three male victims say Brian Alvarez Ortiz assaulted them. Well, they were in the hospitals of recovery room after the victims had undergone surgery. Alvarez Ortiz is being held without bond and is due back in court on Monday. Monday. Raleigh Police, they're asking anyone who thinks that they may have been victimized to call them immediately. We have an update this morning. A deadly shooting in Wake County is now

being ruled as a case of self-defense. It happened last month on Nightdale Boulevard. 39-year-old Corey Hanson was shot and killed during a fight with another man. Witnesses say it started with a car crash and a fight broke out between the two men. The sheriff's office says no charges will be filed in this case. Now it's new documents obtained by eyewitness news regarding the WakeMed officers shot and killed on the job last month. The records show 59-year-old Roger Smith had previously been fired by the Nightdale Police Department in 2013 after years of service for policy and performance issues.

Smith died at the WakeMed-Garner Healthplex after being shot during an alleged struggle with Benji Martin Jr. Wake Med would not say whether they knew about his prior firings. And relief for UNC patients, UNC Health and Cigna strike a deal after weeks of uncertainty. Plus, it's winter graduation season, the commencement scheduled this weekend. And Durham is ranked one of the top travel destinations in the country. But first, good morning, Steve. Good morning, Bianca.

Good morning, everyone. Got a few clouds passing on by by lots of sunshine today. We're above freezing in a few spots, still in upper 20s there in Sanford. Not a bad day at all. We'll be in the upper 50s, maybe some low 60s in spots. Enjoy it because big change is coming tomorrow. All the details after the break. Welcome back, everybody.

Good morning to you, a cold star, but a pleasant afternoon, a little bit above average. We have plenty of sunshine around for today. Tomorrow an Arctic blast comes in. Morning clouds, afternoon sun. The wind picks up really as we go through the day. And the temperatures are going to be dropping as well. That 42 is early in the day.

And the first night of Hanukkah, it's going to be in the teens for lows early Monday morning. Very bright and very cold on Monday after that low of 16 degrees will probably only get up to the upper 30s. But the wind should calm down as the day wears on on Monday, but really bad early on. The easy to snow getting close to Chicago, we're looking good. Just some passing high level clouds out there for now. How about a round of golf today? We got plenty of sunshine this afternoon, mid-50s. That's not bad compared to what's coming our way.

34 degrees into North Hills right now with the high clouds moving overhead. That's about two degrees cooler than this time yesterday with widespread 30s out there. A few 20s, though, in Siler City and Sanford and Southern Pine still holding on to some below freezing temperatures out there. Meantime, state's got a big one tonight. If you're heading out to Lenovo Center near 50 as you're walking in when you head back to your car, not bad. Clear skies in about 43, likely getting some clouds coming into play overnight. Look at Chicago at 12 degrees, getting a little bit of snow. as well. Minneapolis is at one for the high. West Coast looks good, getting a little break from the rain, but more is going to be coming soon. So far, the major hubs are showing no delays. Got your seven day forecast coming up in just a few minutes, Bianca.

All right, Steve, thank you. It's graduation weekend for two universities in the triangle, NC State and UNC holding commencement this weekend, and we're taking a live look right now at NC State's graduation live on their YouTube streaming service and their streaming page there. It's happening at the Lenovo Center. And by the numbers, we say congratulations to them. They've got about just over 3,000 degrees being awarded this entire weekend, 2,000 of the bachelor degrees

being awarded, about 900 master's degrees, 300 or so doctoral students and 40 associates degrees. So we say congratulations to them, finishing strong. Congratulations to the new wolf packs there, finishing out their degrees. And UNC's winter commencement is set for Sunday, Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Dean Smith Center. Pulitzer Prize winning author and a long time Carolina historian Kathleen DeVall will be given the keynote address there. We are back with a

live look at the Bull City this hour. A new report showing Durham is one of the top travel destinations in the country for 2026. They're letting our secret out. That's according to home to go.com. There's so much that Durham offers and they're ranked among the top rising urban travel destinations in the country. The ranking highlights so-called second cities with activities, arts, and other creative events as main attractions for travelers in the new year. Other cities include Baltimore and Detroit. State titles decided heartbreak on the gridiron history for NC State Soccer.

