first month's payment on select new volkswagen models. good afternoon. i'm dan ashley sitting in for larry beil. >> i'm ama daetz. the waiting is almost over in missouri. about two hours from now, we are expecting to hear the grand jury's decision in the shooting death of michael brown. an unarmed black teenager killed by white police officer darren wilson. the grand jury has already decided whether to indict wilson on any criminal charges. we are just waiting for the district attorney to announce that decision. a short time ago, missouri's governor called for peace and restraint. >> together, we are all focused on making sure the necessary resources are at hand to protect lives, protect property and protect free speech. >> schools in the ferguson area will be closed again tomorrow and the governor says churches

will serve as safe havens, offering food, shelter and medical care. abc 7 news reporter marcy gonzalez is in ferguson with the latest on preparations for this grand jury decision. >> reporter: a decision finally reached by the grand jury on whether or not to charge officer darren wilson for killing unarmed teenager michael brown. people here in ferguson, missouri now anxiously awaiting the announcement after days of buildup and anticipation. last night, about 150 protesters closed down streets in st. louis. >> any time you have a mass movement of people of color like myself and you have law enforcement, it usually doesn't turn out too good. >> reporter: last night, it did. the demonstration was peaceful. over the weekend, though, there were several arrests outside of ferguson police headquarters. and some law enforcement officials worry this was just a preview of the unrest yet to come.

police have been preparing, putting up barricades, planning to put 1,000 officers on the ground once the decision is announced. the national guard and fbi are also here, ready to respond ahead of the highway patrol here says he's optimistic about the reaction. >> the city is going to show their character. it is not going to be as bad as some people want it to be or expect it to be. >> reporter: wilson could be charged with manslaughter, murder or nothing at all. if he is charged, we are told he will already be in custody by the time the decision's announced. marcy gonzalez, abc news, ferguson, missouri. >> michael brown's family is asking for four and a half minutes of silence before any protests begin, the length of time is their reference to the approximately four and a half hours brown's body remained on the street after he was shot. while awaiting the jury's decision, brown's parents made appeals for calm and have urged people to keep their protests peaceful regardless of the grand jury's decision. in downtown oakland, most

businesses remain open despite plans for a protest. the city has advised that they board up their windows, empty trash cans and clear out their cash registers. so far, just one business has done that that we know of. organizers with the coalition to stop police brutality expect thousands of protesters tonight. oakland police told us they will allow peaceful demonstrations but if they threaten public safety, officers will respond. >> the san francisco branch of the naacp and faith leaders are also addressing concerns about the ferguson decision. we will have their reaction coming up at 4:30. the manhunt is on for a group of armed robbers wanted for killing a man in san francisco to get his smartphone and backpack. it happened just before 1:00 a.m. police canvassed the area today. >> they say a group of five men approached 22-year-old michael marquez and two of his friends. they robbed him, shot marquez before speeding off in a dark colored sedan. friends say marquez lived in the mission and had just dropped off his girlfriend. >> the last thing i remember just us hanging out just a few

days ago, just in my room, just talking. i never thought this would happen. >> marquez's friends say he loved life and was a giving person who frequently took extra food from the restaurant where he worked to feed the homeless. moving on, say it ain't so. that's what a lot of giants fans were saying today when they started hearing one of their most beloved players is leaving. >> the giants have now confirmed that pablo sandoval signed a deal worth nearly $100 million with the boston red sox. >> lot of money. hard to turn down, i suppose. catching the final out of this year's world series will stand as panda's last and perhaps most memorable moment as a giant. sandoval won three world series in five years, capturing mvp honors in the 2012 championship. those feats and more have made the kung fu panda a fan favorite. >> he really performed in a lot of different situations and he brought a lot of spirit to the team. the fans loved him. what can you say?

