ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at Noon - June 16, 2026

Episode Date: June 16, 2026

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Right now, on I Witnesses at noon, within the last few minutes we've learned the official parade route for Saturday's Carolina Hurricane's Victory Parade through downtown Raleigh. Protesters turning out today in force at the state legislative building in opposition to changes to state election laws. Our Sean Coffey joins us live with details on why they're upset. And pumping the brakes, a data center in Cumberland County being put on hold. And Vice President J.D. Vance appearing for the first time on ABC's The View. He was questioned about everything from the economy to the administration's hands. handling of the Epstein files. 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 eyewitness news. Good Tuesday afternoon to you. Thanks for joining us here at noon. I'm Amber Repenta. And I'm Barbara Gibbs another afternoon of low humidity and highs in the 80s.

But enjoy it while at last. Peter Al just cruise with you and joins us now. But changes in the forecast, hey Cruz. Hey there, yeah, we are expecting to heat back up by tomorrow. But today, like we just said, enjoy it. Temperatures are only expected to reach the low to mid-80s. There is a chance of a passing shower in the sand hills today. Outside of that, the rain chance is going to stay well to our south as we go throughout the day.

So the satellite and radar showing those thicker clouds moving through. You can see some clearing back toward the triad. That sunshine at times may break through in our region. But large in part, it's going to be a mostly cloudy day. So great for walking the dog this afternoon as tipters stay in those low 80s. Again, lots of clouds, but at least the humidity is low today. That's also going to keep the tipters from soaring into the 90s. Tonight we drop into the 60s across the region.

Out the door tomorrow we will have some clouds around, but by the afternoon we see more sunshine. Tipter is already reaching the mid 80s by noon. Tomorrow's highs will be back in the 90s and that's just the start of the warm up. Down in the tropics, things are heating up. We have potential tropical cyclone one, which is this disorferral. organized mess that you're seeing over South Texas. The latest advisories, the first advisories for this just issued at 11 a.m. There are now Tropical Storm warnings in effect from Madagorda Bay over toward Galveston Bay and into parts of Louisiana as well. The energy from this could be

heading in our direction as we end out the week. We'll track that out and talk about our rain chances locally coming up in your seven-day forecast. Back to you. All right, Cruz, thank you. We turn now to the Stanley Cup champion hurricanes organizers just releasing the parade route for this Saturday within the last few minutes. And it comes just one day after the team arrived back in the triangle after winning their first Stanley Cup in 20 years. Bianca Holman is live in downtown Raleigh where the prep work for Saturday celebration is already underway. Hey Bianca. Hey, good afternoon, you guys. We are so excited. The parade route has been announced. We've been waiting since yesterday on where's it going to be at? It's going to be right here and here in downtown Raleigh.

So we are so excited to let you know where are you going to plan to go and stake your claim to see the Cains and the trophy. The trophy, of course, coming back to Raleigh, and it's time to celebrate. The parade is going to start at Hillsborough and St. Mary Street. It's going to travel east towards the state capital, turn right on Salisbury, left on Morgan, and right down here on Fayetteville Street. The parade is going to end on Davy Street. So it's very similar to the Christmas parade, if that sounds familiar to you. And so right here in front of our eyewitness news studios. And so again, the parade is a celebration.

There's going to be at City Plaza. They're going to have, of course, the players that are going to be there, the coaches, even some special guests. They want people to meet them there for the huge celebration. So, of course, I want to show you some video from last night where people were out celebrating as they welcomed the canes as they returned from Las Vegas. They were met with so much love and even a water cannon salute from the fire department. And so the cup made it to Raleigh last night as players promised to share the cup with fans. here for the hurricanes the whole city's happy so it's cool it's an experience i'm going to remember for the rest of my life and i'm going to tell my kids about so again the parade starts at 11 a.m.

you want to get out here early of course wearing your hurricanes red or all your hurricanes gear because there's going to be a big crowd out here again in the parade you're going to see the players the coaches the staff there's going to be some special guests all culminating at city plaza where there's going to be a big celebration some vendors and things like that and the players are going to share some words and encouragement and, you know, congratulations and all what they're feeling. So we're really excited about that. Of course, we're going to be there. We want you to be there with us. Back to you. There's going to be a huge turnout just from what we've seen in the last couple of days. Bianca, thanks. And new at noon, the sweeping changes that could be coming to

