ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at Noon - August 12, 2026

Episode Date: August 12, 2026

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Right now on eyewitness news at noon, your first alert to dangerous heat with temperatures in the 90s today. Breaking news in Johnston County you see here live. A crash impacts the westbound lanes of I-40. Chopper 11 over the scene will have the latest breaking details. Plus, eyewitness who speaks with the Durham Police Chief, the new one, Stephanie Marta, sharing more about her plans to lead the department. And the future of Wake County Schools in the spotlight today. The school district will hold a joint meeting with the County Board of Commissioners. We'll tell you what's up for discussion as we are just.

12 days away from the first day of traditional calendar school. Right now, live coverage from your local news leader. Today's top stories you need to know and your first alert forecast. Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11. I Witness News. And thank you for joining us for the news at noon. I'm Barbara Gibbs. Ambera Penta has the day off today. Temperatures starting to climb today before the heat and humidity really ramp up tomorrow.

The feels like temps could reach the tree. triple digits. Meteorologist Steve Stewart joins us now with what we can expect. And I think I pretty much know. It'll be hot around here. You do. Yeah. In the next couple of days, we could have some heat advisories issued by the National Weather Service. Not bad today. Due points are down a little bit from yesterday. Yeah, we'll still get up to around 93 degrees. And I can't roll out an isolated pop-up shower, thunderstorm. Most of us stay dry. Yesterday, 95 and no rain at RDU. But we did have some thunderstorms, severe ones as well. And we had pockets of very heavy rainfall in areas. But you can see the lion's share of the rain was out to our west. Hoke County had a heavy slow moving lumbering thunderstorm there near Lillington and Wayne County as well. But for a lot of us didn't get any rain at all. And today's this really small chance we get a shower of thunderstorm. These showers coming in from the north and west right now are kind of weakening as they get closer to our mountains. So small chance today and tomorrow will up it a little bit as we get into Friday, Saturday, Sunday, even Monday as well. But no day is a guarantee your house is going to get some rain. 83 into North Hills right now feels like 85 not bad right I mean the dew point at 66 yesterday that dew point was about 73 that makes a big difference 76 in oxford 79 in roxborough 85 Irwin and Fayetteville currently at 86 degrees you see some areas have some higher dew points but don't see widespread dew points in the 60s take that enjoy it because big changes are coming our way starting tomorrow and going into friday as well heading out this evening to wilson there to the complex to watch the

warbirds play nice evening for some baseball got some action in the tropics crested ball just formed another tropical storm more on that coming up in a few minutes wow lock on on all right Steve thank you breaking news right now a traffic alert for drivers in Johnston County backups remain hours after a crash on I-40 Westbound you see it right here between exit 309 and 306 just one lane of traffic is open in the westbound lanes now it appears a concrete truck overturned that truck has since been righted. We're working to learn if anyone's heard, but if you're going to be in this area of

westbound I-40, you may want to find another route because the backups are still really bad here. Well, today, Wake County School Leaders will hold a joint meeting with the County Board of Commissioners. Several topics are up for discussion, including a vote on the ballot November to fund major projects in the district. John Dowding is live from outside the Wake County School District headquarters. John, what are voters going to see on the ballot in November? Yeah, Barbara, this is a simple yes or no vote with major implications for the state. state's largest school district. District and county leaders are going to break down how a $680 million bond referendum vote could help the district if passed in November. Again, all of this happening here

this evening. And if voters approved this bond referendum, that money would fund several projects across the district from the construction of three new schools to renovations and at least nine schools. Also, much needed funding for heating and cooling replacements and even technology investments. Now, this bond referendum looks to help the district close a major funding gap to complete these projects, but also up for discussion is a proposal to bring affordable housing on surplus school district-owned land. County officials said the affordable housing would be open to the public, but emphasized how much more work needs to be done before this could happen. And said in a statement to us, quote,

if the Wake County Board of Commissioners and Wake Board of Education support moving forward, several steps would be required before any properties could be declared surplus or included in a land swap. Not all identified properties may ultimately be included. Now, tonight's meeting here starts at 5 right here at district headquarters in Kerry. And again, we'll be having coverage starting here on eyewitness news, starting at 4 with reaction from community members about all of these items up on the agenda this evening. Live here in Kerry, I'm John Douting. ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, John, thank you.

In Wake County, authorities are still searching for a gunman. involved in a shooting last night. It happened at the tree line Timber Creek apartments and Garner off Benson Road near Timber Drive. Police say bullets hit three vehicles and one occupied building. Thankfully no one's hurt. Police have not released any details about the suspect.

