ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 9am - March 28, 2026

Episode Date: March 28, 2026

Eyewitness News at 9am - March 28, 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Right now, live coverage from your local newsleader, 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 Saturday morning, Carolina. I'm Bianca Holman. It's March 28th. This morning on eyewitness news, one month into Operation Epic Fury, new attacks and fears this war could spread. And today, President Trump opposition rallies happening all across the... our area. To the regional finals. All right, that's what we like to hear. And the Blue Devil securing a spot onto the Elite Eight, the push for championship,

Tremiles with the full breakdown in 30 minutes. But right now, let's go ahead and take a live look outside. All right, we've got some clouds out there, but the sun was shining on through a brand new day. It's the weekend. It's here. Yeah. Hey, Steve. Hey, yeah, it's a lot colder.

I mean, we're about 30 degrees colder. Yesterday we tied a record at 87. And is it that cloud cover that's making it? It's moving south. We're going to get plenty of sunshine as we go throughout the day today. Also, I know we had rain last night. I'll show you how much we got in just a second, but it's drying out quickly. So dry with the winds picking up, humidity value is going to be low.

We have an increased risk for some fires later today. So just be cautious out there. Still some clouds out there right now as we look downtown, but the clouds are pressing to the south. We'll get bright skies this afternoon, but only 56. Yesterday we topped out at 87, which tighter record high temperature. And we got almost four tenths of an inch of rainfall. That was impressive. Matter of fact, more than advertised, a lot of the models were hinting at upwards of a tent to a quarter inch of rain.

But anywhere you see that green shade, that's about a half an inch. So a few areas got even more than that. Help wash some of the pollen away. We have a long way to go to get out of the drought situation though. Meantime, lots of sunshine. Once these low clouds move on out, we'll get to the mid-50s. Maybe you're going to do some shopping today or getting out and about. have a light jacket or a sweatshirt.

Mid-50s with a breeze. It's going to feel rather chilly. 44 right now at North Hills with a north breeze at around 12 miles an hour. 41, Oxford, 43 in the Roxburgh, 42, also in a Roanoke Rapids and Fayville currently at 48. Evening plans have a jacket again. Temperatures falling down to the 40s by 8 p.m. And by 10 o'clock, we're down to 44. Wind should calm down overnight.

And with the dry air, we could have a freeze in many spots early tomorrow morning. Meantime, there's a pattern change later next week and more chances for rain and we need that. More on that in just a few minutes, Bianca. All right, Steve, thank you. Breaking overnight, a serious crash in Harnet County near I-95 involving two vehicles. State troopers say the driver of the pickup truck initially detained, later tested below the legal limit and was released. Three children and a mini van were seriously hurt, including two children who were ejected. Five people in that van were taken to the hospital.

Troopers say they'll meet with a district attorney Monday to determine possible charges. charges. We're learning more about how inflation and strained economy can contribute to the rising cases of domestic violence. Take a look at the data on your screen right now. It's a problem that we've covered countless times in recent months all across central North Carolina. The first three months of 2026, there have been 12 reported domestic violence-related homicides in the state, according to the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence. And some of those deadly cases played out right here in the triangle. We checked in with Interact, an organization that provides resources for people looking to escape a violent relationship, and we learned their

numbers are up across the board. People are contacting their hotlines for help, they're walking in for services, and they're looking for housing to escape their abuser. Deanna Manley with Interact says one of the factors is in the increase can be contributed to the downturn in the economy, and she says the same thing happened in 2008. When gas prices go up and clothing prices and food prices go up, It makes it more difficult for people to maintain their financial stability. And so that causes tension in the home. And with that increased tension, we're going to see more domestic violence. And so our numbers locally are on trend for what we're seeing nationally.

According to the FBI from 2020 through 2024, there were 1.1 million domestic violence victims. Nearly 75% were females. What happening today, more than 70 cities and towns all across North Carolina, will join a nationwide no king's protests. This is the latest in a series of no king's rallies organized by in opposition to President Trump and his agenda. And when asked about the nationwide events, the White House called the Trump derangement therapy sessions.

