from the scene. they expect a mechanical problem sent the plane into a nose dive. >> spectators describe the scene as horrific. a plane crash into the box seats at the national championship air races near reno, nevada. >> it just twisted and turned and, wham! >> i saw this plane just go straight into the ground, boom, right at the grandstands. it just -- it was unbelievable. there was no fire, there was no explosion. it was like asphalt and dust and parts and things flying through the air. i couldn't believe it. >> pilot jimmy leeward was flying his p-51 mustang, the galloping ghost, when something went terribly wrong. >> the plane just kind of turned hard and when it started coming down, it looked like he must have been pulling really hard on the stick to try to get it as far away from the stands as possible. >> his plane drove directly into the box seat area to one side of the grandstand, resulting in what many described as a mass

casualty situation. one medical officer at the scene said more than 75 people were injured, many critically. scores were taken to area hospitals. >> i am just wondering how many people got hurt. >> faa inspectors at the scene during the crash say there were no flames upon impact but the debris field was widespread. >> we are all devastated by this tragedy and we are doing everything we can to move along and communicate and work with the folks that are directly and adversely affected by this. >> the cause of the crash is still under investigation, but an airshow official thinks there are indications that point to mechanical problems. in reno, i'm nannette miranda. abc7 news. >> again, jimmy lee war was flying the plane. the 74-year-old was a respected

pilot, well-known for his skill and a legend among flying enthusiasts. a local pilot who knew and flew with leeward said fatalities of yesterday's scope are extremely rare. >> in the history of air shows air racing, this never happens because of the safeguards put in place. in fact, in the last 50 years there's been only one spectator fatality at an airshow or air race. so the safety record has been spectacular for decades and decades. >> but the safety record is not as good for pilots over the sport's 44 year history. there have been a total of 19 deaths from crashes and collisions. in 2007 alone two pilots died over the course of four days. leeward named the plane the galloping ghost. it was brought out of retirement three years ago. leeward made several modifications to the plane, including shortening the wings by five feet to make it more

efficient. back in 1999 another airshow crash in reno was caught on home video. if you look closely, the plane just beneath the red one. this one was also a world war ii era p-51 world war ii mustang. the pilot was killed and a girl hurt. a man opened fire as a gas station at lincoln and cartner about 10:30 yesterday morning. two hours later he carjacked a the suspect is now in custody and police say they have his weapon. they aren't going into any details on that. police also aren't saying how many officers fired their guns or how many shots they fired. san jose police are searching an apartment complex for a man suspected committing a string of violent crimes.

it started at a gas station at lincoln and kurtner about 10:30 yesterday morning. two hours later he carjacked a vehicle at a shopping center. still missing. we of we report about the search. >> as police surrounded the homes here on north king. it happened moments after they shot at the suspect they had been chasing all day long. he's seen here in a surveillance video. the man approached the man pumping gas, asked him for money and shot him once. police say he took off in a black stolen nissan, which they found in a parking lot. here he carjacked a white lexus belonging, relatives say, to cindy nunen, 51 years old. they traced the car here to the montclair homes. >> they felt threatened enough that they felt deadly force was necessary. they engaged him in gunfire and we don't know at this point if we hit him.

>> this man, who only speaks spanish, said he told police he saw the suspect run into the complex near his apartment. he's waiting for the police to catch the man so he can go home. we spoke earlier to a man who worked with him. he said the called for assistance and then disappeared. >> asking one of them help, come out and give him help because the battery die. five minutes later he comes back and said there's been a his hispanic person helping to help her and that's the last we heard of her. >> san jose police say they believe they have the suspect in the one day crime spree surrounded in the massive apartment complex. they still don't know, though, the whereabouts of the kidnapped victim. >> we do not know. that's our main priority, is to reunite that person with her family and bring her home safely. we are hoping we can bring the suspect into custody safely, in one piece, and interview him and the person will help us fine the victim and we can take her home. >> they are being very careful. they are searching door to door in the entire complex. they are concerned he may be so

desperate? dangerous that he may actually take hostages. in san jose, abc7 news. there is another delay in the pending release of two americans from berkeley imprisoned in iran. this morning news reports are saying one judge signed bail papers for the release of the two, but it required a second judge, who failed to show up. it appears the court will em$1 million in bail money to release them. earlier this week iran's president, ahmadinejad, said they would be released for humanitarian reasons within days. they were arrested with sara shourd along the iran-iraq border more than two years ago. shourd was released last year. >> today family and friends of missing nursing student michelle le will be searching once again for her. her missing body has not been found despite several searches and they are family are holding out hope they will find her. her former high school friend, esteban, has been charged with murder.

