ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at 9am - May 16, 2026

Episode Date: May 16, 2026

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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 morning, Carolina. I'm Bianca Holman. It's Saturday, May 16th. Right now, we are tracking potential heat wave for Central North Carolina. Oh, you betcha. Yeah, today we're in the 80s. Humidity stays down, but the numbers are going to be going up, starting tomorrow, and we'll be in the 90s, and I can last for a lot. while. Gunfire erupts in Durham, leaving a woman in the hospital, what we know about the victim's condition. A woman is hit and killed by a car in Raleigh, what police are telling us about that incident. Rising inflation and gas prices are forcing some drivers to go electric. We County drivers tell us why having an EV is more than just a way to save money. Let's go ahead and take a live

look at the Raleigh Skyline. Hopefully you've stepped outside. You have let the pets the pets outside to get some fresh air, Steve, but it is looking pretty beautiful out there for a morning walk or run. Great day today. Yeah. You know, we warm, sure, above average, but with the humidity stays down, it's going to be pretty nice. That's ideal for tea time, right? Low humidity. Yeah, yeah. Now, tomorrow, the numbers are going to go up over the mid-80s that we're going to see today.

Good morning, everybody, about 86 for the high today. I think we'll see some clouds again later this afternoon, but overall fantastic with low humidity. 78 yesterday. The normal high is 80, so we're going to beat that today. And there you see that deficit over an inch. And this is a driest spring that we've had on record, folks. We've only had about three inches of rain since March 1st. We need to get some more rain in here, but it's going to be dry for another stretch. 4.15 feet below full pool. Have you've driven past Falls Lake? It looks like some beaches out there because the water level is just so low. Jordan and Carr Lake are down below full pool as well, so we need to turn this around in a big way. going to do it today though. Sunshine out there. We get some afternoon clouds. Good day to get the yard work done. Not as hot as tomorrow and less humid than tomorrow as well. So definitely try and get that done today if you can. Late in the day, we'll start seeing some more clouds coming in, giving us partly cloudy skies. Should be a pretty sunset coming up. Right now we're looking at sunshine out there. 68 degrees. Dewpoint about 51. Again, the dew point's going to stay relatively lower today. So it's going to feel decent. Southwest breeze about six miles an hour. 62 in Oxford, 66 in the Raleigh. And Faveau currently at 68 degrees. Heading out this evening, maybe going downtown to the red hat, old 60 in town. Low 80s as you walk it in there about time the concert starts and when you head home pretty pleasant at about 70 degrees.

Coming up looks like those rain chances are going up for later in the week. More on that in just a few minutes, Bianca. All right, Steve, thank you. Right now, police are searching for the driver who hid and killed a woman in Raleigh. The incident happened around 9 o'clock last night on New Bern Avenue near Shanta Drive. Police identify the pedestrian as 54-year-old Nicole White. Police say White was struck by a vehicle as she was trying to cross the street outside of a crosswalk. We're told White was taken to the hospital where she eventually died.

Police say they're searching for the driver. The crash remains under investigation. In Durham, a woman in the hospital this morning after a shooting on the city's east side. Durham police say officers responded to the 35,000 block of Century Oaks Drive. It happened just before 9.30 last night. Police say they found a woman who'd been shot. We're told she's expected to be okay. Now at this time, investigators say that this is still active

and there has been no further details that have been released. Chatham County deputies investigating after a body was found in Jordan Lake. The Chatham County Sheriff's Office says deputies responded to the area near the NC-750-1 bridge around 7 o'clock last night after someone spotted a body in the water. The circumstances surrounding the discovery would remain under investigation. However, authorities say there is no threat to the public. Oh, this morning, a 12-year-old boy and a teenager are facing murder charges after police say they killed a Johnson County man. Goldsboro Police say 42-year-old Edward Duncan Jr. of Smithfield was shot and killed on May 7th on Vanderbilt's Circle.