>> one of sandoval's most outspoken teammates, hunter pence, urged the giants to re-sign him during last month's world series celebration. >> re-sign pablo! >> yes, yes, yes! >> we need about five more. >> sandoval said after the parade that he wanted to finish his career as a giant but it looks like that's not going to happen. >> which is a shame. hunter pence tried, the fans were hoping because he's a great player and a fan favorite. >> mike shumann is here to tell us how this all happened. >> money talks. >> pretty much money talks. he is off to boston for a reported five year, $100 million contract to play his home games at fenway park pending him passing a physical. giants could have signed him in spring training but low-balled him on their offer. panda wasn't happy about the approach and took a wait and see attitude on the season. the giants wanted to see if he

could keep his weight off. what a year he had so the giants basically gambled and lost. losing the panda will be felt more than on the field, where he hit .279 with 16 homers, drove in 73 runs and played a gold glove caliber third base this past season. sandoval has three world series rings with san francisco, but he was the driving force of 2012 and '14. two years ago, he paced the giants in game one, hitting three home runs against justin verlander. this past october he set a major league mark by collecting 26 hits in the post season. sandoval was a big fan favorite to play for the giants in a generation, joining the likes of will clark and barry bonds. he was also a marketing bonanza with panda hats scattered all over at & t park. he had these thoughts during the world series parade on returning. >> i'm going to say to everybody out there, pay the man. >> i love being here with my teammates. i love being here with the fans. i love being part of what we

have. in five years we will have three world series. this is exciting. >> we will see you back here next year. >> i would love to do that. >> the giants reportedly offered him a five year, $95 million contract while he rallied behind #pay the panda and apparently red sox were on twitter. we will miss the big loveable guy. the giants call sandoval a key member of the team and released this saying he has been with us through some of the greatest moments with san francisco giants history. his connection with fans young and old is truly special and he will be greatly missed. we wish him nothing but the best in boston. the giants are now looking for a third baseman. several free agent names have been thrown around but this is a huge hole to fill in the field, at the plate and in the marketing department. we are going to miss him. one of the greatest players in giants history. >> he signed for $100 million and they offered him $95 million? that's not a big difference in money. >> part of it was in spring

training, he was a little offended. they could have offered him five for $90 million and he would have got that contract. i think they made a mistake there. they gambled and i think they lost. >> pablo sandoval is of course a fan favorite as we have been saying. over the past season viewers have e-mailed us photos of themselves and their children and panda hats in other gear. you can see these photos as part of our sandoval coverage at abc7news.com. >> we will miss him. uc berkeley students continue to protest tuition hikes approved last week by the uc regents. >> they marched across the city today as part of an action coordinated with other schools in the uc system. >> abc 7 news reporter carolyn tyler is live from the cal campus this afternoon. >> reporter: some student protesters remain inside this building you see behind me, wheeler hall, and say they will stay there until the tuition hikes are reversed. other students, scores of them, took their protest to the streets. [ chanting ]

>> reporter: at noon today, perhaps as many as 300 uc berkeley students walked out of class. their actions and their signs clearly expressing anger at last week's decision by the board of regents to increase tuition. over five years tuition for a california resident would go up from just over $12,000 to more than $15,000. students say they are fighting for a free public education. >> we are fighting for every individual to have the right to be educated regardless of their background. we are fighting for the american dream. >> reporter: in a twist, the protesters marched to nearby berkeley high school and the community college, saying these are the future students who will be impacted by the regents' decision. uc argues the hikes are needed because what the university system is getting from the state isn't enough to preserve quality and support student financial aid. right now, 55% of california

residents are fully covered. 14%, partially covered. 31% pay the full amount. the tuition increases could be less or eliminated all together if state lawmakers step in with support. >> nearly $1 billion in cuts after the last recession. nearly $1 billion was cut. there have been some funds restored but we are still $460 million short. >> reporter: that just starts the conversation in sacramento. >> you want to build up a strong california. if they want to build up a diverse nation, they want to actually have that here, we need to put your money where your mouth is and fund the students of the uc. >> reporter: right now the hikes are expected to begin in 2015. carolyn tyler, abc 7 news. a winter spare the air alert has been issued for tomorrow. >> abc 7 weather anchor spencer christian is outside with the accuweather update. >> we've got a beautiful sky

