tv ABC 7 News ABC January 28, 2012 6:00am-7:00am PST
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the police are looking for the suspect in the fatal stabbing of a 15-year-old girl. the suspect is 19-year-old henry leon. >> good morning, clear skies, light winds and some frosty temperatures in the north bay. >> good morning, i'm terry mcsweeney. san leandro police are lock fourth the suspect in the murder of a 15-year-old girl. this morning police identified the primary suspect at 19-year-old henry leon. he was involved in a relationship with the victim and is the father of their nine-month-old baby. the stabbing occurred on pacific avenue about 6:30 last night. the police found the girl with several stab wounds in her upper body. repeated attempts to revive her failed as she was pronounced dead at the scene. >> still early on in the investigation but my detectives are still actively working the case. we are trying to collect evidence, identify witnesses and find out who was at fault in this incident. >> henley leon is believed to be driving a dark blue cadillac
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escalade with black rims. anyone with information on where to find leon or the escalade is encouraged to call san leandro police. they beat him and called him a terrorist and now the south bay hate crime victim is sharing his story only with abc7. this happened back on november 21. the police released a sketch of one of the attackers. we have the victim's account of what happened. >> i just got in the car, and just backed out of my spot. >> he said he now lives in pain and fear. it's because of a trip he made to the lucky store monday, november 21st. three men approached his car as he was leaving. >> they started hitting me and started calling me a terrorist and spit on me, they poured alcohol on me. and then a third member came out of nowhere when it looked like i was going to try to defend myself. >> these are photos taken of him after the attack. he lost six teeth, has a scared a jaw and two titanium plates in
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his face holding his jaw together. it was caused by this bottle of tequila that the attackers dropped into the bar after hitting him in the face. >> i firmly believe if the bottle hadn't got stuck they would use it again or wouldn't stop until i was unconscious or perhaps dead. he said the parking lot was filled with prethanksgiving shoppers at about 9:00 p.m. and no one came forward to help. >> i was five, ten feet away from the entrance after store. >> no one has come forward since the attack and that's why san jose police released this step sketch of one of the suspects. he's described as a hispanic male, 5'6" to 5'9", about 200 pounds. he explains the place have been slow to investigation. they said the crime is being treated as hate crime. we understand the frustration of the victim and take it seriously. we have exhausted all leads and are asking the public for help. he said he wants justice. he lost his job aft attack and his medical bills total some $20,000.
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he's having nightmares and said he's afraid to leave his home. >> i don't like going out in public because i feel vulnerable. i feel very unsafe. >> san jose police are asking for witnesses to come forward. anyone who was in the south white rose lucky's parking lot on about november 21st and saw the attack is asked to give them a call. abc7 news. >> a san jose state student is under arrest facing charges for entering dorm rooms and groping four young women. his name is michael escobar. here is reaction from students on campus. >> i have never seen him before. >> never? >> no. >> do you know him? >> no, he doesn't look familiar. >> he's a student here. >> really? >> oh, that's creepy. students at san jose state are getting their first look at 21-year-old michael escobar, a fellow student who was arrested at joe west residence hall.
