good afternoon, everybody. i'm larry beil. >> i'm ama daetz. it is your voice, your vote. tens of millions of americans voted today in the midterm elections. >> some polls back east are about to close. at stake, control of the senate. republicans need to pick up six seats to regain control. three states to watch, colorado, iowa and kansas. >> abc news reporter karen travers has more from washington, d.c. on today's elections. >> reporter: the rallies are done. the ads have aired. and now it's finally time to count the votes. >> i'm republican and i voted for republican candidates. >> i think this is an important election. midterm elections are a lot of times overlooked. >> reporter: analysts expect that today's nationwide turnout could hit 90 million voters,

about 9% more than 2010. but despite that increase at the polls, voters are frustrated. >> neither party in the aftermath of this election is going to be embraced by the country. >> reporter: republicans are poised to take control of the senate. >> i'm hoping we are going to have a new majority to take america in a different direction. >> reporter: two states to watch, colorado and iowa. both critical to president obama's wins in 2008 and 2012. >> there could be a new generation of republicans coming to town, powered by those two states that have symbolic importance for president obama. >> reporter: a major theme this year has been dissatisfaction with president obama. just 44% of americans have a favorable view of the president. in fact, one-third of all senate campaign ads featured an anti-obama message. >> obama's senator, not yours. >> reporter: several key races may not even be decided tonight. there is slow vote counting in alaska and could be runoffs in louisiana and georgia.

>> this easily could go well into december, even january. >> reporter: one potential bright spot for democrats, they may pick up several key governors' races. while the change in power in the senate will be a major shift, tonight may not produce a clear national mandate for republicans. karen travers, abc news, capitol hill. >> you can't win every vote. one kentucky voter showed his disapproval for senate minority leader mitch mcconnell today while at a louisville polling station. mcconnell's opponent quickly turned the photo bomb into a messaging opportunity on twitter. that tweet has since been deleted. >> the governors' race is at the top of the ticket between governor jerry brown and challenger neel kashkari. >> laura anthony live at california democratic headquarters in sacramento with their expectations tonight. laura? >> reporter: well, it's all quiet here right now but these folks at the democratic headquarters planning to have quite a celebration here tonight.

after those polls close at 8:00. for his part, governor jerry brown has kept a low profile the past couple days. he and his wife actually voted last week in oakland and brown spent some time yesterday and today attending services for the two sheriff's deputies killed near sacramento and auburn last month. any campaign comments he has made have been focused on urging voters to approve propositions 1 and 2, not on re-electing him. by contrast, brown's challenger, neel kashkari, has been up and down the state the past few days pushing hard for votes. he spent some time in northern california in silicon valley and today voted in laguna beach in southern california. where he has spent most of his time in recent days. of course, the 41-year-old banker turned politician is hoping to pull off a huge upset tonight but here at democratic headquarters, they are pretty confident that the party will go on. in sacramento, laura anthony,

abc 7 news. >> thank you, laura. oakland voters are picking a mayor today. 15 candidates are on the ballot. they include the mayor, who is seeking re-election. oakland uses ranked choice voting. that means voters must pick their top three choices and the candidate with the most first place votes won't necessarily win. the mayor won four years ago because of her large number of second and third place votes. >> i can't predict how it's going to come out but based on how many candidates are running for oakland mayor, we will probably have to see the algorithm run a few times. >> it's a challenge. it makes you really have to do your research, not just say i want to go with this person. >> the county registrar of voters will announce the first results at 8:00 tonight. keep an eye out for the results posted at midnight. these will include the first ranked choices voting tabulations. the complicated vote count means that oakland may not know who won the race for several days. >> in san jose, these men are vying to replace chuck reed as

mayor of the bay area's largest city. both agree that public safety is the key issue but they don't agree on what to do about it. abc 7 news reporter matt keller with the story. >> reporter: election day isn't what it used to be. today, poll workers often outnumber voters because it's more popular than ever to vote by mail. in santa clara county, more than 583,000 ballots were issued, with about 29% returned by election day. san jose mayoral candidates are battling for every vote in what's expected to be a close race. >> i'm thrilled that we are at the end of this campaign. i think we have all done a great job getting out there and talking to voters, and i'm confident we will prevail in a very close race. >> we fought the good fight, ran the good race, and i think people have a real clear choice here, and we are hoping of course it's decided our way. >> reporter: this morning, the current san jose city councilman dropped off his ballot at his precinct. his opponent had some work to do

