>> good afternoon, everybody. thanks for joining us. >> a public health advisory has been lifted in the east bay after an incident at this refinery in martinez. that black plume of smoke is worrisome for a lot of feel. it happened just before noon. it was chemodeemed level 2 out on a warning scale. . >> reporter: alma, there are businesses right across if street from the refinery. as soon as they saw the black smoke, immediately they knew something was wrong.

but, as you say, the public health advisory has been lifted. there w >> there was a lot of it. it wasn't normally kind of as narrow. but it was a pool of black smoke just going up. >> a basically, they lost power. the bay area air quality managemented district sent investigators to the scene. >> it's pretty windy out here. it's dissipated quite well. will there be a fine? perhaps, but the investigator wills get down to the bottom of it. >>. >> reporter: no one was hurt, but the incident was enough to worry people who work near by. >> it makes you question what's safe and what is deemed safe? >> the flaring is over, but the

refinery is working to fully restore operations. >> as you can see, a very windy day. and that helped the simpluation at the refinery. >> breezes help and that's a good thing. here's a look at live doppler 7 hd. first, sunny skies and generally breezy conditions. as you take a look at winds around the general area, that was the breeziest region throughout the bay area, the strongest gusts we have were at fairfield at 20 miles per hour. those of you looking out over the bay under clear skies and conditions in other areas right now, 56 degrees in san francisco. 53 at warren hill and half-moon bay. a clear sky out west looking beyond the golden gate. 59 right now in santa rosa: concord, 56.

livermore, 53. here's our rooftop camera. it will be clear and chilly this etching. clear and cold with temperatures dropping below freezing in some inland valley locations. tomorrow afternoon, sunny and cool with highs ranges from 54 to 58. >> all right, thank you, spencer. today, the nation's two largest school districts received threats of violence. >> the one here on the west coast closed. the east coast district stayed open. york schools remained open. >> this was a very tumeric piece

of writing sent to a number of places and written in a fashion that sug jeszs that it's not plausible. >> it is very easy in hindsight to criticize the decision based on results that the decider could never have known. >> sources tell abc news the threat in l.a. was not serious, but given the attack in san berna bernardirksz bernardino, no one is take iing chanss. >> there have been no such threats at san francisco bay area schools. ahead on abc 7 news at five, we' we'll get insights on how officers are prepared to respond. >> autopsies are pending only

two children, ages 3 and 6, found dead in a storage locker in reading. a third child, severely abused, is fighting for her life after being found in a nearby home. all three of her siblings, 39-year-old and her 17-year-old boyfriend are now in custody in plumis county. huntsman grew up in santa cruz and is a relative of the children, but not their mother. an investigation has led to an apartment complex where a person who may have had temporary custody now lives. >> a person charged in connection with a rash of cat killings in late september, the bail amount was increased to 125,000 dlarsz. the new charges were filed after the owners of cats recognized collars found in farmer's car. in light of today's new charges,

farmer has not yet entered a plea. >> we have new details this afternoon into what happened before gilroy police shot and killed a man late last night. >> abc 7 news reporter chris wynn is live with the latest. chris? >> reporter: alma, we spoke off-camera to the family of man shot by police. they are very confused about why all of this had to happen. today, residents at this gilroy apartment building returned home to a furmatic scene. at around 7:00 last night, gilroy police respond today a domestic violence call. a neighbor reported a lot of commotion skcoming from a secon story unit. the man in question was 19-year-old hector alvarez of san jose.

>> the suspected made deliberate moves that he had a weapon. >> things got heated after a quick exchange. police say the suspect then clarj ds at the officer. >> there was yelling and screaming and i heard three shots, one, two, three. >> alvarez was shot and pronounced dead at the scene. but nearly one day after the shooting, gilroy are issued body-worn cameras, but for now, it's unclear if the camera was turned on. the officer involved in the shooting is on paid add m

administrative leave. >> police are on the look for a second suspect who spent several months at the hopt recoverings. burgess turned himself in, but police are still looking for brown. the explosion left two buildings uninhabitable. they were using butane to create marijuana hash oil when their makeshift lab exploded. >> one person died hitting a hydrant and a utility pole. the chase began in oakly. the drooicher sped away and crashed in antioch. the passenger was killed, but the driver got out and started running. police captured that driver. >> a man put his hand over a 15-year-old girl's mout and forced a kiss on her. the girl screamed for help after

that assault and the man ran away. he was last scene wearing a grey sweatshirt and dark plantings. >> connecting home wills people with sfrss that can help them get off the street. >> this is an on going effort. we had already been providing out reach to the person, but we're increasing efforts and making sure people know what services are available! the union service business already employed sidewalk ambassadors. they will now give out cards with information on where to get help. >> still ahead on abc 7 news at 4, the bay area dad with some choice thing to say about hover boards after the one he got his daughter caught fire inside their home. >> also, making ends meet with a thing you may have in your home and you may not even know about.