over the bay area today, mostly clear but little bit of haze developing as the air quality is declining. thus the spare the air alert for tomorrow. here's live doppler 7 hd. you can see we have sunny skies right now, clouds are well offshore but we do have a little bit of haze. current temperature reading, 65 degrees in san francisco. 61 across the bay in oakland. 59 in hayward. we have mainly mid to upper 60s from bayside communities to the inland locations. once again, as we take a live view from the east bay hills camera, you can see how lovely an afternoon it is but just a little bit of haze developing. spare the air tomorrow, no wood burning allowed under the law. air quality is expected to be worse in the north bay tomorrow. to the first forecast, as we look out over san francisco, we will see clear and cool conditions this evening. it will be clear to sunny in the morning with chilly conditions in the inland valleys. low temperatures will drop into the 30s in some inland spots. tomorrow afternoon, sunny and mild once again with highs ranging from upper 60s at the coast to low 70s inland. we have a couple of more days

like that coming our way before rain arrives later in the week. i will tell you all about that later. >> thank you, spencer. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, the bay area zoo taking aim at a big name circus over how it treats elephants. also, the people already in line for black friday deals and a major retailer defends its decision to open on thanksgiving. new after 4:30, the emotional reaction of the bay area author awarded the nation's highest civilian honor. 7 on your side's michael finney is taking your questions on twitter and facebook. he will answer them here live just a little later. contact him at facebook.com/michael finney abc 7 and on twitter. checking your san francisco skyway traffic, looking pretty typical for a monday. on the right-hand side is your traffic heading south toward 101 south, the peninsula, slowing, but on the left-hand side is traffic approaching the lower deck of the bay bridge. that is crawling. stay with us.

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the oakland city council is set to consider a measure that threatens to drive the circus out of town. take a look at this undercover video that shows circus trainers using pointed rods called bow hooks to stab and yank at the elephants as part of training. next week, council member gallo will introduce an ordinance that prohibits their use. >> we are not banning elephants. we are not banning the circus. we are strictly banning the instrument that's being used to

discipline and motivate elephants. >> the oakland zoo used the hooks until 1991 when a trainer was killed by an elephant. workers now use treats while working with them. representatives from the wringling brothers barnum and bailey circus have threatened to boycott san francisco if the ordinance is passed. there is optimism that consumers are in a mood to spend this black friday. abc 7 news reporter david louie has a preview. >> reporter: there is lots of talk about big deals on black friday and even deals on thanksgiving day. however, the reality is shoppers are already out today stalking the aisles in search of early bargains. the person number one in line at the best buy store has been counting down the days until he can snap up the bargains on his shopping list. this is the fourth year in a row he's camped out.

>> so far, i saved about $1500 because i just got a tv and i will probably save another $2,000 to $3,000 more. >> reporter: topping his list, a 55 inch 4k tv. >> a lot of enthusiasm going on with the new technology these days. 4k tv is pretty popular. tablets and computers. it will be a fantastic year for us, we think. >> reporter: across the parking lot at walmart there's a bit more restraint about black friday and holiday spending. marian says while the aisles are already filled with some discounts, the recession taught her to wait for the best deals. >> a lot of people do hold on to their money until maybe towards the end or maybe the early shoppers after they see the good deals, let's just spend it right now. >> reporter: if you include thanksgiving when some stores will be open, there are 28 shopping days before christmas. >> the reason why we are open on thanksgiving is that's what the customers have told us they would like to do a little shopping after thanksgiving dinner, go home, get some rest and come back for the weekend and get started all over again. >> reporter: 45 million people

shopped last thanksgiving, up ten million from the year before. retailers are expecting to wrri up sales close to $620 billion this season. they hired an additional 800,000 seasonal workers, the highest in at least a decade. consumer psychologists say consumers want unique gifts this year. >> the retailer most at risk this year are actually traditional retailers like macy's. they will have to rely very heavily on bargains because consumers are looking for something unique, fresh or technological. >> reporter: david louie, abc 7 news. time for a check on the weather. nice fall days today. >> crisp out there. spencer christian has the forecast for the rest of the week as we hit the thanksgiving holiday. >> looking like a lovely week ahead. here's live doppler 7 hd. you already noticed behind me perhaps we have blue sky over the bay and clear skies all across the bay area from coast to inland right now. let's close in on this lovely view across the embarcadero from the rooftop camera looking over the bay. these are the forecast features.