About a dozen protests are scheduled across the triangle. Our Anna Rivera shows us out some of the local events happening here and how you can get around the traffic that it will be happening today. So we may see some traffic issues with the protests that are happening. and we have some major protests happening in Raleigh, Durham, and Kerry. So I want to show you the areas that you may want to avoid or find different alternate routes. In Raleigh, the protest is going to happen at the state capital. So the areas to avoid South Wilmington Street, East Morgan Street, North Salisbury Street, and East Eden, Tyn.

And that protest is happening from 1 to 3, so that's when we'll see that really busy time. In Durham, it's at 211 Parris Street. It's right across the street from CCB Plaza. So if you're going to be in that area, West Main Street, Corkran Street, Street and East Chapel Hill Street. That's going to be the busy spots from 10.30 a.m. until 1 p.m. And then over in Kerry, the protest is happening at 110 southeast Main Road. So you'll want to avoid Kildare Farm Road and kill Main Drive. And all of that will be happening from 2 to 5. All right, Anna, thank you. The war in the Middle East is this escalating.

Now one month in. Iran batheuthi rebels claim they've launched their first missile towards Israel, which the Israeli military says it intercepted. The conflict began after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. sparking retaliation across the region. Iran is vowed to retaliate and struck a U.S. base in Saudi Arabia, wounding more than a dozen American service members and damaging planes. Meanwhile, inside Iran, civilians are facing daily explosions, economic struggles, and widespread uncertainty. Officials from several countries are now pushing for talks as fear grows that the conflict could widen. Troops and their families here at home celebrate Easter a little early at the annual Easter roll at Fort Bragg. Plus, the bank robbery that ended in a crash, what we're learning from the investigation.

And we hear from the NC State grad turn astronaut as she gets ready to make some history. Pretty cool stuff, Steve. It really is, absolutely. We've got some clouds over downtown, but like Durham's got full sunshine. Our western counties as well, these clouds are moving south. We'll have sun soon as well. 40s for temperatures now, but only 50s for highs today as the clouds move out. We do warm up, though, this week.

All the details after the break. When Westchop first took flight in 1996, The vibes were a bit different. People thought denim on denim was peak fashion. Inline skates were everywhere, and two out of three women rocked, the Rachel. While those things stayed in the 90s, one thing that hasn't is that fuzzy feeling you get

when WestJet welcomes you on board. Here's to WestJetting since 96. Travel back in time with us and actually travel with us at westjet.com slash 30 years. This is First Alert Weather from ABC 11I Witness News. Good morning, everybody, and welcome to the weekend. It's a lot colder than yesterday.

Instead of 80s, we'll have temperatures in the 50s today. Clouds are pushing to the south, so lots of sunshine is to go throughout the day today. And generally speaking, we're going to have those winds picking up with that north breeze. It's going to make a feel even colder. There's the front well to the south now. That's the leftover showers that moved out early this morning. And now we're done with any rain, and we'll have sunshine pretty soon. And temperatures in the mid-50s for high today.

Maybe you want to get the car wash. But we don't have rain for a while. Next chance later, Wednesday and Wednesday evening. And that continues to, Thursday and Friday. 44 in North Hills right now, partly cloudy with that north breeze at about 12 miles an hour, making it feel a touch cooler. 43 in Roanoke Rapids, 41 into Oxford and Sanford currently at 44 degrees. Heading out and about to watch the canes against the devils today. 55 as you're walking in game time at 5 o'clock, about 49 by the time you head on home under clear skies.

Really a quiet day across the country, not much weather to talk about. Dallas gets a couple of showers. Denver at 82 and LA about 81 degrees. So far this morning, the major hubs looking pretty good. Got you 70 in just a few minutes, Bianca. All right, Steve, thank you. High witness news is learning new details about the man accused of robbing a bank and leading police on a high-speed chase. Raleigh Felice, Ishmael Santiago robbed a Wells Fargo on Western Boulevard.

