ha! very funny, kyle. and our breaking news is 99 santa rosa this afternoon where one person is dead after a car crashed and rolled over a pedestrian. this happened near third and b streets. good afternoon, everyone, i'm larry beall. >> abc 7 news reporter is live on the scene in santa rosa. >> reporter: this is an accident that happened probably about an hour ago. as i move over here i'm going to show you that police are still actively investigating this crash. there is an overturned suv two-door that is right there. we understand this is a crash that happened between at least three vehicles as we can see here. let's go ahead and show you some video that was taken just moments after this crash. this was at third street and b

street right downtown. you can see that is a pretty interesting scene there that overturned suv. as we understand, it landed on a pedestrian that was walking on that corner right next to luther burbank savings. now that person, who was a pedestrian, we understand, was transported to the hospital as were a couple of other people, the driver and someone in another vehicle. we do not currently have conditions on those people who were involved. coming back here live downtown i do want to tell you that this is a very busy scene. traffic has been diverted away from this crash as investigators continue to piece together exactly what happened. as soon as we have further details on the people who were involved, we'll be sure to pass that along. reporting live in santa rosa, now back to you. >> sergio thank you. we have more breaking news right now, this from san jose. sky 7 hd is live over tully

road. tully road is closed in both directions near the 2200 block because of a gas leak. pg&e is requesting businesses nearby evacuate. we know of at least one strip mall that has already been cleared. no word yet on how big of a line is leaking gas or exactly what the problem is but you can see fire crews down on the street there hosing down a section of the road. we're going to stay on top of this and update you as we get more information. follow us on twitter as well for updates at abc 7 news bay area. all customers in berkeley now have power after a large outage this afternoon. sky 7 hd was over the scene a short while ago. as many as 35,000 customers lost power. the outage began around 1:45 this afternoon, briefly closed the berkeley b.a.r.t. station and motorists struggled with traffic lights that were out. all customers got power back right around 2:00. in just two hours the president obama will face the nation for his sixth state of

the union address. >> he tweeted out this handwritten note to america asking people to tune in tonight. there's lots on the agenda. karen travers has more on the highlights of tonight's speech. >> reporter: for the past two weeks, president obama has been on something of a spoiler tour. >> the country is coming back, but i want everybody to feel like things are getting better. >> reporter: rolling out many of the policy proposals he'll formally unveil in tonight's state of the union address. the white house wanted to start drumming up support for his agenda, which is aimed squarely at the middle class of the some of the initiatives include tax cuts for middle income earners free community college for two years, and guaranteeing seven days paid sick leave for workers. the white house plans to pay for these proposals and more with significant tax increases on the wealthiest americans. president obama is coming into tonight's speech with some momentum and is looking to capitalize on americans' sense of optimism when it comes to the

economy. gas prices are plunging and 2.95 million jobs were added last year, the best year since 1999. 41% of americans right now say the economy is excellent or good, up significantly from just three months ago. tonight will mark the first time president obama delivers his state of the union to a republican-controlled house and senate, which means his address may turn out to be more of a wish list. it's unlikely republican leaders will act on his proposals. >> he doesn't set the agenda in the senate. we're going to try to do the things that we think will make america a better place. >> reporter: all signs point to president obama staying on offense for his last two years in offense.ice. he's not on the ballot fwhent 6in 2016 but the agenda could significantly form the race to replace him. the father of a man shot and killed in a deadly rampage near the university of california santa barbara will be in the

audience tonight. richard martinez has been an outspoken advocate for tougher gun laws. his son, christopher was one of six people killed last year. the gunman had posted online videos about being rejected by women before the killings. martinez was invited to tonight's address by lois caps. >> a majority of americans rate the state of the nation negatively. while 42% of americans rate the state of the union as excellent or good. however, 42% of those who responded give the president credit for improving the economy and 37% say he's actually slowed economic development in their opinion. >> you can watch the president's state of the union address and the republican response right here on abc 7. live coverage begins at 6:00. state fish and wildlife officials hope to know soon exactly what that mysterious gooey substance is that's been contaminating hundreds of sea birds. >> lab tests are under way to identify the gunk. abc 7 news reporter laura