clear tonight, chilly inland. in fact, cold in some spots as low temperatures drop into the 30s in some locations. we will have mild afternoons through thursday, then a rainy pattern develops at the end of the week that will continue saturday into monday. here's a look at our satellite image. you can see high pressure the dominant feature in the weather picture, bringing us nice clear skies and dry conditions through thanksgiving day. notice how active the storm track is. we have a rainy pattern that will be moving in at the very end of the week and could last three days or longer. let's take a look at holiday travel conditions. thanksgiving this thursday, of course. we will begin our forecast animation for the national weather picture, especially over the east coast, at 5:00 a.m. wednesday. a day of much, much travel in the u.s. you will see that it will be a stormy day on wednesday on the east coast with snow in some locations, rain along the coast. looks like it could be relatively heavy all the way up into not only new england but southeastern canada as well. but by thursday, thanksgiving day, the storm will have lifted

out to sea a bit and of course, it will be cloudy still over much of the northeastern quadrant of the nation from the upper midwest to the northeast. but most of the precipitation will have ended by thursday morning. back to the bay area, overnight look for clear skies and as i mentioned, chilly conditions with lows dropping into the upper 30s tonight or tomorrow morning in napa and santa rosa, also fairfield will drop to 38 degrees overnight. low to mid 40s in most other locations near the bay and the coast, and here is a look at conditions tomorrow afternoon. south bay, sunny and mild, low 70s. 72 at san jose and santa clara. on the peninsula, highs in the low 70s from redwood city to mountain view. upper 60s on the coast. 68 half moon bay. 67 at pacifica. downtown san francisco, a high of 69 tomorrow. up in the north bay, we will see low 70s as well from santa rosa to sonoma to napa. east bay highs, low 70s from oakland to fremont. inland east bay, highs right around 70, perhaps a couple locations like pittsburg and san

ramon will just reach the 69 degree mark. here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. spare the air tomorrow, no wood burning allowed, but sunny and mild into thursday. pleasant day for thanksgiving day. clouds thicken on friday, chance of rain late friday. looks like a rainy day saturday and sunday with periods of rain carrying over into monday. so the rain will hold off, it appears, until after thanksgiving. dan and ama? >> thank you, spencer. in three minutes, everything you own could go up in flames. that's because house fires are burning faster than ever before. tonight at 11:00, find out what's making fires today more dangerous than we have ever seen in the past. >> our greatest loss of lives are in residential fires. we need to be able to protect people where they should be the safest and that's in their homes. >> what's causing fast fires? find out tonight. i have a special report that we put together on abc 7 news at 11:00. up next, the final rehearsal

before tonight's "dancing with the stars" finale. we go behind theste scenes. new after 4:30, the online effort right now to get 49ers coach jim harbaugh back to his old stomping grounds with a different team. stay with silent night not so silent? with sleep number, now there's an adjustment for that. give the gift of amazing sleep, only at a sleep number store. this week only, save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed. know better sleep with sleep number.

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firefighters from the livermore pleasanton fire department were called this morning to a delicate rescue of this little kitty stuck inside a new uninstalled light pole that was lying on the ground in a storage area in livermore. the animal which weighed less than five pounds was stuck in the narrowest portion of the pole and was unable to move. firefighters cut the pole and pulled the cat out. officials say the cat was tired but awake and moving all of its little limbs. it was taken to the east county animal shelter in dublin to get checked out. there was no collar or i.d. on the cat. >> sweet. tonight on "dancing with the stars" the four finalists will compete in two rounds of dancing. first revisiting a dance from

earlier in the season selected by the judges. >> in round two, the couples do a freestyle routine. we have a preview. >> reporter: sadie robinson may not have been a dancer before this past september but she sure is one now. >> it's wild because she has zero experience. two people in here that have had a little here and there but she really has zero. to see the improvement to this stage, it really is remarkable. if you were to start classes as a kid you could have been a real dancer. it's crazy. >> reporter: derek hough feels the same way about his once novice partner and is planning a free style dance that will celebrate her time here in the ballroom. >> it's very stylish in a very free way. we are going to sort of do -- it will be more fierce. the dance will be more fierce and sort of more strong and sort of represent her journey in life and in the competition, breaking out of the shell and kind of building a support group and taking charge. >> reporter: he may be injured