at this morning's santa clara county board of supervisors meeting after he voted. lacardo points to the endorsement of past mayors to point to his qualification for the job while his opponent has the support of several police chiefs. pension reform has been a contentious issue for the police department. measure b was approved by voters in 2012. lacardo credits it for saving the city about $50 million. his opponent believes they need to stop the number of record-breaking retirements that have shrunk the department over the past few years. >> we can sit down and try to get them to where they are a little more competitive with other jurisdictions that have pirated them away. >> we need to spend smarter. we are going to build this police department back. it means we have to have the money to be able to pay them to work, not just pay them to retire. >> reporter: in addition, three seats are up for grabs on the

city council. the polls close tonight at 8:00. in san jose, matt keller, abc 7 news. contra costa county's election website is back up and running again. it went online before 1:00 p.m. county officials say there was a problem possibly with band width or capacity issues. the outage did not affect the county's ability to count and process votes. it just made it harder for voters to look up election information, including their poll locations. >> if you are still trying to sort out the races and some of the issues on the ballot, download the abc 7 news app and look for the voter resource page. we have a list of frequently asked questions about today's election. as we keep saying, polls open until 8:00 and weather is beautiful. great to get out there. >> not a factor. it won't slow you down. spencer christian is outside with the latest. >> weather should be a motivating factor today to get out and vote or do any number of things outside. it is gorgeous. here's live doppler 7 hd. we have blue skies all across the bay area right now. hard to find even a hint of a

cloud. check out this view over the bay from the rooftop camera. it's currently 65 here in san francisco. 68 across the bay in oakland. 68 in san jose. morgan hill, 69. 64 in half moon bay. another beautiful view looking out over san francisco towards the east bay. 73 in santa rosa. napa, 69. low 70s in petaluma, concord and livermore. one more live view of the golden gate bridge where we see no clouds in the sky. this is our first forecast. clear and cool this evening. tomorrow morning, mostly sunny, chilly in some spots, mainly in the north bay valleys. in the afternoon, sunny and warm with temperatures ranging from about 70 or above at the coast to right around or just above 80 in the inland areas. that's the beginning of a pattern we will see for several days going into the weekend. dan and ama? >> thank you, spencer. >> larry, i'm sorry. >> we are often confused. don't worry about it. hercules police are looking

to locate the home where an 8-year-old girl received a bag of meth while trick or treating. officers reinterviewed the child and her father who discovered the drug while examining her halloween candy. the girl was trick or treating in the promenade neighborhood. the pink packet contained a tenth of a gram of meth. police don't know if it was intentionally or accidentally dropped in the child's halloween bag. sports news. pablo sandoval has turned down the giants' one year, $15 million contract offer. he will hit the market as a free agent. by making the offer, the giants ensure they will get draft pick compensation if sandoval signs with another team in the offseason. there is expected to be a lot of interest in the panda. he can still re-sign with the giants. thought to want a deal similar to teammate hunter pence, who is leading the cheers at the parade celebration. that would be five years, $90 million. sandoval made just over $8 million this past season. after his heroics in the world series, madison bumgarner has landed on the cover of "sports illustrated" with the caption

reading walks alone among post season giants. he had two wins and a save against kansas city highlighted by his five inning amazing relief performance in game seven. >> that was quite amazing. the tear down of the old eastern span of the bay bridge is moving along, but cal trans has run in a small problem. >> it's one that could slow things down and also drive up the cost of that tear-down. abc 7 news reporter chris winn joining us live from treasure island. what's the problem out there? >> reporter: good evening, larry and ama. the eastern span has been home to these birds we are about to talk about for decades. we are live underneath the bay bridge this afternoon. you see the demolition work behind me. as we take a look at video from sky 7 hd, you have heard the saying birds of a feather flock together. for these, it couldn't be any more true. for month, bridge officials have tried to get them to move, tactics ranging from decoys to

netting, new nests and recordings, but they have been a stubborn bunch. now at issue, additional cost overruns, as you mentioned. the toll bridge program oversight committee met up in sacramento today. there is now a 90% probability that the entire contingency fund for the project will be exhausted. we are talking about a $35 million deficit that is likely for the bay bridge project based on current risk management forecasts. as we return to a live look this afternoon, we mentioned those birds. the longer they are up there on the old eastern span means additional delays and more money spent to finish the demo and that's because of permitting rules related to the nesting season. we will have much more on that coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00. reporting live near treasure island, i'm chris winn, abc 7 news. back to you. >> thank you, chris. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, call it meteor monday. we will show you where fireballs lit up the night sky in multiple places around the globe. also, homes under

construction destroyed by fire in pleasanton. the question now, was somebody trying to make a political statement? please give her back. >> a mother's anguish. new at 4:30, new clues in the hunt for a woman kidnapped off the street in philadelphia. let's get our first look at live afternoon traffic. this is the mcarthur maze. oncoming traffic trying to get on to interstate 80 eastbound toward berkeley. it is really slow going. only slightly better on the right-hand side for people going back towards 580. stay with us.

