police arrest two people after a crazy chase involving a stolen newspaper truck. sky 7 hd was overhead as drivers went the wrong way down a street, even hitting a parked car. >> the pursuit went through the bay area three bay area counties and lasted about an hour and a half. it started in san francisco went across the san mateo bridge. the truck then headed north on 880 through hayward and ended in san leandro. >> as we said it was wild. we have live team coverage for you. let's begin with abc 7 reporter sergio quintana.

>> reporter: this all started at san francisco at market and castro. police stole that newspaper delivery truck at about 3:40 this morning this is a high speed chase with the stolen truck veering off the road near railroad tracks, speeding through stop signs on city streets and maneuvering past vehicles on the freeway. at one point, the passenger seemed to be smoking as he watched traffic whiz by. this all started early this morning. san francisco police say two men stole the san francisco chronicle truck. the driver was not harmed. >> at castro and market early in the morning making a delivery, at that time the suspects basically jumped into the van and took off. >> reporter: just before 9:00, san francisco police chased the stolen truck all the way down to the san mateo bridge and that's where california highway patrol took over on the 880 freeway. you can see as he veers through traffic, nearly clipping this vehicle. in hayward the driver swerves

into the oncoming traffic lanes. in san leandro as he's surrounded by police the driver reverses and clips and bystander's prius. along the way, the passenger hopped out of the truck and tried to get away. this pursuit finally ended in san leandro when the driver steered into a cul-de-sac and tried to run away. police have not released many details on their ideantityies or charges they may be facing, one of which may be assault on a police officer. the driver allegedly tried to hit a patrolman with that delivery truck at some point during that pursuit. i'm sergio quintana, abc 7 news. the chase ended in a quiet neighborhood in the san leandro hills. >> that's where abc 7 news reporter laura anthony is with more. laura? >> reporter: well, this seems an unlikely place for a high speed chase to end right here in this quiet cul-de-sac. this is where it did end and

there's a sign at the entrance that plainly reads no outlet. by the time the stolen truck made its way to san leandro, the passenger decided it was time for him and his bike to bail. that, he did at east 14th. but he didn't get far. basically into the waiting arms of an army of police. meanwhile, the driver headed east up toward the hills and into a residential neighborhood. >> he made a u-turn came roaring across here. >> reporter: brian ashton said he heard the roar of the engine as the white panel truck sped up his street. the driver's last turn was a left into a cul-de-sac with no way out. >> i was pointing, i said he's going in the court. they were right on him. i was surprised they didn't grab him. >> reporter: the suspect in a blue teeshirt could be seen from sky 7 hd hopping fences down a hillside that leads to the park.

>> at the bottom of the hill by the creek there was a ton of police with their weapons drawn. that was really scary. >> this is a very large area heavily wooded. we were able to get a really tight perimeter at which time we located the suspect inside, in the creek. >> reporter: police from san francisco, san leandro and other agencies surrounded the area and captured the suspect under a bridge near san leandro creek. paramedics checked him out before he was driven away in the back of a san francisco police car. back to where it all began. laura anthony, abc 7 news. former 49ers coach jim harbaugh landed in michigan about an hour ago. nfl media confirmed harbaugh agreed to become the next head coach at the university of michigan. the all-time winningest program in college football history. >> a news conference is scheduled for tomorrow. harbaugh will be publicly introduced during a basketball game. the news immediately skyrocketed

the game's ticket prices. >> seats selling for $14 last week are now going for $120. one seller even wants $1,000 for a pair of courtside seats. >> fans will greet harbaugh in a style familiar to niners fans. they plan to khaki out in honor of harbaugh's classic sideline look. that pair of khakis and the long sleeve shirt. so thousands of fans will be wearing khaki pants up in the stands. dockers is playing along now offering its university of michigan game day khakis for 42% off. >> today, 49ers top brass held a news conference on the breakup with harbaugh. >> sports anchor mike shumann is here with the wolverines get their michigan man the way they hoped. it's a big move for him and interesting change for the 49ers. >> it appears michigan got their man. he went to the school and played there. his dad coached there, and his mentor bo schembechler, is a legend there.

