our crew on the scene is reporting shots fired. anthony wilson in his photographer are headed; more as soon as they are here. barbara: right now, history in the making. president obama beginning his first foray into cuba. the controversy surrounding his visit. john: shots fired at a gas station; police review whether they are searching for suspects. barbara: and don't pack up the winter coats for good. don schwenneker will tell us how cold it will feel today. good morning, carolina. welcome. 39 degrees right now at 4:30. john: thank you for joining us. we are helping you get ready for the day ahead. here's don schwenneker. it is chilly out still. don: 30's this morning, and tomorrow will be even colder. because of that, the national weather service has issued a

morning, running between 4:00 a.m. and i'm :00 9:00 a.m. today, we are a little bit above that, looking at temperatures across the region. 35 in roxboro, 39 in sanford. temperatures around 40 degrees , by lunchtime 49. partly sunny skies through the afternoon. we'll stay in the 50's for highs today. today is the coolest of the next seven and we will warm up. we'l talk about that in your complete seven-day forecast, coming up. john: to the historic opportunity -- >> it's a historic opportunity to engage with the cuban people. john: president obama planning his first full day in cuba after a warm welcome to the island nation. it is a visit that was once thought unthinkable, but today, president obama will meet with

barbara: it is the first stepdirectly to the cuban people. barbara: be sure to tune in for a chance to see history in the making. abc will air the special welcome ceremony by president raul castro. you can watch it right here, or

john: the man operating the vortex drive that went out of control at the 2013 state fair is due back in court. this exclusive video shows him starting it back up while people were trying to get out. we're live outside the justice center. reporter: good morning. the ride operator is expected in court. he could be sentenced. ride operator tim tuttero pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon last year. his attorney says he accidentally hit a button, causing the ride to start back up as writers were getting off. the 2013 incident left five people injured. the owner of the vortex, joshua macaroni, injured a no contest plea on obstruction of justice last month. he is accused of tampering with electrical box on the ride.

while pleading guilty, because there is enough evidence to find him guilty. he's spending 30 days in jail inmate face a fine of more than $22,000. court begins today at 10:00. we will bring you the very latest later on today. barbara: thank you. new details about a shooting at a briar creek gas station. police are still trying to piece together what happened. they say they are not looking for any suspects. officers responded to the night. we are learning ofa man who was shot in the chest, he is expected to recover. a 35-year-old man involved was also taken to the hospital for observation. so far, no charges have been filed. this morning, we are getting our first look at the man accused of

he is charged in the murder, fayetville police responding late saturday night. he was shot in the chest and later died at the hospital. the suspect is being held without bond. john: a marine killed by isis in iraq has ties to our state . the marines say he was part of the next the dictionary unit. he was killed by rocket fire when his base in mosul came under attack. his death comes as officials announced they were deploying more troops to the area. he was originally from california. barbara: 4:37. nse of one of his reporters after one of the most violent confrontations yet. john: and gas prices surging over the last week. what you can expect to pay, and

price. don: dry conditions across most

we'll talkjohn: welcome back. let's take a look at what's going on as far as the drive. should be an easy one for you, with temperatures in the 30's. there might be a few puddles left out there from some rain overnight, but we aren't seeing any showers for the most part. just a few sprinkles and the sandhills. 3 8 in henderson in durham, 41 in pinehurst, 40's across the southern region. right now, 40. lunchtime, 49. through the late day, lots of sunshine.

we will talk more about the warm-up, in your complete seven-day forecast up next. barbara: thanks . we are tracking what is sure to be some thicker shots at the gas pump. they spiked $.17 over the last week, as the national average sits at $2.02 for a gallon of unleaded. looking at the price in the triangle, the average price is $1.89. last month, experts explained it as higher crude oil prices.

now to voteso defending his campaign manager, who was seen grabbing a protester by the collar. new this morning, the fbi says it is working closely with the secret service and u.s. marshals after trump's sister received a threatening letter. she's a federal judge in philadelphia . on the democratic side, bernie sanders trying to make up ground in the delegate count. he was campaigning in washington state. 18,000 people showed up for rallies in vancouver in seattle. sanders's rival has a lead of more than 300 delegates. barbara: now to the supreme court showdown. mitch mcconnell is not backing down. >> this is not about this particular judge. this is about who should make the appointment.

a president, and that new president ought to make this appointment, which will affect the supreme court maybe for the next quarter century. barbara: president obama nominated merrick garland to fill the vacancy created by the death of antonin scalia. mcconnell is holding firm to his decision, but his latest comments, some republican senators seem to break rank. a handful of them have agreed to meet with him. john: an explosion rocking

ah barbara: welcome back. happening today, a show support for duke faculty members who voted to unionize. there is a rally at 5:00 in the chapel on campus. on friday, the non-tenure-track professors agreed to joy in international union, which they claim leads to better pay and job security. john: happening today, a somber salute to a deputy killed in the line of duty. flags were a inside, officials say they started shooting.

flags will be flown at half staff until sunset on the day of his funeral. also developing, an investigation into the source of an explosion in downtown greensboro. city officials say it appears two manhole covers blew off, damaging nearby hotel and several parked cars. one eyewitness describes a loud bang and thinking it was thunder. police do not believe foul play is involved. barbara: today is the first of two days for foreign students -- on the highway in catalonia where officials say at least 14 people lost their lives. another 30 were hurt.