they believe she killed her le because she blamed her for breaking up a relationship. le was last seen at the hospital the end of may. investigators are trying to determine what sparked a ten acre brush fire in benicia yesterday evening. take a look at the pictures from sky 7. it started just before 5:00 p.m. it burned brush and grass along the road. they dumped retardant from the air. no structures were damaged. the wind fanned the flames away from homes and buildings in the area. the flames were under control just after 7:00 p.m. this morning the people in more than 200 redwood city homes are asked to boil their drinking water after a contamination scare. officials discovered an unauthorized well in a home at the area yesterday. border by wood side road, virginia avenue, rose mary lane and seara street. at least 75,000 gallons of water have been pumped into the city's water system over the past two weeks. >> i don't know how long it's been maybe going on. it could have been going on just today or, you know, for the last

six months. this guy happened to call because he thought he had a problem with his meter, and the city found out then that it was his pump pumping well water back into the city system. >> city officials are testing the water to make sure it's safe to drink and they expect the tests will be completed by tomorrow afternoon. residents will be notified as soon as they can drink that water again. >> coming up next, a bay area woman caught up in a nationwide sweep of suspected computer hackers. they tell us it was all a big mistake. and also why city leaders are upset about something that this

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was posting paypal's decision to block payments into wickileaks. >> i clicked on to some other site and joined a protest, and the next thing i know about three months later i awoke in the morning about 6:00 a.m. with my house surrounded. her attorneys believe the case against her and other protesters pushes the limits of the computer fraud and abuse act mostly designed to protect government systems. neither the fbi or the u.s. attorney would comment on the case except it is active and ongoing. >> some state legislators are being warned that a hacker may have made off with their personal information. more than 50 members of the assembly may have had information stolen. technicians called it a server breach in the office when the internet server shut down. that server held information about a flexible benefits program. officials said no information was downloaded and there have been no reports of identity theft. >> how an artist's past is come back to haunt him. >> he describes his art as

cartoonish and whimsical. but it has animal right activists like this woman incensed. >> if you know a person who lied to the shelter, took a dog, chained him to a fence and shot him, you will not excuse this person and say he didn't know any better. >> in 1977 at 25 years old otterness produced a video he called "shot dog film." i talked to him and he plainly apologized. in his words he said, "it's an inexcusable act, and when i try to explain it, it sounds like i'm trying to justify it, and it's just inexcusable." similar controversies have erupted in other cities over his video. but fran leaders just learned about this now, a week after his contract was signed. >> i got a call from the mayor lee, who was extremely upset this afternoon when he heard of this news, and i have been directed as president of the arts commission to place a halt on any further work on this particular art installation. >> otterness told me he hopes

san franciscans can forgive him for something he did more than 30 years ago. i asked a few dog owners in that's possible. >> on one hand, it's quite disgusting. i can also understand the evolution of an artist, as well as a human being. >> maybe because i'm a dog lover, and perhaps everybody deserves another chance, but to do this by design, it's not something i can ever identify with or accept. >> the arts commission will revisit their decision to award the installation to tom otterness. since a contract has already been signed, they said they will likely also have the san francisco city attorney examine the issue. abc7 news. >> let's talk forecast, let's talk lisa argen. >> okay, let's. we are talking a few clouds. we aren't going to see many of those because the fog will burn back quickly.

numbers in the mid-50s. we have upper 40s in san rose. but we are headed for a warning trend. a what extended warming trend. i'll talk about it coming up. >> last night the giants tried to get their five-game winning streak to six. rick has the highlights coming up in this morning's sports. if you've got pain?