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>> i got a million calls today from a random number i didn't know and it woke me up again and i answer it had and it was an alert or something telling me there's like a man in here, and he like groped someone. >> four women in the building say they were groped while they slept. escobar doesn't live in the building but its easy to get in. just trail someone with a key card. once inside the building, it was easy pickings. the victims have left their doors unlocked so police went door to door with a warning. >> they came in and said there was an intruder in our building and i should lock my doors and be safe. >> were your doors not locked. >> no, my doors weren't locked actually. >> why not? >> sometimes you just forget to lock them in your roommate comes in later you kind of leave it unlocked for her just in case. >> but each roommate has their own key. >> i always look mine at night but if i'm hanging out this time of day, i feel like it should have it locked now because you never know. >> some of the students here are
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increasingly concerned about their safety. >> it's happened before, like someone got groped a while ago. so it kept happening and it kind of freaked me out. >> the university is doing what it can to ease fears. >> the r. a. came to each door and said there would be officers on our floor from i think it was like from two to three and we can talk to them about the situation and kind of find out what happened and just to make sure we are all feeling comfortable to stay here now. >> the people i spoke with said they are relieved that somebody has been arrested for this, but i think it's kind of a lesson for them, realizing leaving their door unlocked is not okay. abc7 news. >> that kind of problem is not just at san jose state. stanford police have also issued a crime alert. that came earlier this week after a student report add man tried to take a picture of her in the shower. it happened on campus in cruthers hall. three similar instances have
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occurred on the stanford campus in the past two weeks. >> san jose's two year request to have medical marijuana now faces opposition from mayor reid. it comes in a voter referendum to repeal the law. he gathered a referendum that gathered 31,000 signatures and plus pending court decisions that might clarify state law for two reasons that the city should back away to just ten pot clubs. the council could consider it next month. california is sending layoff notices to more than 500 prison employees, including 140 guards. they are losing their jobs as the state releases inmates to comply with a federal court order to ease overcrowding. california has two years to reduce its prison population by 33,000 inmates. the layoffs will take effect the end of february with another round expected in the fall. >> the us army said the option
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of humane euthanasia was the best way to get rid of some coyotes at the army camp. over the last year and a half there have been complaints about the coyote's population. the army admits they are in their natural habitat but said the risk to public safety is too great. >> we used a licensed hunter to come in. there were lots of options we had, we could have used firearms but the decision was made to use bow and arrow. >> two coyotes were killed. a group said this amounts to lethal control of coyotes. they said the coyote populations can increase in response to the lethal control and controlling populationings works best. >> next the executive who gave up high-tech for a new career in construction.
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>> career transitions are not unusual, especially in this economy. but it is rare to see someone give up a seat in the boardroom for a hard hat. here's abc7s business and technology reporter david louie with a story of one executive who made that switch. for much of her professional life, gina has worked at some of the best known tech companies. then this happen. a garage fire that started next door spread to her house in 2001, prompting a career change. a long, simmering dream to become a real life hard hat barbie, had her donning work boots as she put in five years learning construction. it was a dramatic career switch from high-tech to contracting. >> i dreamed of it, but it took a while to get the courage to
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actually get out there and do it. all in all, it is a dream come true. >> she has her contractors license and a business partner. they specialize a renovation projects. >> it needs to be a kitchen that accommodates catering services on a regular basis. >> their partnership is rare, in the male-dominated contractor business, but it resonates with clients where women often make key decisions instead of men. >> they may be writing the checks, but the women are actually calling the shots. >> similarly, the two partners divide their responsibilities. >> what i have been able to do is bring in some deep analysis and planning and cost estimation and running an operation profitablably, where mike brings in the skill being able to manage the trades, understanding the building codes. >> when they remodeled this master bedroom suite, she recognized what she brought to the project. >> i could see where her
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background melded in and it was a nice discussion about designs and they were more realistic. >> a career switch isn't easy, but once accomplished it can be rewarding. it helps to have a little fire it helps to have a little fire in the belly to overcome the fear in the change of careers, but in her case a fire at her house was the big catalyst. in san francisco, david louie, abc7 news. there is a strike this morning aboard a cruz ship docked in san francisco. some 60 waiters walked off their jobs on the kosta dela. they are angry of being paid in dollars instead of euros, like they were promised in that i shall contractors and they are mad about the conditions on the ship. >> sue this company because they taking lots of money to us, that belongs to us. not only for the solidarity, even the food they are giving to us is food for a big or dog.