anthony is live in hayward where a mobile triage center is set up. laura. >> reporter: hi. this is actually a mobile hospital behind me. as we said though our tests under way as we speak in sacramento to figure out what this substance is. we also know that three birds were located in foster city that had the substance on them, but i'm told that they probably traveled there on their own. that the larger issue is here on the shorelines in the east bay. >> they are both males. one is apparently really sticky. >> reporter: one by one birds soiled with a mysterious gooey substance continued to arrive at a mobile triage center in hayward. >> this is a female. the ones with the black heads and white spot with the red beak, those are the males. >> reporter: there the animals are given a syringe filled with warm water. >> so this is -- they can't warm

themselves in the water because when the stuff gets on their feathers, it disables them from being waterproof. it gets in the feathers and the water gets to the skin. >> reporter: meantime in sacramento, two different labs are rushing tests to determine exactly what substance contaminated the birds. so far 400 have been collected mostly from shorelines. of that number, 100 have died. >> he didn't make it. >> it's a mystery and the bird care folks have never seen this kind of viscous nonpetroleum material, so every minute that goes by, the mystery thickens. >> reporter: after their triage, the birds are transported to the international bird rescue center in fairfield where they're being pretreated with baking soda and vinegar and thoroughly cleaned. once the mystery substance is identified, fish and wildlife and local organizations like bay keeper will try to identify the source. in hayward, laura anthony, abc 7

news. ten protesters who brought traffic were in jail. ten refused the charges and were booked at san mateo county jail this morning. there were several collisions and minor injuries during the protest. sky 7 hd captured the scene from above. all lanes opened again just before 7:00. coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00 vic lee takes a look at the mounting public frustration from an increasing number of protests. we have new video of tenants moving out of an apartment that's been overrun by toxic mold and rats. this is happening in santa rosa at the bennett valley town homes. the city ordered everybody in that complex to leave because of the conditions. francisco sanchez says he and his three children all got sick. he told us he has been complaining to management for a year and nothing has been done. now he's not sure what is next. >> we don't have any place to go.

maybe in a hotel, but that will cost more money than finding a place to rent. >> members of their church helped them move out but the infested furniture had to be left behind. property owners have given them $2,000 to relocate, but they're fighting in court to get more money and more help. abc 7 news tried to reach the owner and the property manager today, but we have not heard back from them yet. an emotional plea today from an oakland mother desperate for help to find the gunman who killed her two sons. >> oakland police joined the woman in her plea today. on december 31st 2013, her 13-year-old son was murdered. someone shot lee weatherby as he walked home from a party at the boys and girls club. three days after his funeral her older son, lamar broussard, and his friend, were shot and killed as well. >> new, the box filled with her

younger son's ashes as she urged witnesses to come forward. >> please, this is lee right here. they did this to my 13-year-old baby. i want somebody to come forward and say something. >> investigators won't say if the murders are connected. they say they aren't ruling anything out at this point. crime stoppers is offering a $30,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in either shooting. the california college board of governors has selected two colleges to offer bachelor's programs as part of a new program. a degree in respiratory care. students at foothill college in santa clara county can earn a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene. in addition to the two bay area schools, 13 others throughout the state will also be participating. coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00,ly ann5:00 ly we'll have how they hope to benefit from these programs.

bay area commuters faced fog this morning. >> the ground fog was so thick at the golden gate bridge you couldn't see across the toll plaza. drivers heading across the bay bridge also faced similar conditions. spencer christian here now to explain why the fog was so thick today in his accuweather update. >> well, that fog, as i mentioned yesterday and last night, was spilling in through the carquinez delta from the central valley and we had some along the coast as well. it just lingered this morning until it finally burned off. here's live doppler 7 hd we've got mainly sunny skies right now but still fog in the central valley and a few more patches developing tonight but not as widespread or dense as last night. meanwhile high tide at 11:36 a.m. we're still concerned about tidal overflow from the king tides, higher than usual tides, but we don't think that will be a big problem tomorrow. here's a live view from the golden gate bridge. under clear skies right now, we'll see clear skies continuing through the evening with just a