oh chris, di? oh, i knew i forgot something. i'll just do it now. well, we're boarding. no, i'll use citi mobile. it takes two seconds, better safe than sorry, right? yeah, who knows if we'll even get service on the island? what! no service? seriously? you guys might actually have to talk. to each other? we do it all the time. i like it. should we? no. bank from almost anywhere with the citi mobile app. to learn more, visit citi.com/easierbanking

people half a world apart reported seeing a bright object streak across the night sky last evening. this is video of the object taken by the dash camera of a police cruiser in west virginia around 6:00. people from georgia to illinois also reported seeing it. there were also reports of brilliant streaks of light in the southeast during daylight hours yesterday. >> there's more. in japan, an airport security camera captured this flash of green light racing across the skies last night. experts say the two objects were likely fireball meteors which are pieces of an astroid that ignites upon entering earth's atmosphere. fire investigators have made a new determination on the nature of an overnight fire that destroyed several homes that were under construction.

>> abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield has more on the theories that neighbors have. >> reporter: the fire was so big, people could see it from the interstate. they called it in just after 2:00 a.m. and reported the general area but when firefighters pulled out of their station, they realized they didn't need an address. >> really, as soon as we pulled out of the door we were able to see a large volume of smoke and flames from this address. >> reporter: two homes that are under construction on valley avenue in pleasanton were on fire. the neighborhood is so new, firefighters found out the hear way that the fire hydrants don't even have water in them yet. >> probably added another three or four minutes to getting water on the fire. initially we tried the on-site hydrants and ended up using incoming units to bring water from valley avenue into the scene. >> reporter: as the sun came up, neighbors woke up, speculation started swirling. especially on election day. pleasanton residents say growth in this city is a big controversy here. >> there are some candidates who are pro-growth and some that are

slow growth. when you see something like this, it does make you wonder are there some factions, some crazy people who are, you know, just out to do something to try to get a point across. >> i would never do anything like that, but you know, it looks suspicious to me. >> reporter: firefighters suspected arson at first, too. but investigators later determined that copper pipes that had been heated earlier in the day started the fire. the developer says interest level in this new neighborhood is high and that they will rebuild. >> there will be 97 single family homes, 210 apartments. we have a really nice pool kind of area that goes in here. it will be a nice development. >> reporter: the builder says he will have to demolish the two homes that were destroyed by fire. two others suffered minimal damage. amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. time once again to check the election day forecast. >> spencer christian is here with the accuweather forecast. >> weather still looking great all around the bay area as you

can probably see from the blue sky behind me. live doppler 7 hd once again showing cloudless sky, just about as beautiful as an autumn day can be. on we go to a live view from the east bay hills camera. the sun will be setting in less than an hour. these are the forecast features. mostly clear and cool overnight. we will see warm afternoons ahead right on into the weekend and dry pattern stays with us into next week. here's the satellite image showing this big ridge of high pressure we showed you yesterday. it continues to build in. that will be the dominant feature in our weather picture right on through the weekend with dry and mild conditions -- i should say mild to warm and no precipitation, long range precipitation outlook going into next wednesday, november 12th shows dry conditions continuing. no rainfall expected in the next seven days. meanwhile, down in the tropical pacific, we have former hurricane vance, now a tropical storm headed towards mazetlan area of mexico, packing

sustained winds of 60 miles an hour and lots of rainfall expected as it makes landfall tomorrow. the concern here is widespread flooding and mudsliding which this storm is certainly capable of producing. we will continue to watch its progress for you. meanwhile, back to the bay area, overnight, clear skies tonight. chilly conditions in some of the inland valleys where low temperatures will drop into the low to mid 40s. we will see mainly mid to upper 40s for remainder of the bay area and low 50s right around the bay. tomorrow, sunny in the south bay and warm with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s, around 79 degrees in santa clara and san jose. on the peninsula, it will be warm with highs in the upper 70s to around 80 degrees at redwood city and low 70s on the coast at pacifica and half moon bay. downtown san francisco will top out at about 74, 75 degrees. up in the north bay, mild on the coast, 69 in bodega bay, 81 inland at santa rosa and napa. east bay highs will range from about 77 at oakland and hayward