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>> we called the ship's owner, costa north america. it said they are trying to resolve issue. the ship is owned by the same company that owns the costa concordia that sunk two weeks ago off the italian coast. >> pesticides have been found in orange juice imported from overseas. the fare is the juice could mix with us juice. samples tested positive for a fungicide. five of the positive samples came from brazil, six from canadian plants. the scare began two weeks ago when a major rank juice company found the chemical in their own sampling. >> it confirms it wasn't an isolated incident. it wasn't just one shipment. >> the us food and drug administration said based on testing so far orange juice already here is safe to drink. levels are too low to be a
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health hazard. the orange juice you may be having for breakfast this morning they say is safe, so enjoy. what's going on weather-wise? >> we have cold temperatures. 29 in napa right now. >> wow. >> but 59 half moon bay. so we have a real variety out there. 53 in oakland while it is 36 in concord. eats all due to the winds. we will talk about that and how warm we are going to get, if we are going to see rain, that's all straight ahead. >> also ahead the warriors get lit up by the oklahoma city thunder and kevin durant. larry has the highlights in this morning's sports. -dad, why e you getting that? -that's my cereal.
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saturday of january. looking at a live picture of the golden gate bridge. upper 40s. you go north of that you get the 20s, south you get the 50s. whatever temperature you like, folks, lisa is here to tell you where to go to get it. >> that's because the air is so dry and the due points so low. we are talking about the coldest morning we will see for the next several days. we have a wind shift and it will
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bring up temperatures a little bit in the morning. >> oh, look at that. >> yeah, making snow there with temperatures in the teens in the sierra nevada. we are looking at a beautiful day there, 7:17 is the sunrise, and setting 5:28. temperatures in the upper 40s by about 3:00 in the sierra. southern sierra it will be in the low 50s. nice afternoon for sure. back home we are talking about a clear sky and temperatures continue to drop this morning. definitely very cold out there. take a look at the numbers. the half moon bay, 55 trees." it's 39 in san jose, as well as mountain view. the peninsula 37. we've got 34 in concord. and livermore now has dropped into the upper 30s. napa at 29. 31 santa rosa. we are talking about a much, much colder start, although oakland a little warmer in the 50s, as well as half moon bay. but just check the winds. some light out of the northwest, others out of the northeast. today everyone will enjoy the
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offshore flow. we are starting out much cold, ending just as warm. 18 k degrees colder this morning in napa, 11 degrees colder than yesterday in san jose. clear and cold start with sun my and mild conditions once again this afternoon. a slight chance of showers comes into the forecast late tomorrow night, into monday morning. we will see another pretty mild day on monday. subtle changes from today to tomorrow, where high pressure to the east of us is the dominant weather factor. this is allowing for that offshore flow. so as this continues to stay strong, we will see that clockwise flow around it. but then we will see the ridge begin to get knocked down just a little bit, and that's in response to a system offshore, which will allow for temperatures to cool a couple degrees tomorrow. highs today ranging from the mid-60s in the valley to the upper 70s in los angeles, palm springs, vegas at about 60. dry as a bone out there.
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as the system gets closer, it will just provide a wind shift. we will see that on shore flow late tomorrow. a few high to mid-level clouds and temperatures may be more like the mid-60s instead of the upper 60s. by late sunday, increasing clouds. here we are at midnight. sonoma county, cloverdale, maybe a few light showers, also in napa and the delta by the early morning commute and then it's more sunshine. today 66 in oakland, 64 in fremont and antioch with cloverdale coming in at 66. and the offshore winds bringing numbers back up into the upper 60s to low 70s today. so the accuweather seven-day forecast calls for the offshore flow to bring another above normal day, as much as ten degrees above normal. about two degrees cooler tomorrow. a few more clouds and a slight chance of showers mainly north and east on sunday night, monday morning, and then back to 60s. a few extra clouds. but above normal next week. >> 70 on the beach in santa cruz.