but alphonso ribeiro is going full force for the finale. for his free style, we can expect him to go back to his broadway roots with a little tap dancing. but that's not all. >> the routine is bigger, it's got a lot more elements to it. it's not one style of dance. we have incorporated a bunch of different styles into this dance and we will kind of show the judges and america that kind of the journey we have gone on in terms of the different styles we have learned and worked -- that i have worked on all season long. >> reporter: janelle parish sees her free style not so much as a dance but more of a celebration. >> the free style for me is going to focus more about us and dancing and i think it should celebrate our journey on the show and kind of tell that story and let that inspire the dancing. i think what people love watching about us is how we perform together, how we truly

love dancing together. the essence will be simple but the execution will be emotionally grand. >> reporter: you will see the judges' choice and free style rounds of the two-part finale beginning tonight at 8:00 on abc 7. just ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, awaiting the grand jury's decision in ferguson, missouri. and the steps being taken in san francisco ahead of the announcement. also, what's being said behind the scenes about defense secretary chuck hagel's decision to resign from the obama administration. bystanders take action after a suspected dui driver slams into a row of cars, then runs off.

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in today's headlines at 4:30, giants third baseman pablo sandoval is heading east. today, kung fu panda signed a multi-year contract worth more than $90 million. in response, larry beil tweeted this. how many hours before red sox start selling panda hats on their website? hundreds of cal students walked out of their classes today in protests over recent tuition hikes. students took part. last thursday the board of regents approved an increase of 5% each year for the next five

years. in about 90 minutes we should hear a grand jury's decision on whether to indict a former ferguson, missouri police officer who killed an unarmed black teenager. michael brown's family has called for a moment of silence followed by peaceful demonstration. protesters have been out in the streets for several days now. you are taking a live look now in ferguson. you see them there actually in the street, part of it. missouri's governor has called for calm reaction to whatever decision is made. demonstrations are planned in the bay area, in san francisco civil rights leaders went to the mayor's office today to share their concerns about the decision in ferguson. abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez is live in the mission with details. lyanne? >> reporter: well, the demonstration has been planned for 5:00 on the day of the verdict and it will happen this evening here on 24th and mission. now, so far, the demonstrators

aren't even here. we don't even see police, so everything is calm. meanwhile, like you mentioned, at city hall, the naacp was having its regular meeting and of course, ferguson dominated most of the conversation. now, the president of the chapter of the naacp and state leader amos brown had this to say. >> they should be focusing on production and not just protest. secondly, if we do exercise our constitutional right for assembly and protest, it should be peaceful. nothing is to be gained by violence. >> reporter: we are told that beginning at 5:00, the doors will be opened to anyone who wants to reflect on this so anyone who wants to talk about it, vent peacefully, they can go to live memorial.

now, i'm looking around at the stores and unlike downtown oakland, there are no pictures of michael brown on the windows. it seems like a lot of businesses here are not even concerned about the 5:00 demonstration. again, we are expecting that demonstration to start in about 30 minutes. again, the mission, peaceful for now. live in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> let's hope it stays that way. thank you very much. stay with abc 7 news for continuing coverage of the ferguson grand jury decision. it's expected to come around 6:00 p.m. abc news will carry a special report when the decision is made and we will have local live team coverage on abc 7 news at 5:00 and 6:00. today, president obama nounsed tnouns announced the resignation of secretary of defense chuck hagel, who has been on the job less than two years. it has not been smooth sailing. >> reporter: he was the first enlisted veteran to take on the helm of the department of

defense hailed as one of the army's own. today, secretary chuck hagel announced he is stepping down. >> it's been the greatest privilege of my life. the greatest privilege of my life to lead and most important, to serve. to serve with the men and women of the defense department and support their families. >> reporter: it was just under two years ago that president obama poiappointed the former senator from nebraska, sole republican among the president's national security advisors. >> chuck hagel is the leader that our troops deserve. he is an american patriot. >> reporter: at that time, he was laudlauded for his willingn to work across the aisle. >> he represents the bipartisan tradition we need more of in washington. >> reporter: as signs of bipartisan ship eroded in washington and the threat of military action against isis affects the policy against the middle east, hagel said the fit wasn't right. hagel's alignment with the administration die verged last month. last month he criticized susan

