good morning, it's 4:00. thank you for joining us. we are coming on early to give you the latest on the b.a.r.t. situation. >> marathon 18-hour talks aimed at after thing another b.a.r.t. strike are still under way. good news, when negotiations roll along, so do the trains. no strikes yet. amy is live in oakland where the talks are being held with the latest. >> they are pulling an all-neither. they are still here in the building behind me negotiating, bargaining. this is the session that started yesterday. they aren't saying much how it's going. at this point we can only hope this is a good sign. they did come out about 10:30 to

announce trains would run today. there would not be a strike today. they gave a little hint about what's going on inside at that bargaining table. >> negotiations have been continuing. the parties are totally engaged. some progress has been made. >> you've got a federal mediator. there are only a few in the whole country working and a few are here. you've got a presidential appointee observing the process. hopefully the b.a.r.t. board of directors will consider what they are jeopardizing in the bay area and start acting more responsibly. >> reporter: they did not give a strike deadline. they are working toward a deal with no strike deadline on the horizon. we've seen a few come outside for smoke breaks or a walk. they look very tired, but they are still at it this morning.

abc 7 news. >> amy, thank you very much. >> with b.a.r.t. trains rolling, let's check in to see about the morning commute. >> very good morning to you. we do have at least six trains running on time. as we take you into the east bay, we have construction, too. southbound 880 to 98th avenue. that's where you'll find four lanes blocked off. farther north as you approach high street, another area of construction creating a bottle neck. let's take a look now at our drive time traffic where 580 is moving. top speeds 24 minutes to get into dublin. 101 through san rafael. not a problem. here is a picture of the bay bridge tolls. it is still very early and a very happy friday eve. >> thank you very much. good morning. we'll start with live doppler 7 hd. strong sunshine once again.

it is bone dry outside. you can see that on the radar. no radar returns. temperatures running in the 40s and 50s. we do have an exception. san francisco at about 60. 51 in oakland, 55 in san carlos. 52 in fremont and near 50 in concord. 40 in napa. those are the warm spots. east bay hills, cool spots in the north bay. less cloud cover. did you see the high clouds yesterday? that's not going to happen today. 73 to 79 around the bay. 68 to 74 your afternoon temperatures at the coast. >> thank you. no strike today but no deal either. if there is a strike, b.a.r.t. has 200 buses that will run from nine stations. concord, lafayette, walnut creek, hayward and fremont.

carpooling on 80, 880, 680 shall extended from 5:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. chp don't plan to write tickets unless there is a strike. abc 7 news.com has information on casual carpools and download the exclusive traffic app to navigate, follow breaking news development on twitter @abc7news bay area. you can find immediately if there is a b.a.r.t. settlement or strike. allow for push notifications. you'll get breaking news alerts. another crippling transit strike has been avoided as for now. more than 1,600 ac transit bus drivers and employees voted down two contract offers and were ready to walk off the job this morning. sticking points include pay and health care costs.

governor brown is urging ac transit and local 192 officials to stay at the bargaining table. ac transit riders are relieved bus service will continue. >> fantastic especially with b.a.r.t. and everything going on, ridiculous. >> there cannot be a strike while they investigate a dispute. governor brown will decide if it appropriate to ask a court to confirm the 60 day cooling off period for ac transit as he did with b.a.r.t. in july. our transit situation may be unsettled but the federal government is back in business. after 9:00 last night, president obama signed a bill to reopen the government. raised the debt limit for now avoiding a default. you're looking at a live picture of the capitol where they got it done. >> reporter: the federal government is back up and running. president obama signed the bill

to end the shutdown and clear the nation of financial default at least for now. >> we can begin to lift this cloud of uncertainty and you an ease from our businesses and the american people. >> the house approved the bill last night. the majority of republicans voting no, 285-144. speaker boehner backed down to allow the vote. >> we thought the good fight. we just didn't win. >> earlier the senate overwhelmingly passed it 81-18. senate leaders harry reid and mitch mcconnell crafted the agreement which gives the president a clean funding bill, debt limit increase and no changes to obama care. tea party republicans are not happy. senator ted cruz who pushed for the shutdown vowed to keep fighting and insisted this was a win. we saw the house of representatives take a courageous stand listening to the american people. that was a remarkable vic there i to see the house engaged in a profile in courage. >> reporter: this was a costly