A state trooper then spotted him on I-40 and a black Audi. And a chase began. Then Santiago crossed the grass median, slammed into a silver car at the Jones Sausage Road exit. The impact set off a chain reaction which caused additional crashes. And so Santiago and the driver of the silver car were hurt and rushed to the hospital. Eyewitness news learned that this isn't the first time Santiago committed robbery. You served time in federal prison for a holdup at a Walgreens drugstore in Joston County in 2011.

We also discovered Santiago is facing an eviction notice for owing roughly $1,300 in unpaid rent. In need of a checkup, no insurance needed in Henderson this weekend. Also, families finding relief at Fort Bragg, even as global tensions rise. And as we head to break, here goes a live looking to downtown Raleigh. We'll be right back. We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. All right, free health care is available this weekend in Henderson for anyone who needs it.

Remote area medical hosting a two-day clinic at Vance Charter School, offering dental, vision, and medical care at no cost, no insurance or ideas required, but services are first come first served. As Hodoras, they opened at six this morning. They'll open at six again. So officials, they are urging people to arrive early. Well, despite the growing tensions overseas and the threat of deployment, soldiers and their families here at home had a chance to celebrate Easter early.

Our cameras were there at the annual Easter egg roll at Fort Bragg. Soldiers say there, the war escalates this family-friendly event reminds them just how important community is during challenging times. It's a lot going on in the world. people are stressing and panicking because you don't know what tomorrow may bring. So this is great. Comradering, come out, have fun, enjoy time with your kids away from the stressful environment. We love kid events and we love to get out and be able to distract them and give them fun things to do around the community. We have a military family, so we come to these and, you know, fill that void.

And so 1,000 eggs were donated by Braswell Family Farms in Nashville, North Carolina. Well, we are hearing from the astronauts set to make history in just a matter of days. Their crew, the Artemis II Lunar Mission, arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida yesterday. As soon as next week, they could be on the first U.S. human moon mission to Mars in more than 50 years. Among the four-person crew is NC State grad, Christina Cook, and she talked about what it's like preparing for the mission, including the multiple delays they had and what she's looking forward to when she's back on Earth. One of them is preparation without expectation, and that is something we go into this with straight away from the beginning. There's one thing I'm sure of, though, is every day that passes is a day closer to launch, and that's something that I keep in mind.

As for things I'm looking forward to afterwards, just splash down and being back on Earth. I haven't thought a whole lot past that, but yes, the to-do list in the folder of post-flight is growing. Okay, the launch window for the mission could open as soon. as next Wednesday. Hopefully the skies are clear for them and there's no more delay, Steve. That's what we're hoping for. It has. Yeah, that's exciting. We still have some clouds around looking downtown, but other areas different. I mean, here's a shot of Durham to give you an idea and lots of sunshine. It's chilly, though, and it's going to be chilly as we go throughout the day today. Generally speaking, about 30 degrees colder from the record high temperature we had yesterday, at least tighter record at RDU at 87. Warmer, though, as we go through the week. 70s and 80s come back into play, although a pattern change will be with us. And our rain chances are going to be increasing. That's some good news.

You see the moisture coming in from the south. So as we increase that moisture that will tap into this front, and that'll give us better chance of showers with the drier air staying well off to the north. So we increase those rain chances as we went into Wednesday and Wednesday night, Thursday into Friday as well and potentially holding on in the early next week. There are the clouds right over Wake County and also off to our northeast. but these are pushing to the south and eventually we'll get lots of sunshine for everybody. Not a bad day if you want to get a little yard work done. It'll be chilly, though, with temperatures in the mid-50s and that breeze out of the north at times could gust upwards of around 20 to 30 miles an hour, but the clouds are being pushed to the south

and clear skies this evening and rather chilly overnight as we're going to get down near freezing tomorrow morning. Most of the days last month, no surprise they've been well above average. We're going to do that again. I mean 65 tomorrow, which is close to normal. And then here come the 70s and 80s. And then we'll cool it a little bit in the 70s with some showers coming in for Thursday and Friday. 44 right now with the North breeze at 12 miles an hour.

