>> good afternoon, everyone. >> 49er star aldon smith will sit out after being hit with a suspension. his ban stems from off the field legal troubles. >> smith pleaded not guilty to dui and weapons charges last month. he missed five games last year after going into rehab following the dui. smith cannot play until the 49ers visit the new york giants on november 16. today fans reacted to the news

outside of levi stadium. >> i definitely think nine games is a bit much, but he got to help get this thing moving in the right place. >> it's bad at the beginning of a season in a new ballpark, but it is what it is. you do something, you have to pay for it. >> the 49ers say they prepared for this and issued this statement, saying, quote, aldon has taken responsibility for his actions and continues to show growth personally and professionally. he will continue to support him, but it's time to put this matter behind us and focus on the season ahead. >> so, are uh surprised at the suspension, larry? >> most people would say the expectation on the high side was six to eight games. so this is something of a surprise, but in my opinion, right after we saw the national outrage over what was perceived as a light two-game slap on the wrist for ray rice in a domestic abuse case, i just felt that he was going to get hammered by the commissioner. roger goodell used kind of an unusual formula to come up with

the nine-game penalty. four games for violations of the substance abuse policy and then another five games for violations of the personal conduct code. and there's no appeal possible here. so in other cases in previous years, you kind of bargain it down to maybe six games or something. that's not going to happen. the commissioner sending a career message that repeat offenders are just not going to be tolerated in the nfl. aldon has a lot of off the field charges. he voluntary went into rehab for five weeks. we thought that might lighten his suspension. it does not appear to have helped any in this case. aldon is going to miss nine games and the niners are going to have to figure out how to win games, missing arguably their best defensive player. >> it's not like this is the first time. >> no, there are a series of repeat offenses here. the culture in the nfl right now is, we just saw josh gordon get a year-long suspension for smoking marijuana. so aldon is lucky he's going to

have a chance to play at all this season in that context. >> all right, thank you, larry. local authorities alert the public through emergency alert systems to warn of a natural disaster or immediate public threat. >> but some people say they didn't get any alert at all after the 6.0 earthquake in napa. we have more from downtown napa. alyssa? >> a city spokesman tells me this day and age, information spreads so quickly on social media, on television, even through text message, they didn't feel an emergency alert was necessary. >> we want to minimize any exposure. >> this was the alert method after the chevron refinery explosion august 6 of 2012. an abc 7 news viewer e-mailed us asking why there was no alert after napa's 6.0 tremor sunday morning. we wanted to find out. >> by the time we could have gotten permission to activate eas, there would have been thousands of tweets, facebook

posts, insfa gram photos and news stories about what was going on. so it never really was even part of the consideration for us. >> gary martin, the city spokesman, said the earthquake already happened. it was too late for a warning. he says unless there was an immediate threat, like a dangerous gas leak or a fire spreading through town, the city will not activate eas. but some think they should. >> we're not as familiar with earthquakes and what to do. >> her family is from new york. they rely on eas warnings for information during hurricanes. >> evacuation. >> i think communication in general is important. >> others like nancy turner say an alert would only work in certain natural disasters. >> it probably would be helpful to some people. to me, i think it would have been irrelevant. >> the earthquake knocked her power out. she got information about damage through text messages. >> martin said the system they

did use was social media, on the web worked. in napa, alyssa harrington, abc 7 news. >> teams of fema inspectors arrived in napa. they began conducting preliminary damage assessments. the team looks at the extent and cost of a damage to a building, the number of people displaced and any health or safety problems. a pda is a first step in the process of declaring a quake zone a natural disaster area, which would then eventually free up federal aid money. >> we do provide different grants. we have rental assistance, we also have repair and replacement that is part of that grant. right now, we're really trying to go out with the teams to look and assess the damage at this point. >> the information collected by fema will be sent to the states. the governor's administration will then use it to decide whether to ask the president to declare a natural disaster or emergency. >> napa repair crews are hoping to fix all the city's broken water lines by the end of

tudjman. last water count, they had about 20 broken pipes left to fix. that's down from a peak of 120 on monday. the number of customers without water is now at 200. but city officials say all customers should have water by 5:00 p.m. today. so less than an hour. and some good news for napa area vendors. more than 95% of napa valley wineries are open for business. >> napa congressman mike thompson says they will consider waving late filing and deposit penalties for operations affected by the quake. thompson says this will give businesses one less thing to worry about. business owners will have to demonstrate how the quake affected their ability to file, pay or deposit their tax money. >> and a reminder, there's still such a big need for aid. here's how you can give where you live. simply text the word red cross to 9099. a $10 do nation will appear on your next cell phone bill.

