ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at Noon - June 5, 2026

Episode Date: June 5, 2026

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Right now, one night with this news at noon, the Carolina hurricanes gearing up for game three after pulling off a thrilling overtime victory in game two of the Stanley Cup final last night. How you can see the next game without having to make a trip to Vegas. And an elementary school in Chapel Hill is set to close next year. What's next for the students and staff? Plus, an eye on the economy this Friday, the Labor Department today, releasing the jobs report for the month of May. 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. Right now at noon, the 90s are here and we can see

near record highs this weekend. Thank you for joining us for the news at noon on this Friday. I'm Barbara Gibbs. I'm Amber Repenta. Happy Friday. We made it. That's right. And let's take a look at some window washers that are outside taking full advantage of more manageable temps this morning. It was a little cooler before the heat really ramps up this weekend. Meteorologist Steve Stewart is here now with more on the important weekend forecast. Air quality alert. Yeah, air quality alert. And I must say, Amber, I think the white boots means you can, you have to always wear the white boots.

Every time. Yeah, all right. Yeah, air quality alert, person county all the way through the triangle down in the Carmelin County. This is common when we start seeing these mid-90s, as the ozone volume is going to be going up. So we'll probably see that again as we go into the weekend. All right. So outside right now, we're looking pretty good. Fair skies out there. Do points up a little bit.

We'll be in the mid-90s today. Again, the normal high for this time of the year is at 85 degrees. Yesterday we came close to 90, hit 89, and there's that deficit, which is continuing to grow. In and around the triangle, again, we're still dealing with the extreme to severe drought. And that's the watershed of Falls Lake. It keeps going down. It's been 15 years since we've had the lake levels this far below full pool. The worst ever was 2007, 2008.

And that drought, it got to nearly nine feet below full pool. I doubt we're gonna get there, but we're going in that direction if we don't turn things around. Outside right now, we're looking at a couple little fair weather clouds. 89 right now in North Hills, dew point at 52. Yesterday their dew point was in the 40s. Widespread 80s out there with Durham and the triangle, the hot spot in the higher 80s. And those dew points are in the 50s still feels pretty good. That's low humidity for us.

Typically it's in the 60s and 70s. but compared to yesterday, that dew point is up nearly 10. That's a lot, and I think it'll tick up a little bit more as we're going to the day tomorrow. Deepak tonight, seeing Hamilton, 90 as you're walking in when you head back to your car, about 76 degrees. Should be a nice evening, give you our plans, and get used to it. There's more big-time heat as we head into next week. More on that coming up in the 70 forecast, Barbara. All right, Steve, thank you.

Well, in less than an hour, the Carolina Hurricanes are scheduled to board a plane at RDU to head to Vegas after pulling off. If you watched it, nails biting, all the stress, that big overtime win at Lenovo Center last night in game two, the Stanley Cup final. It was a late night for a lot of folks, but it was worth it. It was a thriller. The team, though, is now looking forward to game three in Vegas, and we're counting down to Saturday's puck drop. For hopefully this one won't be quite a nail biter. But Tamara Scott is live at the Lenovo Center. With more Tamara, plenty of opportunities for Kane's fans to cheer on their team, even if they can't make that big trip out to Vegas. You know, there's a lot of fans who are wishing that they could make that trip out to Vegas, but they just can't at this point.

But that doesn't mean that they're not going to stop and try to get some new merch here at the Carolina Pro Shop. Lots of people are here. They're getting brand new stuff. And take a look at these folks. They've already gotten some stuff going back in. They're huge fans here. Carolina Hurricanes hats. Let's see what else you got in there. What? Oh my gosh.

A little stormy. This is so cute. you guys at the game last night. No, we were coming in from Maryland. You're coming in from Maryland. Are you going to come to the watch party tomorrow? We think so, yeah. Trying to get to the watch party. Now, you know it's sold out, so good luck with that. I know. A lot of people. Outside will still be a party. And that's the most important part. I mean, the game last night, we saw Jarvis get that last minute OT. What was that feeling for you guys while you were watching it? It was amazing. It was amazing, right? I mean, it's something that you wish for in a playoff. So certainly something folks are very, very