few patches of fog developing overnight. we don't expect the same fog we had this morning. overnight lows range from 35 to 48 and highs reaching into the mid-60s. i'll have a look at a big warming trend coming our way in a few minutes. still ahead on abc 7 news at 4:00, a new group of firefighters on the job in san jose, but these academy grads might not be in the ranks for long. why some are already searching for new jobs. plus a helping hand for veterans. what one community is doing to give them a hand up. and new at 4:30, getting a free ride. why thousands could soon ride muni without paying a dime and

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!

the city of san jose is welcoming a new group of firefighters fresh out of the academy, but it's only day one and some of them may not be planning on making san jose their home forever. matt keller has the details. >> reporter: being a san jose firefighter is an exciting job. the department boasts it protects about 200 square miles of terrain that includes residential, commercial high rise and wildland areas. that's why thousands apply for a position but only 21 were hired. they graduated fire academy on friday. >> we had a very strong applicant pool. we had a couple of thousand people apply for us, so we're very pleased to see this recruit class come through and graduate

last week. >> reporter: those 21 graduates start their new careers this week joining the 700 or so firefighters across the city. even though you won't notice the difference by appearance the new men and women will be making room by retirement. there's a tier two pension. that means firefighters will only be eligible for 65% of their salary after 30 years of service compared to 90%. since 2012 the san jose police department has seen a huge increase in retirements and resignations as officers are leaving for other departments. that brings up concerns that new firefighters will also take their services somewhere else. >> we'll probably be able to tell within, you know, one to three to five years down the road whether they end up staying here or not, but we need them to stay. >> reporter: the firefighters union says these new hires are important in bringing down the department's response times. meanwhile, the lawsuit against measure b is ongoing. in san jose, matt keller, abc 7

news. california could face a higher risk of forest fires this year and not just because of the drought. a new study done in part by uc berkeley researchers puts part of the blame on policies that protect trees and prevent even small wildfires. that's created overly dense forests. since the 1930s, the density of small trees in some california forests has more than doubled. that allows fires to move faster and cause more devastation. the drought is making matters worse this year. >> they all are showing significant signs of stress related to the drought. we're seeing a lot of trees being killed from moisture stress or disease. >> last year cal fire launched a program to thin out forests overgrown to prevent disease and wildfires. a section of san francisco's main library is being turned into a classroom. mayor ed lee toured the center this morning. it offers group classes and one-on-one instruction on

technology, finances and health. they are also going to include a veterans center that will do more than offer educational resources. >> they get connected to financial services, homeless services medical care. >> the learning center is located on the fifth floor of the civic center library. it costs $1.7 million to build. the library's project read program, which uses tutors to teach adults to read will also be located at the new center. >> the coast guard is asking residents and boaters to be extra careful around the bay because of extremely high tides. the concern has prompted authorities to close sections of a park n ride lot in mill valley. barricades are up so drivers know where they should not be parking. those that park anyway were cited or worse, towed. so called king tides are examine examine -- expected to last through tomorrow. >> for all things weather we turn to spencer christian for the accuweather forecast.

>> a lovely day. it looks like more lovely days coming our way. we've got blue skies all across the bay area. the morning fog has gone. we still have fog over the central valley and some of that may spill through the carquinez strait and delta but we expect any overnight fog to be just patchy and widely scattered. here's a look from mt. tam looking down toward ocean beach. we've got clear skies right now, we'll have patchy skies overnewt overnight. we may have record highs by saturday and sunday. here's our fog pattern. notice it finally burned off over the immediate bay area. tonight as we continue the fog forecast, you'll see a little bit of patchy fog developing in a few spots around the bay area but once again won't be as widespread or dense as we saw this morning. satellite image shows a big powerful ridge of high pressure deflecting the jetstream to our north. by the end of the week we'll