That's 21 degrees colder than yesterday with widespread 40s out there with 49 Clinton, 41 Oxford and Roanoke Rapids of 43. On average, a good 20 degrees colder than this time yesterday. Head now for this evening, though, taking that walk after dinner. Yeah, it's chilly. Temperatures getting down to the 40s by 8 o'clock under mainly clear skies, and the breeze will calm down overnight tonight, allowing good radiational cooling and near freezing tomorrow morning. 75 on our Monday, about 80s we go into our Tuesday. There could be a little pop-up shower here and there to our south. Well, watch this front, though.

That's our next weathermaker should approach the area on Wednesday, but better chance of rain as we get into Thursday. Up of the mountains this weekend, looking pretty good tomorrow as well with lots of sunshine or, around temperatures in the 60s. Now the showers that you're seeing here, that's for early morning hours. Quickly that moves out and we'll get some sunshine there along the coast as well. Tomorrow will be a bit warmer.

So our high temperatures in the 50s today, 53 and Henderson, 55 in the Durham Fayville around 57. That north breeze though, make it feel a touch cooler. Winds calm down overnight. And yeah, we're getting down near freezing in many areas. So a frost expected for tomorrow morning. First of all seven day, 65 tomorrow. The Durham Crop Walk will be fine. It's in the afternoon. It looks like lots of sunshine on our Monday. We warm up 80 on Tuesday. Wednesday we have a risk of a late-day shower. Thunderstorm is we welcome April. That front settles in and our better chance for rain will be Thursday. And that can last in the Friday as well. Bianca.

All right, Steve, thank you. Western North Carolina recovery. A key railroad reopens after Helene's damage. Eyewitness news. In communities across Canada, hourly Amazon employees earn an average of over $24.50 an hour. Employees also have the opportunity to grow their skills and their paycheck by enrolling in free skills training programs

for in-demand fields like software development and information technology. Learn more at aboutamazon.ca. This is bringing you tomorrow's headlines today, and this morning we are getting an update on redevelopment in Western North Carolina, post-Haleen. Joining me from outside the Raleigh, I Witness News Center to talk about a major new step

in the road to recovery. There's Richard Stradling. He writes about transportation for the news and observer. Richard, welcome back to the show. Let me jump right in here. Engineers have finally rebuilt a segment of the Norfolk Southern Railroad Line. They call it the Old Fort Loops.

It suffered from major flooding during the storm. Tell us about the challenges that came with getting this railroad section back in service. So if you've driven out to Asheville and gone up I-40, you know that very steep climb that you make up over the eastern continental divide into the mountains. This railroad kind of parallels that through a very windy route that goes up in a remote area. And the terrain is very difficult when the flooding came. There were landslides both above the railroad and then underneath it the tracks were washed away. What does this railroad completion mean for residents out there in Western NC?

Yeah, so there's basically two railroads that come through Western North Carolina that come from the outside world. CSX is the other one. It kind of runs up from South Carolina up into Tennessee. This is the one that connects Western North Carolina with the rest of North Carolina. To some people, it's where they're hoping that Amtrak will restore passenger service to Asheville. This would be the line that it would be used. It would connect in again at Sousbury

and bring passenger trains back up to the mountains. Yeah, that key section of the old Fort Loops holds a lot of significance to the area. Richard, talk to us about some of the history it holds. Yeah, there's a lot of history there. First of all, just getting it built, it was something that people didn't think could actually happen. And it took more than 20 years, 25 years or so to get the railroad. up into the mountains, and when it did, it just opened up Western North Carolina to all sorts of development. The railroad company had gone bankrupt, the state took over the railroad because they wanted to see the railroad built out there,

but they didn't have money or people. They used convicted prisoners, shipped them out from Raleigh, and most of them were black men and put to work for no pay, basically, building this railroad under really harsh conditions. And there are now a couple of monuments to the men. There were at least 139 and maybe many, many more that died building this railroad. You can read more of Richards reporting on the News and Observer website or in Sunday's paper. All right, Joel, thank you. Well, coming up, Governor Stein targets broadband and health care to boost rural North Carolina. In D.C., the House GOP passes funding plan, but shut down keeps dragging on.