We are talking all things local sports coming up next. Plus, a last minute deal brings relief UNC Health and Cigna back in network. And Taylor Swiss Ares Tour. One last time on Disney Plus, giving fans a closer look into her record-breaking world tour. Get you and your crew to the big shows with Go Transit. Go connects to all the main concert venues like TD Coliseum in Hamilton and Scotia Bank Arena in Toronto. And Go makes it affordable with special e-ticket fairs. A one-day weekend pass offers unlimited travel across the network on any weekend day or holiday for just $10.

and a weekday group pass offers the same weekday travel flexibility from $30 for two people and up to $60 for five. Buy yours at go-transit.com slash tickets. UNC Health has reached an agreement with Cigna Healthcare. The deadlock forced thousands of patients to lose in-network coverage. Elena Athens spoke with a pregnant patient who had to delay critical care. The last few weeks have been, I would say, the most stressed I've been throughout my whole pregnancy. Yass Sondello has spent the last stretch of her pregnancy worried. She's in her third trimester and excited to welcome a baby girl.

She shared these pictures with us from her shower early last month. It would only be a few weeks later. She was told by UNC staff her Cigna insurance would no longer be covered. Sandello had her last scan at UNC just before Thanksgiving and tells me she has a high-risk pregnancy. Knowing that not being able to receive care, knowing I'm supposed to receive weekly ultrasounds and seeing how well she's monitored and and growing. That's also been a concern for me too. UNC Health and Cigna had been in a stalemate. Today, after lengthy negotiations, the parties reached a deal.

UNC Health says the agreement will be retroactive to December 1st, and patients who paid upfront costs while out of network will be refunded. The chief clinical officer at UNC Health says in a statement, our patients will not face increased costs and the stress of going out of network or seeking new providers for their care. I'm excited. I'm very, very excited. ABC 11 was the one who broke the news to me. Sondello says she was recently able to transfer her charts and insurance to Duke health.

Yesterday, she saw a doctor and today finally had another scan. She's due at the end of January. With a deal, Sondello does plan to switch back so she can deliver her baby at UNC Chapel Hill. It's closer to her home. And she says she has immense gratitude for Duke staff who helped her through a scary time. I feel like they moved mountains for me in a very stressful time period. But I would like to continue my care at New York City. In Raleigh, Elena Athens, ABC 11, eyewitness news.

Elena, thank you. The time now, 9-17. Time to talk sports. Now to the 6A state championship Middle Creek, phase Wattaga out of the Boone area. The Mustang struck first with a short touchdown run by Jaden Spencer. But Wittaga took control after that, scoring 33 in the first half.

Evan Burroughs through five touchdowns as Wittaga beat Middle Creek, 47, 25. Hey, Middle Creek football isn't easy. There's nothing easy about what we do in Middle Creek football. Some guys tap out. If you stay in Middle Creek, you will be a champion. You know, shout out to Wittagra, because they did a really good job. But, you know, we're going to play them again next year in the state championship.

When that's our goal, we're going to get back to it. And, you know, when I came to Middle Creek, I said it was going to happen. And we're going to, we'll be back. We will be back. All right, you're already here first. The other highly anticipated game was a 7-8 championship between Clayton and Grimsley. Clayton got on the board first. Quarterback Aidan Smalls runs it in for the touchdown.

A 7-0-0 lead, and after that, Grimsley took over. They ended up winning the game 2414. Finding the NC State Wolfpacked mids soccer team has punched their ticket to the championship game in the College Cup. They beat St. Louis. 21-1 last night. They'll face Washington on Monday in Kerry.