have an offshore flow that will cause temperatures to rise up into record territory as air quality declines. here's a view from our -- oh i can't even tell what camera that is, but looking across the bay right now -- that's our emeryville camera. this is our four-day forecast. we'll have pretty good air quality the next two days wednesday and thursday but friday and saturday look for a sharp decline and we'll probably have spare the air alerts those two days. long range is there any rain in the forecast? well, perhaps in about eight days or so maybe by next wednesday a slight chance of rain but it doesn't look like a significant system. overnight low temperatures will be mainly in the upper 30s in our inland valleys of the north bay and east bay and low to mid-40s right around the bay. tomorrow look for a sunny and mild day, a little hazy in the inland east bay. high temperatures will range from low 60s at the coast to low and mid-60s around the bay and inland. here's our accuweather seven-day forecast. look at the rise in temperatures

by friday. upper 60s to around 70. even on the coast upper 60s on friday. over the weekend we'll see low to mid-70s including some 70s on the coast. the weekend is our best chance for some record high temperatures for late january. temperatures will moderate again early next week around tuesday or so as the clouds move in with a slight chance of rain next tuesday into wednesday. >> all right, thank you, spencer. up next, the new smartphone that turns you into a polite movie theater patron. we'll show you exactly what it does. and later the beautiful sight caught off the coast of

for over 60,000 california foster children nights can feel long and lonely. i miss my sister. i miss my old school. i miss my room. i don't want special treatment. i just wanna feel normal. to help, sleep train is collecting pajamas for foster children, big and small. bring your gift to any sleep train and help make a foster child's night a little cozier. not everyone can be a foster parent but anyone can help a foster child.

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national football league but it was a great year for the bottom line. attend ans attendance was up 2%. tv ratings also remain strong. nbc is charging $4.5 million for a 30-second ad during upcoming super bowl xlix. the nfl has been under intense criticism for its handling of domestic abuse cases involving its players but fans obviously still love watching nfl games. speaking of the super bowl bay area officials will be at the game in arizona even though a local team is not participating. our media partner, the san jose mercury news, reports the delegation is getting a crash course on exactly how you put on a super bowl. levi's stadium in santa clara will host super bowl l next year so they will be getting tips on handling crowds and putting on a live broadcast. microsoft wants to keep you in the dark. the company has patented

so-called theater mode to make smartphones automatically go silent and dark while in a theater. not only would the screen just have a faint glow but there also wouldn't be notifications. microsoft says the phones could automatically record the day and time of a showing when tickets are purchased so the switch-off would be automatic. the oscar nominated movie "wild" is making hiking hot again. according to the pacific crest trail association, more hikers are expected to hit the pct this year. visits to the organization's website increased 300% since the movie has been released. requests have also increased for permits for long distance hikes on the trail. the 2600-mile trail begins near san diego and ends near the canadian border. reese witherspoon was nominated for best actress for her portrayal of cheryl strade who walked more than 1,000 miles on the pct. mark your calendar for oscar sunday. the big award show is february 22nd right here on abc your oscar station.

the comedy about a plot to assassinate northkorean leader kim jong-un could break a record. the controversial film "the interview" is on track to become the most financially successful online movie release ever. it's earned $40 million in digital sales and about $6 million at the box office. however, sony will likely just break even on the movie. it cost about $40 million to make. just ahead a new threat tonight from isis. what the terrorists are demanding to release the hostages. and a deadly freeway collapse. what led up to this overpass crashing down on the road below. plus the changes coming to

checking your headlines at 4:30, president obama will address the nation in less than two hours during his annual state of the union address. the white house tweeted this image, saying, quote, president obama is putting the finishing touches on his state of the union. abc 7 will carry the speech live with coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. animal rescue crews found more birds this morning covered in a mysterious gooey substance that's killed at least 80 birds along the east bay shoreline. laura anthony is on the story and she tweets this out today,

saying water bird being triaged at mobile wildlife caravan in hayward. investigators doing lab tests to i.d. substance. she'll have a live update at 5:00. and muni is about to launch a new free ride program for seniors and people who are disabled. abc 7 news reporter carolyn tyler is live in san francisco with those details. carolyn. >> reporter: well, on the last week in his state of the city address, mayor ed lee said this was a priority to help some of the cities most vulnerable. today he praised muni for following through. >> free muni for seniors and people with disabilities this afternoon. >> reporter: rallies like this one today have put the pressure on muni for the past year. senior citizens and the disabled say they need to ride muni free of charge. right now the adult fare is $68 a month. low and moderate income seniors and riders with disabilities pay

