MEAC Tournament begins, OBX bridge not feasible, largest oil reserve release: Sunrise Brief

TOP STORIES: MEAC Tournament begins, OBX bridge not feasible, largest oil reserve release

1. The 2026 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament is back at the Norfolk Scope Arena, tipping off on Wednesday with finals set for Saturday.

   Stills hopes Norfolk leaves lasting impression on MEAC fans

   Sonja Stills, commissioner of the MEAC, said the tournament's return to Norfolk never loses its significance. "Never gets old, just the 14th year here in the city of Norfolk at the Arena," Stills said. She said she’s enjoying the parity of this year's tournament and hopes fans leave Norfolk thinking they have to return for years to come. "It's growing so much when you talk about the attendance is grown being here in Norfolk," Stills said.

   For Stephanie K. Williams, the moment carries even deeper meaning. Williams performed the national anthem at this year's tournament on the saxophone — an experience she described as deeply personal, especially as a Spartan with ties to HBCU culture. "Means a lot to me, a lot of tradition, of course HBCU culture, and I work with the band so you know the band is essential for all of the MEAC games," Williams said.

   Norfolk State did not take the floor Wednesday, but both the men's and women's squads will look to earn the right to play another day on Thursday. The third-seeded Spartan women battle Morgan State at 2 p.m., with the men taking on UMES at 6 p.m. Robert Jones's green and gold group is the number four seed in the bracket.

2. The $1.2 billion Mid-Currituck Bridge will not be built without a major funding boost, officials said at a public meeting on Wednesday.

   Mid-Currituck Bridge not feasible without major funding boost, officials say

   The long-talked-about, two-lane tolled bridge would connect the Currituck mainland to Corolla. The project currently has $173 million set aside for it, and alongside the annual expected toll revenue it would generate, comes out to around $400 million. "There's over an $800 million gap, pretty much any way you look at it," said Ronnie Sawyer, NCDOT Division One engineer.

   Southern Shores Town Councilwoman Paula Sherlock is disappointed about where the project stands. Southern Shores and Duck town leaders have expressed their support for the project to alleviate traffic and road conditions through their towns during peak summer season and to provide an evacuation route during hurricanes. “I think it's an unsafe situation that doesn't seem to fit into the financial model," said Sherlock.

   NCDOT officials are now asking the Albemarle Rural Planning Organization (ARPO) to help decide between two options:
   

   • Staying the current course of project planning and exploring funding options including federal grants, help from the state legislature or increasing the expected toll rates on the bridge.
   • Or freeing up the $173 million for other transportation projects across northeast North Carolina's Division One — though this option would mean the project would start at square one financially.

   ARPO members will decide on an option by April 17. "A lot of people in the area would prefer the project. It has a lot of benefits, but it's a long bridge, and it costs a lot of money, and we're not there yet," said Sawyer.

3. The International Energy Agency will release 400 million barrels of oil to lessen Iran war supply shocks.

   "IEA countries have unanimously decided to launch the largest-ever release of emergency oil stocks in our agency's history," said IEA executive director Dr. Fatih Birol. The total release is about 20 days' worth of the amount of oil that normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

   The standstill in oil passing through the strait has caused the price of crude oil to soar since the start of the war, and the price of gas to jump nearly 20 percent in the U.S. A gallon of gas is up nearly 60 cents from before the war, and this new release doesn't guarantee that will come down. "The 400 million may be attention grabbing, but it's all in the rate of how quickly this oil can be dispersed into the market. Is this gonna take a week, a month, a day?" Gas Buddy's Patrick de Haan said.

   The group, which represents 32 member countries and includes the U.S., will make 400 million barrels of oil available. 172 million of the barrels will come from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. "We’ll do that and then we’ll fill it up," President Donald Trump said in an interview with WKRC Local 12 in Cincinnati about the release. “Right now we’ll reduce it a little bit, and that brings the prices down.”

This morning's weather: Giant temperature drop, Rain & wintry mix

Meteorologist Myles Henderson says a cold front is set to move through today, bringing in rain and a major cool down. Showers will start later in the morning and move out in the late afternoon to early evening. Some sleet or snow could mix in as the moisture exits but little to no accumulation is expected. Temperatures will start near 70 this morning then fall to the 30s by the early afternoon. It will also be windy with wind gusts to near 30 mph.

For the latest weather updates, watch Myles live on News 3 This Morning here.

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For the latest traffic updates, watch Conor live on News 3 This Morning here.

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