All right, congrats to them. Absolutely. That's good. And if you want to get outdoors, wash the car, hang the lights. Yeah, I'm late hanging lights. Oh, yeah. Okay, that's fine. But they're getting up.

That's good. Okay. As long as you get them up there. Today's a good day to do that. Perfect. Because tomorrow's really going to not be a good day to be outside. Let's take you up to the mountains. Good skiing going on today.

That's Catalucci. Got some kids having a good time. And they're going to be making snow in a big way over the next few days. Is that really cold air comes blasting in. Jiminid Meteors tonight. It peaks tonight. Best after 10 o'clock, find Jupiter, actually, as you look off to the east and the radiance up around Castor there in the Gemini constellation, but something to see, because we should have clear skies until we get after midnight, then the clouds will come into play. But mid-upper 50s today, enjoy it. That really cold air gets here tomorrow as that Arctic blast arrives and temperatures drop during the day, the winds pick up.

We'll have chills, wind chills or feels like temperatures in the 20s in the afternoon, and worse, by dinner time. Gradual warming trim, though, mid-60s by the time we get to Thursday, so overall this week is not terrible. This is a fast punch of really dry Arctic air that's going to blast in here during the course of the day tomorrow. And there could be a sprinkle or maybe a flurry as that front moves in tomorrow morning. That's not the headline. It's a cold weather. Maybe we'll get a shower Thursday night as well, but other than that, it looks to be fairly dry. It feels like temperatures tomorrow freezing at 10 o'clock in the morning, and every hour just keeps going down. down and down all the way to near 10 by the time we get to later in the evening hours.

So really going to be bad. Here's another perspective. The whole viewing area. You see that feels like temperature just blasting in here. Feels like 20s during the course of the day around midday. And worse as we get close to dinner time, some areas might even be in the single digits with the feels like temperatures at 6 o'clock. So got some passing clouds out there right now,

34 degrees, a couple degrees cooler than this time. Yesterday it's 30 in Roanoke Rapids freezing. on Roxborough, 31 into Sanford and Fayetteville at 36 degrees, but it will warm up. We'll get those numbers above average today. Evening planner should be nice and clear no matter what you're doing. We'll get down to the low 40s by 10 o'clock in the evening hours. Then let's jump ahead. Monday, it's a frigid start.

Teens in most spots. It'll be a cold afternoon as well. Wouldn't be surprised if we have some delays for school because the windshields could be in the single digits early on. And then as we go into Tuesday, that's when we get a little windship. We'll start to moderate. We'll be a little bit warmer, and the milder air here is going to move its way in here as a week goes on. Eventually we'll get back to the 60s, at least for a day. All right, up in the mountains, today's great for skiing tomorrow.

You can go. It'll be in the 20s, but with the wind, it'll feel like sub-zero more than likely, and it's really going to be windy. So probably not a good skiing day tomorrow. 50s for most of us, low 60s in the sand hills this afternoon. Tonight, the clouds come into play after midnight. will be in the 30s and 40s, even mid-40s for lows in the sandhills, so a warmer overnight. But tomorrow features a day where the temperatures are going to fall as we go through the day. And we could get down to 16 for a low temperature Sunday night into Monday morning.

And that wind is going to be noticeable. Gus could be 30 to 35 miles an hour and just imagine what that's going to feel like. Less of a wind Monday afternoon, but still are going to be very cold. Only 38. A little warmer on Tuesday. some high clouds in near 60. Warmest day of the weeks, Thursday, could get a shower by Thursday night. Bianca?

Steve, thank you. A troubling case in Orange County brings new questions about oversight. Our partners from the News and Observer report. I'm Tori Johnson with your ABC Secret Savings. We're dropping limited time discounts right now. Grab your phone, get ready to shop. You won't want to miss these deals. All right, we got gifts for everyone on your list.