And the Blue Devils advanced to elite aid in March Madness. next for Duke in the nation's capital. Before we head to break, here goes a live look into downtown Durham. We are vocal news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues next. Right now. This episode is brought to you by FedEx. These days, the power move isn't having a big metallic credit card to drop on the check at a corporate launch. The real power move is leveling up your business with FedEx intelligence. and accessing one of the biggest data networks powered by one of the biggest delivery networks. Level up your business with FedEx,

the new power move. 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 11i Witness News. Here goes a live look into downtown Raleigh. Good morning, Carolina.

It's Saturday. March 28th. I'm Bianca Hohman. You're watching eyewitness news right now on ABC 11 and wherever you stream. The top stories and all the day's news is just ahead. But first, let's go ahead and check in with meteorologist Steve Stewart. Folks are getting ready to head out the door. Yeah, yeah, a little chilly out there. It's going to be a cool day considering yesterday you're sweating if you're out and about. Exactly. We had that rain overnight. Yeah, rain over night. Yeah, rain over not. And it helped out a big way. Yeah, that front settled to the south. And now I know we just had rain, but the fire danger is elevated today. Humidity is down. Wins are going to be picking. up coming out of the north so it doesn't take much to get a fire started and not too far away. It's red flag warnings, which is a step above what we're talking about here.

And this could be the case as we go into the day again tomorrow. Meantime, we're seeing clouds right now as we look downtown, but not everyone's got clouds. Out to our west, we have a lot of sunshine, and these clouds are drifting south. They'll clear out and we'll get to 56 today, and that's it. After a tying a record at 87 yesterday and we're well below the average of 67 degrees, 3900s. Nice to get that rain yesterday. Matter of fact, more than advertised in many areas picked up around a half an inch and where you see some of the yellow and orange shades. That's upwards of around down three quarters of an inch to maybe floating with an inch. So this really helped out in a big way, but we need more rain and we have to wait quite a few days for that to happen. Forties early on, we warm nicely to the 50s, plenty of sunshine through the afternoon. But if you're out and about, just have a light jacket or a sweatshirt. That chilly breeze out of the north stays with us most of the day. Right now, 44 with that north breeze at 12 miles an hour, 21 degrees colder than yesterday, with widespread temperatures in the low to mid-40s, top or 40s down in the sand hills. Evening plans if you're

heading out on the town, it'll be cool. We'll get down to the 40s fairly quickly into the evening hours. Winds calm down overnight and we could have a freeze in spots early tomorrow morning. There's a pattern change coming though. That means more rain. We need that. More on that coming up in just a few minutes. All right, Steve, thank you. Well, happening now over 70 No King's rallies are taking place around the nation in opposition to President Trump and his agenda, including right here in the triangle. So we have our own Michael Purchick live in the Bull City. Good morning, Michael. What is the crowd looking like there? What's the turnout? Good morning. The first handful of folks making the way here to CCB Plaza, and many of them

holding signs getting ahead of today's plan rally set to start here at 1030. We've seen a number of these protests during the Trump administration under that No King's banner, including this past June. October. Issues driving turnout have varied from immigration enforcement to U.S. involvement and overseas conflicts with the role of outside money in politics. Today, there are expected actions in Durham, Raleigh, Kerry, and Chapel Hill, amongst others, into the triangle. As I mentioned right here in the Bull City, this is all set to begin at 1030. We will have reports wrapping up these demonstrations later this afternoon in Durham. I'm Michael Purchick. ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, Michael, thank you. Of course, we'll be watching those throughout the day