>> we have more on the napa earthquake recovery. coming up at 4:30, the big push to get tourists back to wine country after the quake on one of their biggest weekends of the year. then at 4:55, we talk to a bay area scientist working on a warning system that will let you know weeks before a quake hits. breaking news in the south bay. a 70-year-old man has died after he was hit by a car this afternoon. mopefully we can get you some video in just a moment. there you go. this is from sky 7. an investigation is under way at the intersection of hamilton avenue and winchester boulevard. the accident happened at 1:45. now, traffic is being diverted away from winchester south of the intersection while police investigate. police say traffic will be affected for several hours while they piece together what happened. and of course, for all the breaking news, follow us on twitter at abc7news bay area. >> we're learning more about the arrest of a walnut police police

officer who's accused of beating a woman with a bat. he was arrested on august 16 in richmond outside a home from his father used to live. police say thompson put on a mask and used a baseball bat to attack a woman. >> this is a seemingly random attack. we don't know if this was a person who was looking for or if this was a mistaken identity. we just don't know that at this point. >> the victim was taken to the hospital and treated for her injuries she's expected to make a full recovery. police say thompson was not wearing a police uniform nor was he in a patrol car at the time. in a statement, the walnut creek police department said they're conducting an internal administrative investigation. the officer was immediately placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of both investigations. well, the holiday weekend is finally upon us. >> spencer's holiday started earlier this week. he's been off for a few days. a cloudy accuweather forecast. >> yeah, you do notice the

clouds much of the day. we do have improving conditions as we head into the start of the holiday weekend on your saturday. we go to live doper 7 hd right now. a sweep around the bay area, picking up on a little bit of moisture, a little green on your screen. but near the surface, the atmosphere is so dry that this moisture is not even reaching the surface. it's evaporating in virga. a gorgeous shot from our east bay camera. cloud cover overhead. sirrus cl. san jose 7 3. 64 in half moon bay. we'll show you clouds over the bay bridge. and temperatures right now anywhere from 79 in santa rose sa, 88 in novatto. a cool shot right now showing the low lying clouds in san francisco. a first look at that forecast, mainly cloudy tonight. we do expect the clouds to depart as early as tomorrow morning. that will set the stage for a bright and very warm start to

the holiday weekend. when i come back, i'll have details on sunday and especially labor daymond shaping up for the full accuweather seven-day forecast. >> thank you, drew. this is something that will definitely affect my life forever. >> still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, an emotional tony stewart speaks publicly for the first time since the tragic accident that took another racer's loof. plus -- >> there we go. that's what we're talking about. >> manny pacquiao's big visit to at&t park where he'll be throwing something other than punches tonight. >> and new after 4:30. back to napa and why some people aren't being allowed back into their homes or businesses even though they didn't suffer any damage. >> we're taking your questions on twitter and facebook. we'll answer them live in a few minutes. facebook.com/michaelfinney on abc 7. >> at 4:10 on your friday. taking a look at the traffic on this holiday weekend.

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>> well, the clock is ticking in san francisco. construction crews face a tuesday morning deadline to finish this job, replacing a bridge hinge north on 280 in san francisco. cal tr nah s closed the bridge yesterday. tonight, drivers may encounter

delays with week getaway traffic coupled with a giants home game at at&t park. if you need help navigating around these traffic problems, we highly recommend getting ways on your smart phone. it's our exclusive abc 7 news traffic app. and you can get it for free on apple's app store or google play. >> emotional remarks today from nascar driver tony stewart. his first public comments since his car hit and killed a fellow driver. he said he's looking forward to getting back behind the wheel for a race sunday night in atlanta. >> this has been one of the toughest tragedies i ever had to deal with. >> tony stewart was visibly emotional, speaking publicly since his car struck and killed kevin ward jr. >> i want kevin's father, kevin's senior, his mother pam and his sister's christie and kayla and kaitlyn to know that every day i'm thinking about