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We love those secret sales. All right. The brand new Taylor Swift docu-series is now streaming. The six-episode series includes behind-the-scenes footage of the Ares Tour. The first two episodes of the end of an era premiered on Disney Plus

last night, along with the final show concert film. Two new episodes will air weekly until the finale on December 26th. Disney is the parent company of ABC11. You got something to watch this weekend. And happening today, it's drop-off day for the WakeMed Children's Holiday Tour Drive. The annual toy drive is a way to uplift and brighten the day of a young patient who was spending the holiday in the hospital. WakeMed is only accepting new unwrapped donations.

You can find the wish list of recommended donations and the items that they're looking for on the hospital's website. You can drop off the donations at WakeMed Children's Hospital, Wake Mac North Hospital, and WakeMed Carey Hospital. This morning, the Durham Rescue Mission, they're making it easy to give back. They're hosting a Christmas toy donation center at Cars and Coffee in Mooresville from right now to 11 o'clock. So you got about an hour and a half to drop something off. They're collecting new unwrapped toys for kids ages 0 to 12. The nation support their annual Christmas community celebration, helping thousands of triangle families this holiday season.

It's the season of giving. Well, Raleigh's busiest fire station moving to a new home. How the firefighter community is celebrating Fire Station 3. Plus, an update on the Tropical Storm Chantal recovery efforts in Chapel Hill, how businesses are trying to bounce back. And port's pirates, they've up. fanny this year and they've gotten advanced using technology that we want to tell you about this season how to protect your holiday package and gifts ahead stick around 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 a bc 11 eyewitness news we are back here at 9.31 in the morning. Here's a live look of downtown Durham. Looking pretty good out there. Clear skies, not a drop of rain in sight, which we like to see, but we need the rain. So, Steve, we're going to talk to him in a second. Good morning, Carolina. It's Saturday, December 13th. I'm Bianca Holman. You're watching eyewitness news right now on ABC 11 and wherever you stream. We're going to get to the top stories and all the day's news in just a moment. But first, let's check in with meteorologist Steve Stewart. Clear skies, but you're saying we need the rain, Steve. My car says no.

I know. We do need it ready. You could get your car wash today. The best real opportunity precipitation is probably Thursday night. So we have some time. We got some days. We do. Absolutely. Got some snow, though, flying across the upper Midwest and Iowa, getting close to Chicago as well. And that's out ahead of the really cold air, which is coming in our direction. But we'll be 57 for today. After a cold start, it's a nice, pleasant afternoon. Hope you get a chance to take advantage of it. The front comes in tomorrow. Morning, maybe we'll squeeze out a light shower, a flurry. It's really moisture star. But the delay behind the front with the cold air. It'll take some time, but as the day we're on, the temperatures go down, the wind picks up, and my goodness, is it going to be cold tomorrow? We need that soaking rain, though. If you look at the reservoir levels are well below full pool. You can see the banks pretty well now. We need to get some good soaking rain.

That's just not in the car. So if you want to get the car wash today, good day for it. We'll get to those mid-50s, lots of sunshine. We've got some passing high clouds around now, but you can see them out there, but generally a sunny day. 34 and in North Hills, that's a couple of degrees cooler than this time yesterday. Widespread mid-30s across the board, but right around freezing and a few areas and below freezing. Look at Southern Pines still holding on to a 27. Head now tonight, maybe going to the D-Pact to see a Christmas carol.

44 degrees as you're walking in, not that much colder as you head back to your car. It'll be chilly with mostly clear skies. Clouds come into play likely after midnight, and then here it comes. That Arctic blast tomorrow. More on that coming up in just a few minutes. All right, Steve, thank you. The Raleigh Firefighting community coming together to celebrate Fire Station 3. The Southeast Street Fire Station will soon close its doors. It first opened in 1951, the 74-year-old fire station is the oldest operating station in Raleigh.

