6AM News on WRAL - Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Live from WRL News headquarters in Raleigh, your number one source for local news. WRL News, coverage you can count on. We have a brand new tropical depression here in the tropics. I'll show you what its name could be, when it could become a tropical storm and possibly a hurricane. Second arrest. A woman is now charged after a shooting that killed two people in Wilson, how she is accused of helping the other suspect. And possible rate cut. The Federal Reserve is making a big decision today what it means if you're looking to buy a home. A lot to tell you about here at 6 o'clock on your Wednesday morning. Welcome to your Wednesday. We're glad you're with us. I'm Renee Chu. I'm Chris Levin. It's still kind of surprised we're already halfway through the week. I felt like Monday was just here a little bit ago, Elizabeth. But this morning, you're tracking the tropics right there because of what you've seen develop overnight. So we've been following this coming off the coast of Africa for several days now. It's been very slow to develop into a storm. But it is a tropical depression now. Tropical Depression number seven. And potentially later this afternoon, it becomes tropical storm Gabrielle, possibly over the weekend. a Category 1 hurricane. So where is it headed? It looks like as we take a look at some of the model plots, which will go over in just a little bit, that it takes a curve near Bermuda and stays out to sea. It did form at 5 a.m. It's east of the Lerud Islands right now, moving north through the Caribbean, and then again, likely shoved east off of the United States by Wednesday of next week. But definitely stay tuned. We'll keep our eye on it very closely. We had a band of rain that's dissipated over Chatham County and now more rain coming out of Virginia. It's wet right now in Roxborough. We're going to see this band affecting our northern counties all the way through Oxford Henderson and over toward Roanoke Rapids during the morning commute. 30% chance of rain mainly for our northern counties and then gradually we'll see some clearing as we get through the afternoon. Rain falling right now in Roxborough, 61 degrees is our current temperature and we'll climb into the mid-70s with the rain tapering off later this afternoon. Coming up, we're going to talk more about how much rain we could really use right now, Ken. Well, Elizabeth, what's happening now in the W.O. Traffic Center. You're coming in from Garland and Mike Johnston County. Here's a live look at I-40 and Jay Jones Sausage Road. These are the westbound lanes flowing nicely into Raleigh this morning. And of course, those eastbound lanes delay free as well. As far as other routes coming into Wake County, the Rondley area, zero delays to report, which is good news this time of the morning. And similarly, we're not seeing any delays on any of those major routes into Durham as well. But you know, traffic constantly changes. Tune us in on the radio if you're heading into the car, 101.5, HD3. Raleigh police are investigating a crash between a pickup truck and a Wake County deputy cruiser. This happened near Wakefield Pines Drive on Falls of News Road around two this morning. This is video from the WRA breaking news tracker. Police tell us a deputy was following a pickup truck when it crashed into a tree. It then rolled into the deputy's cruiser. No one was heard. We are working to find out why the deputy was following the truck. Today, a second person arrested in connection with a shooting that killed two people in Wilson is due in court. Police arrested 38-year-old Tiffany Chestnut yesterday, and she's accused of helping the other suspect, Dante Chestnut, escape arrest. Now, she's charged with accessory after the fact and altering, stealing, and destroying criminal evidence.