North Carolina elections law. Today state lawmakers are discussing changes to a bill that was filed last year. That would introduce major reform to the state's elections. And that led to strong pushback this morning from Democrats, dozens of whom packed into the legislative building to protest. Sean Coffey is live inside the building for the latest. Sean. Good afternoon, Barbara and Amber. Well, it's quiet inside the legislative building now, but that was not the case, as you just mentioned earlier this morning, as we saw dozens of those protesters gather in this area outside the committee room where that conversation was taking place to voice their concerns about these changes to North Carolina election law being

considered. Tickalus. The changes in question include banning election officials from encouraging voter turnout, converting more than a third of the state board of election staff into political appointees and giving the state auditor new powers and discretion in future investigations into alleged election fraud and misconduct in North Carolina. It also eliminates ranked choice voting in North Carolina elections and gets rid of certain campaign finance reporting requirements. During this morning's committee meeting, co-chair Hugh Blackwell, said that changes could be coming to this bill, but that did not stop protesters from gathering around our interview with State Board of Elections, Executive Director Sam Hayes after that meeting

wrapped, Hayes in that interview vowing that any changes his office supports would protect North Carolina voters. We already provide every due process, these folks. No one gets removed based on what we automatically find on these databases. There is a whole process for notice and an opportunity to be heard. As I've said many times, the constitutional right to vote is on this fundamental right in this country and we are going to be absolutely as protective as possible and we are going to follow state and federal law in that regard. And these changes are part of what's called a proposed committee

substitute of an election bill that had been filed last year. It's essentially a revised version of that bill. With the new changes in place, a vote on this updated version could see a vote as soon as tomorrow on the House floor, though the timing currently is a little bit unclear. Iwoodness News will be covering this every step of the way, continuing today on eyewitness news at 4. So look for the latest there. Those protesters, meantime, ultimately dispersed after security here inside the legislative building appeared and didn't want to get arrested potentially for trespassing. But again, we'll be following this very closely throughout today, guys. Back to you. All right, Sean, thank you. Sean Coffee Live in downtown Raleigh. North Carolina voters could have a chance to legalize

marijuana later this year if a new bill is passed. State lawmakers are expected to give an update on Senate Bill 1072 debate today. That bill would decriminalize limited amounts of cannabis for personal use as well as legalize it for medical use. If it's passed by the General Assembly, the measure would be placed on the November ballot this November for the general election. Authorities are searching for a gunman after an overnight shooting in Hope Mills. Zimbabwe is capturing this video of the scene on Racking Horse Road. We know two people were hurt.

Authorities say both victims were shot in the back. Officials say the suspect is possibly driving a car with the windows knocked out. And so far, there's no word on a motive. And the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has approved a six-month moratorium on the construction of data centers. The vote happening at last night's meeting. Commissioners say that will give them time to study the potential strain on the power grid and also environmental impacts. Over the next six months, commissioners plan to lay out regulations on how data centers can be built. Well, the Bull City has a new budget.

The Durham City Council approved a $767 million budget last night for the next fiscal year. And like any spending plan, there are people that like it and people that don't like it. that don't like it. Property tax rates are holding steady even with property tax revenue on the decline. Water and sewer bills will go up. The average customer will pay about 12% more. The council earmarked nearly $4 million to fight homelessness. Go Durham buses will stay fair free for another year and city employees are getting a 2% raise. In Johnston County, the board of commissioners there approved a budget that cuts taxes. The $435 million spending plan on the largest, has one of the largest property tax rate cuts in county history there,

52 cents of $100 of assessed value. It also fully funds the county's public school system. County employees are in line for a 3% raise, plus 2% more based on performance. Similar to Durham, water and sewer rates are increasing in Johnston County as well. The average customer there will pay about 10% more. We are working to learn what sparked a massive townhouse fire in Northwest Raleigh. Chopper 11 over the scene here in Briar Creek, it took crews about an hour to get those flames under control, but not before leaving behind some very serious damage, as you can see.

Firefighters did manage to rescue a cat from one of the units, and thankfully everyone made it out safely. Happening today, your chance to weigh in on the new Raleigh Convention Center. The city is exploring the possibility of naming the venue the Atlantic Union Bank Convention Center in exchange for the naming rights. Atlantic Union Bank would pay Raleigh an annual fee. A public hearing on the proposed naming rights will be held. during today's city council meeting at 1 p.m. New at noon, Vice President J.D. Vance today making history with his first ever visit interview

with his first ever visit today on ABC's number one daytime talk show, The View, that is. Vance here appearing live on the show to discuss his new book called Communion, Finding My Way Back to Faith. In the book, he writes about transitioning from Protestant Christianity to atheism to Catholicism. And he credits his faith with giving him a sense of purpose that he did not get through his education. He says at Yale University or working in the financial industry. But Vance also faced some very tough questions from the hosts while discussing some of the latest headlines from the war with Iran to the Epstein files and the economy. What can you say to voters who trusted you to lower costs on day one and will they be satisfied by November? Well, I think that's ultimately up to the voters, right?