you need the patch. (announcer) icy hot patches. targeted no-mess relief. icy to dull pain. hot to relax it away. pain's no match for the icy hot patch. >> 6:18 saturday morning. a gorgeous shot from our room top camera near the embarcadero. you see the bay bridge and you see the hint that the sun is on its way. when it gets here it will be a heckuva day. one thing i want to mention, we are talking about autumn a lot. i heard on the radio this morning a number of stores are already getting their christmas stuff going. costco and wal-mart. >> we still have summer to enjoy. >> it's our summer, you are right. it's going to be nice around here but they are talking about christmas already. >> no, way. we have sunrise coming up, 6:53. the days are getting shorter but it will feel pretty good around here if you like it a little warmer. you see the marine layer. it's getting compressed, it will be in the next day or so. so we still have the fog from

oakland to san francisco, and at our coast. it won't last long. we will see a clear night tonight. it should be a beautiful evening. in fact, warmer nights ahead. of course, the nights are longer with the equal hours of date and darkness just about now as we head toward the beginning of fall on friday. 52 in redwood city. 48novato. 48 santa rosa. and 51 livermore. we are talking low clouds and fog at our coast for the most part this morning, but also around the monterey bay. the warming trend begins today. we are talking warm to hot weather throughout much of next week. we will see a little cooling come thursday but i think we will still stay well above normal into the beginning of fall. here's a look at our fall forecast. notice san francisco, the san mateo coast eastward into hayward but that's 5:00, 6:this morning. as we go through the early part

of the morning it quickly breaks up. by the afternoon or late morning we have full sunshine. coastal cleanup day today. should be beautiful at our beaches. still a little cool but look what happens by this afternoon. the fog stays off the coast and by the overnight hours it looks like it's going to stay put. so we are talking about a slight warmup today. we still have the onshore flow. we have the coastal cloudiness to start out with. so some 60s today. a light sea breeze. we are seeing a return to the 80s in our inland east bay and near 80 in our own santa clara. so with today warming up, we are talking about the areas of low pressure of that been affecting our weather all summer long to stay well to the north. and it's this ridge here that's slowly begins to build on in. it really gets the warming trend underway tomorrow. it's really going to take shape well into next week. 86 in fresno, 80 yosemite. dry dimension the mountains. 75 los angeles with fog free condition this afternoon. 81 campbell.

75 in sunyvale. a beautiful day in the south bay. peninsula waking up to a fog. menlo park 74. 76 in palo alto with mid-60s here. a sunny day in the richmond and the sunset, golden gate park. 78novato. near east bay not too bad. the breeze will wack off so that 69 feeling pretty good in oakland. 74 in fremont. out over the hills we have the mid-80s today. that's definitely a warmup from yesterday. and down by the monterey bay we are talking fog. 69 in salinas. 74 hollister. tomorrow another four or five degrees of warming. continues monday and tuesday and wednesday looks warm. we will hold on to that above-normal trend through the work week. >> maybe we can talk about halloween, but christmas, no. >> thanks a lot >> good morning to you, dan,

from good morning america. >> good morning to you. coming up on gma we have breaking news. the latest on the air show draftner reno, nevada. the vintage fighter plane crashing into the crowd. as you see on this videotape. more than 50 people hurt and three dead, including the pilot. a man who apparently had years of experience. so what went wrong? we will be live in reason owe this morning. also coming up, the millionaire murder mystery. a wealthy businessman who is accused of killing his wife. after a day of compelling testimony, the defendant sees the etched against him. how would he react to that? we will show you coming up. plus take a look at the girl walking down the runway at new york fashion week. at a time the controversial issue is facing thing describe, the sexualization of young girls, the scene here is provoking an uproar. we will get into that. and on a lighter note, three anchors, a little bit of talent and one very large dream. the challenge, they gave ron,

biamna and me two weeks to form a band, learn a song and play it live in front of a broadway audience. you will not believe what you see coming up at 7:00 on "good morning america." ice a two part series. the build-up while we practice and tomorrow we will show you what happens as we hit broadway. >> at what point do the group business come in and things get really interesting? >> interestingly, i'm still waiting on the group business. if you have any hints, i'm open. >> i'm fresh out. thank you very much. in sports ton, sixth ranked stanford is in tucson to play california. cal is at presbyterian. and last night the giants kept their playoff hopes alive with another win over colorado. rick has the highlights in this morning's sports. good morning. well, it might take a minor miracle but the giants are doing all they can to keep their playoff hopes alive.