excited for and they're not the only ones who were out shopping early this morning. Thanks guys, enjoy the rest of your shopping day. Good luck for the game tomorrow. Yes, who game five. Listen, that are not the only ones. Take a look here. I also went shopping and got some new gear. I just can't help it. I'm wearing my red. You get new gear and there's folks in there who are not just getting that. They're giving away old towels. So the atmosphere here after a win, by the way, much different after earlier this week. So a lot of good energy here. three tomorrow puck drops at eight o'clock of course there's a watch party here happening all over the triangle go canes back to you that's right little deflation after tuesday's game but a lot of

elation after last night's game everybody needs today to recover i feel like though right take a breath yeah they're leaving at one delta airlines flight out of r d u so um yeah safe flight for them and go canes i mean what a night in raleigh all right and tamers got her merch thank you tamara at place is bump it in there at the store. Game 3, as Tamara said, is tomorrow night. It's at 8 o'clock right here on ABC 11. Game 4 will be on Tuesday also in Sin City. And don't forget to tune into our pregame special

before the puck drop on ABC 11 each night or wherever you stream. All right, ABC 11 is taking you every step of the way on the Cains Chase for a Cup, but also the NBA finals. Game 2 is tonight between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. And you can see it right here on ABC 11.

In other news, district leaders for Chapel Hill Carborough City Schools have voted to close Glenwood Elementary School beginning in the 2027-28 school year. That vote taking place at a board meeting last night. Cindy Bay is joining us live now in Chapel Hill with more so, Cindy, this decision coming after several public hearings. What are the next steps? Yeah, Amber, and as mentioned, this comes after months of discussion. Glenwood was one of three elementary schools under consideration. district leaders say they focused on some of the oldest schools that were not already scheduled for replacement. And so the closure comes as the district faces a multi-million dollar budget shortfall,

driven by declining enrollment and rising costs. Officials attribute the enrollment decline to several factors, including lower birth rates and the high cost of living. And parents who spoke after the vote said Glenwood's dual language program and magnet offerings make it unique. And many are disappointed to see it close. I think many Glenwood families feel disappointed because so much of this talk was about decreased demographics and enrollment issues, but that's not the case at Glenwood. We are one of the main driving forces of enrollment. We bring families from out of state.

We bring families from across North Carolina, and we feel like we're something that the district should promote more. They don't. So what happens next? Well, Glenwood will remain open through the upcoming school year. and all programs will continue as normal. But coming up, we'll look at the closure, what it means for families,

and how they can prepare for the transition ahead on eyewitness news in Chapel Hill. Cindy Bay, ABC 11, eyewitness news. All right, Cindy, thank you. Well, the manhunt intensifies for two inmates who escape the Vance County Detention Center. You're seeing that video. That's the moment right there,

showing the men leaving the jail. And now new digital billboards are going up across the state, hoping to assist in the search. 33-year-old Michael Miles. also known as Mike Mike and 21-year-old Sean Knott had been on the run since Wednesday afternoon. They were both charged in violent drug and gun cases. Authorities now offering a reward of up to $40,000 for information leading to their arrest. Well, the May jobs report is now out, and it shows the economy added 172,000 jobs in May.

That is significantly more than expected, but with the goods, some bad, people are still experiencing high inflation, higher gas prices, and higher costs for food, and everyday essentials. has more on the tail of two economies. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics says 172,000 jobs were added in May, significantly higher than expected. The hospitality industry, local government and health care, all seeing an increase in jobs as jobs in the financial industry are going down. We had a pretty miserable 2025, but it looks like the middle,

or the early and middle parts of 2026 really suggests that labor market's moving along. And I think the thing this will really do is it's time to stop. talking about the word recession. Recessions don't happen when the labor market's motoring along like this. The positive news on jobs is met with the rising cost of food. Texas, more and more barbecue joints are closing. Price of beef, absolutely insane. Beef prices have been climbing for years.

There are 86.2 million cattle in the U.S., a historic shortage, the lowest number since 1951. Drought, the cost of feed, and other economic pressures being blamed. The price of ground chuck is up more than 15 percent. over the last year. Economists say it could be 2028 before things improve. Rangel's barbecue is one of the 3,300 barbecue restaurants in Texas feeling the pitch. And for pit masters who depend on brisket, the cost increase is hitting their bottom line. The biggest concern for us in the barbecue industry is how high is it going to go.