Investigators are calling a 16-year-old and a 12-year-old their suspects in this murder. Police say detectives got a tip. The 16-year-old was in class at Goldsboro High School prompting a lockdown. So when the officers got there, they said that the teen left campus before officers arrived. He was later located, taken into custody. in charge with one count of murder. Now the 12 year old was found at his home in Goldsboro and is charged with murder larceny of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. He's now in custody at the juvenile detention facility. And right now, drivers putting it into high

gear for the weekend ahead. For some, it means nearby road trips. For others, it could mean trips to the coast. But no matter where you go, it's going to cost you. Right now, the average price of gas in North Carolina is 421. That's about 30 cents lower than the national average, but still Gas prices have piqued interest in EVs. Jemice Price talked to the owners of some EVs who say they have no regrets. Gas is not cheap and I don't think that it's coming down anytime soon. That's why Troy Dye is glad he made the switch to an electric vehicle and more drivers are doing the same. A Cars.com survey found 52% of car shoppers said rising gas prices have led them to consider a full EV or plug-in hybrid vehicle.

It's really worth it. It's not only saving Troy money, but making him some too. I was doing Uber with my old car and it was a lot with, especially with the oil changes. We met Troy tonight charging up his equinox before he started his Uber shift. If you can find a place where you can charge overnight for a lot cheaper, it's really worth it. So you actually can make more profit. And then people think it's cool to ride an electric car.

So the tips look different too. Lisa Evans was also charging up. Two and a half years, I have not been to a gas station at all. She told me her EV works for in-state trips to the mountains or the beach. My car usually goes almost 300 miles on a full charge. And there's certain areas like up in the mountains. You have to be really careful because the mountains you lose more of your energy sometimes. Even with the inconveniences, Lisa says it's worth it because of the pain at the pump that hasn't let up since the war in Iran started.

The national average of gas is $4.52 per gallon. Here in North Carolina, drivers are paying $4.21. A month ago, it was $3.86. It's been getting a little worse. It takes me about normally $20 to fill my tank, and then it's about $42, and I was at a quarter of a tank. So, yeah, it's been frustrating. Drivers like Shayla say the increases have stretched their budgets.

I don't make a whole lot of money, so as is. And so we're already struggling enough in this economy. So it takes a little bit more out of my pocket than I have to budget for. While gas prices are fueling the EV demand, Ken Huning, CEO of Covers Steel Outdoor Productive Cover, said EVs have been more susceptible to rodent damage. And I experienced it firsthand because I had my BMW I ate, I eaten by twice, $25,000 of damage. Because BMW I-8 is a hybrid electric vehicle, and they got into the electric part, and that was really bad. But even the critters won't keep Troy from driving his electric field. I feel good that I've made the purchase with the EV.

And that was our James Price reporting. The Vimbe Cultural Arts Festival returns to Durham today. Who's going to headline the show this year? Plus, we're getting you ready for our Raleigh's Arts Sposher Festival. What you need to know about the road closures as you're heading to downtown. But first, a look outside, Steve. Hey, it's looking pretty good out there. Good morning, everybody.

I got a few clouds around. Temperatures are in the 60s now on away to the 80s. Humidity stays in check. Today, it's going to feel fantastic out there. And then tomorrow, we're going to crank up the heat. All the details after the break. 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 lunch.

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. This is First Alert Weather from ABC 11-I Witness News. Happy Saturday, everybody. You made it to the weekend and we're looking fantastic today. Lots of sunshine. We'll get some afternoon clouds drifting in here. Numbers in the mid-80s for highs, the average high right around 80s. So a good five, six degrees of We'll catch a few of these clouds that'll drift in here at times later today.

Maybe make it for a pretty sunset and low humidity for the kids out there playing soccer right on through the afternoon. We do climb to those 80s though and that's when we'll see a few more of those clouds. We'll call it partly cloudy later today. Right now North Hills, 68 degrees. That's 11 degrees warmer than yesterday. A southwest light breeze at about six miles an hour and that breeze is keeping us in the 60s of most spots. 68 in a Fayetteville, 64 Rocky Mount Wilson in Siler City. Good morning. You're at 62 degrees.

Evening planned. You're heading out to Walnut Creek tonight for the concert. 84 degrees as you're getting there. And still pretty pleasant by the time you head home in the low 70s. No matter what you have planned this evening, it's going to be fantastic. Thunderstorms in the Ohio Valley. Chicago gets showers today. Isolated storm there in Denver. This is where the severe weather is going to be later today. So far all the major hubs, no delays.