last night they beat colorado for their sixth straight win. let's go out to the stadium. madison bumgarner got the stuff. aubrey helps him out. take another look. huff also had a good night at the plate with three of the team's 13 hits. san francisco would take the lead in the fourth. brandon belt delivers a two-run blast off alex white. it's the rookie's 15 homer of the season. cody ross had a pair of hits and two r.b.i. this shot made it 3-1 zip in the signature. it's his 100th of his career. san francisco would break the game wide over. stewart goes deep off of cook, and that's a two-run homer. the giants win 9-1. with 11 games left they are six back in the division and just five back in the wildcard race. the a's are out of the running, but not luke peterson. he was trying to run a marathon during the contest. oakland jumped on top in the

second. josh willingham connects off doug fister. he made it 1-0. but power was a problem for the a's literally. four of the light towers at the stadium went out causing a 15-minute delay. peterson kept going for the moment but like the a's came up short. in the seventh, don kelly takes cahill over the fence for a solo shot. detroit wins, 3-1. by doing so captures the central. it's their first division title in 24 years. the raiders sebastian may be facing jail time. the veteran placekicker has been charged with misdemeanor battery and false imprisonment of a woman because of an incident that happened last year in walnut creek. it comes days after he tied the nfl record by kicking a 63-yard field goal against denver. no trial date has been set. charges carry a maximum penalty of 18 months in jail and a $3,000 fine. be sure to join myself, larry

beil and myself for "after the game." that will follow on oklahoma staying on number 5, florida state. that will be around 8:30-ton. hope to see you then. >> next at 6:30. >> it took just seconds for a much-anticipated airshow to turn into tragedy. i'm in reno, nevada. i'll have much more on the devastating accident coming up. >> also local moms take on the fight against worldwide poverty by putting on a party, and you're invited. ♪ okay, so who ordered the cereal that can help lower cholesterol and who ordered the yummy cereal? yummy. that's yours. lower cholesterol. lower cholesterol. i'm yummy. lower cholesterol. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste? honey nut cheerios. want whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. it's a win win. good? [ crunching, sipping ] be happy. be healthy. can i try yours?

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>> the rest of this weekend's reno's air races are cancelled as they look into the crash yesterday of a vintage airplane crashing into the spectators. it spirals straight down into the ground, splintering into pieces that sprayed the crowd. it was a scene of carnage and chaos. >> good morning. you know, many of the people we spoke to hearsay what happened here was the worst thing they had ever seen in their lives. in fact, one man, a korean war veteran said it felt like he was back in the middle of a war zone. when the plane hit the ground it hit so hard that it sent shrapnel flying directly into a crowd of bystanders. >> as soon as the plane came into view it was clear something was wrong. it spiraled out of control,

splintering into pieces upon impact. >> i saw the plane go straight into the ground, boom, right at the grandstands. it just -- it was unbelievable. >> there was no fire, there was no explosion. it was like asphalt and dust and parts and things flying through the air. i couldn't believe it. >> witness describe the scene of carnage and chaos with bodies strewn across the airfield. people were using their shirts as makeshift tourniquets to stop the bleeding of others. hospitals were told to prepare for as many as 100 casualties. investigators say the plane was flown by renown 74-year-old air racer jimmy leeward, a veteran hollywood stunt pilot. while the cause of the extent is under investigation, preliminary reports point to a possible mechanical problem. >> that is that the aircraft appeared as though it had some flight control problems and it went into the tarmac in front of

the box seats. people were sitting there? >> yes, we had a pretty good-sized fan base here today. >> one of the few plane races still around, the reno airshow was built as the world's fastest motorsports. planes race at speeds exceeding 500 miles an hour. >> my concern is general safety for the public. i think the pilots themselves know the risks they are taking, but what the safety and the concern should be is for the general public that come out to watch these races. >> a public that had no way of knowing the horror they would witness. >> of this is an absolutely terrible tragedy. typically the event runs several days but in light of what happened yesterday, the rest of the event has been cancelled. terry, back to you. >> thank you very much. next thursday thousands of bay area nurses are planning to walk off their jobs and hit the

picket lines. up to 23,000 nurses could be involved in the strikes at children's hospital oakland, sutter health and kaiser permanente facilities. many are postponing elective surgeries. while the strike is planned for one day, they will lock them out for five days sincejw]v contracs have been signed with temporary replacements. tonight a group of moms is holding a party to fight poverty . abc7's eric thomas shows how these mothers have embraced other families here from overseas and shows how you can help. >> in a donated corner of a warehouse in burlingame a small group of parents work at putting together gifts that will be auctioned off in a couple of days. it's the fourth year in a row these suburban moms will turn their attention from jobs and