rice and the administration's policy on syria. >> i consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have had him by my side for two years and i am grateful. >> reporter: three names are being floated, jack reed, ash carter and the third could possibly make history. the first female to head up the u.s. military. abc news, new york. a state lawmaker in ohio wants to prevent the shooting deaths of youngsters by requiring that bb guns be brightly colored so they are not mistaken for real guns. this follows the shooting death of a 12-year-old by cleveland police. an officer fired, claiming the boy pulled a hand gun from his waistband saturday. police also say he ignored orders to raise his hands. the proposed ohio law is modeled after one governor jerry brown signed into law here but the new california law doesn't go into effect for over a year. many students at the university of virginia are praising the administration's decision to suspend all fraternal activities on campus following an allegation of a

gang rape at a frat party. the report in "rolling stone" magazine prompted protests on the uva campus all weekend. in the article, a first year student claims she was gang raped at a fraternity party in 2012. campus fraternities and student body leaders welcome the president's decision. >> we have to be one community committed to this. one student body and one university. this is our problem to solve. >> the student in the article never reported the assault to authorities. she claims she felt obligated to stay silent and was told by her roommate that going public could hurt the university's reputation. an arizona man faces dui and other charges following a wild scene in the phoenix suburb over the weekend. witnesses couldn't believe what they were seeing when a man rammed his suv into a parked car, causing a chain reaction.

it was captured on a surveillance video saturday night. at least five cars were damaged. it didn't end there. the man got out of his vehicle and witnesses watched him take off. >> he kicked off his shoes that are laying right over there and he was gone. i really thought he was going to get away. >> bystanders weren't going to let the guy get away. they took off after him. one man made a dive at the suspect but missed. nearly got hit by a car. the suspect didn't get away. others chased him down and held him until police arrived. coming up on abc 7 news at 4:00, a mechanic has special modifications to his truck. how he put this together. i'm michael finney. today's 7 on your side q & a is just ahead. i'm still taking your questions on twitter and facebook so you can contact me right now. i will answer your questions here live later. spencer christian looking out over the bay, nice, clear,

sunny afternoon but a bit of a haze is developing. i will have the accuweather forecast coming up. checking your traffic at 4:38 on your monday, 101 south very backed up right now. this is through san jose. 880 going on top of that. stay with us.

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. an auto repair shop owner is turning things upside down in marion, iowa. jim anderson modified a pickup

truck to look like an upside down van. >> we actually took everything out of the inside of the van, lifted the body up off of the frame and then cut the top off as high as we could to fit, then we basically set the body down around a ford ranger pickup truck, a piece at a time and reassembled it around the truck. >> isn't that wild? he said sometimes the vehicle gets too much attention. this is actually the second one he's built. he says he drove the first one to a convention here in california and it brought traffic to a standstill on the freeway. that's the sound of three begging house cats after hearing the shake of a can of ready-made whipped cream. their owner admits she foolishly fed them whipped cream once and this is what happens every time she reaches for the can.

>> i have seen spencer do that many times. glass of wine. >> it's a catastrophe. i couldn't resist. taking a look at live doppler 7 hd, clear skies over the bay area. it's a lovely afternoon. getting cool now after a mild day and we will see chilly spots overnight in the inland valleys. tomorrow, on the national picture, look for snow in parts of wyoming, montana, the dakotas. snow over the great lakes, nothing like what pounded the snow last week. and thunderstorm activity over southern georgia and northern florida. a few showers in the pacific northwest. across california tomorrow, it will be a sunny, dry day, and mild with high temperatures in the interior parts of the state mainly in the mid to upper 60s. 78 downtown in l.a. here in the bay area, it will be a spare the air day with declining air quality, especially poor in the north bay. we will see sunny, mild conditions with highs ranging from upper 60s at the coast to

low 70s inland. for the week ahead, looks like mild weather up until about the end of the week. we will use san jose as the indicator. temperatures climbing well above average for tuesday, wednesday and thursday, but temperatures will start dropping on friday and we will see raindrops across most of the bay area through the weekend. dan and ama? >> thank you, spencer. just ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, america's highest civilian honor includes a bay area author. the high praise she got from president obama. the money being raised right now to get the 49ers' jim harbaugh to leave san francisco. i'm 7 on your side's michael finney. are you legally required to pay a tip? a restaurant automatically adds it to the bill. the answer is next.