$23. but myra says even that is too much for her. >> i have to pick between muni and getting more food. >> reporter: last year they gave low income young people a free ride, which google has agreed to pay for for two years. >> it will free up money in my already tight budget. >> reporter: muni estimates at least 24,000 san franciscans will benefit and the board of directors unanimously agreed to send an estimated $4 million to fund the program for one year. >> i think it's a matter of justice. the divisions in the city which the wealthy and the poor are so wide, this is a small step that we can take. >> reporter: one speaker who said she represents an organization of people with developmental disabilities opposes the plan saying the money should go to fix money. >> to me we're going to lose

money on transportation and that's why we need more buses. >> reporter: but transit officials say with props a and b approved by the voters last november, the agency is in better financial health and in fact today just announced service increases on more than half of all muni lines. >> we're going to go out and take muni to the park and enjoy the sun. >> free money for seniors and people with disabilities begins march 1st. go to our website for more information on how to sign up. in san francisco carolyn tyler abc 7 news. contra costa county supervisors won't be getting a pay raise. today they voted unanimously to rescind the 33% bump in salary that they approved for themselves back in october. that doesn't mean the controversy is over yet. today they filed a federal lawsuit claiming members of the board of supervisors.

>> we have a chilling online video appearing to show the group threatening a hostage with death. >> reporter: a chilling new video from isis showing two japanese hostages kneeling in the desert wearing those familiar orange jumpsuits. last past videos this man threatens to behead the men but this time demands a ransom, saying the hostages would be spared if the japanese government pays $200 million in the next three days. >> you have 72 hours to pressure your government. >> reporter: it is the same amount japan's prime minister just pledged to give countries fighting in iraq and syria making a visit this week to the

middle east. >> the timing and the sum of money requested for the return of the japanese hostages is a clear response. >> reporter: the prime minister saying he will not give in to terrorism. >> i strongly demand the islamic state group does not help the two japanese citizens and immediately -- >> reporter: they launched a massive campaign of air strikes against isis. the clock now ticking for these two men. one shown here on his website showing he owns a military security company. the other is a free lance journalist. isis is also still holding a 26-year-old american aid worker hostage. there was no reference to her in this latest video. marcy gonzalez, abc news, new york. jury selection began today in the aurora, colorado movie theater shooting trial. a quiet james holmes appeared in court this morning looking clean shaven with a short beard and

glasses. dramatically different than the orange hair he had following the 2012 shooting. holmes has admitted to killing twelve people and wounding 70 others during a screening of "the dark knight rises." he has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. relatives of his victims aren't buying it. >> he did monstrous things. therefore, he is a monster. and he is the boogieman that comes in the night. >> an unprecedented pool of 9,000 jurors was initially summoned today. jury selection is expected to drag on for months. if holmes is found not guilty, he would be committed to a mental institution. if jurors find him guilty he could receive the death penalty. a major freeway in ohio remains closed because of a deadly overpass collapse. the stretch of road on i-75 in cincinnati gave way during construction last night and killed one worker. a tractor-trailer driver suffered some minor injuries. the firm overseeing the construction project could also be fined in this.