them and praying for them. >> ward was killed three weeks ago during a dirt track race in new york when after his car collided with stewart's, he got out mid race, walking on the track and pointing his finger. stewart's car struck ward and killed him. stewart says he has not raced since the tragedy out of respect for ward's family. and took hope in his own way. >> it's given me the time to think about life and how easy it is to take it for granted. >> the nascar champion is back behind the wheel for this sunday's sprint cup competition in atlanta. >> i think being back in the car this week with my racing family will help me get through this difficult time. >> stewart's teammates are giving them his full support. >> tony loves racing. and that's why he was racing on the night that he was. >> i'm glad to see him back at the racetrack. >> for now, stewart is not answering questions because of the pending criminal investigation. some day he says he will. in the meantime, he'll deal with

the tragedy by getting back on the track. >> and nascar's president say they will waive the rules and will allow stewart a chance to qualify for the championship series despite missing those last three races. carolyn costello, nbc news, new york. >> boxing legend manny pacquiao will be throwing more than punches tonight when he steps on to the field at at&t park. the welterweight champ in san francisco promoting his upcoming fight in november. both fighters put on their giants jerseys and took some questions from fans and the media. they'll both throw out ceremonial first pitches before tonight's giants game with milwaukee. that fight is coming up in china, a place not known as a boxing hub like las vegas. >> the fans in vegas is different. they know boxing well. but in asia, we are just starting to promote boxing there and the people really want to know boxing.

>> manny is going to be training for this fight while he also plays pro basketball for a team he owns in the philippines. good to be the owner. his trainer says he will force the champ to stop playing hoops a month before the upcoming bout. >> if you start to hear a piano while hiking through some bay area parks this labor day weekend, you're not losing your mind. santa clara county has placed a piano in four separate parks for the public to enjoy. the county has partnered with sunset piano project to see how music in public settings affects our mood and interactions with others. these pictures show staff setting up the instrument. the pianos will be in place through september. >> that's kind of cool, don't you think? >> it is interesting. >> enjoy the tranquility of nature. >> somebody comes out and they can actually play? as opposed to chop sticks. >> no, that's not going to get it done. we're now just hours away from the labor day holiday. >> we certainly with. we're already in it.

>> we're on our way to a beautiful holiday weekend around the bay area. let's take you live to life doppler 7 hd right now. you will notice the scan. it is coming up with a little bit of green on our screen. this is called virga. the atmosphere near the surface is so dry that this moisture is not reaching the surface in the form of rain showers. so we'll stick with the cloud overhead and no rain in the next 24 hours. a live look at our camera will show you this cloud very nicely. peeks of sunshine here and there, but most of the day we' been stuck in this cloud cover. the forecast features of the next 24 hours do show you this high cloud that will be with us overnight. but don't worry, we'll be tu turning sunny tomorrow afternoon. and we're mild to warm over the holiday weekend. we'll show you what was tropical storm marie, remnants. her clouds are taking up a lot of real estate. they have pushed into the bay area.

fortunately when marie gets out of here in the next 24 hours, these harmless high clouds will get out of here as well. so our forecast animation will show you tonight and early tomorrow morning. we'll see the clouds, if you're up early 6:00, 7:00 a.m. but the afternoon is turning bright. it's turning warm. got a sunny holiday weekend on tap. a lot of events happening on this holiday week. the 41st annual wine festival. total sunshine by the afternoon. mild but breezy by 73 degrees by 2:00. if you're headed to the 62nd annual art festival, you will see a similar sky early on in the morning with low clouds. temperatures right around 75 degrees. so enjoy if you're headed out and about this weekend. overnight lows, 59 in san francisco. 63 for ant yok. we take a look at highs for your saturday. start off with nor gan hill at 91. 81 for sunnyvale.

76 san mateo. san francisco will get to a high of 70 degrees after morning clouds turn to afternoon sunshine. 65 for daly city. up forth, 65. 87 santa rose sa. 90 for clear lake. warm in nap that at 87 degrees. our eastbound location, 75 for oakland, 78 for fremont. and one final stop, will take us inland to our east valley location. 89 san ramon. 92 for antioch. brentwood, nice and warm at 93 degrees. sunny afternoon for tomorrow. fog early on. more sunshine on the way for afternoon hours. and monday, a little bit of a spike in the heat. 94 inland, 70 along the coast. then we continue with the sunshine, turn a bit cooler for the rest of the week. back into the 80s inland and back into the 60s along the coast. just one day tonight for the clouds. saturday, sunday, monday, bright and beautiful. >> thank you very much. up next, how about some greece with a side of glitz.