The shooting happened on Monday. Natasha Sutton and her son, Avantay Pender, were killed. Two other people were injured. Dante Chestnut is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two charges of attempted murder. Chestnut is a well-known youth leader in eastern North Carolina. We spoke with family members of the victims. They say it's hard to believe they are gone. It hurts me to my soul. I would never be able to pick up the phone to talk to my brother, just talk to my mom. I'm truly just lost for words. Lives forever changed because of this. Wilson police have yet to announce a motive in the shooting. Now, Chestnut was in court yesterday and is in jail without bond. He'll be back in court on September 30th. A big decision on interest rates today as the Federal Reserve is expected to approve a rate cut. Now, ask for what that means for you and your ability to buy things such as a home. Let's go ahead and bring in WRL's Kelsey Coffee. She's live in Raleigh this morning. Kelsey, you spoke with a real estate agent about what this means for people who want to buy a home. Yes, Chris, economists expect that today will be the first time the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates in about a year. Now, today's decision comes after some major shakeups with the Fed Board of Directors or rather Board of Governors. Just two days ago, Stephen Myron was sworn in. This newest board member is trying to fire the board president, Lisa Cook. She's still in her seat after a federal appeals court ruled against President Trump who was calling for her to be fired. expect that the Fed will drop the interest rate by a quarter of a point. Real estate agent Tom Finnegan says this one change won't make much of a difference with mortgage rates, but if the Fed keeps cutting interest rates, it could impact the housing market over time. What you're most likely going to see is this kind of incremental slide into a mortgage rate, not a big drop? The Fed is expected to make their announcement about interest rates this afternoon at 2 o'clock. Kelsey Coffey, WRL News, live in Raleigh. Happening now here in the WRL Live Center, we are following a developing situation out of Pittsburgh this morning. A driver in this white vehicle crashed into the FBI Bill Gates building here at around 3 o'clock this morning in Pittsburgh. Now, we know FBI agents are on the scene right now investigating this crash, and they have confirmed there were no injuries. But witnesses in the area say that they saw a man get out of this vehicle, drape an American flag. You can see it right here over the gate and yelling something, and then they walked away. There is a message. with expletives written in red on the driver's side of the vehicle. You can see the emergency lights here flashing. So, of course, this is something that we're going to continue to follow here in Pittsburgh.

Thank you, Laura. Governor Josh Stein is headed to Washington today, and he wants Congress and President Donald Trump to approve a large new aid package for Haleen relief. Sine was in Western North Carolina on Monday, and he laid out more than $13 billion in recovery needs after Haleen. He said the Trump administration has blocked funds that were already approved, and that's keeping the money from being sent to North Carolina. The brothers accused of killing Wake County Deputy Ned Byrd are in prison this morning after pleading guilty to their charges. Alder Marine Satello will serve life without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors say he was the one who pulled the trigger when Byrd was shot and killed in 2022. Arturo conserved more than seven years in prison on a charge of accessory after the fact. It's taken more than three years to bring this case to a close. Yesterday's plea hearing was highly emotional for the deputy's friends and family. You have stolen my happiness. You have stolen my joy. I'm a godly woman, but I will never forgive you for taking my brother for me. Family and friends say they remember bird as a kind, funny, and generous man. They say he loved to work with his canine, Sasha. A man is in critical condition after a shooting outside UNC Health at Panther Creek and Kerry. Police say they have a man in custody. And video from the WRL breaking news tracker shows Carrie police blocking off the parking lot yesterday afternoon. This is sky five footage you're seeing right here. Police say the shooter and the victim know each other, and we are still trying to find out their exact relationship. We did speak with a woman who was driving nearby with her family when she saw that scene. But yeah, it's definitely scary that's happening here in Kerry because the whole reason we moved here a long time ago when I was a kid is because it's supposed to be one of the safest cities in the United States. The offices at UNC internal health were closed for the rest of the day, and staff members are working to reschedule any appointments that may have been affected. President Donald Trump is in the U.K. for his second state visit. The visit with Royals and other leaders comes as the two countries talk trade and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The president is expected to take part in a royal banquet at Windsor Castle today. He's also scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer tomorrow. President Trump is...