transportation officials say the highway could remain closed for another three days. and it could be wednesday before firefighters in annapolis annapolis, maryland, can search a charred mansion for six missing family members. a $9 million home that neighbors described as a castle was gutted by fire. the homeowner is a tech executive for the company science logic. crews have to stabilize the house, dig out debris and steel beams before the search can begin. congressional democrats are pushing changes to the controversial keystone xl pipeline. the lawmakers introduced amendments that said all steel be made in the u.s. and all oil pumped through it stay in america as well. the lawmakers say the project as it stands now would create only 35 permanent jobs and provides no real help to the u.s. economy. >> the project now would simply pump canadian oil across the american heartland, not to be used here but to be shipped overseas for the benefit of

other countries. hardly the kind of project that's going to create middle class jobs and grow middle class incomes. >> pipeline supporters appear to have the 60 votes needed to overcome a democratic filibuster and move the legislation to president obama's desk. however, it appears they're short of the 67 votes needed to override a promised presidential veto. still to come fighting bay area traffic. the changes one community is making to help ease your commute. and a close encounter on the water. the amazing video of some orcas in action. i'm spencer christian from our east bay hills camera it's another beautiful and colorful sunset and we've got more views coming our way along with a huge warmup. i'm have the accuweather forecast in just a moment. and checking our traffic at 4:37 on your tuesday this is in san jose. that's 101 southbound on the right-hand side where all that traffic is stacked up, much better if you're heading northbound. and that's 880 going up over the

nasa is giving the world a closer look at a dwarf planet. it's small. the space agency released photos taken from the dawn spacecraft showing series, a dwarf planet located between mars and jupiter. the pictures appear to show craters on the planet's surface. they captured the image from a distance of 238,000 miles from series. check out this photo from an

italian astronaut who's currently living on the international space station. she wrightstes, hello san francisco, what a clear view of the bay area from space. i think i can see the golden gate bridge. hi, sam. a paddle border is sharing some breath-taking video with an encounter with a pod of killer whales. rich german was paddling off the shore when five orcas interacted with him. one of the whales went directly under him twice. german said he was actually too excited to be scared. he says he's sharing the video to share awareness for what he calls, quote these incredible magical creatures. >> wow, you realize just how insignificant we are in the water. if i was rich, i'd say go for the boat. go over that way. time to check on our warming weather with spencer christian. >> it is going to be quite warm. in fact we'll probably see highs near or above record territory by the weekend. here's a look at live doppler 7

hd and you can see sunny skies over the bay area right now and looks like we've got lots of sunny days ahead. across the 48 contiguous states look for a little snow from denver down into northern new mexico. up in the eastern great lakes down into parts of pennsylvania and ohio a little snow as well. most of the remainder of the nation will be dry, including the pacific northwest and the state of california. sunny skies from top to bottom tomorrow. mild conditions. highs mainly in the 60s to the 70s down south in los angeles and palm springs. here in the bay area after a few patches of early morning fog, nothing like we saw this morning. we'll have sunny to hazy skies in the afternoon and high temperatures ranging from low 60s at the coast to low and mid-60s inland and around the bay. by the end of the week we'll see temperatures soaring up near record levels. >> thank you spencer. still ahead, a bay area teenager is making a difference. his invention, how it not only could help the blind but could save a lot of money as well. and are you guilty of

creating bad passwords? find out if you're on the list of the worst of the worst. i'm michael finney. looking to get some more rest at night? coming up a close look at some ♪ ♪ ♪ turn around ♪ ♪ every now and then i get a little bit hungry ♪ ♪ and there's nothing really good around ♪ ♪ turn around ♪ ♪ every now and then i get a little bit tired ♪ ♪ of living off the taste of the air ♪ ♪ turn around, barry ♪ ♪ finally, i have a manly chocolatey snack ♪ ♪ and fiber so my wife won't give me any more flack ♪ ♪ i finally found the right snack ♪ ♪ ♪

ooooh... i can hear that sizzle. getting louder! and louder! philly cheesesteak and egg sizzling with prime rib and gooey cheese. i better (just) silence this sizzle! the new philly cheesesteak and egg skillet. denny's. welcome to america's diner.