carpools to helping total strangers. >> we want to change the cycle of the poverty, and we believe we could. >> four years ago five peninsula woman founded moms against policy or m.a.p. at no experience for fundraising or nonprofits. they put together a party, drew 500 people and raised $60,000. >> i think generally people want to be good, people want to help. it's just they need a way and we gave them the way. >> now the party is a more organized affair with djs and mcs and it's held in san francisco. but the moms still do the cooking and preparation, and that's not all. >> it's hard. it's hard. you have to pick up the telephone and call. we are all volunteers, we are all professionals, we all work, but the passion is strong. >> the volunteers are iranian immigrants, many of whom juggle professional jobs, families and caring for adopted children from overseas. locally m.a.p. has helped groups

like child advocate groups of silicon valley, donating thousands to help neglected and abused children placed in foster care. >> they research their issues, country, agencies. they conduct site visits. they get to know the staff of the organizations they support and they figure out the best way to invest to meet their goals. >> this year's fundraiser is saturday at the metreon in san francisco. >> there's food and dancing and silent auctions and everybody comes together for a common cause of doing good. >> tickets for this year's event are $85. eric thomas, abc7 news. >> if you are interested in tickets for the event tonight and learn more about the deeds of this group, go to our website, abc7news.com and look under "see it on tv."

>> lisa is here with the forecast. >> we have a compressed layer. here's a look at the roof camera. the fog just patchy along the coast. it will go away quickly. that will lead to warmer weather today, warmer weather in the days ahead. i'll tell you how much warmer next. >> also ahead, protecting the bay. the levee breach that marks a major environmental milestone along the shores of along the shores of san francisco bay. say cheese! are you smiling yet? of course you are. especially since the new "let's get cheesy" menu starts at just $4.99. only at denny's. america's diner is always open. that's why i got them pillsbury toaster strudel. warm flaky pastry with delicious sweet filling my kids will love. plus i get two boxtops for their school. toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. plus i get two boxtops for their school. ♪ i♪ in the rhythmrt of my weekday flow ♪ ♪ something new -- ooo! ♪ just what i want ♪ prepared for me and ready to go ♪

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>> it's overcast in parts of the bay area. looking out from the emeryville cam ward the old and new bay bridges and to the city of san francisco. you can see it's evercast but lisa is here to tell you nothing lasts forever. she will explain that momentarily. a lot of volunteers will pick up a lot of trash and junk on california beaches today. it's the 27th annual coastal cleanup day. it's the largest volunteer effort, drawing help from some 80,000 beach lovers at more than 800 different locations. the beaches and coastal waterways ever san francisco, marin county and san mateoio county included in this. the event draws so many people from organizers are asking them to bring their own reusable trash collecting tools like bags, buckets and gloves and trying to cut down on the volume of trash produced by the event itself. it's so successful, they are having a little problem there but i'm sure they will bring their reusable bags to help clean under the beaches in the

bay area. all right. it will be a good day for a cleanup, i hope. >> it looked like ocean beach. >> yeah. >> sunny skies on tap today. >> at the ocean beach? >> yes, at the ocean beach. last week they barely saw the sun in the richmond and the sunset throughout the afternoon. a change starting to the. view from mount damage. this is a beautiful shot we have a compressed marine layer. that's allowing for a little bit of fog. oakland, san francisco, the coast and napa has some fog. but the central coast also looking gray. we are looking at cool numbers, though. feeling like autumn around mountain view, santa rosa. upper 40s right now but we will turn it around and look for a warmer afternoon. fog here at half moon bay. fairly typical. we will look at the fog to disappear and it will stay out ever the bay tonight. low clouds along the coast and bay this morning. and then a warming trend beginning today. a subtle one. it's going to get more dramatic tomorrow into the early part of

the work week. warm to hot next week. then we will see things cool just a little bit midweek. then i think we will go back up by the beginning of fall, which is friday. here's a look at that finger of fog. this morning has made it across the bay into oakland and trying to slide down into hayward. you see much of the san mateo coast encompassed in the guy but by 11:00 it disappears. we are talking about a sunny morning, a sunny afternoon. with the fog staying offshore due to a northerly component, a stronger northerly component than a westerly component. we will start out sunny tomorrow and it will be warmer tomorrow. today we are back into the mid-80s. still that light sea breeze. despite the sunshine, numbers will stay cool at our beaches in the 60s. a couple areas of low pressure. not affecting us for a change, as a ridge of high pressure begins to build on in today. as it does, the numbers come up.