>> and at 4:00, now we're taking a live look at our san mateo bridge traffic. stay with us, we're back after a quick with just your age, income, zip code,g for health insurance and the number of people in your household. information you probably know off the top of your head. enroll by january 31st to avoid the irs tax penalty. ♪ if you haven't checked out covered california in a while, we've got some new options that might interest you.

like adult dental coverage. great news for you... and your sweet tooth. to find free, local, in-person help, visit coveredca.com who patiently teaches how ta feast comes to life. the "family" ...who spends their holiday dinner with thankful strangers. the neighbor...who shares the season with another. you inspire us to do everything we do... ...for goodness' sake.

. sky 7 hd shows us where a hill is sliding down towards the ocean beneath a chunch parking lot. more of the hillside has disappeared fold lowing recent storms. public works officials say the church is safe for now, however, they plan on asking church officials to fence off the parking lot. part of the same hillside slid in 1998 and engineers say

nothing can be done to stop the slide. >> an east bay father believes anyone with a hover board under the tree should get rid of it now. >> this after one went up in flames. >> in is what's left of a 15-year-old girl's christmas present. her new hover board was all charged up when suddenly, it turned into a threat. >> she took it off the charger, turned it on, stood on it and it started popping and caught on fire. she was screaming to try to get somebody to help. my uncle came out and poured a bucket of water on it. >> at least 11 fires have been reported in ten states. amazon.com has stopped carrying them. the u.s. product safety commission is investigating why they are catching only fire.

this brentwood family knew about the problem that bought two of them any way. >> you never think oh, that's going to be my family! cameron in washington can't stop thinking about what could have happened to his home and his daughter. >> i was thinking about that this morning. it could have just been worse. i feel like the whole house could have been on fire. >> he has some advice for anyone who has a hover board waiting underneath the christmas tree. >> just get rit of it. it's not safe. >> their second hover board is fine, but it is headed for the trash along with this one. and the family is hoping amazon will give them a refund. >> americans will spend an average of $800 on holidays this year. there could be ways to make some of that money back. we're told about the hidden cash that might be right in front of you now. >> for the molders, the gift of giving can come with a hefty

price tag, thanks to five kids under eight. >> you want them to have that all-out big christmas. the family spending about a thousand dollars last year. but it turns out there may be hidden holiday cash right in their house. how much hidden money do you think most people have in their home. >> i think most people have around a thousand dollars of hidden money. >> just sitting there. >> a thousand dollars. >> first, did you know there's money in old toys? clothes, too. >> things that sell really well are timeless toys like thomas the train, mr. potato head and my little pony. >> the molders fill two boxes with toys in good condition and clothes that are in-season. the company pays for shipping and once the boxes are arrive at their warehouse, they'll p put on sale at their web site. on average, sellers earn about $150 per box.

bonus points, save the boxes your toys come in. those can be worth cash, too. an american girl box can fetch as much as $30 on e-bay. check out web sites like kibu.com. just box up your items and send them to the california office. two smart phones and an airport express expected to fetch christy about a hundred dollars. and, finally, even old books can make a buck. using the amazon seller app, christy scans the bar code to find out how much they're wort. >> in total, the molder family could have saved more than $650 using the money-saving tips. >> hold day giving is in full swing in the bay area. san francisco glide handed out food bags to nearly 500 people.