a santa clara teenager launches his own company to help blind people. tech giant inin intel invested in borrego labs and posted this video. they were shocked to learn braille printers cost $2,000. that's too expensive for most blind readers, especially in developing countries, so the 13-year-old decided to develop his own low-cost machine to print braille. >> you're never too young to start a company. my own goal would probably be having most of the blind people to date using my braille printer. >> he developed the idea building with his lego mind store kit. he said he's too young to be the ceo of his company. his mom is handling that for

now. sites like airbnb have sparked debate. in new york hearings are under way to see if it is using illegal hotels. this comes after the attorney general reported a whopping 75% of the listings violate zoning laws. some people live to cruise and now one woman is actually living on a cruise ship. the 86-year-old florida woman sold her ten-acre ft. lauderdale home to become a permanent resident on a cruise ship. she shells out $164,000 a year to live on the ship. mama lee, as she's known, has been living aboard the crystal serenity ship for nearly seven years now. los gatos splash data is out with its new list of the worst passwords and they are as bad as you might think. number one, here we go. 123456 which you might recall was the worst last year as well. number two is the word

"password." number three, a slightly shorter version of number one for those people too lazy to type to six, 12345. the creativity continues. 12345678. the fifth worst is qqwerty. there was a list by finding the most common passwords. >> none of mine showed up on that list. >> 12345678910. taxpayers expecting a refund now have a cheaper way to cash their checks. >> michael finney looks into whether this is as good as it sounds. >> this is pretty cool. let me just say up front the cheapest way to get your refund is to request a direct deposit into your bank account. unfortunately, many low income americans now don't have bank accounts and that's who this new option from walmart is looking

towards. the discount chain is giving people the option of getting their refund in cash at the walmart store. walmart won't charge for the service, but tax preparers who are teaming up with the chain may charge up to $7. still, that's much cheaper than what a check cashing store would normally charge. so walmart hopes a bit of that money will remain at the store. tickets to the super bowl this year are a relative bargain averaging just under $2900. ticket prices on the secondary market are 20% cheaper this year than what they sold for last year. the scene's much heralded 12th man, the fans in seattle, isn't as enthused this year as last when they won the title for the first time in team history. in boston excitement for the patriots is muted as well, given the team has been in the super bowl six out of the last 14 years. prices are expected to continue to drop as we get closer to game time. the market is flooded these

days with devices that measure your sleep patterns. the idea is that information from those devices will help you get a better night's sleep. "good morning america's" becky worley looked at three devices with the assistance of the stanford sleep clinic. she was hooked up to the equipment while the consumer devices also kept track of her sleep. the s plus wirelessly sensed her sleep patterns. the results of the three trackers were compared with stanford's more sophisticated equipment. the s plus came closest to matching the stanford results for the total amount of sleep. the jawbone was a close second and basis third. none of the devices came close to determining the correct number of wake-ups. so what does the sleep clinic think of these devices? >> looking at it on a single night basis might not be that accurate, but if you're looking at it, say, over the course of a month and you notice that you're

getting more sleep or less sleep, that might be something that in turn might encourage you to change your lifestyle. >> now none of the devices will help you diagnose a sleep disorder. >> a lot of people wearing these now. >> yeah, all over the place. >> thank you, michael. if you can't beat them join them. today the giants introduced their new outfielder formerly of the kansas city royals the team the giants beat in the world series last fall. the 33-year-old from japan is a contact hitter, gives the giants some speed on the bases and has long admired the giants organization from afar. >> translator: i've always liked the city of san francisco. but not only that i've always had admiration for the giants. having played against them the past three years, i can see that they really play together as a team and this is a team that has a chance to play for a championship every year.

>> he is the fifth native of japan to play for the giants. they were the first major league team to ever sign a player of japanese descent back in 1965. up next, some big changes coming for commuters in the south bay. how the improving economy is playing a part in the slowing of your daily drive. hi i'm dan ashley in the abc 7 newsroom. coming up new at 5:00 mobile war fighter. how a bay area company is helping american forces on the move. and a big game needs a big tv, right? 7 on your side's michael finney goes hunting for the best one out there.

