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tv   ABC7 News 400PM  ABC  December 18, 2014 4:00pm-5:01pm PST

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live from the kgo broadcast center, this is abc 7 news. good afternoon, everyone. i'm larry beal. >> i'm ama daetz. it's been four months since the big massive quake. and the ground is still moving. >> seismologists are saying to the homeowners that they might have been better off waiting to spend money on repairs. >> elissa? >> reporter: i'm on ellen way. one of those neighborhoods that straddles the fault line, this crack appeared during the original earthquake in august. but neighbors say that it's actually getting bigger. so they are not surprised that a geophysicist is saying that there is still some movement
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underground. now, according to that geophysicist with the u.s. geological survey, he said what's happening is there is still movement on the fault. >> the movement on the fault is sudden, and then there's this continuing movement that goes on. and initially, that's fast. but then it slows down with time. >> reporter: even though the napa quake was months ago, it's still impacting people who live in napa valley's browns neighborhood. they describe the friction like the slow smearing of clay. they expect it to move two to six inches in the next two years, this could mean more structural damages to 20 homes in a neighborhood hit hard by the earthquake back in august. now, the geophysicist said the best thing people can do is to update their foundation. it may be pricey, but to get a stronger and stiffer foundation. abc 7 news.
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>> thank you so much, elissa. well, we're seeing a bit of a break from the rain today. but all the wet weather we've had, has forced the closure of angel island state park this weekend. park staff found treated wastewater overflowing into the park this morning. officials have closed the park to the public saturday and sunday to allow the water system to recover from the excess storm water. it's not in danger to flowing into the bay. let's take a live look from the camera. wow, that looks kind of ominous right there. cloudy day around the bay. and more rain is coming. it's really the last thing needed in cities where people are still cleaning up from the last storm. abc 7 news reporter nick smith has more from san francisco's diamond heights neighborhood. >> over the last year, and the last storm season, we didn't have a whole lot of wind. and this year, we're getting hit hard. >> reporter: business for nicholas crawford is booming. >> we've had a lot of tree
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failures, branch failures, in this case an entire tree falling. and mostly because of the storm. >> reporter: as an arborist, he's seeing a record number of trees like this 60-year-old monterey pine come down. as the homeowner, jeff logan had only one thought. >> thank god for gravity. >> reporter: heavy rain saturates the soil deeply. tree roots cannot stay firmly planted in the ground. >> we like the trees. they create a lot of atmosphere for us. we like being on the edge of glen canyon. but we've been concerned about these particular trees. >> reporter: that's because they have a lot of end weight, where the branchs and trees are mostly on one side shifting their gravity. >> those are all heavily leveraged. they're more likely to come over. >> reporter: homeowners must assess their trees. >> if you notice something going on with your tree, it's important to jump on that right away. proert older trees are a problem, and independent heavy trees are a problem. arborists have given us a list
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of things homeowners can do to make sure their tree is not in danger of falling. let's look at the forecast with christian, with a look at the next storm on the way. >> nice to have a break from the rain today. our first dry day of the week. but it won't last long. there's more rain on the way. we are dry for the moment. clouds are thick over parts of the bay area. up to the north-northwest, you can see the approaching frontal system in the northwestern corner of the state already. looking out over the bay, everything's calm. current temperature readings are 59 degrees in san francisco. 58 across the bay in oakland. 59 in san jose, morgan hill and half moon bay. looking at the golden gate bridge. 54 napa. fairfield 55 degrees. here's the forecast.
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11:00 tonight we'll already see light rain in some parts of the north bay at that hour. then by 5:00 tomorrow morning, we'll see that frontal system sweeping down through the north bay sweeping rather widespread and steady rain for the entire north bay and perhaps even south of the golden gate. just in time for the morning commute, i might add. i don't have to take this much farther for you to see. it will not be a pretty morning commute. san jose police say this man sexually assaulted two women, and there may be others. police took 26-year-old kenneth bridges into custody yesterday, after getting a call of an assault in progress. one of the women was 54, the other 63 years old. bridges was already on parole for robbery. a civil rights group plans to turn over an e-signature petition to san jose police chief calling for the firing of police officer phillip white. officer white was suspended after he posted two tweets last
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weekend commenting on recent protests. one reading, threaten me or my family and i will give my god-given right and duty to kill you. a police internal affairs probe will look at if the tweet violated department policy. san francisco public defenders and their allies rallied on the steps of the hall of justice today. they're calling for racial justice and change in law enforcement. >> people have to realize that black and brown lives matter. >> there is a tipping point. where hopefully people are finally starting to acknowledge the reality of what's happening in this country. as public defenders, this is something that we know. >> similar protests were held in front of courthouses across the bay area today. a noose was found hanging from a tree in franco plaza in oakland.