where denny's is going high end. >> and new after 4:30, a toddler's rendition of the abc's with a twist.

this morning, 35 paramedic recruits. it follows eight weeks of specialized training that prepared them to respond to medical emergencies. the recruits say the napa quake was a reminder of what's expected of them in major emergencies. >> it's definitely scary. it can happen anywhere. any city anytime. it definitely makes us aware we have to be on our toes and respond in any type of emergency. >> the san francisco fire department still has to fill hundreds of open positions. last year, the department spent more than $40 million in overtime because of chronic understaffing. >> all right. when it comes to fine dining, denny's is probably the last place that comes to mind. >> but maybe not anymore. the chain known for its affordable diner grub opened a swanky new joint today in manhattan. and the restaurant features a crab cocktail menu, flat screen tvs and leather booths.

>> even a new take on its best known item, the grand slam breakfast. this one comes with champagne and costs $300. >> what? >> a far cry from moons over my hammy. >> just ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, the bizarre saga on an east bay teenager who's now in the psych ward after being arrested on charges related to a stolen iphone. >> also, there's a big push to get tourists back to the wine country. some say this is a make or break weekend. >> and the drastic step united kingdom is now taking in response to isis militants.

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the lawyer of a young man jailed for selling an iphone who claims to have found says his client has been stuck in a really bad situation for nearly two weeks. >> he ended up in a psych ward instead of a regular jail cell. a story that you'll see only on abc 7. vick? >> well, sharma's lawyer says that his young client is absolutely terrifies, being stuck in the psych ward with violent prisoners, as lawyers tried to get him moved to a regular cell for the past two weeks, but it's been difficult

because sharma has virtually become a prisoner of the system. >> 18-year-old param sharma was convicted august 18 to charges related to selling an iphone, not his, on craigslist. it wasn't theft because he said he found it. his lawyer says the charge, a misdemeanor is a rarely used one. >> nail you're to make reasonable efforts to find the owner of the phone. >> the judge sentenced sharma to 90 days in jail. that's when sharma's karma went south. he somehow ended up in the psych ward. >> he's in block f, which is according to the sergeant here, the worst of the worst in the psych ward. >> already his lawyer says sharma has been attacked. >> somebody apparently tried to kill him and he was really, really upset. >> how in the world did sharma end up in the psych ward when he has no mentalness. did the judge order it? >> the judge said he didn't

sentence him to the psych ward. he sentenced him to the jail. >> when they went back to the court, he found that all of the records in this case were gone. >> the judge confirmed on the record on august 27 was that the file indeed has disappeared. >> without the files, the judge said there was nothing he could do. and shallaby says the sheriff's office, which administers the jail said the courts had to authorize the move. finally late today, without any word why, jailers told shallaby, sharma would be moved to a regular cell. and then the court's administrative staff told abc 7 news they had suddenly found the missing file. but still didn't know why it went missing. vick lee, abc 7 news. >> napa says it's open for business, but some business owners in the downtown area say they're losing money, even though they didn't suffer damage in last sunday's earthquake. some sfraubts on main street are red tagged because the buildings behind them aren't structurally

sound. main street business owners are frustrated. >> the person who owns the building behind us refused to retrofit his building. doesn't think he needs to. i think even today, and his lack of action has impacted everybody along this street. >> the problem can be found in nap that neighborhoods as well when the owner of this victorian ignored the red tag yesterday and went inside, it fell some more. now the next door neighbors have been red tagged and they had to move out. >> obviously napa is far from back to normal. this, though is a very big tourist weekend. >> nick smith is back in the quake zone today catching up with tourists and those who depend on them. we hear there's a free concert downtown tonight. >> not only is there a free concert, there's a free concerto night, one tomorrow night, and the uptown theatre is open again for business. that sign behind me does not tell the whole story. you want food? they got it.

you want wine, they got that too. they want everyone to know that napa is open for business. you can't move through napa and not see reminders of the 6.0 quake that hit on sunday. parts of downtown damage have become a curious attraction for tourists using their cameras to snap images of caution tape and wire fences blocking businesses that six days ago were up and round running. merchants in this wine-making region are taking a hit. some have had their doors shuttered by building inspectors but most are open and they want you to know it. they're cleaning up, dusting off and struggling to be recognized. counting their blessings, the damage from the napa quake wasn't worse than it was. our cameras were there when this bus load of tourists poured into jamson ranch vineyards. earthquake or bust, this group determined to follow through its plans to eat, shop, play and drink in napa. >> people are still staying strong, despite what they' gone through. and they're still receptive to visitors.