you can see a crane working to pull it from the side. most of them are heading back to barcelona. john: pincer medal of honor over her heart. she hopes other girls will be inspired by her bravery. the wait is almost over; the new season of "dancing with the

barbara: adrenaline. it's been so much fun to get into the dancing, and of course taking care of the baby. couple singles and you will do it. barbara: we're in los angeles, with behind the scenes at last minute rehearsals and interviews. she will also show us what our sweepstakes winner will take him before the premier. you can follow anna on twitter or facebook for exclusive access. john: a while those celebrities lose weight as they do the show, but she -- barbara: and she just had a baby. john: three months ago. don: i believe she is the

right behind her is the football player -- there are so many people. even my kids watch it. today, we are still kind of damp. as the day goes on we will see sunshine. we will stay below average in the next day or two; then we go above average and come back to average as we head toward the weekend. taking a look at radar right now, a couple returns this morning, north and east of roanoke rapids. also down into hope county and southwestern carmelite county, a sprinkle or two over the next hour. temperatures in the 40's, 89%

a live look out of the airport, 39 degrees, a north wind at six. plenty of clouds around this morning, just a couple sprinkles of their and that is it. zoom it ot. -- out. look at the eastern half of the u.s. clear skies all the way into the decoders in texas. the huge plume of high pressure will come across us, giving us lots of sunshine and into tomorrow. your first alert predictor, by lunchtime, this is by 5:00. 55 degrees, not much to show you. as we go through tonight and tomorrow, a couple of high clouds tomorrow. patchy frost in spots. and we warm it up with more sunshine, 50's and 60's. some clouds and rain yesterday, bringing snow to new york city.

afternoon, we stay clear, as the high-pressure works across. by wednesday we will see the low to mid 60's, the warmer temperatures being pulled in by the midweek. for the rest of today, we will see temperatures in the 40's. by 9:00, 49 degrees. as we go into the afternoon, those temperatures continuing to climb. mid 50's and more sunshine, still below the average high for this time of year. a look across the region, 55 and holly springs, 54 in chapel hill, 57 in smithfield, 58 in clinton in fayetteville. 59 in raeford, 52 in henderson, 55 rocky mount, 54 wake forest. tonight, with the clear skies and overnight lows acting into the 30's, i don't think we will see much rain. 33 in raleigh, 36 in

with the clear and cold conditions, we will have some frost tonight. this is a look at your seven-day forecast going into tomorrow. 65 on your wednesday, 74 thursday. 77 on good friday. we could see some showers. saturday, a slight chance of showers. right now, easter is looking dry. temperatures in the 60's. a little bit of a warm-up, and then we get back into the 60's. john: 4:52. as we are seeing, winters grip wants to hold on.

say you should do let's get these dayquil liquid gels and go. but these liquid gels are new. mucinex fast-max. it's the same difference. this one is max strength and fights mucus. mucinex fast-max. the only branded cold and flu liquid gel that is max-strength and fights mucus.

let's get these dayquil liquid gels and go. but these liquid gels are new. mucinex fast-max. it's the same difference. this one is max strength and fights mucus. mucinex fast-max. the only branded cold and flu liquid gel that is max-strength and fights mucus.

barbara: welcome back. john: don told us about that frost advisory. barbara: you need to be thinking about plant protection during these cold mornings. we have some advice from the experts. reporter: if spring fever has a ready to start planting your for now. >> if you want to be sure that you wait until the last frost, you can't predict the last frost, so probably the best thing to do is go with what's on average for the last frost, which in this area is april 1. reporter: but if it is too late and you have already major to worry. that just means you have to cover them. reporter: probably the -- >> probably the best thing is an old bedsheet. if you terrell hole-in-one, keep it for that purpose. reporter: he says you can use

plans, but that comes with a warning. >> it's pretty easy to mess up on that. the next day, when the sun is up at 9:00 a.m., be sure you take it off or there will be trapped heat inside. reporter: and don't forget about your perennials, like daffodils and lilies. if those have started coming up, cover them, too. >> some leaves, some straw, wheat straw, anything like that. anything to hold it. reporter: caitlin knute, abc 11 eyewitness news. barbara: you may want to bring potted plants in; make sure they are covered. john: 4:57. breaking news is next. we have just learned a durham police officer was shot outside the jail. barbara: anthony wilson tweeting

>> see what's happening this instant. abc 11 eyewitness news at 5:00 starts right now. john: we are following breaking news. a durham police officer shot. barbara: thank you for joining us. the shooting happened at the durham county jail. anthony wilkes was the first one with the details. good morning. john. here is what we know so far. information is very limited. it is still a very active seen, the we have been able to confirm that an officer was shot here in the area that we call the stalling point, where prisoners are brought in under police control before they enter the actual jail.

suspect is has not been made clear, that we can confirm that one officers shot. the suspect is uninjured but in custody at this point. we're working to learn more about the officer, how long he has been surfing with the durham police department, and more about the suspect. whether it is something that happened outside. all these are unanswered questions and as soon as we get the information we will tweet it and give it on the air. john: we will be checking back with you, thanks. barbara: don schwenneker is in the first alert storm center. don: good morning. it is called this morning but tomorrow will be colder because the national weather service has issued a frost advisory into tomorrow.