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>> crazy. >> it is crazy. thanks a lot. we are joined from new york to tell us what is coming up at seven on "good morning america" g morning, bianna. >> good morning, terry. we have two stories you are going to want to follow this morning. first, if you are going to leave the grocery store, check out the orange juice isle. you may be concern about new information we got about imported orange juice. also meat prices are on the rise as well and we will tell you what you need to know for your next trip to the supermarket. also coming up, a gang is back in the news. the siblings captured after a violent nationwide manhunt. this time they are captured of it plotting an escape you only see in movies. >> and demi moore collapsed in her mansion and we will tell you what the tape tells about her emergency. and one cat delayed from a flight taking off. passengers were beyond angry, but the cat had been happily hiding in the cockpit for four
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hours. so this is quite an ordeal. i'm sure this cat was taken away to, i don't know, witness protection services or a program or something because there were a lot of angry passengers on that plane all because of that cat. >> but when you get a look at that cat, i think your anger has to subside. just doesn't look like an angry or guilty cat. >> dan harris is on the cat's side. >> bianna, i look forward to that. thank you very much. >> have a good day, bye. >> in sports tonight, michelle kwan will be inducted into the u.s. figure skating hall of fame during the national championships being held this weekend at h.p. pavilion in san jose. last night the warriors did not turn in a hall of fame performance against the oklahoma city thunder. here's larry beil with the highlights in sports. >> good morning. the warriors welcomed the best team in the nba to oracle arena last night. golden state has beaten good teams, miami and chicago, but they couldn't handle the thunder. golden state celebrating the chinese new year.
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final seconds first quarter. nate robinson from midcourt and the bank is open for nate. and monta ellis, he's not scoring lately. spinarama and third quarter kevin durant baseline with authority! no way to stop him. long and lanky. check out his move here, reggie jackson? no, that's not him, reggie. did the splits there. fourth quarter. steph curry, no. up the court. durant. 37 for durant with 14 boards. thunder win 121-109. warriors 6-12. the heat and the knicks." wade back after missing six games with an ankle injury. he starts it off with the other to lebron one-handed. still in the first. this is ridiculous on landry fields. that was posterization. and wade testing out the ankle, feeding lebron for the tomahawk. james to wade, who had 28. the heat victorious.
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the 9-89. it has been several weeks since raider nation packed up and left the coliseum. tonight a different noise will ring through the black hole. that is just a taste of what's to come in the super cross world championships. the off-road motorcycle competition getting started tonight. expected to draw more than 50,000 fans. since tuesday crews have been converting the coliseum into a fully loaded racetrack that competitors say will create an atmosphere of unlike any other. >> chanting and hollering and screaming for the guys in the lead and everybody having a great time. it should be a good weekend. the weather is going to be awesome. >> the track looks really good. it should be good. i mean, a very exciting night. i don't think any type of sport gets close to this excitement. definitely come out. >> if you have been to motocross, it is loud and it is fun. c.c. sabathia is a star for the new york yankees but he has not forgotten where he grew up and
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was back in vallejo yesterday afternoon. his charity organization helped rebuild the baseball stadium at his alma mater, the high school. it was renamed cc c.c. sabathia field. thanks to sabathia the kids will enjoy new field, scoreboard, concession stand, everything. he was asked how does it feel to come home as a yankee? >> it was a little weird, being in the coliseum where i watched so many raider game and a little part of me is a fan going to some of the games, a's games as a kid. it's cool to be a part of it. >> great to see c. c. giving back to his community. that's a wrap on morning sports. mike shumann will be here with all your highlights at five, six, and eleven. have a great weekend, everybody. i'm larry beil. >> next as 6:30. oakland police gear up for another demonstration. how members say it will be
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i'm bidding on a 1979 dukes of hazzard lunchbox, but my auction ends in 15 seconds ! even worse, my buddy's bidding on the same lunchbox. it's airbrushed ! but i've got verizon 4g lte. it's so fast that i can outbid him at the last second. i got it ! yes, i won ! woo hoo ! it's got a thermos ! rely on verizon 4g lte. because only the fastest survive. mcsweeney. president obama's weekly address is calling for americans to call their representatives in congress.