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this picture was posted on instagram. police say they are investigating to see if there was any criminal intent. the discovery comes just days after life-sized cardboard effigies of black men and women hanging from nooses were found at uc berkeley. a group of artists claimed responsibility for that, saying it intended to show the terror african-americans have faced for century. today the controversial head of the state public utilities commission presided over his final meeting of the commission. >> he's been heavily criticized for his close ties to the gas and electric industry. vic lee has been covering peavy's rain. he joins us now live from the newsroom. >> ama, he has been called one of the most powerful commissioners in the state. now, he served three governors, and his legacy most likely will be his efforts to bolster green energy and for stabilizing california's energy markets during turbulent years. but in recent times, he's been
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scarred by scandals. >> welcome to the public utilities commission auditorium. >> reporter: outgoing president michael peavy began his last meeting with public testimony. the praise and adulation went on for hours. former governor arnold schwarzenegger wrote a letter calling him a hero for his environmental stewardship. >> when the history books are written about california's leading role in facing one of the greatest challenges of our time, michael peavey will be remembered as the quiet hero who got it done. >> reporter: the san jose mayor criticized peavey for his cozy ties with pg&e and his roles in the scandal tied to the fatal explosion in san bruno. they believe he created a culture within the cpuc that allowed questionable relations with utilities that the commission regulates. federal investigators believe pg&e's shoddy maintenance and
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puc's lax oversight contributed to the san bruno pipeline blast. >> the corruption which led to these actions and the millions of dollars in fines and penalties against pg&e is not shocking. it is unconscionable. >> i believe there is criminal behavior, and hopefully the u.s. attorney and the attorney general will see it in that light, and file charges. >> reporter: hill has also been allowed critic of peavey's many trips aboard. state filings shows he received gifts in travel since appointed president in 2003. in all, 206 days abroad, to at least 13 countries, some more than once. a year before the san bruno explosion, abc 7 news interviewed peavey about a trip to sweden, accompanied by pg&e executives. he defended his travels. >> i've gone to sweden a number of times sponsored by the swedish government. it's -- these aren't junkets.
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>> reporter: senator hill said many of the trips were paid for by nonprofit groups widely believed to be funded by industries cpcu regulates. >> the representatives are along for the ride, drinking and partying and having a great time. >> reporter: now, senator hill today introduced legislation that would dilute the power of the next cpuc president, and make the commission more accountable to consumers. vic lee, abc 7 news. >> vic, thank you. still ahead, sony's international hacking investigation, how the u.s. government is responding after the studio canceled its movie release. a car slammed into a crowd after a church service, killing several people. new information from police about the driver. shoplifters caught on video. the creative scheme that these thieves came up with, and why it failed. at 4:10, taking a live look
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at the golden gate bridge traffic, moving freely in both directions. stay with us. we are back after a quick break.