Well, new at noon, we are sitting down with Durham's new chief of police. This week, Durham officials announcing Stephanie Martis will be the top cop at DPD. Anna Rivera joins us now, and you just wrapped up that conversation. Yeah, that's right, Barbara. Eyewitness News was the first one to sit down one-on-one with Chief Martis. She's a veteran law enforcement officer who spent all 24 and a half years of her career with the Greensboro Police Department.

We talked about everything from her long family history of public service, cultivating community trust, and her plan to reduce violent crime. I firmly believe that every experience that I've had over these years has prepared me to be the chief of police in Durham, North Carolina, with amazing men and women at the Durham Police Department. and I am just extremely humbled and grateful to start this chapter and join a community that's progressive and really involved and engaged. I love the excitement and the collaboration that I'm seeing surrounding the concerns of gun violence, and I want to be a part of that. And I want to take the tools that I've learned over these years and contribute to this community. In the first quarter of 26, violent crime increased in Denduro.

by 4.6% compared to the same time last year. What is the plan moving forward to get those numbers lower and see that violent crime reduction? Well, I have been following closely the summit on saving lives with the city and county collaboration, and I know that they just published the recommendations on how to move forward. And so my plan is to 100% support that initiative,

lead the charge as far as our agency's concerned to collaborate with the stakeholders and follow that model. Martis officially takes over at DPD on September 8th and coming up later on eyewitness news, we're going to dive deeper into her policing philosophy and creating trust between the community and the department, Barbara. Right, Anna, thank you so much. The first to sit down with the new chief of police in Durham. Governor Stein signs four bills into law, including two that make changes to the recent state budget. The biggest is House Bill 268, which changes funding levels in the budget while also giving more of the Stein administration's power to Republican elected officials. The governor releasing a statement praising some provisions in the bill while saying

others are quote unquote petty and undermine the executive branch, end of quote. New at noon, eyewitness news learning Fort Bragg soldiers will be deployed to help fight fires across the Pacific Northwest. 200 soldiers will be deployed to support ground operations along with federal and state efforts. As of this week, the National Interagency Fire Center reports there are 46 unconstitutional. contained large fires in the northwest. Well, now to the high stakes discussion impacting the cost of alcohol across the state. The ABC Commission is considering a controversial plan to implement minimum price policy, which would impose a mandated cost for liquors like vodka, whiskey gin, and other spirits,

specifically raising the price on the cheapest of brands. Those in favor say the increases could price out younger drinkers leading to lower consumption, but restaurants and bars are very much against it. They say that will hurt their bottom line. After hearing feedback today, the ABC Commission says it will conduct further studies before making a final decision. All right, if you are feel like you're paying more at the grocery store and for those plane tickets that you bought, you thought were more expensive, well, you're exactly right. Coming up next, and look at the newest inflation report. Inflation is cooling, but prices remain high.

Plus, we're following breaking news in the world of sports, a major announcement from the Los Angeles Lakers. The team sold in a multi-billion dollar deal and a familiar face. Set to become one of the new owners. I witness news. We are local news weeknights 4 to 630 and 11. Keeping our eye on the economy positive news in today's inflation report. Inflation is cooling, but prices remain high. The consumer price index is up 3.4% from a year ago,

but down slightly from the month before. That is according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. ABC's Olivia Rubin has all the details on what you're paying more for or less. At the grocery store at the gas station and at home, prices are rising for Americans. Today, new data on the economy showing inflation eased slightly in July from 3.5% to 3.4%. But that's well above the Federal Reserve's target rate of 2%. It's a good thing that we don't see that number going up, that inflation isn't accelerating, but it is still above where the Federal Reserve and overall households want inflation to be.

It's costing you more money. The Bureau of Labor statistics showing prices for fruit and vegetables up 5.1%. Cereal and bakery products up 2.7%, electricity up 4% and apparel of 3.9%. And gasoline up a whopping 24.6%, surging from the war in Iran. The average price above $4 a gallon, according to Gas Buddy. The cost of some items falling too. The data showing used cars and truck prices are down nearly 2%. Lettuce down more than 16% amid the deadly cyclospiriasis outbreak.

And critically, amid these rising prices, the data showing wages aren't keeping up. Earnings actually decreased 0.2% in July. The Trump administration previously defending its economic record, saying this on CNN. The bottom line is that if you look at the overall economy, then things are really, really, really booming. And recent polls show that Americans are feeling the heat when it comes to the economy. Reuters Ipsos poll from just two weeks ago found that 59% of adults said they view the economy as weak.