On top of that, the city says Station 3 is also the smallest and busiest. Over the last 74 years, hundreds of firefighters have spent some time there at the station. Earlier this week, some of those first responders active and retired gathered at the station. You can see them taking pictures there. They got to spend some time there. And it's more time before it closes early next year. So they shared some memories. They signed the station flag and posed for photos.

The new fire station three will be located not too far away on the 900 block of Rock Quarry Road. Construction crews, they're still working on the building. And the new station will provide a much needed up-to-date facility. for the firefighters. The city has not announced an opening date just yet. Turning now to Chantal recovery after just terrible flooding hit Chapel Hills, Eastgate Plaza. Businesses, they are reopening just in time for the holidays. We spoke with 82-year-old Cinderella Rigsby. She runs the shoe repair shop. And she reopened about three weeks ago after being closed for four months.

She says that the tropical storm Chantal brought so much flooding and setbacks and it really destroyed much of her supplies and her machines. They were all destroyed. But now that she's back open, she is busy fulfilling Christmas request. Business is going good. It's good. Phone ringing all the time. And as you can see, you're sitting there. You've seen all of them coming in the door there now. And that's the way it's been here since I've been back. Got to sell up. We've got to continue to support our local and small business owners there. But there are still several businesses in that Eastgate Plaza that have not reopened. Scammers are increasingly using advanced technology to steal your holiday packages and even try to get access to your credit cards while shopping.

Law enforcement saying this technology is being used more and more by thieves and allows them to not even get caught in the act. Troubleshooter, Diane Wilson has more. Tis this season for porch pirates and while some are being caught by homeowner security and ring cameras, law enforcement issued a warning that some thieves have found a way to disable the cameras. using Wi-Fi jammers. What these people do is they get a device, they can build them or find them online, and then they get in close proximity to your camera,

and they push a button on it, and it floods the wireless network with packets, and basically shuts the camera off. Shutting the camera off, which means no video proof of the theft. But Craig Petronella with Petronella cybersecurity and digital forensic says there are ways consumers can stop a Wi-Fi jammer.

Use a wired camera, if possible, or there are different brands that use later technology, like WPA3, for example, is like the latest in wireless. Wireless is never going to be as good as a wired, hardwired connection. Besides Wi-Fi jamming, Petronella says these are also after your key fob this holiday season. They do a similar attack, what's got a repeater attack, to try to bounce the signal off of your keyfob, and then that's how they break into your car. He says prevent that kind of attack.

You can put your keyfob into what's known as a Faraday bag, which is a shielded pouch, line with metal that blocks electromagnetic signals from entering or leaving. As you are holiday shopping, Petronella warns your credit card never has to leave your wallet and thieves can still get access and make charges through radio frequency identification technology, also known as RFID. So if somebody's like in line and they're malicious and you're ready to check out and they're like two or three, you know, people distance from you, maybe, you know, 5, 10, 15 feet maximum from you, they can clone your card.

The good news, you can't protect yourself against a scam by using an RFID blocking wallet, which stops a signal a thieves are trying to clone your credit card. All right, Diane, thank you, some great advice there. And if you are giving gift cards this season, we've got tips on how you could avoid getting scammed. I know, it doesn't stop. Plus, you are, you still got some time, you still got some time to send gifts to your loved ones this holiday. We spoke with postal workers, their commitment to get the packages to you on time this holiday. season and Hollywood's calling the North Carolina answer big money big shows

thousands of film jobs headed our way that's the news we like to hear Steve that absolutely love to hear that good morning everybody is some passing high clouds temperatures above freezing and most spots now still holding on the freezing in Rocksboro we're gonna get up there today we'll be in the 50s and maybe some low 60s as well enjoy it because the Arctic air on the way for tomorrow all the details after the break Welcome back, everybody. Good morning to you. A cold start today, but a pleasant afternoon will get up to those mid-50. Sandhills might touch 60 degrees. Enjoy it because Arctic air blasts in tomorrow. That 42 is early in the day. Temperatures will drop down to probably freezing by the afternoon. And that's ambient temperatures. The feels like temperatures are going to be a lot worse than that as the winds pick up. Very cold on Monday, only 38 after starting out at 16 degrees. So be ready. A couple really cold days coming our way. Snow. Now flying up around Chicago, St. Louis and Memphis getting that cold air starting to spill in as well.