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the dow had its biggest day in three years, soaring more than 400 points today. the markets building on the surge from yesterday when the federal reserve indicated it was really in no rush to raise interest rates. the dow closed up 421 points,
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closing at 17,778. the nasdaq up 104 points, the s&p 500 gained 48 points. >> we have seen destructive activity with malicious intent that was initiated by a sophisticated actor. >> that's the reaction from the white house today after sony pulled the plug on the interview, which is based on a fake plot to assassinate north korean leader kim jong-un. billboards were taken down today in hollywood. they're tightening up network security to avoid a similar cyber attack. >> u.s. intelligence agencies are continuing to investigate the attack. abc news reporter marcy gonzalez now. >> reporter: it is a movie ending like hollywood has never seen. hackers who threatened to attack theaters that showed the controversial comedy "the intervi interview" winning the cyber war with sony deciding to pull the plug on the film. saying in a statement, it was the victim of an unprecedented
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criminal assault and we stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome. they're not the only ones disappointed. rob lowe tweeting that everyone caved. others calling this a serious blow to our freedom of speech. >> i understand the need to be safe, to make sure filmgoers are safe. but you can't buckle in because somebody makes threats. >> reporter: those threats along with sony's computer system and the leak of private e-mails and other information blamed on north korea. the hackers retaliating against the fictional plot to kill that country's leader. federal investigators are figuring out how to respond. >> it is being treated by the investigative agencies, both at the fbi and department of justice, as seriously as you would expect. they are considering a range of options. >> reporter: meanwhile, sony's been hit with another class action lawsuit from former employees who claim the company didn't do enough to keep their information safe. on top of that, there are
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estimates that sony's decision to can the movie could cost them more than $100 million. marcy gonzalez, abc news, new york. after sony's cancellation, some theaters planned on screening "team america world police" as the replacement. paramount pictures has canceled all screenings of that film as well. it was filmed in 2004 when kim jong-il was the leader. steve carell movie is being scrapped. it was based on a novel by an american working in north korea. coming up, new on abc 7 news at 4:30, we'll talk to a local theater owner and film school professor about what happens next after this sony decision. also making news today, police near los angeles believe a woman was drunk when she drove into a crowd of 11 people, and killed three of them. it happened in redondo beach last night. the suspect kept driving after
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the initial crash, with some of the victims being carried on her hood. the suspect's car then hit another vehicle head-on along the pacific coast highway. the victims are in critical condition. the suspect is due in court tomorrow. the richmond city council unanimously adopted a resolution to accept president barack obama's my brother's keeper community challenge. that challenge is designed to make sure that young boys and men of color have the tools they need to succeed. it lays out specific actions for each community to accomplish, setting goals in areas of education, work opportunities, and violence prevention. >> the city of richmond is well placed to do right by this challenge, and to do right by the young people of our community. there's a number of city programs around crime prevention, around education, that put us in a good position to make sure that we are making sure our young people don't fall through the cracks. >> the city of richmond will host a local action summit next month to help build the "my brother's keeper" community as
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laid out in mr. obama's action plan. check out this thing called dustnado in australia. the video shows the swirl rising into the air, in the shape of a tornado. this was near brisbon, australia. dustnados are common in desert areas and happen when wind lifts loose dirt or sand in a vortex. you don't want to be anywhere near that. our weather, we've got a little bit of a break from all our storms. christian is here with the accuweather forecast. >> a little break today. but remember that old song, here comes the rain again. you can see although nothing is falling from the sky right now, under partly to mostly cloudy skies, we've got the rain up to the northwest. the storm whipping up rough surf. high surf for the coastal north
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bay. occasional breakers could exceed three feet. clouds over the bay from the emoryville camera. the forecast forecasts rain just in time for the morning commute. there's a chance of some rain late saturday in the north bay as well. the approaching frontal system is bringing the next bout of rainfall. it will be a rainy day tomorrow. these are the risks associated with this storm. just a moderate risk for urban flooding and downed trees, a slight risk for mud and rock slides. another inch of rain on top of salt rated soil is problematic. at 7:00 this evening, mostly cloudy. later tonight we'll see light rain arriving first in the north bay and then breaking off and heading down to the peninsula and parts of the south bay. notice the cold front arriving in the north bay around 5:00 tomorrow morning, just at the start of the morning commute.
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it's going to move slowly for the first few hours. at 12:00 none, noon, it won't have advanced much at all. virtually all of the bay area covered by midday. the front loses a little bit more, by about 4:00 tomorrow afternoon. the evening commute is going to be a messy one as well. the front sweeps on through tonight and the rain tapers off by early saturday morning. rainfall projections by 11:00 tomorrow night, up to one inch of rain in the north bay. also in the santa cruz mountains. lower elevations will receive anywhere from 1/4 of an inch to 3/4 of an inch. winter advisories in effect from 10:00 to 10:00 tomorrow night. new snow above 6,000 feet. back to the bay area, tonight we'll see lows dipping to just low 50s for most of the bay area, with the arrival of rain in the early morning hours. it will be a rainy day tomorrow with high temperatures ranging from the upper 50s to just above
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60 degrees. here's our accuweather seven-day forecast. mainly dry weekend, though there is a chance in the north bay late saturday. dry week next week going into christmas, which is next thursday. looks like a bright and sunny christmas day. but a little bit cooler than the preceding days. it will be mild, monday, tuesday, wednesday, with the highs in the mid-60s. christmas day about 60 degrees. still, a dry and pleasant week ahead. larry and ama? >> thank you, spencer. how local firefighters are pitching in to help make the holidays brighter in their communities. a double amputee gets a second chance. what doctors are helping him do that's never been done before.
