ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at Noon - August 3, 2026

Episode Date: August 3, 2026

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Right now on eyewitness news at noon, a court hearing today for the suspect in the murder of UNC student faith, Hedgepeth. Our reporters are monitoring developments inside the courtroom today. Also today, the remains of fallen Fort Bragg soldier, Staff Sergeant Michael Swinton will be returned to North Carolina after he was killed in Iraq. We're live with how the soldier is being remembered. And North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis is now a yes vote for Todd Blanche to become the nation's next Attorney General. What sparked the change? and a 14-foot hammerhead shark is found along a North Carolina beach. What researchers are now looking at. It's the news at noon.

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 good Monday afternoon to you. Thanks for starting your week off with us here at noon. I'm Amber Repenta Barbara Gibbs has this Monday off. There is a chance of scattered showers every day this week.

Some storms could bring some heavy rain. Peter Algers, Clayland Murphy's joining us now with more. Hi, Clay. Hey, good afternoon. So far, so good on rain potential. We've been pretty lucky to have dry weather for the early morning commutes, even lunchtime too. I'm holding on to a 40% chance of rain and storms. Triangle in South today, much lower for areas north of the triangle, highs mid to upper 80s.

So we had some early morning activity over Cumberland and Samson counties. Then we dried out. back to seeing some spotty rain over Samson County. There's a lot more activity offshore, but I'm watching this batch of rain to the south over Georgia and Florida. I think some of this makes its way into our area later today. So I'm going to hold a 30 to 40% chance of a few showers and storms this afternoon and evening. Nothing severe, but some of those downpours could lead to some quick minor street flooding and spots. Here are the clouds over downtown.

Overcast skies, we're at 83 degrees. Same temperatures as this time yesterday, but it is so muggy out there. Dew points are in the low 70s right now. So we have actual temperature, 70s and 80s, but it already feels like 90 in Goldsboro, 89, and Clinton up to 91 in southern pines on the field. We'll keep that chance for showers and storms into early evening pretty spotty during the overnight hour. Seventy's return by 9 tonight. Feels like temperatures today, though. We'll climb into the low to mid-90s for most of us this afternoon.

Into tomorrow, another chance for showers and storms. I do think the coverage will be greater Tuesday starting in the morning. And then by Wednesday, I'm going to pull back the rain chances a bit. tracking low rain potential between Wednesday and the weekend. Also your first alert that we're heating up later this week. High temperatures back to around 90 degrees and certainly more humid too. I'll have more on those changes when I come back. Amber, back to you.

All right. See you in a few. Cuelan, thank you. Power is now restored after a large tree came crashing down on power lines in Southern Wake County. This was the scene this morning near Graham Newton Road. At one point, hundreds of customers were without power. And with a chance for storms and rain every day this week, now is a good time to download the ABC.

11 mobile app will send the latest watches and warning straight to your device. You can also check Doppler net and the seven-day forecast there at any time. New at noon, a court hearing today for the suspect in the murder of UNC student Faith Hedgepeth. A Durham County judge could rule today on more than a dozen key motions, decisions that could shape what jurors see and hear when the man accused of killing her goes on trial. Let's go to Akela Davis. She's live at the courthouse in Durham with more on what's at stake. Hi, Kila. Hi, Amber. You know, much of today's hearing has focused on pre-jured. trial motions. The judge saying this matter happened in September of 2012 and we've all waited long enough.

So Fage Heth was a 19 year old UNC Chapel Hill student who was killed 13 years ago. Today prosecutors asked the judge to exclude references to 911 calls. A request the defense did not oppose. The state also argued that the timeline of hours before Faith's death are not fully known, saying surveillance video time stamps from the nightclub she went to that night are inaccurate. are inaccurate and that cell phone records were the most reliable timeline at that time. The court also heard testimony from defense expert called Paul Glover. Prosecutors argued his opinions are based on incomplete and unreliable information. Chapel Hill Police provided about the case at that time, including Hedge Peff's alcohol consumption and the timeline leading up to her death.

So the hearing just resumed and we're actually going to head back into the courtroom. I'll have more ahead on eyewitness news at 3rd. Reporting live in Durham, Akela Davis, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Hard to believe this has been more than a decade that we have been following this case. All right, Akela, keep us posted today about that hearing. Thank you. And new at noon, a first court appearance today for a gardener man charged with murder after his stepson died in a bathtub. Police believe 19-year-old Angel Deras Rivas left the 14-month-old child unattended in the bathtub full of water.