three to six degrees today, and another five degrees of warming tomorrow. this continues into monday, tuesday, and i think things stable eyes on wednesday and then a also cooler. 70 big sur. the fog will be very minimal today. we will talk 75 sunyvale. 80 san jose. sunny afternoon from san mateo to pacifica today. san francisco coming in at 64. afternoon highs in the city should be about 70. we will probably see that, if not tomorrow, certainly on monday. 80 in sonoma. near east bay, 67 berkeley. hayward 70. 74 fremont. we are coming up five, six degrees today. dublin, 80 for you. down by the bay, lots of clouds right now but then 64 with sunny skies at monterey. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. mid-80s today. more warming tomorrow and monday and tuesday and then we will slowly see some cooling, but not

much. it will still be very pleasant by friday. so it's just -- it's taking us to where we should be. >> you know, some people were let down by a cooler-than-usual summer. >> really? >> yes. and i think autumn is going to make up for it. that's my prediction. >> hopefully. it has been cool. but it should be definitely a seasonable the next couple days. >> thank a lot. the san francisco bay got a little bigger this week and so did the habitat for several endangered species, as abc7's johnathan bloom reports. digging is reversing decades of damage to the bay area's coastline. >> dozens of photographers and conservationists gathered to watch one big machine dig one little hole, breaching the levee that separates the dried-up salt pond from the waters of the san francisco bay. >> as the tide comes in, brings in the sea, we will bring in the seeds and the plants. we will bring in the wildlife behind it as the plants grow. >> for years this pond and

others were used for manufacturing salt. but with just a few strokes of a massive shovel the state department of fish and game will turn it back into a coastal wetland and a home for endangered species of birds, fish and mice. >> it's important for the health of the bay. over the past decades san francisco bay has lost 80 to 90% of it's tidal marshes. >> this is what the salt pond liked before the breach, dry, barren and covered in salt. but it took just a little digging to change all of that. [applause] >> in an instant the bay water that was held back for years rushes in and nature does the rest. >> we move the levees out of the way and let the tidewater come back in and that's the magic ingredient. the tidewater has the mud in it, it's got the seeds in it and it just kind of takes care of itself. >> it will take only a few days to fill the pond with water and only a few years before it becomes a thriving habitat. >> nature is resilient. certainly while we modify the landscape, nature has a driving

force that will bring back all these species. >> all the water is a proverbial drop in the bucket. 600 of the 15,000 total acres the state plans to restore over a period lasting as long as 50 years. in hayward, johnathan bloom, abc7 news. >> don't go away, 7 on your side is next. >> an airline separates a mother from her young children on a long flight. i'm michael finney. ahead on 7 on your side, should kids sit with strangers?

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with maximum fluoride for up to 40% fewer cavities. act. stronger teeth and fewer cavities in every bottle. >> n.a.s.a. is warning a satellite the size of a bus could fall to earth as early as next friday. the 6 1/2 ton climate probe was launched back in 1991. it will mostly burn up before it reaches earth burke n.a.s.a. said 26 parts will reach the ground and the heaviest among them weighs about 350 pounds. we aren't going to know where it will land until about 2 hours ahead of time. n.a.s.a. said the odds ever the satellite actually hitting someone, about 1 in 3200. seems like every plane you board these days are packed. airlines are flying at full capacity to cut costs. that makes it harder to book seats together. that was traumatic for a bay area mother when an airline

wouldn't let her sit with her two small children. 7 on your side's michael finney has their story. flying can be rough. you can be stuck in your seat, plummeting in turbulence or watching a movie you don't like and there's a line for the bathroom. all that is even tougher when you are only 4 years old. that's why andrea wanted to make sure her two young children sit by mom and dad when they fly. >> they don't understand when the seatbelt light flashes, what that means, and our kids can't pull bags out of the overhead compartment. they don't know where the bathrooms are. >> so the family booked seats together when they flew united airlines to washington d.c. this summer. the four- and six-year-old would each sit by a parent. however days before the flight united e-mailed them saying there was a change of aircraft, the family had new seat assignments and they were not sitting together. >> we were scattered across the plane. >> one in row 23, annika in row 34, each seated next to a complete stranger. united airlines told andrea by phone it couldn't put them

together because there were no open seats. >> and we explained our children were four and six and we were told it's legal and it's perfect acceptable for them to sit apart from their children. >> she didn't imagine what would happen if they needed help during the six hour flight and a stranger is suddenly a surrogate parent. >> i don't think it's a stranger's responsibility to make sure the seatbelt is fastened, if the ear hurts in the flight, they have to take care of it. and if they land where else i don't want to make sure a stranger puts on a vest and gets them out of the plane. >> they said they would seat the family together if they paid more but she said paying more was unfair since they booked seats together. >> we brought poster boards and markers with us to the airport. >> they were ready to hold up a sign asking passengers to switch seats. it didn't go quite that far. >> at the counter there were passengers around and we all talked about it and the family and the united ticket agent asked other passengers to help,