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there were a lot of busy bees at fire station b in oakland this morning. they rushed to unload a truck load of food sorted into food
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box donations. each bhoks was filled with a turkey, vegetables and other items to make a holiday meal. the boxes were given to local churches who distributed the food to families in need. >> to see the look on their face when they see this big old turkey, with the stuffing and the corn. it's just the best feeling in the world, to ride around and take turkeys to people's houses. these are the best guys in the world right here. >> yes, they are. this is the 29th year oakland firefighters bought and donated food to the community. this year, they gave away 200 boxes. >> nice job. across the bay, the san francisco firefighters toy donation program got a huge boost. st. mary's medical center donated 1,200 toys to the program. this is the fourth year the staff has gotten together to purchase toys for kids during the holidays. even patients dropped off toys. despite the big contribution, though, the firefighters' program still needs more
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donations, especially sports equipment and toys for teenage girls. in san jose the firefighters delivered 33 frozen birds to sacred heart community service. why 33 turkeys? because they have 33 fire stations. the turkeys will land in some of the 3,200 food boxes being shared with the needy families for the holidays. the charity will also give out 17,000 toys. sacred heart community services has helped san jose for 50 years. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, more fallout from sony's hacking incident and how a local theater owner is reacting to having the movie pulled. the boston bombing suspect heads back to court. the confrontation involving one of the bombing victims. a contractor said he just didn't have a choice, he had to destroy a neighborhood mural. why some residents are now
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live, from the kgo broadcast center, this is abc 7 news. in today's headlines, a rally is under way right now in san jose. protesters plan to march to the police headquarters to deliver a petition, calling for the firing of san jose police officer phillip white. officer white was suspended after he posted two controversial tweets, one read, threaten me or my family and i will use my god given and law
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appointed right and duty to kill you. a police internal affairs probe is investigating. in napa, recovery still under way after the 6.0 earthquake back in august. along with the cleanup there are new fears that the fault could slip up to six more inches in the next three years. now, news of this afterslip has residents there concerned. we'll hear from them comes up at 5:00. the white house now says evidence shows the sony pictures hack was carried out with malicious intent, but would not go so far as to publicly blame north korea. this afternoon new fallout after sony canceled the release of the movie "the interview." wayne friedman has local reaction there. >> reporter: fallout is one word for it. behind me, over my shoulder, one of the marquees would have read the interview beginning on december 21st -- or 25th, when it opened. not anymore. the owner of that theater is upset about it.
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he planned on posting guards both inside and outside the movie theater, just to make sure his patrons were safe. he does not like the way sony dealt with this at all. >> if i was sony, i would not have handled it this way. >> reporter: after half a century of showing movies, this theater has never seen anything like this. a movie company pulling its own release in response to threats from an outside government. >> they knew this was going on for the last three or four weeks. they should have pushed the date back until late january or february, and by that time they might have found out where the threats were coming from. and they wouldn't have disturbed the christmas season. >> reporter: the interview is a comedy about a plot to assassinate north korean leader kim jong-un, which prompted his government to call it, quote, an act of war for which the u.s. would face merciless retaliation, including attacks on theaters. >> we have to be safe, right? >> would you have gone to a movie in that theater?