My total food costs, say if I spend $100,000 a month on groceries to bring in here, $45,000. dollars of that is brisket alone. With the straight of war moves still closed, the price of oil remains higher than it was before the war. The average price for a gallon of gas is $4.19. Perry Russell, ABC News, New York. Well, drivers are finally getting a bit of relief at the gas pump after prices have dropped for two straight weeks. We found prices as low as 341 a gallon and as high as 379 in Raleigh today. While drivers are seeing lower prices when filling up analysts say gas prices could remain unpredictable in the

weeks and months ahead. Right now the nationwide average for a gallon of unleaded is $4.22 a gallon. North Carolina's average fell between $4 to $382 a gallon on average. Some good news for homeowners this noon. Mortgage rates are falling heading into the hot summer home buying season. The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate rate fell to 6.48%. When mortgage rates decline, of course, that gives homebuyers more purchasing power. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors from the reserves interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors' expectations for the economy and inflation. The fate of President Trump's ballroom is now being weighed by a federal appeals court. That story just ahead. Democrats in the House get just enough votes to approve billions of dollars

in new aid for Ukraine. The future of that bill, however, remains uncertain. Hey, y'all's Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. Ever order furniture online and wonder what if? Like, what if it doesn't hold up? That sofa was four days old. You should have ordered from Wayfair. With Wayfair, there's no what if. Just style you love. quality you can trust. Visit wayfair.ca. Wayfair, every style, every home. Eyewitness news. We are local news weeknights four to six 30 and 11. The Senate will now take up a massive Ukraine aid package. The House passed the two billion

dollar measure last night. 18 Republicans split with party leaders and President Trump to approve the legislation. It would provide military aid to Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia. However, the White House argues that it would undermine President Trump's efforts to end the war. He has vowed to veto the measure. President Trump's plan to build a massive new ballroom at the White House is facing scrutiny in federal court. Today, a three-judge appeals panel heard arguments over whether construction can continue while a legal challenge moves forward. A lower court ruled earlier this year that Trump could not proceed without approval from Congress. That decision was temporarily paused, allowing the work to continue. Historic preservation advocates

argue that president lacks authority to make major changes to the White House on his own. The administration counters that the project includes critical security features and is necessary to protect future presidents and staff. U.S. immigration and customs enforcement is ending a policy that requires the agency to report the deaths of former detainees that happened within 30 days of their release from federal custody. That policy was issued during the previous administration and DHS says on social media, ICE is not responsible for those deaths.

Physicians for human rights argue it might be. It claims the agency sometimes releases gravely ill people right before they die. A DHS spokesman tells ABC News, quote, ICE remains committed to transparency regarding detainee deaths. The state health plan is under the microscope the changes it could be coming to Medicare. And it's going to be hot this weekend, but officials in Cumberland County are offering free box fans to those trying to beat the heat. Happening now, a meeting is underway of the state health plan board of trustees expected to vote on benefit changes that could impact thousands of state employees. The board is considering moves aimed at improving member health outcomes while reducing health care costs. This is as the state

health plan faces a financial deficit. More than 750,000 state employees rely on this plan. If you are keeping an eye on the forecast, you know the heat is on, temperatures climbing into the upper 90s this weekend, and Comerland County officials are helping people indeed beat the heat. The Department of Social Services is now giving away free box fans. To qualify, you need to be below 200% of the current poverty level and also have a family member in the home under the age of 2 over the age of 60 or with a sensitive medical condition. If you're interested in a free fan, contact the social services office in Fayetteville. I know meteorologist Steve Stewart, you said that we're fortunate that the dew point isn't bad because while it's warm, it could be like sticky and warm. There's two ways we get our moisture generally.

One transport, meaning coming from the Gulf, coming from the ocean, but the other is evaporation from the moisture in the soil. Well, there isn't any. I mean, we're in this severe drought, so the sun's energy goes into heating and we don't have the moisture. So, yeah, it's something. And hopefully this will change. I said goodbye to my lawn today because I know it's over. All right, outside right now, we've got a couple of clouds. Temperatures are heating up already. We're near 90 at this hour. We're going to be in the mid-90s tomorrow and near 100. on Sunday. So a lot of heat. The record is 100. I've got us at 98, but I wouldn't be surprised if already used spikes. Still hot on Monday, maybe a few storms around the better chances farther south. We're not really talking rain here for most. Matter of fact, again, there's a shot of what my lawn's

going to look like. No real relief. More 90s as we go into next week. One day could fall at around 89 degrees, folks, and we go right back to the 90s. And we're talking a stretch of more mid-90s all the way through mid-June. So this is going to be a long, hot stretch coming our way. Isolated tomorrow evening and again Monday. And then maybe as we get into Thursday and Friday, isolated, and we're hoping to get more daily rain chances here, but it just doesn't look that plausible at this point in time. Eighty-nine degrees that says mostly cloudy. That's just some high-level serious clouds that are passing on by at seven degrees warmer than this time yesterday with widespread mid-80s, but a few upper 80s in it around the triangle now. 86 into Roxburgh and Southern Pughey.