and bring you the latest throughout the day online and on air. Well, House Republicans pushed through their own funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security after rejecting a deal passed by the Senate with bipartisan support. The House bill passed 213 to 203 last night. The bill is a short-term measure that would extend funding for the entire department for eight weeks. Senate Democrats have already said the House Republicans would be planned

would be dead on arrival in their chamber. As a result, the shutdown will continue with no end in sight right now. The Senate bill would have reopened DHS without funds for ICE and Border Patrol. That infuriated many House Republicans who put forward their alternative plan instead. We switch gears now to sports. The Blue Devils are on to the elite eight up in the nation's capital. They got the job done against number five seed St. John's. Trey Miles was there and tells us what's next for Duke.

Once again, just four words. Duke finds a way. The Blue Devils show incredible. resolve going down 10 points in the second half, but they're able to call out of a hole to beat St. John's 80 to 75 to advance to their third elite eight in a row. Duke trying to make program history up against the coaching legend Rick Petino. The Blue Devils took an early seven point lead and then things turned. St. Johns used constant full court pressure to force turnovers and scored quickly. The Red Storm also hit nine threes in the first half and took a 40 to 39 lead into the break. In the second half, St. John's had another run. This one 13-0 to take their largest lead of the game by 10. From there, Duke settled in with an unlikely hero. Caleb Foster broke his foot

21 days ago, and he's the guy that turns the game around, scoring seven straight for Duke. Foster, Cameron Boozer, and Isaiah Evans combined for 38 of Duke's 41 second half points. Duke on to the elite eighth with a five-point win. Yeah, I feel great. You know, it's what we've been working for all year long, end-game situation. Like I said, it's a really tough summer. That's what we battle through together. We've got a lot of competitors in this group, a lot of dogs. No one here is scared of the moment.

We're all stepping up to the challenge. Again, we've been in these situations this entire year, so we were prepared for it. Obviously, you don't want to go down by 10 points, but we were prepared for it. Man, it feels great. That was a big dog fight, you know, so just probably a team now, you know,

learning from this game and heading on to the next because, you know, we're not done yet. I mean, since I was a kid, I watched Duke win national championships, and I've always dreamed to be a part of it. So like I said, whatever I could do, provide a boost for these guys to, you know, help us come out with the win. Duke now finds himself in a big-time matchup with Yukon on Sunday with a spot at the final four on the line. From here in Washington, D.C., Trayvon Miles, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Trey, thanks. And over on the women's side, Duke beat LSU Tigers last night overturning the score the last minute.

An unbelievable moment. They won 87 to 85 and we'll face the number one seat UCLA tomorrow at 3 p.m. Tar Heels, they lost in the suite 16 to the undefeated number one C. Yukon Huskies. Final score, 6342. And it all leads up to the women's championship game on Sunday, April 5th at Phoenix, Arizona. Tip ball 3.30 right here on ABC 11. Governor Josh Stein outlining his priorities to support rural communities.

The 2026, Rule Summit was held in Raleigh yesterday morning. The governor and his team highlighting their commitment to invest in infrastructure, broadband access, affordable health care, and safe drinking water. Stein says rule North Carolina needs to be part of the state's success story. That means that more people are seeing more opportunity in more places, which is exactly how it should be. Because if you work hard, where you come from should never limit how far you can go. And the governor in his cabinet, traveling throughout the state to meet with community leaders to hear their concerns and priorities for strengthening rural communities. We turn now to the growing opposition in person

county over a new rule to change for Mayo Lake. The nearly 3,000 acre reservoir in-person county just below the Virginia border is owned by Duke Energy. It's a popular spot for fishing, boating, swimming, and camping. Permanent docks are not permitted on the lake, but since the 90s, lake property owners have used converted pontoon boats to act like docks. You can see him right there. And for now, decades later, Duke Energy says those pontoons must go. The utility company is now asking the NC Wildlife Resource Commission to enforce the rule that has been in place since the late first opened back in 1978, but has not been enforced.