today, i got the feeling this really was eventually a mutual decision on everyone's part. it sounds like jim harbaugh decided that college football might be better suited for his style of coaching. harbaugh was thanked for his accomplishments and wished well. he's tough to work with, production-driven, but he wins everywhere he goes. these are things owners have to put up with in quality coaches but in the end, jed thought they were going in different directions. >> we have had philosophical discussions and when we sat down we just couldn't come to a place where we thought moving together together was the best for either party. this wasn't us saying jim you're fired you're not here anymore. this wasn't jim saying i don't want to be there, i'm leaving. it was a discussion that took place over, you know a decent amount of time to figure out what's best for everybody involved. we thought it was the best and fairest thing if we weren't going to continue to work

together to let jim decide his own future. >> i think harbaugh grew tired of the egos of nfl owners and players and all the different factions he had to deal with. he has total control at the college level with only an athletic director and president to deal with and they are laying out the red carpet for him. but as players cleaned out their lockers today, the thought of harbaugh being gone still stings a little. >> i wish him nothing but the best and appreciate everything that he did for us. i had a great run. wish him nothing but the best. >> good things for him at michigan. >> i thought he did a fantastic job at motivating and the stories were part of that motivational process. >> niner quarterback colin kaepernick put this picture on instagram today. the caption reads the coach that drafted me chose to start me and stood behind me through it all. i will never forget what you have done for me, coach. thanks for everything. meanwhile, the raiders are also looking for a new head coach with interim tony sparano

making his cast today in his final press conference. he won three games in his 12-week tenure. we will hear from his players at 6:00 p.m. in sports. we will never get jim harbaugh's side of the story but it seems this could have been salvaged but both sides decided against it. we will look ahead at 6:00 p.m. here on abc 7 about some possible replacement choices. i will miss him. whether you liked him or not he was an interesting guy. >> he was. >> thank you. today is the spare the air day and if you thought it was chilly over the weekend just wait. it will get even colder. >> take a look at how foggy it was during the early morning commute. that cold air brought in the heavy fog. >> a look outside, no more fog and lots of sunshine. we are also expecting the winds to pick up too. >> spencer christian is outside now with our accuweather update.

>> when you see me tomorrow this time i will be wearing a coat for sure. let's take a look at live doppler 7 hd. it's a pleasant day but you can feel the chill in the air. sunny skies for the most part, just a few thin high clouds around. let's talk about the wind advisory. this is very important. wind advisory in effect from 7:00 tomorrow morning to 12:00 noon on wednesday, new year's eve. winds will be generally out of the northeast 20 to 40 miles per hour with gusts between 45 and 60 miles per hour. trees and power lines could topple under conditions like this. let me remind you, we also have a spare the air alert in effect. this is our view from mount tam. you can see the haze over the bay area. the poorest air quality in the north bay and santa clara valley. no wood burning during a spare the air day. here's a live view from the east bay hills camera. temperature readings are mainly between 52 and 55 everywhere. san francisco, oakland san jose morgan hill and half moon bay. another view out over san francisco, a wider range of temperatures here.

53, santa rosa napa 52 novato 52. 49 fairfield. 55 at livermore. when i come back i will give you a closer look at the frigid mornings that lie ahead. it will feel like winter. >> you can keep track of how cold the temperatures will get where you live with the abc 7 news weather app. it is free on apple's app store or google play. these are nervous times for residents of a hillsborough home where a mountain lion has been spotted. heather says she heard the animal jump on her roof early this morning and then climb on her big oak tree. she recognizes that sound. she thinks it's the same mountain lion that killed a deer in her yard four nights ago. >> it does make me uneasy. i feel very concerned for children, as i saw a child just passing on their own and i thought that child has absolutely no defense. >> mountain lions like these aren't uncommon in woodsy bay area neighborhoods. wildlife officials have been trying to trap the mountain lion

prowling this neighborhood since it hasn't threatened humans. police are on the lookout for two gunmen involved in a home invasion robbery this morning. this happened around 3:00 a.m. in the city's neighborhood near sf state. the victims were asleep when the suspects entered the home most likely through a window. >> the loss was cash wallets credit cards cell phones and bicycles. a bicycle was taken. there was not a lot that they got away with which is why -- kind of puzzling as to why they were victimized. >> the victims told police the suspects tied up their wrists and taped their eyes and mouth shut. no one was injured but the victims did decide to sleep elsewhere after the home invasion was over. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, passengers describe the chaotic scene aboard the ferry that caught fire in the adriatic sea. also, the airasia mystery