battle. one estimate puts the price ticket at $21 million. these world war ii memorial visitors are glad congress ended the stalemate. >> i don't think it's good for the country. >> reporter: it might not last. government funding runs out january 15th and the nation's credit limit will need to be raised again before february 7th. it's 4:07 now. the government reopening means tourists can visit alcatraz this morning. first boat leaves at 8:45. the former penitentiary has been offlimits to everyone and that's been a big disappointment for foreigners here for the america's cup yacht races. tour companies had to furlough and lay-off workers. unlike federal employees, private sector workers won't be getting paid. >> visitors are being welcomed to yosemite park this morning. roads leading into the park

opened immediately last night. visitor centers and camp grounds will be staffed and opened. yosemite shut down october 1st and the impact was devastating on local towns. the park is one of the most heavily visited tourist attractions. today marks the 24th anniversary of the 6.9 magnitude quake hit between the world series between the giants and the a's. you're looking at the marina district which caught fire and the bay bridge buckled and the cypress structure was flattened. 63 people died in all, thousands left homeless. >> this is now an annual opportunity to make sure we are all ready for the next big quake. matt keller is live at the tech museum in san jose. what are they doing there today? >> this is meant to be a fun event about a serious topic. about 400 local students are going to be here at the tech museum later today to participate in the world's

largest earthquake drill. this is coming, as you said, on the 24th anniversary of the loma priata earthquake. it was a wake-up call to prepare for the more devastating earthquakes inevitable in the future. here is video of last week's great california shakeout. today's event is meant to educate the public on the need of home, business and commuter preparedness and highlight what to do during an earthquake and the fires that follow. a mobile truck will be here for demonstrations. the actual drill will be 10:17 this morning. matt keller, abc 7 news. the anniversary reminding us it's never too early to plan ahead. we have a list of resources and tips to help you prepare for any type of disaster, including earthquakes. just go to abc 7 news.com and look for the prepared norcal

logo. and prepare for the traffic on the freeways. >> we have about six trains running on b.a.r.t. good news is they are not on strike today. you'll be able to get to work on time. it is still very early. a lot of traffic hasn't built up yet. you see that green, that does mean you are at top speeds as we take you into san jose. looks like a clear drive. we have construction though both north and southbound 880. you come up to 280 to forest avenue. with a couple of lanes blocked, you might see detours in place and a little slowing. 680 to walnut creek and dublin 14-minute commute. southbound into san francisco, a 51-minute drive. just 24 minutes along highway 17. outside we go. here is a picture of walnut creek where you can see 680 empty out there. smooth drive from highway 4 down to the 24 junction. it's another day to take out

that convertible. another great day of sunshine. here is our day planner. starting off with temperatures that maybe aren't quite as cool as yesterday but 40s around and low to mid 50s through the 7:00 hour. by noon it's going to be pleasant everywhere. make it a hard time getting a seat at your favorite cafe with these low to mid 70s. by 4:00, 68 at the coast. 74 around the bay. warm sunshine across the board. quiet this evening from 60 at the coast, 66 around the bay and dress for 70 inland. next three days. here is your full weekend in view. bright beginning to the weekend with temperatures staying above average with that dry air holding on all the way through sunday. i do see a small shift in the pattern next week. it's going to bring cooler weather. we'll see if it brings rain. that's coming up. thank you, mike. next terrifying moments for a san francisco family.

a couple who watched as a carjacker drove off with their kids strapped inside. also support for struggling homeowners. where you can find help from the group that saved thousands of homes from foreclosures. >> san francisco, the place to be for the fattest paychecks. why th

waiter: here's your check. oh! you--you got it. you know, since i got rid of my car, i really enjoy walking. ok. got it? no, i'm good. announcer: getting pulled over for buzzed driving could cost you around $10,000 in fines, legal fees, and increased insurance rates. oh, you're home early. you live with your mom? announcer: that'll set your game back a few years. buzzed, busted, and broke because buzzed driving is drunk driving.

welcome back, it's 4:14. the parents of two children taken by car in a carjacking ordeal. the trouble started when stephanie thomas stepped out of her volkswagen suv in mission district tuesday night. a woman hopped in the driver's seat and drove away while stephanie was taking pictures of her husband and his cousin. >> i think the hardest part was watching the car turn the corner. out of my sight. i think that's the moment when

you're like, this is now out of my control. >> i'm grateful even through that long 35 minutes i did have this underlying feeling that it's going to be okay. >> a man found the suv blocking his driveway on sweeney street a few miles away. he called police when he saw the kids strapped into the car seats unharmed. no arrested have been made. an armed robber targeted a group of soccer players in oakland. the players noticed two men going through their backpacks at 3:30. our media partner oakland tribune confirms the players confronted the thieves. the thieves took shoes, wallets, cell phones and other valuables. happening today, a federal appeals court will consider a free speech lawsuit over a controversial incident at a morgan hill high school on cinco de mayo three years ago. five students were told they couldn't wear t-shirts with the