v . >> similar food give aways were housed in the outer mise mission district and china town. tomorrow, it will hand out food bags to 4,000 people. >> about 80% of the families we work with, this is the first time they've ever speerpszed with. there was the unexpected medical expense. >> hamilton's pamly center provides emergency and transitional housing as well as rental assistance to prevent evictions. demands are up 25% this year. the toys will be handed out next week. >> santa was very busy this year

handing out toys in oakland. every year, members receive doe nated toys to the community. >> i think the gift that spencer christian would like right now is tea with a splash of honey. >> you've got that right. here's doppler 7 hd. today was a lovely afternoon with a lot of chilly but not uncomfortably cold. current temperature readings 56 in both san francisco and oakland right now. basically low to mid 50s across the entire area. 5 19 up in santa rosa. mostly blue skies and these are our forecast features. clear and cold tomorrow night, next storm arrives friday into saturday.

tonight's lows, down to 30 in napa. a freeze warning in effect for tomorrow from 2:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. low temperatures will drop in the low to upper 20s. here come the beginnings of our next storm. there's a slight chance of some light wind in the north bay. thursday afternoon, that chance will increase. later, thursday, this next storm looks like it's going to be a light rain storm. so we'll get it and rank it number one on our storm impact scale from 1 to 5. a range of showers on friday and up to only half an inch in the wettest spots.

picking up friday morning at 10:00, wetest day. as we go ahead to saturday evening, most locations will receive, we project, between a quarter of an inch and half a inch, although santa rosa may get closer to .6 of an inch of rain. tomorrow, we'll see mainly sunny skies and a few high clouds and high temperatures will be in the range from mid to upper 50s. here's the seven-day forecast. a weather day on saturday, but just number one on the storm impact scale. it looks like a more vigorous storm may come in on monday. that one, at the moment, looks like it could be a number two, a storm of moderate intensity.

>> up next, playing stanfa today thanks his offensive line in a big way. >> an incredible ski jump 24 stories high. we'll show you the move.

it looks like the force has awakened on your computer days before the highly anticipated new star wars movie hits theaters. using your phone, you escape a star destroyer despite dozens of storm troopers trying to stop you. the team had goozle chrome using the game to test more interactive experiences to web browsing. >> we will probably spend several hours alone there the

sports department tonight. >> christmas came early for the oakland raider's offensive line. >> he splurged on vizio 60 inch hd tv screens. >> i wonder what alma is going to be getting, everybody. offensive guard jamarcus web tweeted carr gave me the best gicht. nothing says love better than spectacular hd. >> i think that's true. now, for today's gma hot list and our friends at "good morning america." >> here's your 60 second hot list from gma today. hit it. >> the lead for donald trump is remarkable. now he's leading more than 21. >> i wonder if chris christi is going to come back.

>> he has been playing that role and he's the one that can do bombastic better than anybody, as well. >> i cannot believe this. in 25 years, it's fresh prince of bell air. i think we've got some of the first episodes. >> oh, no. that does not look like a guy who is going to be nominated for a golden globe. >> christmas is barrelling toward us like a freight train. >> take a look at our control room all decked out. >> who needs maverick. top gun? >> i think this is actually very pale. >> an absolutely beautiful one. >> and that's the gma hot list from today. we'll see you in the morning on gma. >> and you can catch robin, george and the rest of the good morning america team weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. right here on abc 7 following the abc 7 morning news.

>> abc 7 news continues. we go live to las vegas with a preview next. >> also, president obama's passionate dispense today. a district shot at donald trump's call for a ban on muslim imgrants. >> plusz, we'll show you where debris has now washed ashore along a coastline. >> and the threat from this year's el nino-enhanced ♪ ♪ grow old with me ♪ let us share what we see ♪ just you and i ♪ ♪ grow old with me ♪ let us share what we see

♪ and oh the best it could be ♪ just you and i ♪ life...

is unpredictable. life is deaths. and births. sickness and health. love and heartbreak. and covered california is there for it all. not just to help keep you well. but to make sure the cost of being unwell doesn't ruin this whole life thing. because it's more than just health care. it's life care.