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>> no. i would not have gone to the movie in that theater. >> reporter: the threat and especially sony pictures' reaction to it, has the industry and its intelligence angry and upset. steven covaks run the program at san francisco state university. >> i think it is a precedent. even at the height of the cold war, we weren't worried about depicting the soviet union in a bad light. >> reporter: apparently those were the days hackers on computers wielded as much terror as cold era people with fingers on triggers. >> what should sony have done? >> nothing. >> reporter: abc 7 news. a defector who once worked as a computer expert for the north korean government is making stunning new claims. he's telling cnn that pyongyang is running a vast network of hackers around the world. they're part of a secretive group called bureau 121. he claims it's a shadow agency with an unknown number of
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hand-picked shadow agents. a defense attorney wants to delay the trial for boston marathon bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev. a bombing survive waved his prosthetic leg at protesters who believed tsarnaev is innocent. the april 2013 blast killed three people, and wounded more than 260 others. inside the courtroom, one of tsarnaev's supporters accused government agents of framing the 21-year-old. that woman spoke to reporters after u.s. marshals ejected her from the hearing. >> there is no real evidence. nobody saw any evidence. all they showed the public is people with backpacks which doesn't look like round things such as a pressure cooker. >> i'm grateful for all the support that i've had, through all of this. >> tsarnaev arrived and left court under heavy security. tsarnaev's lawyer also asked to move the trial to new york,
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fearing he won't get a fair trial in boston. in wisconsin today, a judge ruled two girls accused of stabbing a classmate are both competent to stand trial. prosecutors charged the girls with attempted first-degree intentional homicide of the attack in may. they say the girls plotted for months before attacking their friend in the park. all three were 12 at the time. diplomacy between the u.s. and cuba is under way. this leaves cubans wondering what it means for them in the long run. abc news reporter karen travers on history in the making. >> reporter: a raw deal, that's how several republican cuban-american lawmakers described president obama's historic announcement. >> the cuban people are no more free today than they were obama's terrible deal. >> the implications will extend far beyond cuba. >> reporter: the obama administration's moving forward to reverse more than 50 years of
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history between the u.s. and cuba. >> we can do that via exchange of letters or of notes. it doesn't require a formal sort of legal treaty or agreement. >> reporter: the checklist of changes include reopening an embassy in havana, and beginning to ease some economic sanctions. there was cautious optimism in havana. in the cuban-american community in miami -- >> i think the deal was bad. >> we will look forward to getting back our -- a lot of our cuban heritage. >> reporter: more than a year of high-level secret talks took place between the u.s. and cuba. the key role in the process, pope francis, who made personal appeals to president obama and cuban president raul castro. the vatican helped coordinate meetings between the u.s. and cuban officials. the final details hammered out this fall. >> the pope had the soft power
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to induce the other actors to act properly. >> reporter: the white house did not rule out president obama visiting cuba in the future. or raul castro visiting washington. trips that were almost unthinkable just a few days ago. karen travers, abc news, washington. vladimir putin lashed out at the west today, blaming the u.s. and other nations for his country's economic crisis. putin spoke as oil prices continued to plunge since june. russia faces economic sanctions after its actions in the ukraine. the rubel has lost more than half its value. millions of russians had seen an increase in their standard of living. a boom in oil exports boosted their economy over the last decade. jim harbaugh talking about the offer of a new job at his alma mater at the university of michigan. but up first, in the world, a double amputee controlled two
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robotic arms with only his mind. how doctors made it happen. looking north, we see clouds thickening in the northern sky. in a matter of hours, rain will accompany those clouds. we take a live look at the traffic cam in san jose. traffic is pretty standard here. 101 south on your right-hand side, that's where you see the backup northbound really light traffic. over the top you see that is 880. we're back after a short break ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] get your taste of the season, at raley's, bel air, and nob hill.
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an incredible discovery will make one family's christmas more special this year. >> they've been identified as the christinei family. >> they've taken a vacation to new jersey back in 1998 and forgot their camera on the beach. the bag was turned into lost and found but never claimed. now 16 years later, the jen kin son employee cleaned out the attic. they were there when dad called to claim the tapes. >> it was an unbelievable discovery. completely surprised. >> how old are your girls now? they're beautiful. >> thank you. 23 and 21. >> wow. >> as a father, i can tell you,
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just looking at those old videotapes, warms your heart. i remember when they were little kids. >> right. >> if you can imagine that with your own family. >> you saw the grown-up picture there. they have a little sister now, too. he can't wait to relive the vacation with his family this holiday. >> that's going to be very special. double amputee became the first person in the world to be fitted with two bionic arms controlled entirely by thought. 40 years after he lost his arms in an electrical accident, doctors at johns hopkins physics lab surgically reassigned his nerves to a socket. >> he's able to move the limbs just by thinking. >> once the training sessions were complete and they released me and let me be the computer basically, to control that arm, it was a whole different world. maybe i'll be able to for once put change in a pop machine and get the pop out of it. simple things like that that most people never think of.