The defendant is expected in court later this afternoon. And we're working to learn if human remains found in Cumberland County last week have been identified. The remains were discovered Thursday afternoon behind a home on Deep Creek Road near Cade Hill Avenue. It's unclear if the home is connected to the discovery. The case is under investigation and the sheriff's office is asking anyone with information to contact crime stoppers tip line. Happening today, the remains of Fort Bragg soldiers, Staff Sergeant Michael Swinton will arrive back in North Carolina. The 30-year-old Swinton was killed in Iraq while trying to detonate an Iranian drone. Let's go to Penelope Lopez.

She's joining us live from the Fayetteville Regional Airport this noon with more on the special escort Swinton will receive. Penelope. Good afternoon, Amber. The Fayetteville community is coming together to say goodbye to one of its very own. According to the flight tracker, Swinton's body is expected to arrive shortly just before 2 p.m. Swinton, a soldier who dedicated his life. to serving over our country is now on his journey back home to Fayetteville. His flight is scheduled to leave Dover Air Force Base in Delaware at 1245.

Swinton, who was 30 years old, died on July 18th during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone. He served with Fort Bragg's 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment after enlisting as an air defense early warning system operator in 2017. Swinton attended several Cumberland County schools, including Alger B. Wilkins, Westover and Jackport High School. He leaves behind a six-year-old son, a four-year-old daughter and a wife. So now we're told that his body will be taken here,

not at Fayetteville Regional Airport, but at a private hangar nearby. And then following that will be a procession led by Patriot Guard riders. They will be taking his body along with the community to the Pine Crest funeral home in Hope Mills. We'll have more of that coverage coming up tonight. night on eyewitness news at 4 p.m. For now, live at Fayetteville. I'm Penelope Lopez,

ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, Penelope, thank you for that update. New at noon now, the public getting a chance today to weigh in on proposed changes to voting rules in North Carolina. The State Board of Elections holding a public hearing, collecting public comments on four rules related to campaign finance, disclosures, and complaints. The in-person hearing happened earlier this morning at the Dobbs building on Salisbury Street. And you can also share your thoughts online through the end of the month. Today the city of Raleigh is lifting stage one water restrictions and it comes after recent rain helped our local drought and led to a rebound at Falls Lake, which is now at 84% capacity.

Meantime, Durham City leaders will get an update on conditions today, but plan to keep tougher stage two restrictions in place in Durham for now. And new at noon, Todd Blanche is now one step closer to becoming, the next U.S. Attorney General. It comes after Blanche formally canceled President Trump's $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund overnight. Money meant to pay out people who claim they were targeted for political reasons. ABC's Olivia Rubin has an update on the critical vote that could happen as soon as tomorrow. Today, Trump's nominee for Attorney General, Todd Blanche, reaching a deal with the senators who were blocking his path to confirmation,

officially backing off his controversial plan with President Trump to use nearly $2 billion of taxpayer money to pay out Trump's political allies. Todd Blanche is a very, very good man, and he shouldn't be in the middle of this. In a post on social media, Blanche confirming in writing that the fund, which could have compensated January 6th rioters using taxpayer money, is, quote, rescinded and shall have no force or effect. The move which Blanche resisted for weeks is a concession to the demands of two Republican senators, John Cornyn and Tom Tillis, who said they simply wouldn't support Blanche unless he did just that, confirmed that the fund is dead in writing. This is about making sure that even if you're the President of the United States, you don't get favorable terms from the government. In another statement, Blanche also clarifying the parameters of an unprecedented deal. The Justice Department struck with the IRS to shield Trump from audits on any past tax returns. Now saying the deal only applies to the plaintiffs in Trump, his sons, and the Trump organization's initial $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS.