Got your 7.8 a few minutes. Bianca. All right, Steve, thank you. Well, Durham's 56 annual Bimbe Festival return. today. And we're learning that the city is still recovering money from the 2024 Monica mix up when the singer says she was never invited or booked. Two years ago, the city of Durham paid booking agent Christopher Weeks, $37,000 to have R&B singer Monica headlined the festival, but she never came, taking to social media to publicly dispute claims saying she had not been contracted

for the event. The city attorney's office told eyewitness news, quote, Mr. Weeks owed the city $37,000 after the 24 Bembe Festival. To date, he has repaid the city $24,200 so far. Mr. Weeks has an outstanding balance of $12,800, which he continues to pay down. Despite that, organizers say excitement surrounding the festival remains high, and this year's headliner is hip-hop legend Ducky Fresh. He headlines back in 2012, so he was hype about Bimbe as well, even was that 14 years later, to come back again.

So we're very excited to have him, and we have an entire lineup. of local artists. Dougie Fresh is set to take the stage at 6 p.m. Well, new this morning, President Trump says U.S. Nigerian forces killed at top ISIS leader. We'll walk you through what we know. A firefighter dead and several others heard after an massive explosion inside a lumber mill in Maine. Straight ahead, the new details we're learning from investigators. At Desjardin Insurance, we know that when you own a nail salon, everything needs to be perfect from tip to toe.

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killed a senior commander in the ISIS militant group. In a social media post, he said at his direction, they eliminated the most active terrorists in the world from the battlefield yesterday. The president named the target, and he said that he was second in command of ISIS globally. This is not the first fatal strike President Trump has ordered on alleged Islamic state militants in Nigeria. He's accused of, he accused the militants of persecuting Christians in the West African country. In December, President Trump said he had directed a strike against ISIS in northwestern Nigeria. who he said had been killing innocent Christians. Right now, we are learning more about that deadly explosion fire at a lumber company in Maine.

At least one firefighter has died, and at least 10 others were injured. And this all happened in Searsmont. It's a remote area 90 minutes northeast of Portland. ABC's Michelle Friends and has more. This morning, authorities are looking into what caused an explosion and fire at a lumber mill in Sears. Montmain, about 90 miles northeast of Portland. The fire broke out just after 10 a.m. Friday, the roof of a large building collapsed. Need to treat this as a mass casualty incident.

Firefighters could be seen pouring water on the smoldering wreckage. At least three fire trucks were destroyed. I walked up to this very chaotic scene initially, and not because of the efforts of the first responders, but because of the magnitude of the fire. The lumber company was founded in the late 1800s. A spokesperson for the family that owns the sawmill says it will not operate for the rest of the week. A hugely devastating day for the family. We feel for the first responders, the family, the employees. The fire marshal's office says the focus is on the families of the injured.

Michelle Franzen, ABC News, New York. All right, Michelle, thank you. A little bit closer here to home, we are taking a live look. at Fayetteville Street. Here you go. If you're just getting up, you can tell that art sposure is beginning. It's going to be a great weekend to get out there. You can see just a little wind with the flag kind of floating there. But Fayetteville Street is blocked off. It's going to be filled with people later on today, Steve. Give me great. Yeah. No matter what you have planned today, just an outstanding day. And I really honestly think

tomorrow is going to be decent too, just a little bit hotter. Okay. A little bit more humid. Today's the day to get out there. I would say, do a little pickleball in the morning and then Yes, head out to Fabio Street. Of the two days, this is probably a little bit better, but fantastic out there right now. Temperatures warming up in the 60s, couple spots flirting with 70. We'll be in the 80s this afternoon after a really nice start to the day. Hope you get a chance to enjoy. Now, a mini heat wave starts tomorrow. Those splash pads could be rather busy all the way through Wednesday. We could be in the low 90s. And then late week, our confidence is going up that we're going to get some rain around here. As the front's going to be coming in as the ridge breaks down. And all global models have at least some. Some rain. A few of them, a decent amount for Thursday and Friday. And even the Euro keeps us a bit unsettled into the holiday weekend. But I've increased those probabilities for Thursday into Friday into the likely category for now. Fingers crossed that that holds. And also some of the like WPC is suggesting a half inch to three quarters of an inch potentially. We'll take it. We'll take anything we can get being in the drought that we are right now. We'll see if that needs to be fine tuned as we get closer.

No rain today though. Just a few afternoon clouds. We're in the 80s. Humidity stays in check, so not bad at all to get around to golf in. A couple clouds at times. We'll see a few more as we get later in the day into the early evening hours. Should be a really pretty sunset with some nice color in the sky. 68 into North Hills right now. Fantastic out there with a breeze at six.