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>> like getting a soda. >> unbelievable this is even possible. this video provided by johns hopkins. at this point, lee can only use the limbs in a laboratory. the next step is to send him home with a pair of arms to use. it will change his life from that day forward. let's turn our attention to the weather. we finally got a little bit of a break from all our storms. >> not for long. >> not for long is the operative term, larry. let's look at live doppler 7 hd. the clouds are in the north. that's the direction from which the rain cometh. it's already raining in some parts of the northwestern corner of the state. it will be raining here overnight. let's look at our drought watch. a week ago today, 55% of the state was under exceptional drought. extreme drought. and now a week later, only 32%. so the area of exceptional drought, extreme drought, those areas diminishing because of
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recent heavy rain. it's what re really need to help the drought situation more is some heavy snow pack developing in the mountains. statewide look for rain sweeping down through the central part of the state. it will rain most of the day tomorrow. it will be wet and soggy for the morning commute and evening commute. high temperatures tomorrow in the upper 50s to low 60s. another rainy day, but we do have hope for mainly dry weekend. and you'll hear more about that from sandhya. >> thank you, spencer. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, a big change in the miss world pageant. what you won't be seeing in future competitions. you could call this a heart-stopping theft. the big flaw in the thieves' plan to steal toys. i'm michael finney. protect your children from online hackers.
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we have reports swirling that jim harbaugh has been
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offered the head coaching job at the university of michigan. harbaugh said today what he always says in these situations, and that is, he only talks about the job he has. nobody asked about saturday's 49ers game with the chargers. instead, all the focus was on the reported six-year, $48 million offer from harbaugh's alma mater. the wolverines in michigan. harbaugh's intent was to finish up the balance of his niners contract which by the way has another season remaining. >> i'm going to finish this to the end. my focus, the same as the players' focus, and the coaches' focus, focus on the practice field, the focus in meetings, our players, our coaches and by me. >> harbaugh finishing out the length of his contract is unlikely. but his next move is unclear. you figured the raiders are
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going to be very interested and there might be mutual interest in harbaugh going across the bay. the jets and giants really set the bar at $8 million per year. niners offensive coordinator greg roman also addressed the michigan rumors involving harbaugh saying it's all just water cooler conversation. the miss world pageant will no longer feature a swimsuit competition. >> a contestant from west africa was crowned last week, featuring contestants wearing bikinis. >> they say it's beauty with a purpose. there didn't seem to be a purpose to having the swimsuit competition. they emphasized charity and community work. a sheriff in florida said a man faked a heart attack so his pal could swipe a shopping cart full of barbie toys from a walmart. you can see boxes filling the men's shopping cart in polk county near orlando.
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another camera captures one collapsing and grabbing his chest. the other man pushed the cart to the parking lot. walmart security did not fall for the ruse. >> that's as low as you can get at christmastime. >> we have seen diversions before. it's not original. but it was pretty interesting. he didn't even, like, go down hard on the ground. >> sounds like they didn't even respect the attempt. the two suspects are in jail. they could face grand theft charges. not only did they get caught, but it wasn't original. not well executed. >> all the way around. yet another major retailer is reportedly canceling layaway orders already paid in full. >> customers who thought their orders would be set aside for them are finding out that is not the case. michael finney has the skinny on all this. >> why is this so complicated?
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layaway, you take the product and lay it away, right? >> yeah. >> not anymore. this week, kmart canceled layaway orders. toys "r" us is doing the same. the retailers, blaming cancellations on lack of inventory. this mother of three had been paying off the toys she bought from toys "r" us in september. she paid in full, but noticed online her orders had been canceled. and toys "r" us said there could be some cancellations or hot items on back order. being a toy retailer, we take that responsibility very seriously. are you planning to give your kids a smartphone or laptop this holiday? it will probably go over very big. also recent concerns about their online privacy. parents can take measures like checking the privacy setting on the kids' social media accounts every few months, and they should turn off the location
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service on most apps, especially the camera to stop predators from following them. >> if you take the photo and post it online then you'll know where the photo is taken and you're broadcasting that to the world. >> the most important step is making your kids aware of all the potential threats out there in cyberspace. this could be the start of something that sweeps the country. amazon is now offering one-hour delivery in certain areas of new york city. and could expand to other cities next year. the service began a slow rollout today, and is only available to prime members, who pay a membership of $99 a year. one-hour service costs an additional $7.99, two-hour delivery is free. current same-day delivery is available here in san francisco and eligible items if you place your order by noon. that's quick. >> wow, that is. >> i need it now. thank you, michael. >> sure. if you finished all of your holiday shopping, there is
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plenty to explore where you live this weekend. >> abc 7 news reporter layla with the details. >> reporter: the holiday can be a stressful time of year. which is why a little comic relief is in order. the shakespeare company has a popular show the complete history of comedy in mill valley. the holidays weren't complete without catching charlie brown on tv. this holiday season, he and his fellow peanuts come to life during the premiere of the charlie brown christmas live in san francisco. the special show features live singers, actors and dancers. while the orchestra and chorus lead a sing-along of christmas carols. children and adults across the bay area, the nutcracker is ringing in the christmas season. tickets are still available for all three performances this weekend at the historic paramount theater. for more information about these and other events, go to abc7news.com.