so we're really enjoying ourselves. >> reporter: this is a big weekend for tourism. places like napa cigars on first street and naked wines are hoping people will know they're open for business. both are offering a few discounted deals andled hoing special events through the weekend. everyone is invested in napa's recovery. contra costa water district is working with the city of napa to repair broken water lines, like this one. this pipe cracked during the quake. crews hope to have it fixed before the football game takes to the field tomorrow in their matchup against montgomery high school out of santa rose sa. here's to you, napa. a toast celebrating your strength and resolve. the welcome mat, it is out for visitors, even if it is a little dusty right now. in napa, nick smith, abc 7 news. the white house does not expect the u.s. to raise its terrorism threat warning level,

after british authorities raised their terror threat level today to the country's second highest. the decision is related to developments in iraq and syria. and the growing threat of isis. abc news has more. >> we will respond calmly and with purpose. >> one of the america's closest allies reacting to threats of acts of domestic terrorism from isis. british authorities raising the terror threat level in the united king come from substantial to severe. while there was no indication of an imminent attack, braem david cameron said the is necessary because isis presents a brand of militant extremism, more dangerous than the world has ever seen. and because isis has recruited hundreds of fighters with western passports, many from the uk. >> we need to do more to stop people traveling, to stop those who do go from returning and to deal decisively with those who are already here. >> in fact, authorities believe the hooded man seen on video showing the execution of james

foley was from london. >> the ambition to create an extremist caliphate is a threat to our own security here in the uk. >> there are also american citizens fighting for syria-based terror groups like isis. among them, u.s. officials tell abc news, a dozen men from the minneapolis st. paul area. but officials here are not anticipating a change in the national threat level. >> this is a threat that we are monitoring. it's one we have been focused on for quite some time. >> a pentagon spokesman says a strategy to combat isis is evolving, and he underscored the obama administration's view that any strategy must go beyond military intervention. >> it's got to be a more comprehensive and regional and got to factor in other elements of national power than just military. >> the pentagon says this latest crisis in iraq has cost the united states more than $500 million since the fighting began in june. abc news washington. nato leaders are now sounding an alarm over russian

president's vladimir putin's apparent strategy to take control of southeastern ukraine. >> this video shows volunteer ukrainian forces moving out of the embattled region. reports say anti-government separatists, backed by russian troops are heading that way towards the strategic port city. it's believed putin wants to establish an over-land route from russia to crimea, which he annexed five months ago. nato's leader condemned russia's actions following an emergency meeting today. >> we urge russia to seize its illegal military actions. stop its support to arm separatists and take immediate and very viable steps towards deescalation of this grave crisis. >> reports say the ukrainian military is preparing to defend the area. workers have been seen digging trenches and building defensive positions in anticipation of an assault, while residents are moving out.

iceland has lowered a volcano alert following this volcano's overnight eruption. officials say it poses no threat to aviation. that comes as welcomed news to both airlines and passengers. you may recall 2010, ash from another vol cain owe in iceland forced a closure of european air space for five days. 100,000 flights were canceled because of fears that ash could damage jet engines. >> and amateur video captured a much different scene across the globe. flames lit up the sky over papau new guinea after a mountain erupted and forced the evacuation of some nearby communities. other people were urged to remain indoors to protect themselves from falling ash. quantas is rerouting flights away from the volcanic cloud. it even destroyed a town 20 years ago. coming up, a toddler who sure knows how to rock out when he's singing his abc's.

>> i'm michael fin knee in today's 7 on your side just ahead. i'm still reading your questions on twitter and facebook. you can contact me at michaelfinney@abc 7 and on twitter at mfinney. i'll answer your questions live here in just a little bit. >> a live look at our east bay hills camera. clouds overhead. but don't worry, a brighter and warmer holiday week forecast. the accuweather forecast coming up. >> and at 4:38 on your getaway friday holiday weekend, we're taking a look at traffic. traffic coming towards us, 101 north, traffic coming out of san a fell on the right hand side. south 101 traffic heading towards san francisco and the city. stay with us.