That's a good 11 degrees warmer than this time yesterday. With low 60s into Oxford, 64 and Irwin in Fayetteville currently at 68 degrees. You see those dew points in the 40s and low 50s. They're not going to be too terribly high this afternoon, so it's going to feel fantastic. John Christ in town tonight, great comedian, 82 as you're walking into the D-PAC when you head back home, still very nice at about 70 degrees. Now, as we look into our Monday, those numbers getting up to the lower 90s, a little bit more humid as well. We might see a couple of fair weather clouds, but high pressure close by, going to be hard pressed to get any rain. As we look upstream, though, that's the system.

It's slow moving, but eventually it gets here on Thursday. That'll change our pattern and give us some rain showers and bring the temperatures down by the end of the week. Up in the mountains today looking good. Seventies and 80s tomorrow could be flirting with 90 there in chimney rock. The beach is not quite that warm, but near 80 tomorrow and a lot of the beaches and plenty of sunshine with some more clouds there tomorrow. Around here today with some afternoon clouds could be a pretty sunset coming up. Temperatures in those mid 80s across the board. Very pleasant. Tonight we're in the 60s under partly cloudy skies. First of all, seven day, maybe some clouds around tomorrow morning, but a lot of sunshine in the afternoon or heating up could tie a record at RDU.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be in those 90s feeling like summer. And then Thursday, late in the day into the evening, we'll see some showers and thunderstorms coming in. Front moves on by. The temperature is cool in the 70s, but we can still have some lingering showers and maybe even staying a bit unsettled as we headed the next weekend. Bianca. All right, Steve, thank you. Because of our changing weather conditions, of course, now is a great time to go ahead and download the ABC 11 mobile app. It is free. You'll get all the headlines and you can check out the seven-day forecast at any time.

We've got a traffic alert for you if you're heading into downtown Raleigh this weekend. We know there's several events going on. So several roads are going to be closed for the annual Arts Plozier Festival. The street closure is began at 5 o'clock. So it's already in place now. The two-day popular event is happening on Fayetteville Street right in front of our eyewitness news center. And so organizers say there will be a, art market of 175 visual artists from all across the country.

There's going to be some music, activities for the kids. Art Explosure runs 11 to 7 today, 10 to 6 on Sunday. What started in the kitchen eventually turned into a booming business. In our North Carolina made series, we'll introduce you to the man who's desired to help his son led to a now widely used skincare product. This morning, ABC 11. Across Canada in a Volvo.

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there's a Volvo for everyone. Learn more at VolvoCars.a. When continues to spotlight people and products that are made right here in North Carolina. Eyewitness news spoke with the founders of Om Botanical, an Apex-based company. He tells us it all started in the kitchen when he was trying to find a solution to help his son who was dealing with eczema. Amber Repenta has the story. In tonight's NC made series, a triangle scientist is turning herbal remedies into a growing skin care business. The founder of Apex-based Om Botanical started the company right in his kitchen, just trying to help his son's skin care problem.

And today, he's shipping across the nation. It started as a father's search for relief for his son's eczema turned into a mission-driven business in Apex. Dermatologists kept giving steroids. Being a scientist, I said, no, I'm not going to do steroids because they are very damaging. And then I was told that there is no other solution. I said, I'm going to create one. So Sudhir Shah got to work, combining his molecular biology background with heruvetic principles

he learned from his mom. She raised 10 kids with just herbal medicine. And she gave me some tips. and then I certainly in the kitchen, and it took me about six months, but then I found a formulation that really worked, completely got rid of his eczema. That was in 2011,

and it was the start of Om Botanical. Today, the company makes about 40 different plant-based skincare products, from cleansers to serums, and even products for your pets, all made with a food for your skin philosophy. If you cannot eat it, you shouldn't be putting on your skin,

because skin absorbs everything. It's permeable, just like your gut. The company is based in nature, a region Sudhir says has been critical to its growth. We are in triangle, right? The hub of all the biological biotech innovations. So certainly it's great to be in this area because we can find talent easily. And now the business has come full circle.