and the difference between this search and the effort to find the malaysian airlines jet that vanished. also, what a bay area lawmaker wants installed in the cars of everyone convicted of drunk driving. 7 on your side's michael finney is taking your questions on twitter and facebook. he will answer them live a little bit later. contact him at facebook.com/michaelfinneyabc7. let's take a look at the san francisco skyway. folks out and about, many back to work, maybe a few still returning unwanted christmas gifts. not too bad but a little sticky heading -- trying to get on to the bay bridge. stay with us.

authorities say the death toll in the fire aboard a greek ferry in the adriatic sea has risen to ten. the fire broke out on the card deck of the ferry yesterday morning between italy and albania. passengers described the scene as total chaos. >> no communication, nobody to tell us what to do. i had to look for myself to find the life jackets. >> it was a panic. it was crazy. >> officials say 427 people, including 56 crew members, are now safely back in an italian port. they are refusing to speculate on whether anyone might still be missing. prosecutors in italy say they have already begun a criminal investigation into that incident. the "uss samson" is

reportedly on the way to the java sea to help search for the missing airasia flight 8501. >> the jet liner was carrying 162 people. today there are two potential clues to the location of the plane. >> searchers spotted oil patches in the java sea near where the plane lost contact. samples are being collected and analyzed. >> another crew spotted suspicious objects in the water about 700 miles from where the plane disappeared, but it's not yet known if there's any connection. >> no americans were on board. abc news reporter elizabeth herr has the latest. >> reporter: without warning or distress calls, airasia 8501 simply vanished, according to authorities who vow to use all available resources in finding the missing plane. for families with missing loved ones, the wait is agonizing. the pilot's father says i want my son to come home alive but if it's not meant to be if god doesn't want it's in fate's hands. >> have to find out what went

wrong and carry on doing the good we have been doing. that's the mandate. >> reporter: the air bus leaving indonesia for singapore disappeared just minutes after the pilot asked to climb from 32,000 feet to 38,000 feet to avoid bad weather somewhere over the java sea. >> the prospects of finding the black boxes at this airplane went into the middle of the java sea is very good. it's close to land. a lot of ships can be brought to bear on it. >> reporter: the search area, the biggest difference between this incident and the missing malaysian airlines flight 370 in the much larger and deeper indian ocean from nine months ago, making this search perhaps more manageable but equally pressing. >> just like 370 the clock is ticking. we've got 28 days left to find that airplane. >> reporter: that is because these black boxes have a battery life of 30 days, and should be sending out signals automatically but so far, no luck deepening this mystery. abc news, new york.

napa and solano county residents have until 6:00 to apply for federal disaster aid to cover losses from the august earthquake. so far, 2500 homeowners renters and businesses have asked for assistance. the 6.0 earthquake damaged hundreds of homes and other buildings. federal disaster grants can pay for repairs, help tenants cover rent if they have been displaced and pay for some disaster related needs that are not covered by insurance. again, the deadline to apply is 6:00 tonight. time to get another check on the weather. >> as spencer points out, he will be bundled up tomorrow night. >> i certainly will. we might all be. wait for sharply dropping temperatures and gusty winds. live doppler 7 hd showing clear skies right now. it's a lovely late december afternoon as you look from the emeryville camera towards the western sky. these are the forecast features. it will be turning windy

tomorrow, freezing temperatures will be with us wednesday through friday. it will be winter-like the next few mornings. we will have a dry pattern, new year's eve into the weekend. on we go. here's the satellite and radar composite image. big cold storm up in the western part of canada over british columbia will be dropping southward over the next couple days. that will bring us the big change in the weather conditions. start the forecast animation 5:00 tomorrow morning, at which point there may be a couple isolated sprinkles over the bay area. we don't expect area-wide rainfall. there will be snow in the sierra. as the storm drops southward you see the winds increasing mainly out of the northeast tomorrow so by afternoon, we will see pretty gusty conditions on a cool day. here's the wind gust animation starting 5:00 tomorrow morning. it will be breezy but not terribly gusty but as we get later into the day, by noon we will see gusts intensifying in the north bay first, over 30 35 miles per hour small craft advisory over coastal waters and the bay. by 2:00, gusts will be over 40