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♪ >> that's funny. sometimes you want to get up and dance no matter where you are. but i wouldn't recommend dance on the roof. but this is a roofer who does some gravity-defying dance moves. busting a move or >> he's like the shakira roofer.

w, x, y and z! >> hitting the high note there. this 1-year-old grabbed the mike with no prompting and started rocking out. his dad says he's not surprised. he loves music and metal rock in particular. this brought to you by letter "a" for ac/dc. >> all right, no so angry because it's pleasant. >> it's early. >> what a cute kid. we're going to see all smiles across the bay area tomorrow, because more sunshine is on the way. live doppler 7 hd right now, we'll show you a fair am of cloud cover overhead. a little bit of moisture in the higher parts of our atmosphere. the moisture not reaching the ground in the form of showers. if you are headed to at&t park,

see the giants take on the brewers. we're dry, but mostly cloudy. sunset at 7:43. at 10:00, as we're wrapping up the game, temperatures falling around 61 degrees. nationwide forecast, a cold front moving through the great lakes. showers and thunderstorms through chicago, st. louis, new orleans. and it's steamy and hot in new orleans. 95 degrees. east coast looking great. 88 atlanta. and closer into california. we are expecting dry conditions and lots of sunshine for your sad. 102 the high in fresno. 77 the high for tahoe. the bay area tomorrow. high, 92 degrees. comes up at 5:00, we'll show you how sunday and labor daymond are shaping up. >> thank you, drew. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, why the grocery store

labels can be misleading and what it could mean for your health. plus -- >> the crowd was coming so he said -- the car almost flipped over. >> a young boy taken on a wild ride inside a carjacked vehicle. how he got police to rescue him and the other children inside. >> we're still getting lots of questions after the napa earthquake. how long, for instance, do you have to wait to get your insu

>> c lo green pled no contest in a drug-related charge. prosecutors accuse green of furnishing ecstacy to a woman during a dinner 2012. a judge accepted the plea and sentenced green to three years of formal probation and 45 days of community service. green is best known for his song "forget you" and being a judge on the singing competition show "the voice." >> a quick acting 9-year-old in texas is being credited for stopping a carjacking. alex beasley was one of five kids inside an suv outside a houston jack in the box. his baby-sitter went inside to get some food and left the car running. huge mistake.

that's when a 24-year-old man jumped in and took off. >> he said hang on. and then i was like wait, you're in the wrong car. and he was like i know. i'm stealing this car. >> terrific. the suspect brenton simmons wildly drove around for hours with the kids. he was speeding and swerving all over the road. all the kids except alex slept through the whole thing. when the car thief finally stopped at a gas station, alex alertly grabbed the baby-sitter's cell phone that was in a cub holder and called 911. a short time later, police pulled the car over and arrested simmons. >> kid kept his cool. very good. a new study says many of us are eating transfats without even knowing it. the seshts for disease control says transfat is still present in many foods, even in those that make the zero grams claim on their labels because it's slipped into packaged foods. the fda allows companies to claim the product contains zero

grams of transfats, as long as the amount doesn't include more than 0.5 grams. that may not sound like a lot, but it can add up quickly. >> if you're having multiple servings of something like chips, you could be having somewhere between 1 1/2 to 2 grams of transfat which is less than ideal. >> the american heart association says you shouldn't eat more than 2 grams of transfat per day. however, the institute of medicine claims there's no safe level of artificial transfats and says it's linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. michael finney is here, answering questions through twitter and e-mail. >> we're both excited. >> i'm going to ask the question. for the earthquake, how do i get a qualified repair person that won't rip me off. >> that's a great question. let's start with. you need to make sure they're licensed. you do that by saying are you licensed, getting them to give

your license number then you go online and go to the contractor's state licensing board, california state licensing board. and then you look up a the license number. very, very easy. just punch it in. you need to do that at least three times. get three bids. ifs if asks you for more than $1,000 or 10% of the work of the job, whichever is less, run away. it's illegal. they're not allowed to do that. 10% or $1,000, whichever is less. it's a great consumer protection. it's going to take a while to find the person. >> yeah, recommend dpapgs twitter user asks, what's the name of the organization that feeds people in vallejo. >> i assume you mean the red cross. they set up a center for affected victims. let mess show you where it's located. florence douglas center. 333 amadore street in vallejo, california. we tend to be concentrating on napa, but there were problems there as well.