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stay tuned for special live coverage of president obama's state of the union address and the republican response beginning at 6:00 p.m. right here on abc 7. now, following the president we'll have "jeopardy" at 7:30 "blackish" at 8:00 bay area life at 8:30, agent carter at 9:00 and forever at 10:00 all leading up to abc 7 news at 11:00. we all know bay area traffic can be a mess. now one community is ushering in a new era of change. it all has to do with metering lights. abc 7 news reporter david louie explains why those lights will soon be on much longer in the south bay and joins us along highway 85 in sunnyvale.

david? >> reporter: the morning commute along this part of town along highway 85 lasts a lot longer than other parts of the bay area, often until 10:30 sometimes even 11:00. caltrans is convinced by extending the metering lights until 11:00 a.m., that should help. the south bay economy is booming and with it traffic is getting more congested along highway 85. so for the first time ever, metering lights will be switched on between interstate 280 and u.s. 101. the southbound metering lights will be turned on wednesday for the afternoon commute. then one week later for the northbound on-ramps. those northbound metering lights will operate starting at 6:00 a.m. and ending at 11:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. is about two hours longer than any other metering lights in the bay area. >> with one lane being the high occupancy vehicle lane it's just more and more cars in those narrow two lanes. i don't think we have a choice but to accept metering till 11:00 because otherwise how else do you regulate it.

>> reporter: some drivers are accepting the change, while others are skeptical about the need for more metering lights. >> the traffic is so slow i don't really know if you need more metering because it's so slow, so merging i don't think is a problem because everyone is crawling. >> reporter: the region's metropolitan transportation commission considers the extension of metering lights to 11:00 a.m. a sound plan and a precursor of things to come. it cites the eastbound 80 approach to the lower deck of the bay bridge. a traffic study released this month said traffic crawls here at 35 miles an hour or lower for seven hours on weekdays, starting at 1:25 and lasting until 8:30 p.m. so rush hour in several bay area locations is getting longer and longer. so congestion as well as the backups caused by metering lights are just creating more driver frustration. >> i get frustrated at all the interchanges where i'm dealing with metering lights and people cutting in and out of traffic. it's just frustrating to me. >> reporter: the bay area already has 474 metering lights.

170 more are scheduled to go into service later this year. in sunnyvale, david louie abc 7 news. >> thanks for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00. i'm larry beall. abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now. breaking news in the north bay. we are live at the scene of a terrible crash that ended with a car on a pedestrian. plus -- >> are you okay in there? >> stuck in an elevator when the power goes out. you'll see how this scene ended in berkeley. also -- >> this will be an affordable degree. >> educators call this a historic day. the bay area colleges that can now do something no other college in their class has ever been able to do before. and -- >> they shouldn't allow those kids to do that. it's not fair to commuters. >> not by a long shot. tonight the collisions and injuries because of yesterday's blockade on the san mateo bridge.

a tragic accident in downtown santa rosa. a woman standing at a street corner is killed after two vehicles collide and one loses control and then just careens right into her. awful. good evening. >> let's go straight now to this accident which has closed down several streets around downtown santa rosa. sergio is live at the scene of this terrible tragedy. >> reporter: dan, you can see right now that suv that tumbled onto the sidewalk, it has a black tarp around it. that's because the coroner may be arriving here shortly to collect the body. unfortunately, we understand that that pedestrian on the sidewalk when that ford explorer tumbled off the street was likely killed in this crash. now, according to initial reports from police this was a traffic crash involving at least three cars. it's not yet clear which vehicle caused the collision.

we know that at least one person was rushed to the local hospital. we don't yet know if that was a driver or a passenger. police are spending a lot of time carefully surveying this thing, likely because someone was killed here but we have not officially been told who that person is. residents say this is a gruesome scene and they're in shock. >> this corner is pretty busy at times. it's busy. the mall is pretty much in this area so it gets pretty busy. >> are you surprised something like this happened? >> i'm pretty surprised, yeah and i'm shocked about it. it's sad to see that something like this could happen in our community. it's something that i'm hoping doesn't happen again. >> reporter: since there is a fatality in this crash police are being more meticulous to determine who is at fault. we have not yet seen anything that might indicate if any of the drivers were impaired. you can see right there this crime scene investigator is using some pretty sophisticated equipm