If you want to get around to golf in today, mid-50s, maybe some upper 50s this afternoon, lots of sunshine, some high clouds now should be moving out fairly quickly. 34 and in North Hills, seeing the clouds, just high-level clouds, not much of a breeze at all, widespread 30s out there with a couple spots still around freezing and southern pines are cold spot. So holding on to 27, but you'll warm up nicely as we get to the afternoon. Big game for state. Take it on Kansas. Boy, that's a handful. Fifty-one degrees as you walk it into Lenovo Center when you head home. Not bad. Chili, about 43 degrees. There's that swath of snow across the Ohio Valley today. The big cities should be okay. There could be delays in Chicago. I know it just shows a cloudy icon, but getting some snow and very cold. That's the actual temperature. With the wind, it's a lot colder than that. So there could be delays near 70 in Atlanta, upper 70s in Florida. Not bad at all. This morning, all the major hubs, though, still looking good, no delays. Got your 7-A-coming up in a few minutes. Bianca. All right, Steve, thank you. It is time for your entertainment news update.

$113 million in film and entertainment grants have been approved for three productions shooting right here in North Carolina. The projects are expected to create nearly 5,000 jobs supporting local film crews and small businesses. The productions include The Hunting Wives near Charlotte, ABC's new series, R.J. Decker, filming in New Hanover County. And the independent thriller, Widow in the triad. It's gift giving season, of course. And while gift cards are convenient and pretty easy, it's important to protect your money that you put on the cards from fraudsters.

So here are some tips that you want to keep in mind to stay safe with gift cards. Always inspect the card and make sure that the pin is concealed. Watch for scratched covers or fake barcodes that could let scammers drain your money. Avoid online auction sites. Buy the cards only from reputable retailers. Christmas is just a few days away, and the window to ship presents is closing.

We hear from a local postal worker working to make sure that your packages arrive on time. Welcome back. The time now 9 to 46. So we have some important tips from some of the busiest people in the area this time of year. The people at the Postal Service, they're the busy ones, Santa's elves, we like to say. Barbara gives spoke with the experts and tell us what to do to avoid. avoid lost mail, porch pirates, and missing those important shipping deadlines. Antoine welcome, a 22-year veteran with the United States Postal Service is in the middle of his busiest time of year. We're extremely busy. This is a frantic part of the year, but the perfect time for the Postal Service to shine and do what's best for the customers in providing an excellent service. Customers have to do their part too, especially if you want your letter or package delivered on time.

Don't procrastinate. Make sure the address is legible and the zip code is correct. Tape your package securely and be mindful of porch pirates. Obviously, there are a lot of people that's just riding through different neighborhoods, canvassing to see if people are picking up their packages. And it makes a challenge if you don't have a covered porch or a safe place to put your package. Welcome suggests getting informed delivery. That's a free USPS service that provides a lot of help,

including showing images of your packages and when they'll arrive. The Postal Service is trying to modernize, especially in the highly competitive space of package delivery services. Over the past five years, we have really invested in modernizing our network. We've installed 600 high-speed package sorting machines in the last five years. years. Our daily capacity to process packages is 88 million per day across the country. So we've installed a lot of high-speed packet sorting machines here in the triangle throughout North Carolina and throughout the country. With 14,000 seasonal employees nationwide look for postal carriers

delivering earlier in the day and later in the evening. So maybe you could leave a porch light on and a clear path to the mailbox. And that was our Barbara Gibbs reporting. The mail by date are listed there on your screen. December 17th for first class mail and USPS ground advantage. December 18th for USPS priority mail. December 20th for USPS priority mail Express. If you have additional questions, call 1-800, ask USPS. Today is a big day for several communities across Central Carolina holiday parades all

across the area and our ABC 11 team members, they are at all of them. Steve Daniels at Durham at the holiday parade. That starts on about 10 minutes, 10 a.m. Don, he's pulling double duty today. First at Holly Springs. Happy holidays parade at 10 a.m. And then 2 o'clock, he's headed across to Carrie's Christmas parade. Also, make sure y'all make you have some coffee for him and some snacks.