Residents are holding a town meeting this morning at 10 of Florence Avenue Baptist Church just across the border in Virginia. New jobs coming to Smithfield after town council approves a new industrial park. And a golf star, Tiger Roots, in custody this morning after a crash. And what's the drink of choice for North Carolinians? We're reviewing the top-selling spirits at ABC stores just ahead. Good morning, Steve. Hey, good morning there, Bianca.

Good morning, everyone. Still some clouds out there right now in Wake County and off to our north and east, and these are drifting south where a lot of us already have sunshine. We're in the 40s now. We'll get brighter as we go throughout the day, but only 50s for highs. We get warmer tomorrow and a big warm up next week. Details after the break. This is first alert weather from ABC 11. I witness news.

Welcome back, everybody. Good morning to you. Yesterday, 80s replaced with 50s today. About a 30 degree drop. It's going to be a chilly one. And a breeze out of the north will make a feel even colder out there. We had the front. There it is now. Well to the south. Still a couple of showers along the beaches, but that's moving out as well. It's going to be dry there later. Today we'll be in the 50s. You want to get the car wash?

Not a bad day to do that. The next chance of rain, not until Wednesday and Wednesday night of next week. In the North Hills, that North breeze makes a feel a touch colder out there. So have a at least a sweatshirt or a coat for sure. 41 Oxford and Roanoke Rapids, 50 in the Smithfield and Fayetteville at 49 degrees. Cains have a 5 o'clock start time against the Devils. A mid-50s as you walk in when you head home about 49 degrees under mainly clear skies. It's a quiet day across the country for travel.

Not a lot going on. New York looks good. Atlanta, 69. Maybe a spotty shower, but no delays expected there in Dallas. Denver and 82 in Seattle in the mid-50s. So far this morning we've been looking pretty good, but we do have some delays in Philly this morning about a half hour. Got your seven day coming up in just a few minutes. Bianca. All right, Steve, thank you. And Johnson County and Industrial Park is expected to bring off to 200 new jobs to Smithfield. The town council approved plans for Eclarius Park on Highway 70 business across from St. Anne's Catholic Church.

The plan calls for four different industrial buildings on 75 acres. Construction is expected to begin this summer. Then Tiger was arrested for DUI after a rollover crash. What we're learning. And here at home, people getting ready for the Durham Crop Hunger Walk? We hear it from the coordinator. And as we head to break, here goes alive looking to downtown Raleigh. A great day to get outdoors.

Get those errands done. We are local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues now. The annual Durham Crop Hunger Walk returns this weekend. It's tomorrow at Duke Chapel. It's the 52nd year of the event. Alice Sharp, the coordinator, stopped by to our studio to talk about the importance. The walk is an effort to eradicate hunger locally, nationally, and globally.

And Durham has been at the top of the national crop walks for many, many years. And we hope that you join us this weekend for the crop hunger walk. Registration begins at 1.30. The walk starts at 2.30. The Durham Crop Hunger Walk supports 12 local food. Pantries with 25% of the money raised staying right here in the Durham community. ABC 11 Together is a proud sponsor. And again, one more we want to tell you, want to remind you that March Madness, you can

watch the Duke women's team tomorrow Sunday right here 3 p.m. on ABC 11. We want to make sure everybody tunes in, Steve. Absolutely. Yeah. So we've got both men and women for Duke. Exactly. They're pulling through. That's good. Okay. Looking downtown right now getting brighter. We talk about the clouds are moving off to the south and that's happening. And we have some clouds there in Durham as well, but plenty of sunshine as well. It's going to be a chilly day today.