>> i want to get earthquake insurance now because of the tremors, but they're telling me i have to wait 90 days. is that so? >> not that i'm aware of. if you go through the california earthquake authority, you can buy it right now. 4 but the catch is, none of the tremors connected to this earthquake are covered. so if there is a completely different earthquake, they would cover that. but any aftershocks from this one, it would not be covered. now the private earthquake insurance, most of them say you've got to wait 30 days then they'll sell it to you. >> that's very confusing. couldn't a new earthquake happen along the same fault? >> it's very odd. what happens apparently is the california earthquake authority relies on the geological survey. and they say it's a different quake, it's a different quake. if they say it's an aftershock from this one, then it's an aftershock from this one. >> thank you, michael. up next, what would you do if you got more than a week's notice ahead of an earthquake?

we talk to scientists work on the warning system. >> coming up new at 5:00, hear how a whale watching expedition turns to a call for help. and from fake shoes to fake drugs to fake football gear. customs officials thought they had seen it all. until today. that's next on a

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activate after an earthquake starts, giving a second notice kneer the epicenter. but one scientist says he can do better. he's working op an early detection system that could give people days of warning ahead of a quake. a real game changer for anyone living in a quake zone like the bay area. >> we can actually triangulate where earthquakes will occur and we know it two weeks ahead of time that there is a 90-plus-percent earthquake, that we believe an earthquake would happen within a couple of miles where we say it will happen. >> reporter: even a broad warning zone to a city or county would be better than none at all. advanced notice could give emergency management officials time to get their resources in place before a quake instead of afterwards. it would be up to officials to decide if it's enough for an alert. in this laboratory, he show med how the system would work. it's based on changes in

electromagnetic currents, generated by an increase in pressure in the fault line, miles below the earth's service. he's simulating the pressure build-up below the surface, the squeezing of the rocks, activates a current that could be measured all the way at the surface. now, if we know that current build-up reaches a certain level, there's a possibility of being able to forecast an earthquake up to two days in advance. >> we can learn something about what happens on the sur nas of the earth, which is trirged by something that happens below the surface of the earth. >> right now, the system is still in the testing stages. scientis scientis scientists are using his research. tens of millions of dollars away from being installed across california. as the seti institute in mountain view, abc 7 news. >> imagine what warning could do. get people out of really dangerous areas. thank you so much for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00.

abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now with cheryl and larry. a woman came running down the street. she said someone tried to attack her. >> terror in an east bay neighborhood. what led to the arrest of a walnut creek police officer. >> and the 49ers suffer a big blow. their best pass rusher, aldon smith is suspended. what it's costing him and how long he'll be out of the game. >> i'm abc 7 news meteorologist. a lot of clouds and even fog lingering. find out if it will brighten up in time for your holiday weekend plans coming pup . >> live from the kgo tv broadcast center. this is abc 7 news. >> a woman came out of the bushes where she was hiding and said she had been attacked by a male with a mask on with a baseball bat. >> and richmond police respond issed quickly to arrest that man who turns out to be a police officer. good evening, everyone.

i'm larry bielç in for dan ashley. >> i'm cheryl jennings. this is a complicated with serious implications. a walnut street police officer is accused of attacking a woman with a baseball bat in an apparently random assault. lauren anthony joins us with more. bora? >> reporter: well, hi, cheryl. walnut creek had little to say here today. greg thompson is a veteran patrol officer. he started his career in 1984. now he's fasing the possibility of felony charges. it appears he may have been trying to defend a family home in rich monday. but if allegations are true, his method was well outside the law. >> we had already gone to bed. and started hearing something banging. >> clarence culver lives across the street from where a wall creek police officer was arrested for attacking a woman and her car with a baseball bat. >> at least one or maybe two police officers had already arrived and they were starting

to talk to the man in the car. and then just moments later, the woman ran up the street yelling that he had attacked and chased her. >> the incident happened august 16 at 2:00 in the morning. the suspect, 53-year-old veteran patrol officer gregory thompson. >> according to police, thompson was arrested for attacking the woman as she walked down clinton avenue. near where thompson's late father once lived. an empty house that's now for sale. >> this is a seemingly random attack. we don't know if this was a person he was looking for or if he was a mistaken identity. >> police say the victim had run out of gas and was walking down the sidewalk. wearing a mask, the suspect smashed the car and hit the woman with the bat. >> a witness described a male with a mask and a baseball bat walking to that vehicle. and they later discovered the mask on the floor board of the vehicle and the bat in the trunk of the car. >> there was no answer at thompson's home, and his attorney had no comment.