to 79 at fremont and 80 at castro valley. inland east bay will be nice and warm as well with highs mainly in the upper 70s, topping out around 80 at fairfield and livermore, 79 at walnut creek, pleasanton and antioch. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. that mild pattern remains with us through the weekend. temperatures may drop a couple degrees on friday but not enough to disturb the pattern. into the weekend we will see low 80s inland, upper 70s around the bay. about 70 degrees on the coast. then monday and tuesday, we get a few clouds in the sky and a slightly cooler pattern, highs in the mid 70s inland, low 70s around the bay. still, no indication of any significant rainfall, at least in the next seven days. with that changing pattern next week getting a little cooler and a few more clouds coming in, it's possible that late next week we might be looking at a slight chance of some rain. but that's all the hope i can give you right now. >> thank you, spencer. up next, what would you change about your body? the video showing how

differently adults and children answer that question. and who wouldn't want a free trip around the world. new after 4:30, why this guy is giving one away and the special requirements needed to go. checking your traffic at 4:21 on this election tuesday, traffic is flowing smoothly both directions across the golden gate bridge. little more traffic heading to the north bay. stay with us.

we are getting our first look today at what george lucas' museum of narrative art will look like when it's built in chicago. here's the design courtesy of avant garde architect. chicago beat out san francisco to house this museum by offering 17 acres of prime lakefront property. the museum will include some "star wars" art but most of its collection will be unrelated to

lucas' most famous films. it will include everything from norman rockwell paintings to "mad" magazine cover art. interesting design. >> it is. this next story proves just how differently grownups and children react to the same question. >> 50 adults and kids were asked the question if you could change one thing about your body, what would it be. here's how the adults responded. >> i would change my forehead. i have a really big forehead. >> the puffiness of my face. >> my ears. i have big ears. >> well, the kids go in a completely different direction. it's pretty cool, too. >> i would like a sharp mouth so i can eat a lot of stuff. [ indiscernible ] >> i could have wings so i could fly.

>> i like my body, actually. >> great answer. >> cute. yeah. >> the video was put together by the jubilee project, an organization that produces videos it hopes will spur a cycle of what it calls viral goodness. interesting how the adults are all hung up about their imperfections while the kids just have animal fantasies like if i could just have wings i could fly. >> if i could have a shark mouth so i could eat more. >> good stuff. just ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, the new clue police hope will help them track down the man who kidnapped a woman off the street in philadelphia. also, san jose's battle over medical marijuana clubs. the decision today that will keep the issue burning for two more years. kindergarten to college. later, the small deposit some school kids made today that will play a big role in their future.

hey john,whoa!k it out. yeah, i was testing to see if we really can turn any device in your house into a tv. and the tablet worked just fine. but i wanted to see if the phone would work as well. so i shrunk sharon. every channel is live just like on tv. but it's my phone. it's genius. shh! i'm watching tv. tiny sharon is mean. i'm right here. watch any channel live on any device around your home. download the xfinity tv app today.

here are the headlines at the bottom of the hour. the nation could see a huge political power shift tonight. one-third of senate seats are up for grabs. abc news congressional reporter john r. parkinson is following the results and tweeted today president obama could face the largest house gop majority since the great depression. in the bay area, 15 cities could have new mayors voted into office this evening. those cities include san jose, oakland and alameda. the polls remain open until 8:00

p.m. we will of course have live returns throughout the evening right here on abc 7. there's a new clue in the search for a young nurse who was violently abducted off the streets of philadelphia. the investigation now stretches across two states and the reward has increased to more than $40,000. abc news reporter elizabeth herr has the very latest. >> reporter: a mother, desperate for answers, making a tearful plea as police in pennsylvania announce a possible break in the case. new surveillance video from maryland linking a man to the missing nurse. >> it shows a male using an atm card, her atm card was used at a stand-alone bank in aberdeen, maryland. >> reporter: police say it is not yet clear if they are dealing with the same man caught in this chilling security camera video in philadelphia sunday night. it shows 22-year-old carlisha gaither being dragged off the street as she fiercely fights with her kidnapper. but the man overpowers her, then

drives off despite her kicking out the car window. >> she's a young female. she don't need to go through this. she has a job. she has family. she has brothers and sisters. >> reporter: her family said she just moved to the neighborhood two months ago from maryland. she was attacked while walking home from a party for her godson. who would do this? one expert's theory, this was not random. >> statistics would point toward that she may have known the guy in some way. i hope that's the case, because it will make it a lot easier to solve. >> reporter: even though she is from maryland and her bank card was used in maryland, police say they are still looking into whether or not she knew her attacker. elizabeth herr, abc news, new york. an initiative to relax san jose's tough new regulations on pot clubs will be on the ballot two years from now. today, the city council voted to pass the controversial ballot measure on to the voters. abc news reporter vic lee is live at city hall with this new development.