a bay area author is among the 19 people who received the medal of freedom today. that is the nation's highest civilian award. president obama honored the recipients during a ceremony at the white house. the honor is given to those who have made extraordinary contributions to the u.s. and

the world. among them, marin resident isabel melende. >> your novels and memoirs tell of families, magic, romance, oppression, violence, redemption. all the big stuff. but in her hands, the big became graspable and familiar and human. >> other winners include actress meryl streep. there is meryl streep. singer stevie wonder. and the three martyrs of the 1960s civil rights movement. alumni from the university of michigan have developed a creative way to recruit 49ers coach jim harbaugh back to his old home in ann arbor. they hope the campaign reaches the wolverines family across the nation. we have more from michigan. >> this is all about bringing the best coach to michigan. >> reporter: they are the masterminds behind the operation. >> the platform we are using is a detroit startup that has

raised lots of money already for detroit projects. doing good for the community. >> people make a pledge online and the project has a specific goal. in this case, the project is two goals. one is to raise $1 million and the second tipping point is that jim harbaugh is actually signed. unless both happen, your credit card won't be charged. >> all due respect to brady hoke, we respect what he's done for michigan but there's a lot of talk he might be moving on and his time may be up at michigan. a lot of talk about jim harbaugh replacing him. >> reporter: if you would like to contribute to their campaign -- >> make a pledge. all michigan athletes, all michigan alumni, all michigan fans. >> $100 from me can't make a difference but if we can get it from 10,000 fans, it will make a difference. >> the deadline is we are giving harbaugh until the week after the super bowl to decide. we will let him go ahead, win a super bowl, if that happens, then he has one week to decide if he's coming back to ann arbor and giving $1 million to charity. >> die-hard michigan fans would love to have jim harbaugh come back to michigan where he won a rose bowl, almost won a heisman

and has proved to be an excellent coach everywhere he's been. >> here's the site to bring jim harbaugh back to michigan. the goal is to raise $1 million by february 11th, 2015. to give it to charity. so far, it's raised nearly $5,000, about $4800. if harbaugh doesn't sign, all donations will be refunded. we have information on abc7news.com. >> why not try that for panda? 7 on your side's michael finney is here to answer questions sent to him by facebook, twitter and e-mail. first, a twitter user asks what do you think of buying tires from a used tire store? >> look, tires are best to buy new because there are safety regulations surrounding them even though we are still fighting over some of those regulations. there's a lot of regulations there. i have to tell you, the used tire business is much bigger than most people know. as many as 20% of the tires taken off of cars are reused. they are not retreaded. very few retread for passenger cars because there are too many

tire size, hard to make it worth doing for a company. but there are many used tires. here's what you have to be careful with. they can make them look brand new. they paint them now, then they can really make them look good. it's okay to buy them. i would be very careful at high speeds. i really would be. they will get you around town, to work and back. this is something some people have to do. you are in a tough position. >> got to save your money but be careful. jacqueline e-mailed i'm trying to get a refund on sports equipment on a 30 day refund. i called on the 32nd day and they won't refund. any recourse? >> not really. not in the state of california. state of california makes it very clear that the store can set any refund policy they want and then they have to live up to it. well, they did. you got there on the 32nd day. here's what i would try. i would say hey, you know what, i wrote in to michael finney on abc 7 and i did not say your name. hey, how about giving me a break for that? >> worth a shot.

>> won't hurt. irwin asks when a restaurant automatically adds gra ttips to bill are we required to pay that? >> the irs ruled when they put it on your bill it is no longer a tip, it is now a service fee so it goes into the people's pay, not added on to it like a tip. so do you have to pay it? if they tell you about it in advance, you will often see it at the bottom of the menu. i think way too small print. apparently there is no specific regulation about how big the print has to be like on a bill, we have a lot of regulation. if it's there, you have to pay it. if they haven't told you, if it's not there, you don't. >> okay. worth looking for. thank you, michael. coming up next, giving this holiday season. >> local organizations who help families in need are now in need themselves. how you can help. i'm cheryl jennings in the abc 7 newsroom. new at 5:00, an alert about a possible mountain lion sighting in berkeley. we will tell you where.

a small plane crashed and how investigators figured out what happened right before it went down. 7 on your side's michael finney on which companies are nice and which ones are naughty.