miles per hour. check out tomorrow evening. 7:00 p.m., 55 mile per hour gusts, 45 mile per hour gusts at napa, 46 in oakland. strong winds into the early morning hours wednesday. then finally by wednesday afternoon, we will see winds beginning to moderate just a bit. it will still be breezy but not so gusty as tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. overnight, look for low temperatures to drop down to about 30 in the early morning hours in santa rosa, 33 at napa mid 30s in other inland valley locations like fairfield livermore, morgan hill. it will be a chilly morning for sure. our morning low trend over the next several days indicates we can expect morning lows in the low to mid 30s in some of the inland valleys. bottoming out thursday morning at about 31 degrees in livermore. it will be quite chilly. we will see temperatures moderating by sunday and monday. high temperatures tomorrow under sunny skies will be on the cool side but not terribly cold. highs mainly in the low 50s, only up to about 48 in clear

lake. here's the accuweather seven day forecast. again, freezing temperatures in the early morning hours wednesday, thursday and friday. it will be a cold start to the new year. 2015 on thursday. the daytime highs will remain in the low to mid 50s. that's not cold by east coast standards. as we get into the weekend, temperatures will moderate and it will be a little milder by sunday with high temperatures back up around 60 degrees in most locations. then in the low to mid 60s by next monday. but as we head into new year's eve and new year's day, we will need to keep in mind if we will be outdoors we should be prepared for a fairly substantial chill. >> they're not looking at the 50s in buffalo. >> no, no, not at all. up next, a special invitation, the big ride one bay area special olympian will be going on this week. new after 4:30, long-lost pals just steps away. how two army vets found each other after nearly two decades. checking your traffic on

this monday afternoon, 4:21 this is san jose 101 southbound on the right-hand side. that's where you see all the traffic. northbound is going quite well at this hour. that's 880 going over the top. tomorrow on espn you can watch stanford and maryland live at levi's stadium starting at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow.

a bay area special olympian is headed to pasadena tomorrow to participate in the annual tournament of roses parade. 31-year-old stephanie ching of cupertino has been competing in the special olympics for 25 years, winning medals in every sport in the games and has been honored by the san jose sports hall of fame. she says she's excited to ride on the special olympics float in the parade. >> i feel great. and really happy. >> we are so proud of her, and

it's really exciting because she has gained so much confidence in doing sports through special olympics. >> you can watch the annual tournament of roses parade and look for stephanie right here on abc 7 beginning at 8:00 a.m. on new year's day. >> that will be fun. the high temperature will be below freezing in ann arbor michigan tomorrow but it will be a much sunnier day for michigan football fans. this weekend a fan blog predicted an 80% chance of jim harbaugh. now it's closer to 100%. reports say the university of michigan will announce him as the next head coach tomorrow. the detroit free press made a big oops when it printed this morning's edition of the paper. they put the wrong harbaugh on the cover. the paper printed a picture of harbaugh's brother john, who is head coach of the baltimore ravens. the paper apologized for the error, sending out this tweet

saying we've got a serious case of the mondays. our deepest apologies. we'll have the right one tomorrow. promise. just ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, the hard line step that one local lawmaker wants to take against convicted drunk drivers. also the embarrassing concession today by church leaders back east regarding a fatal hit and run. the problems our recent rain is causing in the construction of the new rail line in the north bay.

here are today's headlines at 4:30. former 49ers coach jim harbaugh is now in michigan with his family. the university of michigan is expected to announce him as the football team's next head coach at a news conference tomorrow. he will be publicly introduced to fans during a basketball game. the niners have begun their coaching search. sports anchor larry beil tweeted this an hour ago. 49ers will have a tough time filling huge void after harbaugh, but must find coach who can take kaep to the next level. harbaugh failed there. a high speed chase ran through three counties today as officers pursued a stolen san francisco chronicle delivery van. sky 7 hd shows the driver taking off from the van in san leandro two and a half hours later.