And look out for Amber Repenta, Penelope Lopez, and the ABC 11 Storm Trace. Storm Chaser, if I finally get that word out. at Fayetteville's Christmas parade, which has a 10 a.m. start times. They're all about to start here in 10 minutes. Clayton, Clinton, and Roxburgh also holding parades today. And tomorrow, bundle up. Zebulon, Pittsburgh parade starting at 3 p.m. Oh, boy. But even 3 p.m., you say it's going to be chilly out there. You've got to really bundle up. That feels like temperature at that time easily in the 20s, if not worse. So somebody can break out the fur. Yeah, sure. Okay. Whatever you need. Ear muffs. Ear muffs, the whole thing, yeah. But today, I mean, we started cold, but it's going to warm nicely to get some things done today. Maybe if you get those Christmas lights up, Bianca.

Yeah, he's calling me out, Steve. No, I did. All right, up in the mountains, the Cadillucci looking good for some skiing today. Tomorrow, boy, I mean, the wind chills up there are going to really be cold. Probably not a good idea to do that. Jim, and in meteor shower tonight, peaks tonight. If you look to the east, you'll probably find Jupiter. And then in this constellation, there's Castor, there's Pollux, and the radion is coming right out of that.

And you should see quite a few of these per hour. We're likely going to have clear skies until well after midnight, and then the clouds will come into play. But a bright day today, mid to upper 50s, enjoy it, go to some of these parades, maybe around the golf, why not? Strong Arctic blast comes into play tomorrow, and the temperatures just go downhill as the day wears on. The winds are going to pick up. My goodness, it's not going to feel good to be out. And a gradual warming trim, though, mid-60s by the time we get to Thursday, but that dry, really cold air comes blast. in here during the day tomorrow as those temperatures are going to be falling.

Yeah, sure. Maybe we'll get a light shower or some flurries as the actual front comes in tomorrow morning. That's not the storyline. The storyline really is going to be how cold it's going to be. Thursday night our best chance of getting a shower, and that's not a guarantee either. By 10 in the morning, it's already feeling like 32 degrees and it goes down. This is the wind chill or the feels like temperature. Look how it just continues to get lower and lower as we get closer to the midnight hour. perspective to view of that. You can see that cold air blasts in here. Feels like temperatures in the 20s at midday and even worse by the dinner time hour, single digits

and teens. So be ready. This is going to be a bit of a shock to the system. 34 right now with some high clouds out there moving on by. Widespread mid to upper 30s out there, but Southern Pines still holding on to a 27. Don't worry, you're going to warm up later on. Evening planner, if you have date night plans tonight, it'll be chilly, but getting down to the lower 40s by the late evening. under mostly clear skies. Now, as we look ahead, the really cold air starts to push out. We'll start to moderate a little bit. Monday, a frigid start. We'll be in the 30s in the afternoon. But then we'll get a high pressure to move offshore. Bit of a wind shift that'll allow us to warm up a bit near 50 on Tuesday.

And even miles on air is going to get here as we get into Wednesday and Thursday. Something to look forward to. Up in the mountain skiing, today's the day. Tomorrow it's in the 20s, but the wind's going to be howling. There feels like temperature could be sub-zero. A little dangerous. to be up there tomorrow as far as what the temperatures will be like. 50s for numbers today, maybe some low 60s in the sand.