The son who inspired the company has now joined it. He has been without Exima for 11, 12 years now. And he was looking for job in impact investment. And then one day he said, And one day he said, Dad, you are already making impact. Why don't I join you? A homegrown company proudly NC made. And own botanical products are sold online and in several local health food stores, including Harmony Farms in Raleigh.

I'm Maburipenta. ABC 11, eyewitness news. A major traffic alert for drivers in Wake County. Right now, Western Boulevard is closed at the Raleigh Beltline. What deteros detours you'll want to take if you're in that area this weekend? And right now, a teacher facing several charges of sex crimes involving children Wake County. We're going to take a look at those new court documents. We are in local news. ABC 11 eyewitness news continues next. It is 930 on the weekend. It's here. Here's a live

look at downtown Durham. It's time to wake up and start the weekend. Good morning, Carolina. It's Saturday, May 16th. I'm Bianca Holman. You're watching eyewitness news here on ABC 11 and wherever you stream. The top stories in all the day's news. It's just ahead. But first, let's go ahead and check in with meteorologist Steve Stewart. So we've got a list of so many things we can do, whether it's a physical activity of, you know, tea time, pickleball, you know, just out walking the dog shopping. Moving the yard. Everyone does fun stuff. I got to do all that. You got to do some lawn and look here. I do. I got to get that. Do it today. If you're like me, I would do it today because tomorrow's going to be a bit hotter and a little bit more humid too. We'll get to those 90s in the afternoon. We're looking good out there right now. We have a high temperature about 86 today. low humidity for this time of the year. We'll take that, right? Due points will stay in the 50s for the most part. That's not bad at all. The average is 80, so we'll be well above that. Yesterday we topped out at 78, and there's that deficit over an inch now. This is a dry spring on record. We've only had about three inches of rain since March 1st. And you can see other years, you know, these were some dry years too, but we're not even close to some of those numbers. So we desperately need rain. If you've driven past Falls Lake lately, it looks like there's some beaches out there because the lake levels are so. low over four feet below full pool. So Jordan Lake's going down, Car Lake 2. Every day these numbers

are going to be ticking down a little bit until we get a decent amount of rain coming in. But there you go. Get the yard work done today. We'll get some afternoon clouds coming in, giving us partly cloudy skies and numbers will climb to those mid-80s for today. You can see that what predictor, seeing some of those clouds kind of drifting in later on. We'll time it out for a pretty sunset with a few clouds in the sky. Right now we're looking fantastic. North Hills at 68 degrees. That's about 10 degrees warmer than yesterday with a southwest breeze at five to ten miles an hour. Widespread numbers in the mid-60s, upper 60s there in Fayetteville and Smithfield and Goldsboro right at 67.

Evening plans if you're heading downtown, Old 60 in town at the Red Hat tonight. 81 about start time and getting down to a pleasant 70 by the time you head home later in the evening hours. Now things are changing. Looking more promising now about some rain later in the week. More on that coming up in just a few minutes. Bianca. All right, Steve, thank you. Well, now to that weekend traffic alert for drivers in Raleigh.

now. Western Boulevard and its connections with the Raleigh Belt line are closed as contractors work on getting the interchange into its final form. Our Anna Rivera shows us the detours. So this is a traffic alert you're definitely going to want to listen to, especially if you're going to be in this area. This is at Western Boulevard and 440. That's where we're going to see probably some pretty significant delays, and that's because some significant traffic construction is going to be happening. So you'll need to focus on this. The on and off ramps of 440 and Western Boulevard, that's where we're going to see those closures while they do that construction work. And it all started on Friday night and it's going to continue until Monday at 5 in the morning,

which is a pretty significant chunk of time. So if you're going to be there at all this weekend, you'll definitely want to look for that alternate route. So the options there are Melbourne or Hillsborough. And they will be marked. So just follow those detours and you'll be off to a better start than if you try to go anywhere near Western and 440. All right, Anna, thank you. Improvements are coming to. to a busy road in Garner, the NCDOT set to widen old stage road from two to four lanes between the Triangle Express and Rock Service Station Road. The agency says the intersection at Rock Service Station will also be reconfigured with traffic lights and medians and where so the work is expected to start on Monday and complete by fall 2027. Right now, a campaign underway in

