captioned by closed captioning services, inc. good morning i'm eric thomas. and i'm katie marzullo. kristen and cheryl are off today. this weekend the san mateo bridge will be closed all weekend for seismic retrofit work. kira klapper is live at the hayward toll where part of the closure is getting underway. >> reporter: the california highway patrol is just right now beginning a closure of the westbound fast lane here on the san mateo bridge.

the entire bridge all lanes both directions, will be closed beginning 10 tonight. traffic is flowing smoothly on the san mateo bridge now. later today that won't be the case. the bridge closes this weekend for a three million dollar project to replace a temporary fix made two years ago. in october 2010, inspectors found a cracked steel beam under the bridge one of a series of wish-bone shaped beams connected to concrete girders that support bridge. at the time steel plates were secured above and below the failed beam. >> we designed a new system for where the tressel meets the incline on the bridge. what we're putting this is 12 new sections of the bridge and new seismic joint that allows the bridge to move during the event of a quake. >> reporter: caltrans needed to get this project finished before the rain if i season, after dumbarton work was down and while the 49ers are away.

for commuter mike, any closure comes at a bad time. >> have to take the long way around kind of a pain. san mateo is always under some kind of maintenance. live with it. >> reporter: with the big game stanford at cal tomorrow traffic isn't expected to be helped. caltrans vice drivers take bay bridge, dumbarton or highway 237. lizzie is planning ahead. >> i will be visiting my sister heading towards mountain view sunday. i will definitely plan to leave my house a little early. >> reporter: beginning at 5 monday morning lanes will gradually be reopened. all lanes are expected to be reopened 1 p.m. monday. this will all happen again next weekend, friday night to monday morning. kira klapper, news that. don't -- don't forget to

use our free waze traffic app. you can download from it the itunes app store. we have more information on abc7news.com/waze. breaking news, the entire texas a&m campus is being evacuated now they received a campus-wide bomb threat this morning. the order is posted on the university's website we have live aerials coming in now. the website directs all students, faculty on staff to evacuate immediately and not use a vehicle all classes are cancelled. we'll update you on this story. san francisco police arrested one and looking for another after the men allegedly fired at officers during a high speed chase. police say they tried to make a traffic stop around 2 a.m.

it ended two blocks away wheng( the speeding vehicle ran a red light and smashed into a taxi at eddy and franklin. one man shot at police during pursuit driver of the taxi only suffered minor injury. richmond man who prosecutors say instigated the gang rape of a teenaged girl will be sentenced to 32 years under the plea the 22-year-old manuel ortega agreed to yesterday. the assault happened three years ago this month outside richmond high during a homecoming dance the victim had to be hospitalized after being raped and beaten more than two hours. he's the first of six to have his case decided. crews making slow but steady progress against a wildfire in lake county along highway 29. one home has been lost, two subdivisions evacuated yesterday. residents of one have been allowed to return home. no word on what caused the fire it is 30% contained.

calfire hopes to have full containment by tomorrow evening. notice anyone sneezing or coughing in the next coup cull at work? -- cubicle at work? it is flu season and doctors have new concerns. >> reporter: we were upstairs in the lab where they are studying the flu virus they have concerns about the virus. as the doctor studies the flu virus this season he isn't liking what he is seeing. >> there are two new strains which are targeted by this year's vaccines which appeared this southern hemisphere to cause severe cases of influenza. >> reporter: the doctor says the science of studying infectious diseases involves the art of predicting. they aren't 100% certain about what the flu will bring. from what they can tell this year's virus could make you

sicker than in years past. the doctor has another concern. he's worried that last year's flu could impact how we behave this year. >> last year was mild and it may give beam a sense of complacency. that poe -- give people a sense of complacent -- a sense of complacency. i want to stress that we don't know half hand whether or a year is -- beforehand whether or not a year is going to be worse or better itch >> reporter: he recommends the vaccine in the drugstore or the doctor's office, made to fight what they think we will be dealing with this year. he says it doesn't just protect you. >> there's benefit from a community perspective. you protect -- by protecting yourself you help to protect others around you from getting infected. >> reporter: he says last year's flu virus possibly the mildest in a decade and he says we could take some of the