Olivia Rubin, ABC News, Washington. Olivia, thank you. And as always, if you want more information on how you can save money and stretch your dollar on everything from groceries to gas, you can use our price tracker tool on ABC11.com slash price tracker. Breaking news right now. New at noon, ESPN is reporting former Disney CEO Bob Eiger is buying the Los Angeles Lakers. Iger and Thrive Capital founder Josh Kushner acquired the NBA team for more than $12 billion.

They released a joint statement saying, quote, As lifelong NBA fans were deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world. End of quote. Iger, as you may know, was succeeded this year as Disney CEO by Josh DeMorrow. ending his second term in that role. Well, the heat is ramping up this week and next here at noon, Duke health experts are warning about heat-related illnesses what you need to know to protect yourself and your family.

Plus, the Midwest is bracing for another round of storms after deadly weather yesterday. Federal officials are stepping in to help with Puerto Rico's water crisis. July was the driest month on record for San Juan in more than 120 years. It was also the fourth hottest on record for the Capitol. The U.S. drought monitor said that as of last week, almost 25% of Puerto Rico was experiencing a severe drought and another 36% was under a moderate drought. The local government's cutting off the water supply for 48 hours at a time in some neighborhoods and using tankers to bring water to hard-hit areas. FEMA says it's sending in water trailers over the next 30 days to help. The governor has declared a state of emergency.

Clean up today after dangerous deadly storms hit the Midwest and Ohio Valley area. High winds brought down power lines and trees yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of customers are still without power. And as ABC's Reno Roy reports, the same areas are bracing for even more severe weather. Heavy rain, flash flooding, and destructive winds slamming the middle of the country. At least five tornadoes confirmed from Iowa to Indiana. Dash cam video shows the rough conditions as a car drives through the storm in St. John, Indiana. And drone footage shows what's left after a home exploded,

in portage. A man was killed and officials say the weather may be to blame. In Ohio, 16 people were transported to the hospital after lightning struck this correctional facility. And in South Dakota, dramatic video shows the moment's police officers were almost hit by lightning while on the job. You can see high winds flipping this vehicle on the interstate in Columbus, Ohio, a canopy at this gas station blown over. This neighborhood in Perry County, inundated with floodwaters, cars submerged. say at least one person in the town of Roseville was killed due to the storm. This was an individual who died simply because they could not have an emergency and they could not get to that individual.

In Illinois, roofs torn off of homes in the Chicago suburb, this house catching fire in Frankfurt. The main threats today are heavy rain, damaging winds and brief tornadoes. Like yesterday, some areas could see two inches of rain per hour and more than five inches of rain is possible on. ground that's already saturated. Rina Roy, ABC News, New York. All right, well, speaking of the weather, it's another hot day. And the triangle and the heat wave is expected to stick around through the weekend. Doctors with Duke Health say it is important to know the signs of heat-related problems.

In its most extreme form, severe heat can cause brain swelling with confusion and seizures. It can cause multi-organ system failure, blood clotting problems, kidney failure, heart and liver failure. And those issues often require ICU level of care and can have really persistent long-term effects on the body. So really message is seek medical care if you're concerned that there is a risk for heat-related illness. And doctors say it is important to remember that heat illnesses can pop up days after a heat wave is over as the impacts can accumulate over time. Doctors say young children, older adults, and outdoor workers are among those most vulnerable to dangerous heat. And that leads us into meteorologist Steve Stewart's forecast because we've been talking about that intense heat and the risk of storms this week. Yeah, the storm chance, I mean, today is almost gone completely.

But that'll start to tick up a little bit, but not a lot over the coming days. But the heat will. We're really going to have some heat to be dealing with starting tomorrow and lasting into Friday. ambient temperatures mid upper 90s, but with elevated dew points, feels like temperatures could get up to around 105 degrees. So tomorrow and Friday, a couple of days, we could have some heat advisories, at least in part of Central North Carolina. Weekend showers, well, yeah, but they're hitting missed variety. I think we'll be okay. There is a front coming in Friday night and pushing to the south on Saturday that Mike sparked some showers and thunderstorms around and starting to heat up out of the tropics right now. We have a new tropical storm, Crestoball here.

There it is way out in the middle of nowhere and it's heading towards the Azores and it's going to fall apart fairly quickly. Still two disturbances off the coast of Africa, one with a 30% chance. The other one here, an 80% chance of development. And right now invest 92L. That's going to move right across the lesser Antilles. Once it gets here to the Caribbean, likely going to encompass some shear and start to fall apart. But we'll watch it very closely, obviously. There you see the showers coming in from just south of Chicago, pushing through Cincinnati.