North Carolina roads called move over or get pulled over. It's to remind drivers to move over or slow down for emergency and public service vehicles. are also urged not to block or follow emergency vehicles too closely and to stay more than 100 feet away from emergency scenes. So if you violate the state's move over law, you can get fined up to $250 plus court costs and even criminal charges. The campaign runs through the weekend. New details in the case against a brought in high school teacher charged with child sex crimes. Stephen Coles is now facing 19 charges six more than when he was first arrested. The I team has uncovered new court documents revealing the alleged abuse of one victim

spanned nearly a decade from 2005 to 2014 occurring at least six times during that period. Prosecutors say Coles allegedly abused three different victims in total. Coles has taught at Broaden High School since 2016. However, Wake County Schools says that alleged abuse did not take place on campus. One of the things that really helps the prosecution in a case like this is corroboration. That is either do you have more victims? Do you have physical evidence? Do you have another witness? Raleigh police say this investigation is ongoing. Coal says due back in court on Monday. Well, now to the state settling a lawsuit filed by Justine Jones. Back in 2022, leaders in Spring Lake hired her to be the town manager.

State treasurer Dale Falwell said he would not approve funding to hire Jones. At the time, Falwell was on the governing body with financial oversight in Spring Lake because of previous financial wrongdoing. at the town hall. Jones filed a lawsuit claiming Falwell violated her civil rights when he stopped the town from hiring her. She dropped the lawsuit last week in exchange for a $320,000 settlement. If you remember, Jones was also the town manager in Kennelly in 2022, but was fired after the entire police department quit, citing a toxic and hostile work environment. Go ahead and mark your calendar. The Waite County Board of Commissioners holding a final public hearing on the proposed budget this coming Monday. The public hearing set for 2 p.m. inside board change.

at the Wake County Justice Center. The proposed $2.3 billion budget includes a two-cent property tax increase. Commissioners are expected to vote on the spending plan on June 1st. A Wake County principal. Now North Carolina's principal of the year. He's got some major support, Dr. Mariah Walker, who leads the Wake Young's Women's Leadership Academy, learned about her new title at the Awards Luncheon held at the Umsted Hotel in Carrie yesterday afternoon. Under Dr. Walker's leadership, students have achieved a 100% graduation rate for the past four years and exceeded growth benchmarks for two years.

My role each and every day is to make sure that parents know that their child is going to be celebrated, be loved, and when they drop them off to go to work or go do whatever they need to do, that there's someone standing in that gap to celebrate them, teach them, and challenge them to be ultimately the best version of themselves. Walker will spend the school year traveling the state as an ambassador for the perfect. and she gets financial support from Wells Fargo and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. In addition to her award, Dr. Walker gets a mobile device from Lenovo, a gift from the Carolina Hunger Initiative, and a custom-made NC Principal of the Year Ring. We've got the full 2026 NFL schedule. It's finally out now. We'll take a look at how teams are having fun revealing the season's matchups. Plus, celebrating the best of local musical theater students, the big awards ceremony happening at the Deepak this weekend.

looking pretty good, Steve. They are absolutely incredibly talented. Hey, good morning, everybody. Outside right now, just a few clouds, temperatures mid-upper 60s, warming quickly. It's going to be a nice afternoon. Well, those temperatures in the mid-80s and a few afternoon clouds around. Tomorrow, it gets hotter. All the details coming up. This is First Alert Weather from ABC 11. I Witness News. Welcome back, everybody. You made it to the weekend. We're looking fantastic. Today. We'll be in those mid-80s for highs. Just a few clouds will come into play later this afternoon. Looking fantastic.

Seeing a few of those drifting into the mountains. Now all that rain is going to go around the ridge of high pressure. We're going to miss out, but a lot of severe weather back across parts of the Midwest. Mid-80s for highs today, the kids out there playing soccer, not terribly humid today, but it's going to be pretty warm. And we'll see a few afternoon clouds drifting on in here. Right now it's 68 out at North Hills. That's 11 degrees warmer than this time. Yesterday a breeze out of the southwest at about six.

70 now in Lewisburg, 68 in the Fayetteville and Goldsboro currently at 69 degrees. Feels really nice out there at this hour. Heading out this evening to Walnut Creek for the concert. All those numbers are going to fall to the 70s through the later evening hours. It's really going to be pleasant. No matter what you have playing this evening, it's going to be a nice one. Thunderstorms across the Ohio Valley. Chicago gets rain.