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as he took his state of the union mess an to iowa, colorado, nevada, and michigan this week. the president said he met people who still believe in america, but are skeptical that progress can be made in washington. he wants lawmakers to send him a bill to limit the influence of money in politics. >> telling your member of congress that it's time to end the gridlock and start tackling the issues that really matter. an economy built on american manufacturing, american energy, american skills and education and a return to american values. an economy built to last. he also says he wants a bill to end political game-playing when it comes to congress approving presidential nominees by requiring a simple yes or no vote within 90 days. this morning occupy oakland is getting ready for its latest weekend of action and this one promises to be different than the rest. occupy oakland is calling today move-in day where they say they will occupy a building and hold it as long as they can. the move-in is scheduled between two and five this afternoon at an undisclosed location.
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the occupiers say they then plan to defend the building by actively resisting police in the surrounding streets. oakland is trying to decide if it should use the last of its redevelopment agency money to ease the pain of the people they are laying off. 81 people are going to lose their jobs. they are deciding whether to use $75 million of the funds to retain those employees for an extra two weeks. >> it doesn't mean they won't get laid off, it means they will get proper notice and decent interval and there will be time for a more orderly hand-off for the work they are doing to the folks that are staying. >> a final decision on that is expected next week. an effort to derail the sonoma-miran area rail transit or smart rail project has failed to gather enough signatures to repeal the ballot. they turned in over 5,000 signatures.
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the number of signatures turned into marin county officials won't be known until monday. the group estimated they collected at least 15,000 signatures but they need at least 15,000 valid signatures to qualify. smart officials say they need at least 39,000 signatures to qualify. either way the voters are not likely to get a chance to repeal the quarter cent sales tax increase that turns out to only partially fund the project. >> a unique honor for a bay area man. today he's receiving an honorary promotion 60 years after his medical retirement from the marine corps. abc67 explain why his life long service is just now being fully recognized." >> denny knew at age 5 he wanted to be a marine. today at 81 he remembers that moment he saw the marine corps color guard marching in a parade. >> it went by and i looked up at my mom, i said that's what i'm going to be.
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>> at age 19 he put on the uniform and dreamed of a military career. his official service was cut short in 1953. he lost his leg in combat during the korean war rescuing a wounded marine during a firefight. >> i put him on my back in a fireman's carry and started down the hill. a mortar shell blow us up. >> it earned him a cross. >> he's hero. in so many ways it's impossible to describe them all. >> had he not been injured, he would have been promoted to gunnery sergeant and now a promotion will do just that. the ceremony is due in part to his extraordinary service in korea and perhaps more so to his legendary service at home as a volunteer instructor. >> 17 straight years not getting paid.
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he's teaching tactics, patrolling, different combat techniques. >> it was my honor and privilege to do that, and it took away from me, a lot of the sigma or the hurt of having to retire at the age of 23. >> this dedicated marine also served three terms as mayor of milpitas and has been married to the same woman for 63 years. she will be by his side when he accepts his honorary promotion. >> i'm absolutely overwhelmed. i know they are going to ask me to save a few words and i'm going to try to hold it together while i do it. but it is just exciting. the rank of gunnery sergeant, well-earned and long overdue. in milpitas, corina rusk, abc7 news. >> meteorologist lisa joins us with a sneak-peek ahead. what's to come in the forecast?
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>> well, did you like yesterday? >> i liked yesterday very much. >> we will do it again but starting out colder. here's the roof camera. blue skies, temperatures low. temperatures in the 20s in the north bay. just about freezing in the east bay. 50s in the coast. we will talk about the warmest day of the weekend and the prospect for rain. that's straight ahead. >> and an east bay rescue crew with a life and death mission. they discovered that volunteering isn't always free. don't forget you can get in on all the oscar action this year at oscar.com. predict the winner and watch live video from the red carpet and even go backstage. it will be right here on ♪
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>> welcome back. heavenly mountain resort, you see the snow making machines working away. they have something to work with. the last time we looked up there it was pretty darn barren. right now it's looking good and they are adding more to it. the ski resorts are open. maybe not the best skiing in the history of the resorts, but skiing nonetheless. and that's good enough for many i know. >> the san francisco zoo will celebrate the holiday tomorrow with clean niece acrobats and other activities.