american flag. administrators asked them to turn their shirts inside out to avoid a conflict with mexican american students celebrating the holiday. the parents of the three students are suing the school district as well as the principal and assistant principal claiming their sons' civil rights. you have help slashing your mortgage payment or getting a new home loan. naca is holding a five-day american dream event in oakland. home buyers can get a low interest mortgage even without perfect credit. they can get mortgage relief through interest reductions. the neighborhood assistance corporation works with major lenders to modify home loans for those who need help. it runs today through monday from 8:00 in the morning to 6:00 in the evening at the oakland marriott city center located at 10th and broadway and walk-ins are welcome. let's see if commuters will

be welcoming the news of what's happening out there now. >> i think they will. we have about 12 trains running. looks like you are going to catch that train and go to work without having to worry. as we take a peek at traffic across our roadways, we have lots of construction. not too much congestion. northbound 680 from monument boulevard we will have a few lanes blocked off. that will last until 6:00 this morning. southbound side if you need to get away from highway 4 to concord, everything is moving along at top speeds. as we take you over to daily city, if you travel 280 to get into san francisco, it takes you up to king street. wide open. nothing but green. short nine-minute commute there. outside we go. here is a look at this as we take it over to the san mateo bridge. wide open roadways here. nice and clear as you make that push into foster city. moving along fine there as things start to get busy, you

can always download the exclusive app to navigate the roadways. go to google play or the app store. don't forget to join our group. look at our forecast. good morning, mike. >> i get to be part of your group? >> yes. welcome. >> what a great morning. >> good morning, everybody. here is a look at the wide picture of live doppler 7. you see the rain pushing into the east. not nearly as potent as it was. look at the door opening to the cooler weather though up to the north moving through montana, wyoming and colorado. this is going to reenforce the fall flavor to the forecast east of the rockies and keep us locked into high pressure and dry conditions. you can see on live doppler 7 hd. this morning, it's also calm. sfo, oakland, hayward, livermore and fairfield, everyone else calm conditions. you can see it's not bouncing much as we look at sausalito,

san francisco and the bay bridge. going to be sunny today. it's been a bright one out there. the good thing about this, we have warmer than average weather, but haven't had a spare the air day. haven't had to worry about poor air quality. warm sunshine through the weekend. weather pattern shifts next week for sure. we are going to get cooler weather. that's the big question. temperatures today anywhere from about three to eight degrees warmer than average. topping out at about 73. 77 in san rafael and oakland. rest of your neighbors down in the south bay will be to the mid to upper 70s. low 80s there. we'll have mid to upper 70s along the peninsula. low to mid 70s along the coast today into downtown south san francisco. a lot of mid to upper 70s in the

north bay valleys. we'll have mid to upper 70s each bay. berkeley 75. fremont 79. into our east bay valley antioch and livermore, our best bets to make it to 80. 30s in the north bay valley. the rest in the 40s and 50s a few clouds possible along the coast. wouldn't expect it to be thick though. here is your accu weather seven-day forecast. big change will come tuesday, wednesday and possibly thursday next week. right now, it looks dry. thanks, mike. san francisco topped the list of u.s. cities that have the biggest pay increases in the past year. the study by the salary information website pay scale shows the city saw a 3.7% pay raise. san francisco is followed by st. louis and washington, d.c. the average worker nationwide received a 1.7% increase. the survey shows san francisco's

pay bump was mostly driven by the tech sector with biotech and media. our region salaries are balanced out by having among the highest costs of living. if you're still looking for a job, the postal service is hiring in many communities around the bay area. jobs include mail handlers, truck drivers and mechanics. the postal service is looking for full and part-time workers. find out online. we posted a link on abc7news.com under "see it on tv." >> 4:21. a former oakland cop goes above and beyond the call of duty to find a lost phone. find a losi'm always up for a challenge. it's the feeling of accomplishment that drives me. and there's no better challenge than serving part-time in the coast guard reserve. i protect my country, work with the best and brightest. i get great pay and benefits in return. the coast guard reserve is important work.

i get to serve my community and it's always rewarding. if you were born ready, there's a new challenge waiting for you. learn about serving part-time at gocoastguard.com/reserve. when some people struggle with their mortgage payments, they become frozen, petrified. not knowing what to do, they do nothing, but the people who take action, are far more likely to get the most positive outcome.