About 30 degrees colder than yesterday. So grab that jacket or a sweatshirt. You'll want that. Warmer week ahead, though, 70s and 80s are going to come back. But there are signs. We're going to get a pattern change mid to late week and that'll increase our rain chances. As we'll see more moisture coming up from the south, the dry air stays to the north. and we'll tap into this moisture and increase our rain chances.

So Wednesday, especially into Wednesday night, Thursday and even into Friday, we've increased those rain chances, and we look forward to that as well. There's a visible shot showing the clouds pushing south. Still a lot of clouds in Fayetteville at this time. Also into Wilson, give a time, though. These are going to push to the south, and everyone's going to have plenty of sunshine. If you're going to get that yard work done today, might need a sweatshirt even for that. We'll be in the mid-50s, but that breeze out of the north could gusts between 20 and 30,

making it feel even colder, but lots of sunshine anticipated as we go throughout the day today. And you can see that flow right out of the north as we go throughout the day. Now the last 30 days or so, we've been well above average again and not just a few degrees, many days significantly above. And we'll do that again, starting in the mid-70s as we go into Monday, 80s for a couple of days. And then we'll go back to the 70s with increased rain chances as that front settles in from the north. We're looking at some sunshine right now at North Hills with a north breeze. at about 12 miles an hour. Low 40s in Oxford, 43 in the Rocksboro,

48 in the Irwin. On average, we're a good 20 to 25 degrees colder than this time yesterday. So a big change for sure. Head now for a walk after dinner tonight. Numbers falling quickly down to the 40s. Clear skies, winds calm down, and we could have a freeze in spots

overnight tonight into early tomorrow morning. We're in the mid-70s on Monday. We're looking fantastic. About 80 on Tuesday, but we look upstream and we see our next weather maker, There's that front. That'll be coming our way, mid to late week, increasing our rain chances. Up in the mountains today and tomorrow, we're looking pretty darn good. With 60s in the southern mountains, I think the beaches now where you see in some of the showers.

Well, good, it's been pulled out. That's because the rain is pretty much done. Still around Oak Island, it's wet there this morning, but give it another hour and the rain will be over with. But 50s, if you're going to the beach, that's a chilly walk, a little bit better tomorrow with low to mid-60s. We'll be in the 50s, too, from 53 and Henderson, 56 in the Raleigh and Fayetteville at 57. A chilly north breeze today at times gusting up to near 30 miles an hour. And cold tonight, winds will calm down, allowing good radiational cooling. Could see freezing temperatures in a few areas, so expect some frost early and then 65 in the afternoon.

The Durham Crop Walk will be fine. It's in the afternoon. We'll see the numbers warming up. April 1st, we have to introduce a chance at a shower, thunderstorm later in the day. chance of rain is probably Thursday, but with the front nearby, we'll keep some light rain around on Friday as well, and we need the rainfall. We'll be back right after this. 9.51 on this Saturday morning when it comes to what North Carolinians are buying at the ABC store, there's one brand that is leading the pack. According to our news gathering partners at the News and Observer, Tito's Handmaid Vodka's, the top selling spirit in North Carolina. The

margin is pretty wide. State data shows more than 300,000 cases of Titos were sold over the past two fiscal years. with half gallon bottles leading the way. As for runners-up, Don Julio Reposado came in at number two. Then we got smearing off 80-proof vodka. Goodness, y'all. High noon vodka seltzers. We've also got another vodka there, and they say that the ABC system,

they have generated about $1.4 billion in sales over two years with Mecklenburg and Wake County's leading the state. Okay, college students, be careful for those livers now. Oh, my goodness. I know. One chance, last look at the weather. Yeah, listen, it's going to be a chilly day today in the 50s. Clouds are moving on out.

Tomorrow it'll be a cold star, but a milder afternoon. And then here come the 80s for a couple of days. But good news, we need the rain. And it's going to be coming into play Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Wednesday, opening day for the Bulls. Okay, wonderful. All right. From the eyewitness news center, I'm Bianca Homo for Steve Stewart and the entire eyewitness.