Denver gets some showers. The Midwest, though, they're just going to have some big thunderstorms there today. And likely severe weather is going to be in that same area again tomorrow. Chicago with some showers got delays now in about a half an hour. Got your 7-8 coming up in a few minutes, Bianco. All right, Steve, thank you. Pool season, just a few days away in Wayne County. They've got their pools opening up on May 23rd.

That includes pools at Lake Johnson and West Raleigh. We stopped by there yesterday to get this footage. Of course, it was all quiet. Three other pools, Biltmore Hills, Longview Pool and Ridge Road Pool. They will be opening up on that date for the Times. Check out their website. Meantime, Public Pools, Fayetteville. They're going to open on Monday, May 25th, from 1, 4th,

for Memorial Day Fund. There are going to be four public pools all across the city. There is one that's under construction, so be sure to check out the website for more details. And before we go to break, the city of Durham, also celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Today, annual Common Roots Festival happening at Durham Central Park, 3 to 8 p.m.

organizers say there's going to be performances, art markets, local vendor markets, and, of course, amazing food options. The time now 9.45 on this Saturday morning. the NFL schedule is out. If you haven't heard, teams had a lot of fun revealing this season's opponents and is what it's called the Super Bowl of NFL social media. ABC's Hannah-Bottah explains. The Pittsburgh Steelers blasted off this year's schedule release videos

with a crash course on all things Pittsburgh, including the local lingo. Are yin's going downtown? The New England Patriots took us on a wide. wild ride. At Six Flags, New England. While in Chicago, Welcome back. Bear's wide receiver, Rome O'Donzea, channeled the late great TV painter, Bob Ross, weaving in their schedule dates. And if you mess up on one of them, that's okay. You can just turn into a jet like so. I'm Trevor Lawrence. Hair also played a role in the Jacksonville Jaguars video as they did the unthinkable, seeming to cut Cubie Trevor Lawrence's iconic locks.

L.A. dug deep into its Hollywood roots, with the Rams copying the opening credits from 2004's Napoleon Dynamite almost frame by frame. Even using the same soundtrack. Hi, I, Captain. Me and the boys are on it. Not to be outdone by L.A., the Buccaneers did their own version of Tampa Baywatch. And that would be Baywatch, Florida-style. while Indianapolis channeled the Simpsons cult style. Welcome everybody to the 2026 mascot schedule reveal. Thanks for jumping on.

Please make sure your cameras are on. The Arizona Cardinals reminded us all of how much so many of us hate video conferences. It is time. Let's go out. While the Green Bay Packers proved that you can never go wrong with claymation. Wow, we look what we have here. Jars of rare mile high air. And Rob Riggle channeled QVC for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs tweeted out a caption that says it all. The 90s called They Want Their Schedule Release Back. Hannah-Bittah, ABC News, New York. So much fun. So we're getting our first look at the Carolina Panthers schedule. The cats open up and close this season at home, starting September 13th against the Bears. They're going to host Super Bowl champions Seahawks on the 3rd of January. And then the Panthers, they'll also have three primetime games, including their first Sunday.

Sunday night football game in 10 years. I think that says a lot. So you get some prime time games. That means they expect a lot of things. They expect some great things. I've been cheering for them since I moved here, Steve. Yeah, and it's what's my number two team? I grew up in Colorado.

So I'm still a Broncos fan. The Broncos, I know. All right. Nice one today. Temperatures are going to be in those 80s out there. We're going to have a low humidity for this time of the year. So it's going to feel pretty good to you outside today.

It looks fantastic right now with a few passing clouds around. Please take advantage of this for today. It gets hotter tomorrow. We go to the 90s tomorrow and that's going to last all the way through Wednesday. Those splash pads are going to be pretty popular to cool down a touch more humid as well. Later in the week, I'm getting a lot more confident now looking at all the long range models that the rain chances are going to be ramping up. A couple of them are pretty impressive as far as the amounts of rainfall now. We don't want to get too excited here, but we went into the likely category Thursday and a Friday and some guidance actually keeps us a bit unsettled heading into the holiday weekend. WPC has this at a half inch to three

quarters of an inch, maybe a little bit more in spots. This will likely change as we get closer because this is such a long ways off. And typically we wouldn't talk about rain totals this far out, but being in an extreme to severe drought, absolutely. We're going to always look at that. So the numbers climbing to the 80s today, some afternoon clouds, not terribly humid, just a good day to get out, maybe get around a golf in if you can. We will see some later day clouds kind of drifting in from the north and west. And if we time it out just right, should be a really pretty sunset

with some nice color in the sky. 68 right now with a breeze at 6. That's 11 degrees warmer than yesterday. The dew point in the low 50s, the lower the dew point, the better it feels. 70 to Lewisburg and Roxburgh. Now 69 into Irwin and Fayetteville at 68.