credit for that, we are getting better at washing hands and getting vaccinated. the hope is we can keep that trend going this year. amy hollyfield, abc7 news. just ahead, signs of progress for a girl shot in the head by the taliban. doctors release new pictures and information about the girl who was fighting for the right to an education. new polls giving both presidential candidates encouragement after a night of showing off their lighter sides

breaking news out of wall street. dow jones down more than 200 points poor earnings reports weigh on the stock market, microsoft, general electric and mcdonald's among the companies reporting disappointing ruts. doctors in england have update on pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by members of the taliban. these are the first photos of malala. she was shot for promoting female education. doctors say she making significant progress, but she not out of the woods yet. >> she was standing with help for the first time this morning. she is communicating very freely. she is writing. her skull will need reconstructing either by reinserting a piece of bone removed initially or with a titanium plate. >> doctors say malala will

need weeks if not months to recover. taliban targeted her in pakistan because she criticized their opposition to the education of girls and woman. she was flown to england where she is receiving medical care. president obama and mitt romney had a rare opportunity to show a lighter side of themselves in an annual charity event in new york. new polls giving both sides reason to be optimistic. >> reporter: after a night filled with jokes president obama was back on the stump today in the battleground state of virginia, unveiling a new punchline. >> the president: he's changing up so much, backtracking and sidestepping. we got to name this condition that he's going through. i think it is called, romneyia. >> reporter: they called a truce last night.

>> the president: monday's debate was different because the topic is foreign policy. spoiler alert. we got bin laden. [ laughing ] >> it is nice to relax and wear what ann and i wear around the house. >> reporter: while in new york the president stopped by the daily with jon stewart. there were lighter moments but stewart grilled the president on the administration's evolving story for the attack in libya. >> were weren't confused about the fact that four americans had been killed. i wasn't confused about the fact that we needed to ram up security around the world. >> reporter: -- in a poll president obama has a strong lead in two battleground states. in wisconsin the president leads romney by six points in iowa it is an eight point spread. sharp contrast to a daily

tracking poll which puts romney ahead by seven points. both sides are keeping their schedules light today so they can prepare for the third and final debate monday. remind third and final presidential debate is set for next monday. it will be held in florida. with a focus on foreign policy the debate starts 6 p.m. you can watch it live here. meteorologist mike nicco is ahead with our forecast. all those clouds, cooler conditions are on the way even rain as we head towards sunday night into monday i'll update you on our forecast. plus new area code coming to the bayer that weekend how it will change the way some people dial. she has been dubbed lucky penny. meet the bay area resident who won the abc 7 $49,000 giveaway.

the bay area gets a new area code tomorrow along with

change in the way you dial. the number is 669 it will serve the 408 area code in the south bay officials say they have to do to meet increasing consumer demand. starting tomorrow people living inside 408 must dial 1 plus the area code and number to complete calls. no one's existing number will change. giants on the edge of elimination and need a win tonight in st. louis to keep world series dream alive cardinals took a 3-1 lead in the series. 8-3 the final score after lincecum gave up four rounds. zito starts on the mound tonight in a 5:07 start our time. win brings them back for game six sunday afternoon. another win will set up game seven monday night and the fans are already here, you hear them you will

see them in our pet segment. sports fans have having to -- have something to smile about in a special edition of thursday night football. smith hit walker with third quarter pass would score the only touchdown of the game san francisco defense dominating holding cite to two field goals 9ers win 13-6. very lucky bay area woman rolling in new dough today. last night we aired the 49ers' great win and gave away $49,000. nick smith showed up in person with the big check. >> you are the big winner of the $49,000 sweepstakes. >> oh my god! thank you abc7! awesome! >> that's what you would say too. penny crow ended the give away just hours before the