President Trump's visit, I should say, is being met with protests. Four people were arrested and accused of projecting images of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein onto the walls of Windsor Castle. Police say the suspects were part of a group called led by donkey. The projections were meant to draw attention to the president's relationship with Epstein. The images showed documents related to the Epstein case and photos of the two together. Back here at home, today the UNC Board of Governors will hear reports on how schools have implemented the equality policy. policy. That policy replaced DEI initiatives last year. The UNC system schools say they are auditing websites and reworking certain initiatives. Some also say they declined grant money that would have put them in noncompliance with the equality policy. The Board of Governors will hear these reports at today's meeting. Today we'll learn about a new destination and airline for RDU as we give you a live look at the airport this morning. Airport officials will share details at a news conference this morning. It starts at 9.30. W.R. will be there to cover the new announcement. North Carolina lawmakers are still at an impasse over a full state budget. They're turning their attention to a potential funding package for a variety of health care projects. Although Republicans control both the House and the Senate, they cannot agree on funding. That includes money for Medicaid. Children's Hospital and Apex and previously approved funding for a rural health care project. Medicaid leaders in the state say more than $800 million as needed, but lawmakers only approved $600 million. For more on the negotiations, you can go to w.REL.com. Applications are opening soon if you want to serve on the Wake County School Board to represent Apex. You can start applying on Friday and are due October 31st. Longtime board member Lindsay Mahaffey resigned last month. Whoever the school board appoints to fill her seat would have it for the next three years. You can go to the school system's website for more information on how to apply. Time of 609 playing the waiting game. The North Carolina DMV released new data on wait times where you can go to avoid the headache. And suspect in court. The man accused of killing Charlie Kirk appeared before a judge. The plans for the prosecution in this high profile case. And we do have some rain showing up up near the Virginia line. I'll let you know if it will move in and affect your morning commute. Coming up. And we do have a look at your winning mega millions numbers there. 10, 14, 34, 40, 43. The gold megaball is 5. As you get into your car, tuned to WRL News Plus on your radio and Raleigh on 99.3 FM. In Durham, 96.5 FM and everywhere on 101.5 HD3.

613, taking a look at Dual Doppler 5,000 radar. We had a little shower that rolled through mainly Chatham County, but we have more rain up near the Virginia line. And that's brought some showers, of course, to folks up to the north, especially up around person counties, seeing some showers. That's going to affect our northern counties between now and lunchtime. The rain will be light and patchy. We're not talking about really much rain showing up in the rain gauges. And then later this afternoon, gradually we'll see some clearing, especially in our southwestern counties. But for now, we do have the top of the tower lit in green for that chance. of rain mainly in our northern counties. It looks a little bit damp here in Lewisburg where we had a shower earlier this morning. And our temperatures are cool in Roxburgh at 59, where we continue to have a little bit of light rain falling. 60 in Fayetteville, 62 in Kerry, and 61 right now in Rocky Mount. If you're headed out the door for exercise, temperatures feel great from the triangle area southward. You'll be nice and dry. We'll climb into the mid-70s for later on this afternoon. We definitely need some rain. I'll show you how far behind we are for the month coming up. Ken? It's been happening now in the W.O. Traffic Center. Taking a good look at a northern loop of the Beltline this morning. I-40 near the Glenwood Avenue exit. Those are the westbound lanes coming towards us, flowing nicely in all directions. Checking a couple of secondary routes are tend to get jammed up this time of the morning. But really right now, you're coming in from Roseville and Highway 401 is delay-free. Similarly, if you're coming in from Wake Forest and U.S. 1 Capitol Boulevard, you don't have anything to worry about all showing up green. Coming up, we'll take a look at some of the delay times coming into Raleigh and the Durham area as well. I'll tell you about the delay times at the DMV. It's releasing new data on wait times at offices all across the state. In fact, the longest average wait time is in Wake County. Statewide, the average is two hours and 45 minutes. The state's longest wait times are at the carry location at 5 hours and 10 minutes on average. The shortest wait time is in Jefferson, North Carolina, in Ashe County. People there wait just 12 minutes on average, but that data comes from a new check-in system implemented over the summer. Basically, it provides better information for the DMV as they try to reduce long wait times. We know the agency also hired more licensed examiners to help. Prosecutors in Utah are seeking the death penalty for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk. 22-year-old Tyler Robinson made his first court appearance virtually yesterday. He is facing multiple charges, including murder. He has not yet been appointed an attorney, but could be given one as early as today. The judge ordered Robinson to be held without bail. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance, September 29th. I'm Laura Levine here in the WRA Live Center. And after many young people witnessed the assassination of Charlie Kirk here at the Utah University here, Valvey are returning back to campus today. It will be the first time students are back since he was, the assassination occurred on campus. And the university says it is working to restore that sense of peace. In addition to counseling and support services, a visual for unity is scheduled for this Friday. Now, faculty discussed options to kind of ease the burden for students impacted by the shooting, including delaying or canceling assignments, adjusting curriculum here, and offering online options and more so that they can continue to work with these students. We know that this was a part of a phase return back to campus. Faculty and staff arrived earlier this week, but for these students, I know it's going to take much more time for them to cope and navigate going back here to classes. They're traumatized and understandably so. Thank you, Laura. In New York, two terror-related charges against Luigi Mangione were dropped. And they say the charges were legally insubes. insufficient. Mangione is accused of shooting and killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December, and he's also facing state and federal charges for murder. Mangione's lawyers are attempting to get the state charges dropped and the evidence seized by law enforcement suppressed. The DOJ is seeking the death penalty in that case. More than 100,000 college employees are suing President Donald Trump accusing the administration of forcing conservative ideas onto state universities. This lawsuit was filed in California by more than 20 unions.

and faculty associations representing the workers. Earlier this year, President Trump suspended research grants and levied a $1.2 billion fine against UCLA. He claims it is for civil rights violations and anti-Semitism. The president is also calling on the schools to change its DEI policies, similar to what UNC system schools and other universities have done across the country. Three people are dead after a shooting at a middle school near Chicago, and police say the gunman is among the people killed. This happened yesterday afternoon in Berlin, which is a Chicago suburb, if you're not familiar. A witness says that a man with a rifle approached a parked car and started firing. And when officers arrived, the gunmen started firing at them, according to authorities. But officers did not return fire. That man, though, is not dead. Two people are also killed. And early reports indicate this is a potential act of domestic violence. Congress is taking action to combat crime in Washington, D.C. The GOP-controlled House has passed two crime bills. One would lower the age a juvenile can be tried as an adult to 14. The other would require the D.C. Attorney General to provide juvenile crime statistics on a public website. This comes after the president deployed the National Guard to the city to address crime. It is 618. Now let's get a check of the tropics. Meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner is monitoring the activity that's going on there right now. We have a brand new tropical depression number seven here. We've been watching this move off the coast of Africa for about five or six days now. So it's been slow to develop and it is likely to be fairly slow to develop as it continues to move through the Atlantic. Right now, it's about 1,100 miles southeast of the Lleward Islands, which of course is just northeast of South America. It has wins at 35 miles. miles per hour moving to the west at 13. We take a look at where it is here and put the forecast path on. Notice that it does become a tropical depression potentially, excuse me, a tropical storm, potentially later this afternoon or tonight. And the next name is Gabrielle, possibly a hurricane by the time we get to Sunday and to Monday. What is steering this? Is a couple of high pressure systems. That high pressure system that's sitting to the north of it rotating clockwise, first of all, we'll push it along to the left and to the west and then gradually start that turn to the North. Right now it looks like we would probably have a low pressure system that would help to keep that off the coast of the United States. But of course, it is still a ways out. So keep checking back for the latest on that. We had a few showers move through Chatham County earlier. That's dissipated. So we'll head to the north where we have more rain here into Virginia. We've had some showers this morning in Roxborough. That's starting to move down here towards Henderson and Creedmoor. And so we're going to continue to watch that in our northern counties, mainly this morning. It may dip as far south as the north. part of Wake County, but it doesn't look like we're going to see a lot of rain for the morning commute. Later this afternoon, a little bit of sunshine breaks out, but we may not completely clear. The amount of rain will be heaviest up north, but even there, it will be a tenth of an inch. And that's really for the next week or so. And we are well behind for the last 30 days, three inches behind in Fayetteville or two and a half inches behind in Raleigh, about three and a quarter in Wilson. So our viewing area is way behind for rain in the last 30 days. And we really didn't get much from this particular system. Tomorrow and Friday we start to dry things out and warm up too. We'll see 88 degrees as we get into the day on Friday. And then, of course, we're looking at our first day of fall is Monday, 79 degrees on Monday. So that's going to be a nice one. Yeah, it's going to feel great. Hey, Elizabeth, thanks. Here's what you can expect if you're heading out of the door this morning. A couple of things in terms of incidents on our live traffic map this morning. But I want to bring attention to this one here on Durham Chapel Hill Boulevard, right there Highway 15.