But just days ago, Trump saying exactly the opposite on the fund. Adamant he wants it to move forward that those who attack the capital, should be paid. Well, I is dead, but you know, I wish it weren't, to be honest. I think people were horribly treated, horribly abused. And the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote tomorrow on Blanche's nomination. If he gets the majority there, which he's now expected to, it will then go to the full Senate for a vote. In Washington, Olivia Rubin, ABC News. Olivia, thank you. And authorities in Harnett County searching for suspects after a deadly bar shooting. Dunn police say Jarvis Elliott and Travis Williams were killed Sunday morning at the

601 bar on North Fayetteville Avenue. A woman was shot in the back and another man was grazed by a bullet. So far, there's no word on a possible motive. The bar reacting to the shooting on Facebook writing, they are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the tragic incident and their thoughts and heartfelt sympathies go out to the victims and their families. Happening today, move-in kicks off at a brand new student apartment tower near NC State. It is called Hubb Raleigh right on Hillsborough Street at Cox Avenue, literally just steps from campus. And this is not your typical dorm. Think rooftop pool and hot tub, a wellness spa, even a dedicated entertainment area. The 12-story tower packs in more than 600 units and room for 2,000 students. A court hearing today for the man

who police say killed a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband who has ties to Raleigh, this court hearing, is about state charges. That story just ahead here at noon and horrifying moments outside an in-and-out burger, an armed citizen is being credited with stopping a mass shooting that left three people dead. That story in two minutes. And we're shining a spotlight on one pup who was rescued after being found inside a garbage truck. That story new at 1230. Eyewitness news. We are Local News Weeknights 4 to 630 and 11. And we're learning more about the deadly shooting at an in-and-out burger in Twin Falls, Idaho. Police now crediting a bystander for confronting the gunman.

Video shows 35-year-old Jordan Salinas here returning fire during the rampage. An off-duty state trooper also opened fire. The shooter, 24-year-old Chad Williams killed three, injured seven, and then turned the gun on himself. A motive is still unknown. The man charged with killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and shooting two others will be back in court today. Vance Bolter is facing state charges now for the June 2025 shootings that killed former men State House Speaker Melissa Horton and her husband Mark, who was born and raised in Raleigh. Bolter has already been given two consecutive life sentences, plus an additional 40 years from

his federal case. Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill working to prevent a government shut down this fall, members of the Senate Appropriations Committee rolling out a bill Sunday that would fund the government through December the 11th. Both parties expressed support for the bill, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling it a responsible path forward. A vote is expected this week before the August recess. And Greensboro police are investigating a mass shooting at a banquet hall.

What we know about the people injured. At a 14-foot hammerhead shark washes ashore on a beach in North Carolina. That story in two minutes. And flash flooding causing some major damage in Mount Airy, including some washed out roads. New details about a mass shooting in Greensboro. Police saying nine people were shot Sunday morning at a banquet hall, including a 15 and 17. year old. All victims were taken to the hospital in cars and are expected to survive. Greensboro police have taken two suspects into custody and are working to determine what charges they will face.

A pickup truck plunged into a giant sinkhole in Beaumont, Texas. Look at this. Police say the driver of that Black Ford F-150 pickup truck was driving through the area early Sunday morning when the street suddenly gave way and collapsed. The giant sinkhole estimated at 20 feet wide, 20 feet deep, filled with several feet of gushing water, as you could see from a broken water main. The driver was not seriously injured and managed to crawl out. That's terrifying. Now to a state of emergency in Surrey County. After heavy rains, Sunday led to flash flooding near Mount Airy.

New video shows flooded roads, down trees, and damaged buildings. Emergency crews rescuing people from stranded cars there. River gauges in the area setting records as well. City leaders urging caution now in saying that services could be disrupted. And now to this unusual site found along a Carolina beach. Beachgoers were shocked to see a scalloped hammerhead shark on the sand because it was huge. And due to the massive size of that shark, it took a team of officials to bring the animal fully onto shore. Experts say the 14-foot-long female shark was already dead when emergency crews retrieved it.

And while the exact cause of death is still unknown, researchers noted evidence of fishing interaction. The shark had a deep cut at the base of its tail fin and a puncture mark near its jaw. That is a big chart. All right, Quay, so a chance of rain every day this week. Yeah, every day. The best chance, though, tomorrow. So today we'll have a lot of dry time. Tomorrow, I think we'll need more of our rain gear and take it slow throughout the day.

Notice towards the end of the week we're trending lower on rain potential. As a result of those lower rain chances, temperatures will head back up later this week. But today and tomorrow, locally heavy rain could lead to some minor street flooding. When you look at the flood risk, this is a level one of four threat for us. Wednesday is starting to back off mainly west of U.S. less one will be the greatest threat for that. First of alert, Doc Burnett is showing a mainly clean look here at home. A few spotty showers around southern Samson County.