deadline. she knows what she is going to do with the money. >> i'm going to give some money to my children and grandchildren. and i'm -- my fence has fallen down in the backyard so it is going for that. and i could just breathe. i can just breathe. >> i -- >> penny was not even going to answer the phone last night fearing it was a robo call, but she did. >> 9ers win, great, $49,000 wonderful. the weather, priceless. >> it was nice last night, wasn't it? >> oh yeah. big difference today. >> i like the cool-down feels good. >> some people are probably tired of it especially those who don't have air conditioning. good morning here's a look from south beach clouds off in the distance way to the south as you get closer to san jose, they are barking at the sundown there already out and

warming things up. as you look at santa cruz a few drops on the lens a little mist in the air even drizzle along the coast throughout the better part of the morning. live doppler radar returns are few if any mist hanging in the air humid out there muggy, more radar returns sunday night into monday. 60s and 70s even with lack of sunshine. 73 livermore, same in gilroy closer to santa cruz, watsonville, salinas and monterey mid to upper 60s. today cooler. there's a cooling trend through the weekend. that will continue as we need next week, especially monday through wednesday when we'll have our best chance of wet weather. 12° cooler in concord today after record high.

oakland 18° cooler after record high yesterday san francisco biggest drop, 85 yesterday, 65 today. south bay 76 san jose close to average mid to upper 70s there most amount of sunshine right now, 68 millbrae low to mid 70s the rest of the peninsula. mid 60s downtown south san francisco and sausalito low 60s north bay beaches low to mid 70s valleys east bay shore clouds stubborn hercules, richmond, berkeley, oakland 60s. mid 70s to 80 warmer in the east bay valleys. more clouds around the monterey bay and mid to upper 60s. tonight cooler 50s mostly cloudy mist in the air highest elevations if not out at the coast. if you are going to big game at memorial stadium noon increasing sunshine 65 by the

end of the game about 70°. sunday morning wake up to cloud cover then a break with sunshine midday sunshine then the clouds quickly return ahead of a cold front that once the sun starts to set, you can see wet pattern develop sunday night, this will last into monday morning, tuesday and wednesday. we have wet weather next week. if you are heading up to the sierra, 69 today, sunday 55° by sunday, 60s and low 70s our high temperatures monday through wednesday with all those chances of rain the best chance monday, highs in the upper 50s to 60°. definitely going to feel like fall through the weekend into next week. i don't know what they thought of your forecast, a little barking. >> that was your cue to wrap up. [ inaudible ]

coming up at 3 on katie amy grants opens up about her journey while taking care of her parents suffering from dement >> you have always been a person of deep faith was yours tested during this experience? >> i think that my faith has enlarged. >> that's coming up at 3 p.m. on katie right here on abc7. then at 4:00, actor tom hanks got too much into character this morning during a live interview on gma.

and at 5 new guidelines to treat infertility. those stories and more on abc7 news at 4 and 5. time for perfect pet. i think we have a couple of friends with something to say over there. >> they really want your attention. >> in their defense we have three robotic cameras which tend to move on their own and that tends to spook animals then 25 people behind the cameras. hi jennifer, how are you? >> good, thanks for having us. >> tell us about but did. >> these 2-years-old and he is part of a bonded pair his sister friend is in the hallway they were at a really nice home for the last couple of years unfortunately, the owner lost the home so they came to us. we would like to adopt them out together, if we can. they can be split but they are

pretty bonded. >> i would say so. tell us about some of the specials you have now. for october until november 11th, free black and mostly black cats as well as free dog adoptions. >> there's more, they will be on the website i'll post it in in 15 minutes a lot of great options for you. if you are interested call the san francisco spca: nice seeing you both. >> thanks for having us. >> you bet. from all of us here at abc7 news thanks for joining us. >> who wants to be an a millionaire next.