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in this year's chinese new year's festivities, the san francisco zoo has a special guest, a real live dragon. that's tully. he's a bearded dragon from australia. he was donated to the school last year, and as luck has it he's now the main attraction for the lunar celebration. this is the year of the dragon. while he doesn't breathe scary, they can look scary. >> if they feel threatened they will puff out this whole area of their neck and all these spikes about be bigger and scarier than they actually are. >> the san francisco zoo will celebrate the holiday tomorrow tell have chinese acrobats and other activities. and anyone born on the year of the dragon can get in for free. >> as proud owner of a southern alligator lizard, i'm pleased to see the reptiles are getting some respect here. >> you have one? >> i do. >> cool. >> he likes crickets. probably more than you needed to know. >> that's nice. >> i don't think she meant that. but go ahead. >> i didn't know that. i thought i knew everything. all right. good morning, everyone. we are starting out with some very cold conditions. that's a big switch from the past couple of days.
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>> yesterday was kind of chilly. we had low due points and clear sky. the view from mount tam shows how crystal clear it is. sun coming up in another 40 minutes or so and we will be looking at a rapid warmup today, a lot like yesterday but we have a long way to go from the 29 in napa. 34 concord. 43 in fremont. good morning, san francisco. 47 there with 50s on the coast. santa rosa had a little fog earlier. that's been swept out. 39 mountain view and san jose. so overall, except for oakland and half moon bay, it is a much colder start out there. we are in the 50s in oakland already. all depending on the winds this morning, clear and cold as you head out. sun my and mild this afternoon with temperatures once again. flirting with 70. yesterday it was 71 at the napa county airport. tomorrow night increasing clouds, on shore push and a slight chance of showers overnight into monday. but it's today where the ridge to the east of us is strong.
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we are looking at that offshore flow. so one more day of this dominant ridge before the ridge begins to break on down. so with that today we are looking at the numbers mainly in the 60s and 70s across the state, with nearly 50 in the sierra nevada. 52 in the southern sierra and 62 fresno. more 70s here with no fog at all. it will be a mild afternoon with temperatures as much as 10 degrees above the average. so tomorrow when we get that wind shift, it's this system that's going to try to move a little bit closer to the coast. but it's not really going to make it. we will see some extra clouds. high and mid-level clouds throughout the afternoon tomorrow and then by the overnight hours we are a little bit warmer due to the cloud level. we will see the mid-level clouds and some high level clouds in the morning. but through the overnight hours it's mainly in sonoma and heads to the delta. we will look for conditions to improve and see better
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visibility when that weak front passes through. then the skies clear and we will be back to a sunny afternoon. that's about the only thing we have going on over the weekend. >> today 67 palo alto, as well as san jose with 65 napa. upper 60s santa rosa. could be a few degrees warmer depending on the winds. san francisco in the mid-60s. it should be about 58 sonoma, and san francisco and oakland. so we are well above the average with low 70s here for salinas, and santa cruz 70 degrees. the accuweather seven-day past calls for the mild weather all weekend long, although today will be a little warmer. then tomorrow we will see a few extra clouds and the on shore flow brings us a warmer night tomorrow but maybe a few raindrops and we are continuing to see dry conditions, a few clouds still above normal temperatures into next week, which is february! >> i know. and we are running out of rain time. >> well, who knows. >> right. a couple months more maybe.