paramedics checked him out as took him into custody. a passenger who bailed out earlier was also arrested. a bay area lawmaker filed a bill today that he believes would help keep drunk drivers off california roads. abc 7 news reporter vic lee is live in the newsroom with the latest. >> actually, four counties in california already require ignition interlock devices on their cars. senator jerry hill would simply make it mandatory across the state. in november this man, paul diaz, was convicted of vehicular manslaughter in connection with a drunk driving hit and run crash that killed three people in daly city. >> every time i hear of another drunk driving crash, i want to make a difference. >> reporter: nina walker's 22-year-old daughter ginger was killed in a head-on crash. the driver of the other car was intoxicated. ginger left behind a 3-year-old son. >> 50,000 californians have been killed by drunk drivers.

we must take action to prevent more deaths and injuries from drunk drivers. >> reporter: state senator jerry hill's legislation would require all drivers, even first offenders convicted of driving under the influence to install ignition interlock devices on their cars. if the breathalyzer indicates that their blood alcohol level is above a preset limit, the car won't run. 24 states have similar laws. >> arizona, new mexico and louisiana, their interlock laws have reduced dui fatalities over 35%. >> reporter: senator hill says that's significant, especially in california where repeat dui offenders account for about a third of all dui convictions every year. ignition interlock devices are connected to a vehicle's ignition. >> this is how it works. i'm going to turn the car ignition on. it won't start. it won't start because i've got to breathe into the breathalyzer. i'm going to blow into this

device. it says pass so i can rev up the car. >> reporter: mary lost her son matthew, who was at home from the naval academy when a drunk driver hit his car. she came to hill's news conference today to support his legislation. >> 100% preventible. we can stop this and we can use technology to do that. >> reporter: the national transportation safety board recently recommended that every state adopt laws requiring ignition interlock devices for convicted drunk drivers. vic lee, abc 7 news. >> great demonstration. thanks. the los angeles police department is on high alert right now following today's release of the autopsy report on an unarmed black man shot and killed by police officers last august. the report shows that 25-year-old ford was shot three times and that a muzzle imprint

was found around the bullet wound on his back. police say ford was shot as he tried to grab an officer's gun during a struggle. investigators withheld the autopsy reports to avoid tainting potential witness statements and urged the public not to draw too many conclusions from it. >> autopsy is an important piece. an autopsy shows manner and cause of death. but an autopsy does not proscribe motivation nor indicate propriety, in this case, was it a legal shooting or not. >> the lapd is not the only department on high alert. the violence follows the recent shooting deaths of two new york city police officers. >> you need anger management! >> reporter: in los angeles sunday, two groups faced off outside police headquarters. those protesting police conduct and those supporting police. >> we love cops! >> reporter: tensions escalated across the country after the december 20th shooting deaths of two new york city police

officers. the gunman suggesting online their murders were retaliation for the police killings of michael brown and eric garner. sunday, two shots were fired at deputies. neither was hurt. >> all deputies, all police officers are human. when things like this happen of course something like that creeps into the back of your mind. >> reporter: sunday night in los angeles, two suspects fired a rifle at a police patrol car. no officers were injured. at a police graduation ceremony monday, new york mayor bill de blasio, viewed by some as sympathetic to protesters demonstrating against police, was booed. but the violence is strengthening the bond between officers around the u.s. these members of the los angeles police department traveled to new york to pay their respects to the slain officers. >> we are brothers and sisters-in-law enforcement. we support each other no matter what part of the country we're in. >> reporter: one of the suspects who fired at an lapd car is in

custody. police are searching for the second suspect. amateur car racers tried to shut down a major los angeles freeway yesterday. started around 3:00 a.m. on the south los angeles section of the 105. the california highway patrol los angeles county sheriff's department and lapd joined forces to stop the illegal racing which ultimately resulted in multiple high speed chases. whole thing lasted a little more than an hour. the racers were eventually boxed in. the exact number of people arrested is still unclear. the episcopal church of maryland confirms its bishop was the driver in a hit and run that killed a bicyclist in baltimore. the bishop left the scene after hitting the 41-year-old cyclist saturday afternoon but returned 20 minutes later. police say cook has been questioned but is not facing charges at this time. the hit and run took place on a busy street. the force of the crash destroyed the bike and shattered the

windshield of the bishop's car. cook is the church's first female bishop in maryland. she is now on administrative leave. a family spokesman says president george h.w. bush is breathing normally again but will spend one more night in a houston hospital. the 90-year-old former president has been in the hospital since last tuesday when he was admitted as a precaution because of shortness of breath. in a statement, he and first lady barbara bush thanked everyone for their well wishes and prayers. president bush suffers from parkinson's disease. he spent two months in the hospital two years ago for a severe cough as well as other issues. coming up on abc 7 news at 4:00, one man's positive outlook as we head into a new year. plus bathrooms are not always the cleanest at gas stations. you know that. your mind may change when you see what is behind this door. 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. contact me at facebook.com/michaelfinneyabc7.