Most of those kicking off to the east, though, at this time. And we're seeing a little sunshine now into downtown Raleigh. Mainly cloudy skies, temperatures climbing into the low 80s. Right now, through lunchtime, 87 or 77 in Roxburgh, 82 in Sanford, 84, Goldsboro, Fayetteville, 81 degrees. So we'll climb to the mid to upper 80s today. I think we'll see some sun clouds mixed in with some pop-up showers. storms at times today. Most of us will be dry later tonight, but we'll have a chance for maybe some spotty rain overnight. And then tomorrow morning we get things going a bit sooner in the morning with some showers and that'll take us into afternoon. I think the greatest increase in rain comes early afternoon tomorrow. And then we'll see some lingering scattered showers and storms through evening. So a lot of the moisture right now is poised mainly offshore. There's the stationary boundary, but there's a lot more moisture to the south. So I'll be watching this batch of rainfall for later today to move in. And then I think we'll see. see another disturbance developing somewhere off the Carolina coast and that will help bring more showers and storms for tomorrow.

So by the afternoon spotty on the rain, if we see a bit more sunshine and dry weather, some of us could tap out near 90 this afternoon. We'll see how that goes. And then overnight clouds increase will have mainly dry weather. 70s tomorrow morning. This is just after sunrise. I think some rain develops to the south. And then by lunchtime tomorrow we'll see some scattered rain and isolated storms through the afternoon and evening. Again, those downpours could lead to some minor street flooding.

Wednesday morning, more of the same, starting in the southern areas initially, and then we'll see maybe some scattered showers and storms through the afternoon. Through the next five days, these are your rainfall totals potentially about an inch and a half or less. Tropics, quiet, nothing of developing in the next seven days. So that's looking good for the Atlantic Basin. 88 degrees today, variably cloudy, a few showers and storms possible, but a lot of dried time today. 70s overnight, mainly cloudy and humid. There's your first alert.

70 forecast, powered by ACU. Check out tomorrow's high temperature because I do expect to see better coverage of rain. 82 the high at RDU. I think we'll see some 70s north back to 86 Wednesday. And you see what goes on later this week. Those temperatures head back towards 90 by Thursday through the weekend. Rain and storm chances at this point 30 to 40 percent. So right now if you have any weekend plans, not a washout,

but maybe just something to look out for during the weekend. Back to you. All right. It's kind of muggy out there too. Very, very muggy. All right. Cuba facing yet another nationwide blackout as its electrical grid collapses. That story just ahead here at noon and the tense moments as a seaplane packed with Americans goes down in the Bahamas.

Plus a bizarre low speed police chase as officers attempt to stop a stolen car. That's next. Now to the Bahamas where a seaplane full of American tourists crashed into a dock. You can see here the plane's nose nearly submerged as passengers carefully climbed out and were helped onto a rescue boat. Authorities say the small seaplane with eight passengers and two crew members went down in the waters near a resort in North Bimini. The pilot was attempting to take off but then diverted to avoid other boat traffic causing it to crash into the dock. All of the people on the boat were rescued. Police in Western Australia arresting four miners following this wild chase, officers attempted to stop a stolen white Toyota land cruiser Saturday night.

Police say the driver failed to stop as officers chased the vehicle around. a tree, as you can see here. The chase then moving to circles around a second tree, and police say a 14-year-old male will now face charges including stealing a motor vehicle and no authority to drive. Three others, two 13-year-old boys and a 12-year-old boy have all been charged with stealing a motor vehicle as well. Cuba's energy grid on the verge of collapse, the state-owned electricity utility dealing with another nationwide blackout. It comes as the U.S. continues imposing an oil blockade that is testing Cuba's aging energy infrastructure. Cuba has struggled to import fuel since the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro

in January, Havana's closest ally. Mexico has also halted exports and response to U.S. pressure. Capital One, closing Trump Organization accounts over money laundering concerns. The revelation comes as the bank asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit from the company over those 2021 closures. The Trump organization accusing the bank of political discrimination. Capital One has not publicly accused the Trump administration of illegal money laundering. And a contemporary art space in Raleigh's warehouse district is up for sale. That story brand new for you at 1230 and the wildfire disaster in Washington State. Some of the worst fires the state has ever seen destroying hundreds of homes and caught on video, a distracted driver crashes into an officer

during a traffic stop on the side of the road. Wow. And a reminder, you can find Iowa Disney's live on ABC 11 Disney Plus and everywhere you stream.