>> reporter: well, voters here will now have a chance to choose one of two very different policies. the current city ordinance which was adopted by the city council, that one is very restrictive. or the proposed ordinance in the initiative. that one is very loose. the city council voted unanimously to push the initiative to the general election two years from now. it has three choices. hold a special election sooner than 2016, an option that would have cost the city more than $3 million. or accept the provisions of the initiative, a choice no one liked. >> i'm hopeful that a lot of folks will come together and will oppose this when it does get on the ballot. >> i think it has been crafted in a way to pretty much allow unrestrained activity. >> reporter: the initiative would overturn the city's tough new ordinance on pot clubs,

rules that limit dispensaries to a handful of industrial areas that make up less than 1% of the city. areas far from schools, churches and residential neighborhoods. >> it's a loosy-goosy regulatory system where even if you sell marijuana to a child, it's only a $100 fine. >> reporter: the fines now range from $2500 to $50,000 for violations. pot store owners say the current rules are nothing short of a crackdown by the city and that regulations are making it virtually impossible to do business here. example. the all american cannabis club has shut down its doors at its old location in san jose. it's moved its operation to its campbell store on an upper floor of this building. the mayor says 14 of the 80 some pot clubs in the city have found other locations within the allowable zoning areas. but the medical pot business here has shrunk dramatically. >> 50 basically waited to the last day to come in and apply.

i'm not real optimistic about them finding success. >> reporter: one footnote. tomorrow is the 18th anniversary of the passage of prop 215, the compassionate use act which legalized medical marijuana. almost two decades later, the fight to regulate it still goes on in san jose. vic lee, abc 7 news. it is your voice, your vote. we are getting our first national election results. republican mitch mcconnell wins re-election in kentucky to a sixth term. now he will wait to learn whether he might be the majority leader in the new congress. south carolina's two republican senators have retained their seats. lindsey graham is re-elected to a third term and tim scott will finish the final two years of his senate term. abc news is projecting republican shelley capito wins in west virginia. one of the most watched races in the bay area is for the 17th congressional district. two democrats want that seat. mike honda and roe cana. we are live with the story.

>> reporter: well, the voters have been turning out rather slowly but steadily throughout the day here in cupertino. isn't it an interesting race, because it pits not only a seven-term incumbent congressman against a person, a challenger who has never held office before but as you mentioned, it also involves two candidates who belong to the same party. they are both democrats. congressman mike honda spent his afternoon thanking his army of volunteers who helped him reach out to voters by phone and by knocking on doors during the campaign. honda appeared to be in a very chipper mood. across town, his challenger was surrounded by a mostly young team of volunteers who were still making phone calls to voters and preparing to do some last minute canvassing in the neighborhood. here's what each had to say to their teams. >> 350 yards. >> i think this thing is going to come down to a couple thousand votes. that means we've got to get our

votes out. >> reporter: both candidates have scheduled poll watching parties tonight but if the race is as close as some predict, it could be a long night before either one will be prepared to concede or declare victory. some insiders have confided that the results might not be clear enough to declare victory until sometime tomorrow. the stakes are high as the winner is one of three key house members representing silicon valley. the others are not up for re-election today. when this race is decided, we will either have a congressman entering his eighth term as a congressman with the kind of seniority that allows him to have choice committee appointments or will have a newcomer who will be part of the new freshman class. we will keep an eye on the results as they come in tonight. david louie, abc 7 news. do stay with abc 7 news and abc7news.com tonight for complete election coverage. we will have live realtime results from national races beginning at 7:00 and from local races when the polls close at

8:00. we will also have complete coverage on tv 20 at 9:00 and on abc 7 news at 11:00. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, one man's rather big misunderstanding when he got the bill for his wine. plus, this guy is offering a free trip around the world but there are two big requirements to go. his story is next. i'm spencer christian from the east bay hills camera. great view of the western sky and the soon-to-be setting sun. more days like this coming our way. the accuweather forecast in just a moment. another live look at the afternoon commute and it is gridlock on the skyway in downtown san francisco. bumper to bumper in both directions.