and on twitter, at mfinney. i will answer your questions live a little later. i'm spencer christian. here's a beautiful view of the setting sun from the emeryville camera. we have cold, windy days ahead. i will have the accuweather forecast coming up in just a moment. 4:37 checking your roadways, this is a look at your traffic going across the golden gate bridge. on the right-hand side is traffic heading north up to marin. stay with us. my whole life, i didn't have health insurance 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. for the first time ever. you too can enjoy quality health coverage. to enroll, or find free in-person help go to coveredca.com

generally, gas station bathrooms are, what's the word? disgusting. >> yeah, they really can be. one man was so impressed with

what he saw at a shell station in the philippines he posted it online. >> i never make videos but i had to make a video about this. it's about the toilet. here we go. this is a shell toilet. look at this. and i can't capture the smell but it's super menthol in here. it's awesome. >> isn't that amazing? jason found the bathroom on the whole island, a popular tourist destination known for its beaches. that's nice. a canadian astronaut is doing his thing to spread a bit of optimism in time for the start of 2015. >> we live the way we do because people chose to tackle their problems head-on. in 100 years, we have gone from filming the wright brothers to landing a camera on titan, a moon 800 million miles away. when thinking if you're going to be optimistic this year

remember, nobody changes the world on their own. it all starts with a resolution. what's yours? >> chris posted what he calls an astronaut's guide to optimism on youtube. if you would like to see his full message, we have a link on our website, abc7news.com. that's compelling. time to check on our weather. apparently it will get much colder. >> it is. it feels like winter now. spencer christian is outside with the full forecast. >> it's going to feel even more winter-like over the next couple days. let's get right down to live doppler 7 hd. you can see clear skies over the bay area, little cool out here but not exactly cold. across the 48 contiguous states tomorrow we will find a wide range of weather conditions from very cold in the upper midwest, a high of minus two at fargo snow in denver a high of zero. pretty chilly in the northeast, high of 32 in boston. south of miami a high of 82. dallas only 44 degrees tomorrow 65 in phoenix. across the state of california we will see chilly conditions up

north, highs of 51 at chico. cold in tahoe 24 with light snow, and in reno. down south partly cloudy and chilly by l.a. conditions -- by l.a. standards. 57 degrees in los angeles. here in the bay area tomorrow, winds will become quite gusty by afternoon tomorrow. despite that it will be sunny and relatively cool but not cold. highs tomorrow will be generally in the low 50s but we are going to have early morning lows the next three mornings down around or below the freezing mark. prepare for that. >> get ready. thank you, spencer. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00 spreading some holiday cheer. the donations to a bay area police department and how officers are paying it forward. plus, the reclaimed friendship. the reunion of two veterans after nearly 20 years. the coincidence that brought them together. i'm 7 on your side's michael finney. can a car dealer ask actually demand your social security number if you're buying a car with cash? the answer next.

out with the old, in with the new. b.a.r.t. will be replacing the last of its wool seats tomorrow with the easier to clean vinyl versions. the transit agency has been methodically replacing all the wool seats on every one of its 669 rail cars since march 2012. the decision came after customer surveys found that riders overwhelmingly preferred the vinyl seats. the seats also have a longer life expectancy and save the agency money since they don't have to be removed and sent out for dry cleaning and they just seem cleaner don't they? small private college near detroit, michigan is making quite an offer to its students. adrian college is promising new arrivals that if they don't make more than $37,000 a year after graduating the school will pay all or part of their loans. the offer is going out to incoming freshmen and transfer students with at least two years of school remaining. the school's goal is to ease parents' and students' sticker shock when they see the $40,000 annual cost of an adrian education. reunions between long-lost