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thanks a lot. >> >> budget constraints are especially tough on public agencies right now. police and fire departments across the state are coping with layoffs and cutbacks and volunteers who help the search and rescue are now having to spend their own money to do it. abc7s aaron thomas has this morning's assignment 7 report from alameda county. >> alameda county search and rescue chief ron and the captain know what it's like to spend long days and sleepless nights outside with the search dog as your closest companion while you are looking for a missing person. >> i think in the end it's mostly people with a common good where they want to help the community provide a service, give something back. >> like the search for this child, who was five years old when he went missing in oakland's rock ridge neighborhood two years ago. it's a high profile case that has yet to be resolved. and there are the others. >> a lot of things that go on
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that never hit the news. we go out and find people and nobody ever hears about it and so forth and so on because that's what we do. >> alameda county's search and rescue team works out of the sheriff's department but the 70 members are all volunteer. that means a commitment of time and a considerable amount of money. >> to stand up an average search and rescue member today it's probably close to a thousand dollars in basic gear. >> and much more than that for people who need specialized equipment like scuba divers or dog handlers. >> there are fun ways to spend money and ways that are not so much fun. dogs are your partner, so that kind of money doesn't bother me. >> but she's been doing it for 20 years now. volunteers who want to start dog handling can now expect to spend $1,500.00 to $2,000 a year. for the prospective volunteer that's been laid off or had hours cut back in work, that amount of money can be the difference between having a roof over your head or not.
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that's why it's easy to find people who want to volunteer but finding people who can is another story. >> economic times being what they are, it's even more of a challenge because of the costs and so forth. and the fact that people, you know, they don't have the free time that they have available from their jobs and their home lives to be able to commit. >> there are no hard numbers available on people who want to become search and rescue volunteers but can't because of the economy. and if finances are shrinking the pool of prospective volunteers, they are not having that affect on the caseload. in san francisco, eric thomas, abc7 news. >> don't go away. 7 on your side is next. >> a contractor charges big money up front. but where is the work? i'm michael finney. 7 on your side is coming up.
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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? why not save on car insurance? [ coin drops ] [ high-pitched voice ] thanks. [ normal voice ] you're welcome. get a free quote at progressive.com.
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>> it is a truly gorgeous day. it will be 70 degrees on the beach at santa cruz today and we aren't done with january yesterday. fantastic weather. an east bay contractor is under investigation for failing to deliver on a promise. the company was supposed to install some new windows, but never even got the job started. abc7's michael finney is here with a 7 on your side investigation. >> olithia o'toole's house still has the same drafty windows. a problem for her husband, who has cancer. >> he is more sensitive than he used to be. >> they hired this company in oakland, sinan windows of
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oakland to put in knew double pinned windows. the contractor called for installing them for $8,900. only concern was sinan demanded a big deposit of 50% up front. >> i said okay, as long as i am going to get some windows and they will come in a reasonable time, i can turn loose that kind of money. >> and she did. she put down the 4,495 deposit back in june. >> i started calling hem and asked them, and do you have me on your calendar yet? >> no. she was not on the calendar. so the o tool's drove to the company offices only to find this abandoned site. >> a high fence with a lot of barbed wire. >> we were over there knocking on the door and ringing the bell. >> finally, olithia received an e-mail. sinan's owner said he was laying off employees. no telling when the couple would finally get their windows. >> he told me, i need to come clean with you now and we had to
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release most of our workers. >> well, i was mad. >> we're warning consumers this contractor had problems and we are investigating them and they should be concerned and careful if they are going to consider hiring him for any other jobs. >> a regulatory agency is investigating complains from five other consumers who hired sinan and didn't get their windows. >> folks paid 50% of the contract price up front and did not receive anything in return. >> it's he illegal in california for a contractor it require a 50% deposit for a job worth more than $500. by layers may only charge 10% up front or $1,000, whichever is less. >> what we've found in our investigation, there have been a number of cases where this contractor has admitted to requiring more than 10% for $1,000 as a down payment. he has been warned of this before. >> the sinan windows owner, paul vazejian told 7 on your side he
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would not provide any response for this report. however, in an e-mail to the woman he said i am prepared to refund you the entire amount of your deposit. i am truly embarrassed about this and apologize for the lack of our historically reputable service. that was back in october. >> never got anything. >> we learned as he was ramping down this business, he was starting another one. he obtained another state contractors license in december to operate seven construction. however, they said he is still responsible to repay his old customers. >> just because he had a new license doesn't mean anything or any problems he had with his old license can be wash away. our first concern is trying to get the consumers back their money. >> if you get some results, even in increments, that's a whole lot better than nothing. >> that's true. and sinan did refund deposits for three of the consumers who filed complaints and is trying to refund everyone. i'm michael finney, 7 on your
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side. >> coming up next, the man behind san mateo native tom brady and how they are teaming up on a fight for survival. ♪ beth! hi! looking good. you've lost some weight. thanks. you noticed. these clothes are too big, so i'm donating them. how'd you do it? eating right -- whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multi-grain cheerios -- 5 whole grains, 110 calories.