And these dew points might come up just a little bit today, but not a lot. Tomorrow they'll come up into the 60s and the temperatures go up too. Heading out tonight to the Deep Act to see John Chris, A great comedian, 82 before.

About 70 by the time you head back to your car. No jackets required. Going to be a fantastic evening, no matter what you have planned. 93 on Monday hot and a little bit more humid. We'll rinse and repeat that forecast as we go into Tuesday and plenty of sunshine around. Well, watch that front. That's the one coming our way on Thursday. That should bring change to the showers of thunderstorms and behind the front.

We're going to cool back down. Numbers in the 80s and the mountains today in the southern 80s. Look at that. Could be Southern Mountains, rather. She'll be floating with 90 there, possible in some of the mountains. And then we're going to be dealing with 70s at the beaches this weekend. Looking good if you're heading out in that direction. Tomorrow looks to be a fabulous day.

Okay, so we're in the 80s for highs. Beautiful. We'll get some late-day clouds. Maybe a pretty sunset out there. And then tonight, low temperatures will be in the low 60s. We'll see partly cloudy skies and maybe some clouds around tomorrow, morning, but a lot of sunshine in the afternoon. and 92 for the high.

We keep it in the 90s all the way through Wednesday and a touch humid at times. Some late day storms develop as that front approaches on Thursday. We'll fine tune this as we get closer, but it feels promising now that we'll get more showers around on Friday and the front cools us to the 70s, and there's a small chance that we stay unsettled heading into the holiday weekend.

We'll be back right after this. Time now, 953 on this Saturday morning, celebrating the best of the best of North Carolina's musical theater students Here they go right here. This amazing group representing the finalist for the Deepak Rising Star Awards. So this Sunday, the winners for best actor and actress will be chosen. Here's a look at their work. In our rehearsal process for the Deepak Rising Star Awards right now, we've got our finalists here.

They're learning all of the materials that will be on Deepak stage soon. It's very exciting to see the show start coming together and these students are incredibly talented. Shakespeare, his plays are wordy. I know he'll only have... Deepak Rising Star Awards celebrates high school musical theater. We celebrate keeping the arts alive in our school systems. The finalists that are going to be on Deepak stage are also competing for their chance to go on to compete live at the Jimmy Awards. Two students will get to go up to New York City, make their Broadway debuts.

I came in expecting to see a group of really, really talented kids, and this has exceeded every other expectation that I have had of what this was going to be. The kids are phenomenally talented and hungry and eager to work, which has been a joy to be in the room with. There's a lot of unique sets of skills that are happening in this room right now, which is really wonderful to see. hesitation and fear and then you almost watch that disappear and you start to see who they really are and see their talent. The rehearsal process is very condensed, but it's also packed with all kinds of learning opportunities and opportunities for growth and to kind of learn as an ensemble. And it's just super high energy and fun and it's intense. Make some great music, make some great performances and hopefully give some people in the audience like hours of stuff to talk on the right

home. I'm gaining so much knowledge from just being here and being a part of these rehearsals and I'm forever grateful for that I feel like. Not throwing away my shot. Deepak rising stars 2026. There's so much talent in Clay Aiken. He's going to be hosting that tomorrow so we wish them all the best. That's great. Yeah, we've got a second hour. Yeah, Steve, a little more check of the weather. Yeah, absolutely. Night 80s today, not 10. terribly humid, but here come the 90s, starting tomorrow, lasting four days with a mini heat wave.

And then I'm feeling more confident. We're going to get some showers and storms Thursday and Friday. Okay, well, as long as we get the heat first, Steve. I love to see it. All right. We got a second hour of good morning. America is next from the eyewitness news center. I'm Bianca Holman for Steve Stewart and our entire eyewitness news team there in the control room. Thanks for watching. ABC 11 eyewitness news is sponsored by Ruggin home of Raleigh. Experience the Extraordinary.