friends happen all the time but not quite like this. roger watson and dave brown reconnected a few weeks ago after not having seen each other for almost 50 years. they grew up in detroit, got drafted and became friends when they went through basic training together before heading to vietnam. they lost track of each other there and never saw each other again. that was until october, when roger learned that a neighbor he befriended a few years back was married to dave. the two old friends lived around the corner from each other for nearly two decades but didn't even know it. >> he came running out of the house and over to the corner had to hack the brush over there to get through. we just shook hands and couldn't believe it. it was just incredible feeling. >> tell you the truth, i was flabbergasted. >> we have been neighbors for 18 years and didn't realize here we were. >> two old friends back together after five decades even though they had lived just 150 feet

apart. >> that's fantastic. napa police department was able to spread some holiday cheer this month thanks to a very generous donation. >> you're not getting a ticket, all right? here's your stuff. hope you guys can enjoy your christmas and new year's with $100, all right? okay. have a good one. >> you just gave me money. >> what? police say an anonymous donor gave them $5,000 with instructions to pay it forward $100 at a time to people in need until the donation runs out. officers say having the opportunity to interact with the community in such a positive way benefits everyone. >> it brings us together. especially in law enforcement, it's mostly bad news that we are giving people so it's pretty cool to be able to do this. you can take a pause from the enforcement action and show the humanity behind that hey, we understand what it feels like to be in need. >> as instructed, the department promises to continue surprising community members until the money runs out.

>> that is neat. 7 on your side's michael finney is here to answer questions sent to him by twitter, facebook and e-mail. the first question is i'm paying cash for a truck from a dealership. the dealer is requiring my social security number. can they do that? >> not only can they, they have to. it's a rule they were using to try to cut down on money launderring by drug dealers. if you spend more than $10,000 in cash with anyone car dealers because they have such expensive products, tend to be the guys we look at then they have to get your social security number and report it to the government. because the government wants to know where did you get all that money. yeah. >> nancy e-mailed i'm trying to return an item but unless i can find and return it in the original packaging, the store will not accept it. is there any recourse? >> you know, generally not. you could go by the letter of the law and say okay did they anywhere tell me i had to have the original packing. but the only way you are going

to enforce this is to take it to court. i don't think you will get a small claims judge to go with you if you don't have the box or tea kettle or whatever. everyone expects all the original packing. it is a matter of degrees. if you had all the books and the box looked good and all the packing was there and you just missed like the plastic bag, i think everyone would expect them to take it back. but if you don't have the box, it's really not resellable anymore. they will expect that. >> angela c. asked i bought a bunch of stuff at a school auction this year. can i write it off on my taxes? >> legally? you can write off potentially part of it. this is -- here's the deal. any part like say you got a hotel room and the hotel is worth a hundred bucks but because it was a school event you spent $150. then you could deduct that $50. you can't deduct the part where you're getting something because that's not a donation. you are getting something. if you decide i really didn't

want that hotel room then donate that to someone else. >> irs is on the phone. up next, the big storms earlier this month are delaying work along a major transportation project in the north bay. new at 5:00 why more than a dozen state firefighters have been placed on paid leave. using uber on new year's eve. we are getting an idea about how expensive that ride might be. and from bears on the run to deer on the golden gate bridge. why so many animals seem to be far away from their regular homes. what officials are saying about it.

have you heard of the new dialing procedure for for the 415 and 628 area codes? no what is it? starting february 21, 2015 if you have a 415 or 628 number you'll need to dial... 1 plus the area code plus the phone number for all calls. okay, but what if i have a 415 number, and i'm calling a 415 number? you'll still need to dial... 1 plus the area code plus the phone number. so when in doubt, dial it out!

tonight on abc 7 news at 8:00, it is happy new year charlie brown followed by rudolph's shiny new year castle at 10:00, then join us for abc 7 news at 11:00. ama and i will be back with that. if you're looking for something to do on new year's eve, check out abc7news.com. we have a list of fireworks shows and other events as well as information on how to get to those celebrations safely. a major railroad project in the north bay is now off track because of the torrential rains we have had this month. >> the deluge of water actually washed away some track beds. >> abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman is live with the story tonight. wayne? >> reporter: they say it slowed them down but they are catching up and in the long term it

should not be an issue. still, this is a half billion dollar project. you could call it growing pains or maybe in this case, raining pains. how much water was there? >> it was a lot. >> reporter: that would be an understatement from what seems to be a matter-of-fact kind of guy. greg jennings the senior rail engineer for marin and sonoma counties smart train. for now at least, this section in petaluma would appear to be a bit of a headache. after recent rains washed away a section of the track bed. does this tell you it will be a trouble spot going forward? >> it's likely. >> reporter: but it's one with which they will need to deal. this 100-year-old railroad right-of-way passes directly through a flood plain. rarely, however, does it turn into this as photographed by a nearby worker. >> could trains have run through there? >> it would have made one heck of a splash if they did.