( siren wails ) ( pop music playing ) ♪ when you're ready ♪ ready, ready, ready ♪ come and get it ♪ get it, get it ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na ♪ na na na na na na na ♪ ♪ when you're ready, come and get it ♪ ♪ na na na na... female announcer: it's a great big world and it can all be yours. here and only here. ♪ come and get it.

and you're eligible for san medicare, area anthem blue cross can help you get a great plan at a great rate! our new medicare advantage plans pay for many of the costs original medicare doesn't. so you can focus on other important decisions. anthem plans help protect you from high medical costs. and, we've built stronger partnerships with trusted local doctors and hospitals, to bring you special benefits like... ...dental and vision, prescription drug coverage, plus free memberships at participating gyms. now's the time to switch! if you live in san francisco county, there are new plans with zero-dollar monthly premiums available this year. plans also include zero-dollar preventive care.

the medicare enrollment deadline for san francisco is december 7th. so call anthem today at 1-844-331-7996 to learn more or to schedule an in-person meeting. this is very different. a toronto man is offering three around the world tickets to anybody with the same name as his ex-girlfriend. >> so jordan posted a message on sunday asking are you named elizabeth gallagher and have a canadian passport? he booked a trip with his girlfriend in march but the couple split. >> desperate. he still wants to go and instead of seeing the ticket go to waste he is looking to try to give it away. the free three-week trip begins in new york on december 21st with stops in milan, prague, paris, bangkok and new delhi. >> he hopes the elizabeth gal

bett -- gallagher he chooses will pay it forward some day. he says many elizabeth gallaghers have come forward. sounds like a great trip. >> spencer elizabeth gallagher christian joins us. >> i will do this, then begin my voyage. a look at live doppler 7 hd. sunny skies across the bay area right now. not a cloud to be found anywhere. lovely november afternoon. tomorrow, looking at the national weather picture, we will find mainly dry conditions over the western two-thirds of the country but there will be a line of showers reaching from about kentucky and tennessee, southwestward through parts of arkansas and louisiana into texas, then in the pacific northwest, a few clouds and some light showers. across california tomorrow, looks like dry conditions, sunny skies from chico to sacramento and fresno, highs in the 70s. 87 in palm springs and 84 in los angeles. 75 at monterey. here in the bay area, sunny

skies again tomorrow with highs ranging from low 70s at the coast to upper 70s around the bay to near 80, low 80s inland. it will be a very mild mid-november or early november day. we have more days like this coming right through the weekend. larry and ama? >> we will take them. >> thank you, spencer. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, nfl star adrian peterson's reaction after reaching a deal in his child abuse case. what does it mean for his football return? plus, chaos on the soccer field and this is only the start of the brawl. i'm 7 on your side's michael finney. your check-in at hotels is about to go a whole lot quicker. i will explain why, coming up.

yeah, citi mobile. pay the dog sitter? and deposit that check? citi mobile. pack your bathing suit? wearing it. niiice bank from almost anywhere with the citi mobile app.

nascar champion jeff gordon will not be penalized for getting into this fight with fellow driver brad keselowski. this brawl, this is a pretty good one, broke out sunday after the texas 500. tensions were high after gordon made contact with keselowski's car with only a few laps to go, then gordon spun out of control. amazingly, neither driver is

being penalized but their crew chiefs and crew members are being punished, facing fines up to $25,000. several have been placed on suspension or probation for up to six races. outrage across israel today over the behavior of some soccer fans. it began last night when a man ran on to the field during a game in tel aviv and attacked a player. the two exchanged blows for several moments before security dragged the fan away but it didn't end there. the referee kicked the player out of the game, causing teammates to confront the ref. fans rushed the field, the game was called but the emotions spilled over into today. this was the scene outside the tel aviv courthouse. an all-out brawl between fans. it included some fans who were arrested last night. this went on for several minutes. >> good to see they have worked things out there. minnesota vikings running back adrian peterson will avoid jail time after reaching a plea agreement in his child abuse

case. abc news reporter john ehrlichman has more on peterson's day in court. >> reporter: adrian peterson was back at montgomery county courthouse in texas tuesday, this time pleading no contest to one count of misdemeanor reckless assault. >> how do you plead? guilty or not guilty? >> no contest. >> reporter: peterson, one of the nfl's biggest stars, had been charged in september with disciplining his 4-year-old son with a tree branch so severely the wounds opened his skin. had he gone to trial, peterson could have faced jail time. with this plea deal, there will be no jail time. instead, he received probation, a maximum of $4,000 fine and 80 hours of community service. >> i love my son. more than any one of you could even imagine and i'm looking forward to and i'm anxious to continue my relationship with my child. >> reporter: for his minnesota vikings teammates, the plea deal was welcome news. >> you would be crazy not to welcome him back into that locker room.