That core of the high pressure is retrograded a bit. So around the periphery, that's where these thunderstorms are moving now. We are no longer under that threat like yesterday. But yesterday we did get some heavier downpours. Some areas down around, say, just south of Pinehurst, really got some heavy rain there. Rayford, for example, significant amounts over towards Wayne County as well. But for a whole heck of a lot of us missed out on rain completely. Today, the coverage is maybe 10%.

82 in the North Hills, some clouds out there. now. But look at that dew point. That's the magic number that came down. So enjoy it. Not much of a heat index right now. Mid-70s, so upper 70s in our northern counties. 82 in the Chapel Hill and Fayette currently at 86. But dew points in the 60s, considering how bad it's been. Enjoy it. Take a nice walk this evening after dinner because it's going to change in a big way. But most of us seeing dew points less than this time yesterday. That makes a difference. For the bulls out there, this evening, 89 degrees before about 79 when you. you head home. Really a pleasant evening no matter what you have planning. If you're out late after midnight, make sure you look off to the northeast and you can see the Percy and Meteor shower. It's at its peak tonight. We're talking 60 to maybe 100 per hour. And with a nearly new moon, a darkened sky means the visibility should be pretty good. We'll watch this front get closer to us on Friday. Look at the fields like temperatures way up there over 100 degrees. Could get some thunderstorms around in the evening. High pressure is going to force this front

to the south. It's a weak front. But we're going to be. We could get a shower, a thunderstorm spotty as we go into our Saturday. It'll be cooler, but not much. Still going to be above our normal high. Low 90s today, upper 80s in our northern counties tonight. Low temperatures, upper 60s and low 70s. First alert seven day of them for tomorrow and Friday could have heat advisories and parts of the viewing area. As we go through the weekend, just a stray storm possible, slightly cooler low 90s.

And by Monday, we go back up to near 100 degrees. Wow. Okay. Thank you, Steve. Well, in your voice, your vote, a new poll providing an update on North Carolina's high-stake Senate race. Also coming up a look at primary results across the country as we look ahead to the midterm elections. In your voice, your vote, looking ahead to the mid-term elections now 82 days away. North Carolina's race for the U.S. Senate is expected to be one of the most expensive races in the country.

The latest poll from Elon University shows former North Carolina governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, leading his Republican challenger Michael Watley. Cooper leads the former Republican National Committee chairman by at least 11 percentage points overall with 53% compared to 42%. Overnight, primary results are in from multiple states. A potential upset could be in the works in the Wisconsin governor's race where controversial candidate Democratic socialist Francesca Hong had a big lead in the polls but was trailing overnight. Here's ABC's Lionel Moise. Results are coming in as six states held primaries for governor's Senate and House seats. In South Carolina, voters deciding who will replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham after his sudden passing last month.

His sister Darlene, who was appointed to finish his current term, placing first among the candidates, now advancing to a primary runoff. This is a very emotional night because I'm usually standing here celebrating with Lindsay. So I know he's looking down right now, smiling. But the big headline is in Wisconsin in the close. watched race for governor. A major upset, the Associated Press declaring Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the winner over Democratic socialist Francesca Hong. Hong had held a commanding lead in the polls. Hong has faced criticism for her past statements about abolishing police and opposing the Thanksgiving holiday. She recently walked back those statements.

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Because I love to do it. Yep. I don't want to cancel it. I actually love it. Meanwhile, a generational fight in the Democratic Party in Connecticut. John Larson, who was seeking his 15th term, was defeated by former Hartford Mayor Luke Brunnan. And in Minnesota, we've got the best pillow ever.

My Pillow 2.0. My Pillow founder, Mike Lindell, losing the Republican primary for governor to Lisa Demuth, who will now take on Senator in former presidential. candidate Amy Klobuchar in November. Lino Moyes, ABC News, New York. President Trump is dealing with another legal setback in his efforts to reshape election rules. On Tuesday, a court found that his March 2026 mail ballot executive order violated the Constitution. The president had directed states to add automated ballot tracking barcodes to their envelopes and give the Postal Service lists of voters who should receive mail ballots.

Tuesday's preliminary injunction halts any effort by the agency to carry out those directives. As we approach the November election, here's some important dates to remember. October 9th is the deadline to register to vote, if you haven't already. In-person, early voting is from October 15th through October 31st. The last day to request an absentee ballot is October 20th. November 3rd is election day. It is also the deadline for all absentee ballots. Well, our back-to-school coverage continues next.

It is move-in week for several local universities, and Food Lion is helping make sure no college student goes hungry this school year. That's coming up this half hour. And a reminder, you can find eyewitness news live on ABC 11, Disney Plus, and everywhere you stream.