>> reporter: there's no doubt smart train says, this would have interrupted service on the future 70 mile line. the question now, what does the transportation agency plan to do about it. a spokeswoman jennifer welsh describes the problem as a learning opportunity. >> the water did go over the track. there is drainage issues we need to address. i'm not prepared to give you an exact response on potential. this just happened a week ago. we'll be looking at all options to make sure thinkss is safe to run our trains. >> reporter: asked what those options are, smart train isn't saying yet. it's still early in the process but they say they will get it right and they have two years to do so. live in marin county wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> wayne, thanks very much. before ringing in the new year, you might want to get rid of any bad memories from this year. >> what better way to do that than with an industrial sized shredder. >> people packed new york's times square this weekend for the city's eighth annual good

riddance day. the shred truck gave them the chance to pulverize everything from pictures of an ex to pink slips. >> those who did not bring something to shred got to write down on a piece of paper what they would like to destroy. some wrote things like stress, poverty and debt. wouldn't it be nice to be able to shred those things? >> wonderful. thank you so much for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00. abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now. there is a ton of police and they had their weapons drawn. >> they were chasing the driver of this stolen white van. tonight, the dramatic ending to a wild chase across the bay area. plus -- >> i want to thank the 49er faithful. we didn't give you enough to cheer for this year. >> 49ers owner jed york addresses the good the bad and the ugly now that coach jim harbaugh is gone. plus, the new pictures of harbaugh in michigan right now. and ringing in the new year by turning up the heat. >> freezing cold mornings and

gusty winds ahead. i'm abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel. your new year's eve forecast coming up. jim harbaugh is in michigan right now. his plane landed late this afternoon. this picture from the michigan daily shows him arriving at a hotel in detroit with, you see there, his son in his arms. about an hour ago, the university notified the media of a quote, major football announcement at 9:00 a.m. our time tomorrow. good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm ama daetz in for cheryl jennings. >> i'm dan ashley. the owners of the 49ers is talking about the team's next step now that coach jim harbaugh is gone. he says he understands how fans might be upset. >> i'm fully cognizant that people might doubt what we're doing. that's fair. that's completely fair. and i welcome that. >> abc 7 news reporter david

louie has reaction from the players on the team and he is live from levi's stadium in santa clara tonight. >> reporter: you know, we may never know officially why jim harbaugh and the 49ers have parted company. that has left a lot of fans really puzzled, even some of the players. the ceo jed york has already said he has not reached out to any potential candidates for the job, but he and the rest of the front office say they know exactly the kind of person they want to be harbaugh's successor. an 8-8 season was a disa disappointment for fans but many showed up seeking autographs from players after cleaning out their lockers. they don't understand why harbaugh is gone. >> i don't understand the inside politics and all that. being a fan and the success that harbaugh's brought to the 49ers i don't understand why this is going on. >> reporter: 49ers' ceo jed york is refusing to say why citing closed door conversations he and

harbaugh agreed to keep private. instead, he articulated the team's goal to win the super bowl every year. >> i'm fully cognizant that people might doubt what we're doing. that's fair. that's completely fair. and i welcome that. but we are going to put together the right group of people. i think we've made it very clear what our goal and objective is. >> reporter: as players head into the offseason, they have no sense who the next coach will be. >> we have a great front office here and i think they will get us back on the right track with whoever they decide to bring in and wherever they decide to put around us. >> reporter: york and the team general manager invoked the name of bill walsh as the kind of head coach they want. someone who is a teacher to mentor players on and off the field. >> i think we have an idea of who fits that quality of a teacher and somebody that can come in and build everything that we are looking for. but to say it's a