right near the I-40 interchange. We're seeing a little bit of a slowdown in that area. If you're a little concerned about those eastbound lanes, you might want to check out Old Chapel Hill Road. In terms of other routes coming into Raleigh this morning, you're just looking at a one-minute delay if you're coming in from Nigel this morning. Back in Durham, very little to no delays, just a one-minute delay if you're using Highway 98 to come in from Wake Forest. You're getting ready to head out the door. Tune us in on the radio. 101.5, HD3. We'll keep you updated. All right. Thank you, Ken. Your time is 621. Home for a hero. How one organization and the community is making sure one local army veteran is celebrated for all she's been through. Premium is rising. The state treasurer tells W.R.L. He is considering increasing costs for everyone on the state health plan. Battle brewing between Duke Health and Etna Insurance. Hey, just reminder, if you ever see breaking news, maybe you have a story tip or even have video or pictures of severe weather where you are, go ahead and report that to us by going to w a.org.com slash reported.

A U.S. Army veteran in Johnson County is getting a new home. The Gary Sinase Foundation is halfway done, building a new home for U.S. Army Sergeant Mary Dag. Yesterday, friends and family came together to write personal words of gratitude on the walls of her new home. Diana DeGette was critically injured during her tour in Iraq when an explosive device went off. She lost both arms, ruptured her eardrums, and had injuries to her face. She had to undergo numerous surgeries and was faced with physical and... and emotional challenges, including dealing with breast cancer. It's hard to feel like you're deserving of something that you're receiving because of what you volunteered to do. But at the same time, it's so humbling. Very deserving, and it will be a mortgage-free home. Diana DeGette's home should be done by February of next year. A way to say thank you. This What's Trending Report, sponsored by Rug and Home. A new Mark Carney B tour and tributes to Robert Redford. Yeah, Ken Smith is here now with what's trending. All right, Chris and Renee, let's start with the legend that is Robert Redford. Tributes from Hollywood pouring in. Directors like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard talking about Redford's influence in front of and behind the camera, as well as journalist Bob Woodward, also paying tribute to the iconic actor. Redford, of course, played Woodward in the film All the President's Men. And he passed away at the age of 89. He was also the founder of the Sundance Film Institute. The indie film industry definitely benefited a lot from him. Yeah, definitely. Showcase those up-and-coming filmmakers. One of the great ones. Well, Mark Carney B. heading to the Triangle next year, the rapper announcing the Little Miss Drama Tour. This will be her first arena run and biggest tour of her career. This is your save the date. April 11th. That's when she will be performing at the Lenovo Center. Presale for tickets start on Monday. All right. Thanks, Ken. This time this morning is 626. Bind decision. How a potential interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve could affect the housing market. And second to rest. A woman is accused of helping the suspect in a deadly shooting in Wilson. What police are saying she did after shots were fired. And I'm tracking some rain that's up in Virginia right now. It's coming down, especially along the I-85 corridor. It's not going to affect everyone. Mostly this morning, it'll be north of I-40, just a 30% chance. I'll let you know how far behind we are for rain so far this month.