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leyla gulen, abc news 7. coming up new at 5:00, the bay area expert who said birds are better at forecasting tornadoes than people. is your car saving you money or throwing it away? michael finney is back with the best and worst values when it comes to cars. those stories and a lot more
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primetime on abc 7, the taste at 8:00, followed by how to get away with murder at 10:00. join us for abc 7 news at 11:00. some members of an oakland neighborhood are upset after a community mural was cut apart in a mold-related repair job. the contractors on that job say
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they had no choice. abc 7 news reporter tiffany wilson has both sides of that story. >> reporter: chris has been a chef for 13 years and recently decided to open his own restaurant. he signed a lease for the old key route station and work got under way. >> we're spending a lot of time, with a lot of really great creative people to refurbish a face that we love. >> reporter: that includes a mural painted in 2005. it's covered by a blue tarp during construction. some paid hundreds for the artist to include a portrait of their loved ones. >> i thought it was great. i thought it was beautiful. >> reporter: pictures show obvious cracks along the outside. kroner said inside was much worse. >> we found this huge portion of our wall that was covered in black mold. and fell away at the touch. >> reporter: the 5 by 10 foot area used to be a window that was improperly filled in. >> it had been leaking for 25 years or something.
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and it was a thick layer of mold. literally the plywood was gone. >> reporter: worried about public safety, the construction crew removed the affected portion of the mural. >> i was really shocked and horrified. >> reporter: valerie is on the steering committee of the improvement league. she feels kroner didn't follow protocols, consult proper experts or do enough to salvage the mural. >> it's gone without warning. and i think that's just really unfair to the community. >> what we found left us without a choice but to repair it. >> reporter: the artist's family currently had to remove the portion of the material. the artist hasn't said what he wants to do. with the whole mirror in the mural already, kroner hopes the community can come together and treat the restaurant as a home for new art when it opens in january. tiffany wilson, abc 7 news. thanks for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00. i'm larry beal. nbc 7 news at 5:00 starts now.
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coming up, one officer's tweet and the movement now under way to get him out of the department permanent live. napa's earthquake is long over, but the danger is still there. the community's slip sliding away. the common pain reliever that local researchers say could be an anti-aging wonder drug. >> that's 10 to 12 years. that's big. i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. i'll let you know when the next storm is coming in. a look at your weekend straight ahead. live from the kgo broadcast center, this is abc 7 news. a protest right now over a san jose police officer's controversial tweets. sky 7 hd was overhead just moments ago, demonstrators want the officer out. they say he used his twitter account in a reckless manner. i'm ama daetz. >> a group plans to hand over a petition to the police chief tonight. that petition calls for the firing of san jose police
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officer phillip white. white is currently suspended for a tweet threatening protesters, outraged by the michael brown and eric garner cases. chris nguyen is live at a rally tonight with more on this. chris? >> reporter: a call for change, a march for peace. this afternoon people gathered in san jose bringing attention to what they say is a pattern of racial inequality here at home. >> when people of color come into contact with lawsuit, is there equal enforcement or discriminatory treatment. >> reporter: he serves as chairman of the justice and accountability. the organizer for today's event. they're demanding the immediate firing of phil white. white is accused of sending a series of questionable tweets, including this. threats to my family and i'll use my god given and law appointed right and duty to kill you, #cops' lives matter. if anyone feels they can't breathe or their lives matter, i'll be at the movies tonight,
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off-duty, carrying my gun. officer white has been placed on administrative leave as the investigation continues. community members say regardless of where people fall on the opinion spectrum, this is a conversation we're having. >> we're absolutely emboldened and excited about the new national energy to reexamine police accountability. and we think it's important for san jose to be part of that national dialogue. >> reporter: we reached out to the san jose police department today. they won't comment on this matter until an internal review is complete. chris nguyen, abc 7 news. public defenders called for change within the justice system. at the hall of justice today, members of the san francisco public defenders racial justice committee held a black lives matter rallies across the country. they're calling for racial justice and change in law enforcement. >> in san francisco, blacks make up approximately 6% of the population, but over 53%

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