. coming up tonight on abc 7, at 8:00, part one of the "dancing with the stars" finale followed by "castle" at 10:00. join dan and me for abc 7 news at 11:00. many families are getting ready to celebrate the thanksgiving holiday with a table loaded with food but there are a large number of families that have to rely on charity and on those of you who choose to give where you live. abc 7 news reporter matt keller has more from san jose. >> reporter: if you're at sacred heart community service in san jose you have a lot to be thankful for. the charity is handing out food boxes to thousands of families over the next few days filled with veggies, fruit and everything else you need for a

big thanksgiving meal, including a turkey. for families struggling with rising rents and stagnant incomes, sacred heart makes the holiday meal possible. >> very expensive rent, bills, so once you're done paying all those, you're left with not too much money to go grocery shopping, and there's -- that's where sacred heart really comes in. >> reporter: sacred heart community service relies on donations to fill the pantry and freezer. workers say they have 2300 turkeys but need 7,000 to feed those in need for thanksgiving and christmas. >> right now, we are still short of turkeys for the families that already have appointments to come get a meal from us. we are hoping the community will listen to our message, will learn about the program and come by and donate a turkey. >> reporter: at second harvest food bank, a big incentive for donations this morning. turn in a turkey and get an autograph from 49ers safety

antoine bethea. >> i don't believe anybody in this country should be hungry. all the resources that we have here, it's sad but like i said, i'm in a position where i can do a little bit and that's definitely what i'm going to do. >> reporter: if you would like to help and drop off a turkey to the second harvest food bank or sacred heart community service in san jose, you can go to our website, abc7news.com. we have lynx inks to show you ho donate. matt keller, abc 7 news. >> all this month abc 7 news is encouraging you to give where you live this holiday season. for our 23rd annual food drive, you don't even have to leave the house to donate. to make a $10 donation text the word feed to 80077. thank you very much for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00. i'm ama daetz. abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now with cheryl and dan. watching and waiting in ferguson, missouri. the grand jury reaches its decision in the michael brown shooting. we have live team coverage. a robbery goes wrong in a

quiet san francisco neighborhood. >> we are afraid to walk the dog at night. that's for sure. >> tonight, manhunt for a murderer. was the whole thing just over a smartphone? it's official. the panda is leaving san francisco. why analysts say it was not about choosing between two cities. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel. warmth and wet weather in the forecast. grand jury has completed its work and a decision is made in the shooting case of michael brown in ferguson, missouri. will officer darren wilson be charged for killing the unarmed teenager? the announcement from prosecutors is expected within the hour. bay area cities are bracing for possible protests. good evening. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm cheryl jennings. thanks for joining us. the grand jury was given a range of criminal charges to consider. they include first degree or second degree murder, voluntary

and involuntary manslaughter. jurors could also choose not to indict officer darren wilson at all. abc 7 news reporter elissa ha harrington is in oakland. >> reporter: there's a heavy police presence in downtown oakland, hundreds, possibly thousands are expected to gather for a night of demonstrations. anticipation builds in oakland where demonstrations are expected following the ferguson grand jury decision. >> we want people to show their outrage. we want the world to see, hear and feel the outrage of the people that this violence by the police and by the system has to stop. >> reporter: this is what some residents and business owners are worried about. past protests that have turned violent, leading to arrests and leaving the downtown trashed. >> destroying oakland, destroying the business around here is not going to make the city -- not going to make the decision better. not going to change anything.

>> reporter: to prepare, some businesses closed early. dogwood bar on telegraph avenue boarded up windows. the city's security ambassadors passed out packets with safety tips. >> i think all of our hearts go out with the brown family. >> reporter: the mayor says she expects demonstrations to stay peaceful but -- >> we are ready to call on additional officers for overtime if we have huge demonstrations. >> reporter: the oakland police department released a statement. part of it reads the department is prepared to respond in the event that demonstrations and protests become unlawful, threaten public safety or incite vandalism or property damage. opd adds officers understand the importance of free speech and their goal is to maintain a peaceful environment. the city also opened up four healing centers. these are places where people can go and voice their concerns and ask questions. we posted those locations on our website, abc7news.com.