>> reporter: but a decision on him returning to the field lies in the hands of nfl commissioner roger goodell. peterson's case is one in a recent string of nfl players accused of domestic violence, putting pressure on the league to properly address the issue. as peterson begins his two-year probation there will be no travel restrictions but he will be required to take parenting classes. john ehrlichman, abc news, los angeles. an apparent misunderstanding at a restaurant over a bottle of wine has led to sour grapes for a new jersey man. he was at bobby flay's steak house in atlantic city when he asked his waitress for a wine recommendation. he says she offered a bottle that cost $37.50. now let's look at the check. he thought he was buying a bottle of wine for under $37. ends up it cost $3,750. 3750. he disputed the charge and eventually paid $2200. the wine was a 2011 screaming

eagle cabernet from napa valley. he says the wine was good but not great. >> wow. sounds like a case for 7 on your side, if you ask me. $2200. speaking of 7 on your side, michael finney here with holiday shopping he has on his mind this afternoon. i have it on my mind, too. what are you going to get us? >> good question. >> something very very special. i hope we are all here on the same day. sears and kmart are the latest retailers to announce thanksgiving shopping hours. kmart will open at 6:00 in the morning and stay open for 42 straight hours. that's an hour longer than last year. kohl's and macy's will open their door at 6:00 in the evening. walmart and target haven't announced their plans yet. however, among the stores closed on thanksgiving are costco and nordstrom. hotel check-ins are often a painful, lengthy process. but some are implementing a

smartphone app that can speed things up considerably. you make a reservation and the hotel sends you a virtual key. call it up on your smartphone and bluetooth technology opens your door. check this out. working right here. right up against the door. slower than i thought. there you go. the program launches tomorrow in cupertino and nine other locations. starwood hotels and resorts provided us this video. the company hopes to have 150 hotels using this smartphone key by the end of next year. the keys will also work on the doors of hotel gyms and those elevators that are equipped with security floor by floor. with gas under $3 a gallon, you might think americans would be happy to pocket the savings. you would be wrong. we are filling up with cheap gas and then saying hey, now i can afford a gas guzzler. sales of suvs and pickup trucks shot up in october because of cheaper gasoline across the board. americans bought more light

trucks and suvs. jeep, for instance, sold 50% more suvs than the year before. >> interesting. >> amazing, isn't it? >> we just keep going back. >> we love the big cars. >> thank you, michael. the results are in for one campaign. when a young representative running for office conceded thanks to a powerful ad campaign. a fourth grader ran for student rep with the slogan let me be your super hero. his uncle makes tv commercials for a living and put together a rather creative ad campaign. >> he easily won the seat and doesn't believe it was because of an unfair campaign contribution. >> my uncle dan probably paid for like the green scene, the cameras and stuff, but he paid for that awhile before he did the commercial so technically not. >> technically not. >> backtracking. when the reporter asked if he

considers himself a politician, he perfectly danced along the line by saying yes, no, i don't know, maybe. >> i love him in his little sweater vest. cute. up next, san francisco students take a special field trip to the bank today. it's part of a city program getting national attention. i'm cheryl jennings. coming up, we will introduce you to this young man, the bay area teenager who is now one of the youngest entrepreneurs to be backed by venture capital. and 7 on your side's michael finney returns with where you will find the best deals for electronics, next. my whole life, i didn't have because it was too expensive.

as a professional dancer, i tend to beat up my body a lot, and having health insurance is a priority for me. it's a relief to be able to keep the same doctor. i was born with a back condition that required surgery. i'm paying a fraction of what i used to pay. even with my back issues, i'm able to afford health insurance. i'm in. i'm in. i'm in. for the first time ever. over one million people found health insurance through covered california. join them starting november 15th.

eat the chick-n-tater melt? or peel the sticker and play jack's munchie peel instant win game?