I think voters have every right to expect as much as possible out of their elected representatives. We certainly know that we were elected on a number of mandates. One was to close the border, which I think we've done successfully, exceeded expectations there. Number two was to lower prices, and there's a lot of work to do, in part, in large part because of what's happened over the last few months in the Middle East. But as you said, oil, which got up to $120 a barrel, now is at $80 a barrel. That's going to be reflected in lower fuel, lower food, lower energy prices. But there's a lot more work to do. Vance is just the third sitting vice president to appear on the program following Joe.

Biden and Kamala Harris and this is Vance's first book since his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly elegy in 2016. Well, new at noon today is the final day of graduation for Wake County Public Schools this morning we saw students from Apex High School walking across the stage at the convention center. Three other schools will also hold ceremonies throughout the day. Congratulations. The full signing of the U.S. Iran peace deal is still days away and right now both sides are giving different reports about what is included in the agreement. We'll have the details just ahead. A Florida teenager accused of killing his Step sister months ago must now report to jail.

That story two minutes away. Plus. It became very apparent within a short period of time that the child that they had born was not their child. And the shocking IVF mix up. A couple learning they weren't the baby's biological parents knew at 1230, the agreement they have now reached with the child's mother. eyewitness news. We are local news weeknights 4 to 630 and 11. President Trump is brushing aside questions about his deal with Iran to end the war. In France for the G7 summit, the president dismissed reports of Iran receiving financial incentives to reach a ceasefire.

ABC's Karen Travers has the story from Geneva. President Trump at the G7 World Leader Summit again touting the U.S. agreement with Iran. We have a deal that's a fair deal. It's a good deal. But 48 hours after the deal was signed. digitally by the president and vice president, there is still no public text of the agreement, and there are growing questions about what comes next. Senior administration officials say the deal reopens the strait of Hormuz and lifts the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports. President Trump insists the straight will be permanently toll-free, but senior administration officials say the deal

ensures it will be toll-free for 60 days. Iran, however, says it plans to collect fees for services. And there are still questions about sanctions relief and the unfreezing of Iranian assets. President Trump today claiming negotiations over Iran's nuclear program to be addressed in this 60-day negotiating window will be, quote, actually easier. We have our deal done with Iran and should be successful. It goes to a second stage, which I think will be actually easier. But Israel's operation against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon could be a major hurdle. Iran's foreign minister says ending the war cannot happen unless Israeli forces leave Lebanon. Prime Minister Netanyahu says they'll stay as long as necessary.

President Trump said today the U.S. Iran deal can survive even if Israel continues its strikes in Lebanon. But he had tough words for Netanyahu. Israel's fighting his blood too long and too many people are being killed. And you don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody. President Trump also met on the sidelines of the summit with Ukrainian President Zelensky as European leaders pushed to reinforce support for Ukraine. The president said Russia should make a deal to end the war. Karen Travers, ABC News, Geneva, Switzerland. Well, a major pizza chain is being sold. That story just ahead.

And deadly flash floods soaking the south, torrential rain pounding the region, leaving some areas underwater. New at noon, Pizza Hut is being sold for 2.7 billion. $10. Private equity firm long-range capital is buying the majority of the chain from Yom brands, excluding its restaurants in China. Those locations are being acquired by Yum China holdings in a separate deal. The sale follows years of financial struggles for the pizza giant, which has been losing out to rivals like dominoes and third-party delivery apps. Earlier this year, Pizza Hut announced the closure of 250 U.S. locations. The deal also cuts the chain's decades-long ties to other brands owned by YUM, including Taco Bell and KFC.

Well, about 20 million people are under the threat of flooding from Texas to Mississippi. Yeah, plenty of rain has already come down, and there's a lot more on the way. Here's ABC's Hannah-B-Tah. Life-threatening flash flooding swamping millions across the south. The governor of Texas declaring a disaster for more than 100 counties across the state. There's a car just floating down the median. In Waco, highways turned into rivers. Vehicles washed down the interstate as fast-moving water overtook the road.