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earlier we said 12, but it's 23. nobody picked all six numbers. tuesday's jackpot estimated at $15 million. san mateo native tom brady is arguably the most successful quarterback in the nfl. while he prepares for the super bowl, he's also trying to save the life of a man who taught him much of what he knows. here's abc's josh elliot. >> throwing, touchdown! >> tom brady is a three time super bowl champion, a two-time most valuable player and by any measure one of the greatest quarterbacks in football history. >> pull the ball back to the right. >> all thanks in part to the efforts of his life long throwing coach, tom martinez. he owes him so much and in quickly failing health he needs so much himself. >> today we have a couple of celebrities, tommy brady. >> this was the martinez he first met. a northern california team was seeking the expertise of martinez, then a local junior college coach. but he would become much more than mentor. >> the very first time when tommy got stage fright before
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the first game, tom martinez went out and worked with him, and within two minutes had him fully confident again. >> the two also romain in near constant contact via text message and the results are well-known. all the triumph and accolades. but it's the man brady has become that is martinez's greatest work and now hope. for several years martinez was diagnosed with diabetes, one of the host of maladies threatening his life. without a kidney transplant his doctors now give him any more than a few months to live. >> my body in the last four years has been brutalized. i probably had seven operations. i probably get stuck with a needle 25 times a week. i'm trying to stay alive. you know, i don't want to be
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immortal but i want to live a little longer. >> but martinez didn't teach tom brady to shrink from a challenge. so it was that brady took to facebook,, and to media knew and old, in search of a donor that might help save the life to a man that has meant so much. >> he's been a great friend of mine for a long time and taught me how to throw the football at a very young age. he's been looking for a kidney for quite a while. >> what do you say when people come forth and try to -- after you hit that down spot, you know, where you feel like quitting, and everybody else is telling you, no, this isn't going to work. >> accuracy, that's the key. >> tom is, you know, not given up on his coach. i can't express in words my gratitude. >> anything. >> josh elliot reporting there. a youtube video of a
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4-year-old niners van from vacaville heartbroken by last sunday's loss has received more than 275,000 hits so far. >> what's wrong? >> i don't know.] whining] >> you thought the niners would be in the super bowl in maybe next year they will number the super bowl. i still love you, do you love me? whose got it better than us! >> nobody! >> that's little johnny price. his dad recorded the video tuesday after coming home from work. caught the attention of 49ers ceo who tweet it had to his followers saying i couldn't have said it any better myself. he said they started rooting for the niners this season when they were watching the games together. >> i had the exact same reaction and we videotaped it and nobody thought it was cute. i guess it was the younger thing. >> yeah, it's cute. we are heading for another warmer than afternoon but we're
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frosty in the north bay, 65 livermore. upper 60s north and south end of the bay maybe a few 70s. tomorrow a couple degrees cooler but we are going to stay mild, maybe a rain drop on sunday night, monday morning. >> all right. thank for joining us on the abc7 saturday morning news. the next newscast at 8:00 a.m. keep track of the latest news on twitter, abc7 news bay area. have a great day! dinner? candles? i wanted it to be special. oh, what's this? it's progresso's new loaded potato with bacon. mmm, it's good. honey, i love you and... oh my gosh, oh my gosh.. look at these big pieces of potato. yeah but honey, i love you and... is that what i think it is...it is... it's bacon. honey look. [ male announcer ] progresso rich and hearty... 4 new flavors, you can lose yourself in. what's that? big piece of potato. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup.
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