what happens if i peel the sticker? you have a 1 in 4 chance of winning cool stuff like flights on southwest airlines, skateboards, gas cards, neff gear, or free food! you just buy a munchie meal, like the new chick-n-tater melt, and peel. what happens if i do both at the same time? ahhhhhhhhhh! abc's dancing with the stars is taking its show on the road. that road will come right through the bay area. the all new dancing with the stars live will feature the show's most popular competitors. it will be in san jose on february 11th and santa rosa on

february 12th. general tickets are on sale now. you can get all the details on our website, abc7news.com. abc new anchor david muir will bring us live coverage of election results beginning at 7:00 tonight. abc 7 news will have live updates throughout the evening. abc's national election coverage resumes at 10:00 followed by abc 7 news at 11:00 with the latest on local races. our coverage does mean that jeopardy and wheel of fortune will air at 1:35 a.m. and 2:05 a.m. instead of during the 7:00 hour. so do set your dvr. only in san francisco program got a tip of the hat today from the "new york times." >> it's an effort to help every student make it to college by providing a financial boost from the very start. >> abc 7 news reporter carolyn tyler has the details. >> reporter: it's a bit chaotic at this citibank branch in san francisco's chinatown. the first time there has been a field trip for youngsters who

have come to make a deposit. >> two quarters. >> reporter: sofia and her classmates at the chinese education center are adding their money to the saving account the city automatically sets up for every kindergartener in public school. the former mayor gavin newsome and treasurer rolled out the innovation back in 2010. even though fiscal conservatives questioned the use of taxpayer funds. >> you make investments. you don't just make cuts. >> reporter: the program called kindergarten to college has an initial $50 deposit from the city. there is a $50 bonus if the child is low income. and there's matching money from corporations, foundations and private donors that reward students who add to their accounts. >> all the studies have shown that kids who have college savings accounts in their own names are six to seven times more likely to make it to college.

even if there's less than $500 in there they are three times more likely to make it to college. >> reporter: in a city where many don't have bank accounts, their youngsters become financially literate. all the accounts are held at citibank. there are no fees or charges. >> we are all about financial inclusion. and how much more fun and how much more impactful can it be to have a savings account for a kindergartener. >> reporter: there are now 18,000 students including billy who now have banking accounts. kindergarten to college costs the city about $650,000 a year. it was the first in the country but now the u.s. secretary of education shares these kids' excitement. in san francisco, carolyn tyler, abc 7 news. >> they are on their way. thank you for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00. i'm ama daetz. >> i'm larry beil. abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now with dan and cheryl.

coming up, it is decision day for california voters. >> we're confident we will prevail in a very close race. >> we are hoping of course it's decided our way. >> from mayoral candidates to state-wide contenders, there's a lot on the line tonight. some races may not end for weeks. we are live with complete coverage for you. plus, the bird problem on the bay bridge. it is sending demolition costs through the coop. and money madness. a half billion dollars is up for grabs in the state lottery. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel. temperatures rising tomorrow, above average for november. we will take a look at the numbers coming up. voters trickle in at bay area polling places. one election worker challenged the state's 17 million r registered voters to step up. >> if you really want to change the political process, you have to be involved. voting is your right.

>> results are expected to take a long time in two bay area cities particularly. good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> i'm cheryl jennings. voters in oakland are dealing with a complex system of ranked choice voting to determine whether the mayor will remain in office or be replaced. it's sort of like an instant runoff. san jose is also voting for a new mayor but with antiquated equipment. we have team coverage tonight. abc 7 news reporter lisa gulezian but we begin with alan wong in oakland. >> reporter: they are expecting a rush of voters as they get off work tonight. so far they have seen about 130 regular voters but they have seen twice as many mail-in voters dropping off their ballots which could be a sign that it could take longer to tabulate this oakland mayoral race. as the estimated 6,000 to 7,000 mail-in ballots trickle in via the u.s. postal service, the signatures have to be verified and each following day after the election, the ballots will be processed through the ranked choice voting system which uses

a complex algorithm to calculate the results. this will go on until they're finished. you may recall the mayor was elected because she had more second and third place votes. >> initially, i thought it was a little weird. then i got to understand it. in some ways it makes a lot of sense. i just hope that my number one choice gets picked, gets voted for. >> it's a challenge. it makes you really have to do your research, not just say i want to go with this person because a, b and c. you really have to do your research, see who's the best candidate. >> reporter: some experts think tonight's initial results will be a good indicator of who will be the next mayor of oakland, but others say the race is too close to call, and those mail-in ballots could change the outcome. the registrar says he's expecting a 40% to 45% voter turnout which is typical of a midterm election. alan wang reporting from the rock ridge polng