making home affordable is a free government program. call now to talk one on one with a housing expert about the options that are right for you. real help, real answers right now. [laughing] [message beep] [tires screeching] >>. >> it's 4:23. owners of broadway plaza are working on a massive makeover

and giving dozens of retailers a boot. it's located on broadway plaza near south main. 40 tenants that sit between macy's and nordstrom have been given till january 31st to find a new home. plans include demolishing and rebuilding and adding more space. some displaced retailers say they have not been given any guarantee they'll be able to come back once the project is done. >> transportation officials are holding a public hearing to talk about a proposal for a week day parking fee. the fee is needed for maintenance and to improve services. proposal includes a daily rate between $2 and $5 and optional monthly passes starting at 20. it would not be implemented before january. board of directors is holding tonight's meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the ferry terminal onboard the ms marin spalding. for those who must drive,

let's find out what the commute looks like. >> it's looking great. it's not even 4:30 yet. as we look behind me, we have construction along 280. if you're travel iing to westbo, we have a few lanes that will be shut down. we have construction crews all over the bay area. make sure you flow through the cone zone. walnut creek to dublin, 15 minutes will get you there. santa rosa to san francisco 15 minutes. starting to see more traffic there 27 minutes will get from you highway 1 to los gatos. emeryville camera over towards island to san francisco. traffic moving along at top speeds. we have one construction project currently in work that. should wrap up at 5:00. good morning again. let's take a different perspective of our weather and broaden our horizon.

if you're traveling around the state, cold front from yesterday pushed all what it through. you can see the high clouds off to the east. that means total sunshine everywhere again. 65 at tahoe and 70 where the color is peeking. my facebook has it. low to mid 80s through the central valley. monterey 72. 82 in l.a. 77 in san francisco. 90 in palm springs. if you're heading to tahoe, mid to upper 60s. night temperatures will be freezing cold. >> thanks. 4:26 now. things are getting a bit wild in one georgia neighborhood a family of bears has been seen running around. this home surveillance camera recording we have showed them strolling through a subdivision about 30 miles outside of atlanta. mama bear and her two cubs have been spotted in nearby fields. authorities say they are going

to leave the bear family alone. this is a semi rural area slowly becoming residential. they believe the bears may be wandering into neighborhoods looking for food. 4:27. much more ahead in our next half hour. no b.a.r.t. strike but no b.a.r.t. deal either. a live update on the state of negotiations. >> the governor steps in to prevent another transit strike from happening. last-minute reprieve keeping buses running in the east bay. >> and the light at the end of the tunnel. caltrans sets the da a single ember from a wildfire can travel over a mile. that ember can ignite, and destroy your home or community. you can't control where that ember will land. only what happens before it does. visit fireadapted.org to learn how you can help

protect your community from wildfires. ( cheering ) ( grunts ) ( buzzer sounds ) now they're beating us on the boards out there, guys. this is your territory, grimson. do your job. grimson. hello? hi, honey. what? now? all right. ♪ the itsy-bitsy spider - ♪ climbed up the water spout... ♪ - ( giggling ) ♪ down came the rain ♪ and washed the spider out ♪ ♪ out came the sun... - shh. - ♪ and dried up all the rain ♪

♪ and the itsy-bitsy spider - ♪ climbed up the spout again. ♪ - ( rock music playing ) i love you, daddy. i love you too, sweetheart. - ( laughing ) - ♪ do you believe in magic ♪ ♪ in a young girl's heart? - ♪ how the music can free her... ♪ - hey, it's my girl. ♪ whenever it starts? - ♪ and it's magic... - you know, my daughter? ( announcer speaks ) a message from the foundation for a better life. >> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good thursday morning. thank you for joining us. >> bart trai rolling this morning as negotiators for the transit agency and the union are keeping at their marathon talks working to end the threat of a strike. abc7 news reporter, amy

hollyfield, is outside the building where talks are going on. >> they are still going on. no strike today. the negotiations continue. the new federal mediator who is at the table is keeping the talks going. they have all been here at the caltran building since 10:00 yesterday morning. we know they are here because on occasion we see members from the negotiating teams come outside. this is the longest negotiating session we have seen. both are under a gag order. the mediator has said that some progress has been made and that both parties are totally engaged. he announced there would not be a strike today but did not set a strike dead line. we are keeping watch outside the building here for you. stay with us and we will bring you an update when we get it. >> now an