and they did. after some shuffling, annika and sander got to sit with a parent. >> the bigger issue to us is why is this policy in place? that it's okay, we had friends that were told that a two-year-old could sit apart from her mom. >> so we asked united about this, and the airline tells us it does have a policy to keep kids with parents, saying, "in case of an aircraft change our computer system is programmed to keep families seated together. when it's not possible prior to boarding, agents will attempt to reseat customers to accommodate families." andrea hopes it isn't so tough in the future. >> it seems like a really straightforward situation, where you make sure young children sit with their parents or guardian. >> united also contacted the family after our interview offering an apology and a voucher for future flights. that was good of them. in case you are wondering, there are no faa regulations that require airlines to seat families together and no minimum age for a child to fly alone.

instead the airlines set their own rules. i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> coming up next, trying to get on the road back to recovery. see what's new from toyota, including a prius that reportedly gets 86 miles to the gallon. f [ carrie ] i remember my very first year as a teacher, setting that goal to become a principal. but, i have to support my family,

so how do i go back to school? university of phoenix made it doable. a lot of my instructors were principals in my district. i wouldn't be where i am without that degree. my name is dr. carrie buck. i helped turn an at-risk school into an award winning school, and i am a phoenix. [ male announcer ] find your program at phoenix.edu. we're on the move. ♪

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6, 23, 41, 45, 56. the meganumber is 24. nobody got them. tuesday night's jackpot estimated at $78 million. there's a green car expo going on in richmond. it's the same place toyota introduced its latest version of the best selling prius yesterday. getting them built was delayed by the earthquake and tsunami in japan, but it's finally here. don sanchez took a test drive. >> a hybrid. quiet. they are adding a motor sound to 2012. toyota showed off four new version of their prius. it's an automotive success. more than a million sold in ten years. in the bay area prius outsells the nation's top passenger car, the camry. there's a new model, a plug-in hybrid. >> it has an additional battery pack capacity into it. you plug it into your household 120 outlet, charge the battery in two and a half to three hours and it will give you 15 miles of

range, up to 60 miles an hour, pure electric before even the hybrid system turns on. >> the earthquake and tsunami disasters in japan were devastating for toyota. sales dropped by 8%. they couldn't build cars. the head of production said they needed to prioritize the cars customers wanted. they believe hybrids will make up 20% of the auto market by 2020. does fuel economy motivate buyers? >> in the end it may not just be about dollars and sense, but all about do you want to burn less gas or not. >> toyota says this will get 87 mpg. that's a combination of electric and hybrid. the key is to get to the echo. because of the tsunami there had been a delay in production. now they are getting back up to speed. >> they will start taking orders in october with march, 2012 delivery. >> some of our suppliers that made some of the electronic pieces were affected. so that affected our production for a while. but now that's all recovered. >> so there is production going on then in japan?

>> japan is rebuilding and we are back to 100%. >> it's been a tough time for toyota from the natural disaster to the stuck accelerator pedal traced to stuck floor mats. now it's about their future and the fate of the japanese economy. don sanchez. >> an ikea store in australia is testing out a man land. it's a unique concept. it's a holding pen for bored male shoppers. it is designed as a hangout for husbands and boyfriends while their partners shop the isles in peace. it's filled with man game stuff, foose ball tables, video games, free hot dogs and pinball machines. just like the child care area, they are given a buzzer that goes off in 30 minutes, reminding you to go pick up your man. lisa, brief thought? >> stay home. >> stay home. stay home. >> hanging out today anywhere in the bay you will have some sunshine, slightly warmer weather but that's the trend

that will take us through next week. the last week of summer is here. 76 palo alto, 64 in livermore. the sun will set at 7:15. the look ahead, we are talking warmer, warmest midweek and a little cooling by the time fall gets here. >> thanks a lot, and thank you for joining us on the abc7 saturday morning news. stay connected 24/7 at abc7news.com. have a great day! 3q for the worst allergies i want a product with the best decongestant. my choice is clear. claritin-d. nothing works stronger, faster or longer for allergy congestion relief without drowsiness. get claritin-d at the pharmacy counter.

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