I'm not kidding, you thought I was going to die out here. First responders rescuing dozens of people, even using ropes to pull one trapped driver to safety. In Houston, stranded motorists forced to push their cars through flooded streets as debris, including this grocery cart, drifted by. Not far from there, a postal worker had to abandon her truck after it was left leaning into a flooded ditch. Powerful storms unleashing torrential rain while some areas expecting up to 10 inches. residential neighborhoods inundated. The dangerous flooding also stretching into Louisiana and Mississippi.

In Shreveport, fire trucks pushing through high water as the storm moves across the region. Hannah Betaw, ABC News, New York. Well, do it noon. Wake County expects today, experts today speaking about the danger of extreme heat and safety and cooling program, the event being held at the departure drive. regional center, which will also be used as a cooling station to help residents stay cool. It was a nice little breakout there from the heat today. Goodness. So nice and not a little bit cloudy, but we know that the heat is coming back.

Yes, it is, and it's going to come back with vengeance as we go into the middle of the week. So newly issued first alert day as we go into Thursday, we are expecting in time a heat advisory to be issued. So it feels like temperature is expected to exceed 100 degrees, possibly up to 106. the actual air temperature reaching 99. So enjoy a day like today where it's maybe cloudy and cooler, but also lower humidity because even tomorrow, highs will range from the low to mid-90s. But with it being such a nice day,

it would be good to be outside, taking a walk on your lunch break or stepping out to eat lunch outside. Tipters will be in the low to mid-80s through this afternoon. The best rain chance is going to be well to the south of the triangle down in areas like Fayetteville and Clinton today. So really those Sand Hill communities are the only ones that need to watch out for any shower chance for today. First alert predictor takes us through this afternoon. Again, highs in the 80s today. The cloud cover stays put overnight. We could see a passing

shower in those southern communities again in the overnight hours. The rest of us stay dry. And by tomorrow morning, we'll notice finally some clearing back to our northwest. So we drop into the 60s tonight. We'll eventually see the clouds depart the region for tomorrow afternoon. So a decent amount of sunshine there. Again, temperature is pushing back into the 90s for tomorrow. but it's still going to be a decently nice day. So it's not overly humid tomorrow and definitely not as hot as it's going to be into Thursday. So tomorrow, another great day

for outdoor plans. But as we go toward the end of the week, we have our next rain chance and this could be brought on by a new development. So we now have potential tropical cyclone 1 in South Texas. And with this designation of potential tropical cyclone, this allows the National Hurricane Center to issue its first advisories, watches, and warnings. And so we have this slated to move into Louisiana as we go into Thursday, but it could become potentially a tropical storm

by tomorrow. And most of the models bring this energy, at least the remnant moisture from it into our region. So would it be anything tropical by the time it gets here? No, but if the current forecast holds, we could see some rain from this. And you could see the variance between the models here. The European model brings most of that energy just to our south. We could throw some rain in our direction going into Friday, possibly a few storms in the mix as well. And then, the American model kind of fizzles it out before getting to us. So we'll be rooting for the rain scenario by the European. And of course we'll keep you updated with any changes as we go forward in time.

Here's a live look outside from our Pindo SkyCam. 77 degrees in Raleigh, 75 in Roxburgh and 75 in Fayetteville. So we're running below average for this time of the day. Even this afternoon, high is expected to be below average. So again, Thursday, a first alert day expecting it to be very hot then near 100 degrees. feels like Tipters exceeding 100. By the time we get into Friday, tipters will be in the low 90s there.

Scattered storms expected. In time, that could become a first alert day depending on how the system tracks. Thankfully, it clears out by Saturday. That's good news for any of you heading to the Canes parade this weekend looking good with highs in the low to mid-90s.

Back to you. Hi, Cruz, thank you. A new release date for Sean Diddy Combs from prison. We'll have the details just ahead. And the story you have to see it to believe it. Two drivers involved in a road rage incident stop their cars in the middle of a busy highway. Now to this video of road rage drivers caught on camera brawling right in the middle of a busy road in Colorado.

The local police department sharing the video of the whole fight. Police say the drivers were break checking one another before stopping in the middle of traffic to have a confrontation that included shoving. One driver is even seen smashing out the rear window. Police say both drivers were eventually cited for dissoning. disorderly conduct. Unbelievable. All right, Sean Diddy Combs, now slated to be released from prison a few months earlier than expected. The Federal Bureau of Prisons website shows that Combs will get out February 23rd of 2028. It was intentionally set for June of 2028 and then April. Combs is appealing his conviction on prostitution-related charges. The championship parade is set to bring Kaniacs from all over to downtown Rale. Just to have we'll show you the parade route. Also, Vice President J.D. Vance appears on ABC's The View for the the first time. The tough questions, he was asked by the host.