in Fayetteville 87. Dew points are in the 50s. Yesterday in the 40s. So it's a little bit more moisture in the air. Still, this isn't going to cause much of any heat index at all. But once that dew point climbs in the 60s, it starts to get more humid. Big concert tonight at Dave Matthews in town.

It'll be near 90 at 7 o'clock. Getting down to the mid 70s later in the evening. Should be a great time out there at Walnut Creek tonight. Front gets close to us. Maybe we'll get an isolated shower, thunderstorm as we go into the evening. Most of us will likely miss it. Front settles a little bit farther to the south on our Monday.

Isolated storm, I think the best chance is closer to the front sets up, and it's still going to be hot. This front doesn't necessarily cool us down at all, but looking way down the pike here, I'm talking a good eight, nine, 10 days away. European models been insistent on developing an area of low pressure. Whether this is going to turn out to be tropical or not, I'm not worried about, but there are signs some of this moisture could advance towards the Carolina's if that was a lot of.

That was the case that could give us better daily rain chances. Until then, it's likely just going to be hot and dry with just tiny little chances of isolated storms. 80s in the mountains, more clouds around on Sunday. The beaches are going to be crowded. You want to beat the heat. That's where folks are going to go. Still quite warm, though, in the mid, even some upper 80s and a few spots on Sunday. We're in the 90s today.

Low 90s in Roxburgh, mid-90s in the triangle, Fayetteville around 93, with a few of those high clouds could be a pretty sunset coming up. And a few clouds around tonight, we'll call it partly cloudy and season will be mild. The average low 63 will be about 65 tonight. Look at the stretch coming. A lot of 90s. We might get an isolated storm on Monday. I put the better chance south of the triangle. Most of us are going to miss out.

We stay dry. Little tiny dip. I stress tiny on Tuesday. And then right back to the low to mid-90s as we go into Thursday and Friday. And even next weekend, guys, we'll stay in those mid-90s. All right. Thank you, Steve. Well, could a quick scan of a baby's eyes reveal future developmental delays?

Researchers at Duke Health say it can, and coming up, we'll show you the new device doctors are using right here in the triangle to test babies. Now at noon in your health check a possible breakthrough in the fight against lung cancer. Researchers say that they've developed a blood test that predicts the disease up to five years early. It identifies proteins associated with lung cancer's development. They can also predict the changes that are the chances that a drug can be beneficial but experts say more research is needed and weight loss drugs may be one of

the reasons that returns are piling up for some retailers the Wall Street Journal says that many are seeing a trend of shoppers ordering several sizes of a garment and then returning the ones that don't fit well could a quick scan of a baby's eyes reveal future developmental delays yeah this is really interesting researchers right here at Duke Health say yes they are using a handheld device to take images of the eyes of babies born very prematurely. Those infants are at a high risk for developmental delays later in life, and Duke researchers found that the thickness of certain layers in a baby's retina was linked to motor and cognitive delays by the age of two. And because the retina is connected to the brain,

researchers say that this scan may act as an early window into brain development. This discovery could allow doctors to provide earlier interventions, including nutritional supplements or physical or occupational therapy to improve language, behavior, and social functioning for these children as their brains develop. Now we have information that if I'm talking to a parent, I can say, wow, we could take an image of your child's eye and potentially have some ideas of how we should plot our course going forward. And that would help us providing better care for the whole infant, not just the eye care

of the infant going forward. Well, the technology is already used in the NICU to screen for eye problems and pre-mees, so this approach could help doctors identify babies at higher risk for delays without adding extra procedures. That's pretty amazing. Isn't that incredible? Yes. The research right in our own backyard, and that baby was adorable. Precious.

All right. Still ahead at noon, the Carolina Hurricanes getting ready to go to Vegas for game three of the Stanley Cup final. What you need to know ahead of the game tomorrow. And new possible fallout over President Trump's $1.8 billion so-called. called anti-weaponization fund as he gets ready to nominate a new attorney general when all of it could mean for the confirmation process.