making the headlines at 4:30, all los angeles unified schools closed today. all afterschool activities were cancelled. preliminary findings indicate the threat was a hoax. a second, similar threat targeted schools in new york city. officials there deemed it a hoax and they did not cancel classes. now, there have been no threats there the bay area, but san francisco spokesperson sent this tweet saying the department will increase police presence around schools as a precaution. abc 7 news reporter looks how districts respond to these types of threats. more charges today for a suspected serial cat killer in san jose. abc 7 news reporter vick lee is

on the story and tweeted robin farmer was charged with nine more felonies. tonight is the final debate of the year. things could get very heated between donald trump and ted cruz. >> hi, larry. this is a big presidential debate. senator ted cruz now has some momentum on his side. he's going to be standing right next to donald trump tonight who's going to be seeing his own views in the poles. >> it's a brand new republican race. senator ted cruz is seeing a surge in the poles, neck-in-neck with donald trump in isle way. >> now, that's a question of strength, but it's also a question of judgment. >> trump, whose lead is growing in the national polls now ahead

at 38 pnt is also fighting back. >> you look at how he's dealt with the senate how he goes in there like a little bit of a maniac. >> cruz is now next to trump along with ben carson whose numbers have fallen sharply. >> this is a very fluid contest. if you look at some of the poll in terrorism, the numb we are one polling issue, donald trump plays to that. >> terrorism is expected to be a hot topic tonight. >> a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states. >> a new washington post poll shows 59d% of republicans support the ban on muslims. but among all adults, those numbers shift with 60% thinking it's the wrong thing to do. >> national security is expected to dominate tonight's debate. this is the first face-off since the deadly terror attacks in

paris and closer to home in san bernardino. >> all right, thank you so much, brandy. the democrats will debate here on abc 7 this saturday, world news tonight will moderate the debate. live coverage starts at 5:00 p.m. saturday right here on abc 7 news. president obama naming a ban in washington. the president helped welcome the 31 new citizens and used the occasion to defend u.s. immigration policy. he calls immigration america's origin story. >> for more than 2 centuries, it's remained at the core of our national characterer. it's our oldest tradition. it's who we are. it's part of what makes us exceptal. after all, unless your family is

native american, one of the first americans, our families, all of our families come from some place else. >> the president said the country cancelled any immigrant groups to be singled out again. >> a baltimore jury ended its second day of deliberations without a verkd in the manslaughter trial of a police officer charged with killing freddie grey. he's the first of six officers to stand trial stemming from gregs arrest and death from a broken neck last april. at one point, deliberations proved to be at a standstill they told the judge and he told them to keep going. >> debris had shown up on a bigger beach in san francisco and shark park beach in pacifica. >> we're joined now live with

the story. >> this keeps evolving, there may yet be another carbon container south of the golden gaet somewhere out there behind us. the coast guard has been keeping an eye on it. meantime, on the beach today, a clean-up, mostly of foam. stuff just like this. why? because these were in containers and the containers could floet. take a stroll along oak park beach. foam. lots of foam. not the gurgling kind of foam, either. >> it was cover. . >> covered? >> covered first with this styrofoam residue from, yet, another missing cargo container. uncovered today by these men on this work detail hired to clean up the mess. here are the orders they gave to terell shellton. >> just pick it up, bag it up

and take the bag up. >> the first of this residue arrived on shark park beach yesterday. the morning, sky 7 hd captured this video of the clean-up as it continued. >> as parks and rem nents of a 40 by 8 foot, 10,400 pound container came to shore after high waves swept it off a ship into the see along with the 11 other containers. maxim believes that what washed ashore here came from a different container than what washed to shore there. edwin crouch actually saw the container off pacifica. >> at first, i thought it was a boat. but then the way it moved, it didn't really look like a boat. >> nor does it now. from shark park beach in pacific, wayne freakman, abc 7 news.

>> coming up on abc 7 news at 4:00, this is only for experts. an extreme 124 story ski jump that you have to see to believe. >> it looks like a bright, gold golden sunset. i'll have the accuweather forecast in just a moment. >> great shot. take a look at our golden gate bring traffic. it's hard to tell which is heavier. stay with us. we are back after a quick break.

look at this. imagine a ski jump right in the middle of the city. his urban ski slope would descend from the top of a 21 story apartment building. it would measure a thousand feet. the slope would provide easy

access for skiers and snow borders. right now, they have to drive four hours to get to the nearest slope. local officials have to approve the plan. >> i think it's a good idea. i don't know if you can really do it. they're in the house, they're in the apartment. >> it takes a special breed to be a ski jumper. what we're about to show you is just plain old nuts. >> check this out. the copper peak ski jump in michigan's up e peninsula stands 20 feet, four stories high. >> now you've got to be a little whack ki whacky to go down this thing to begin with. this guy is going back wards. yes, he's doing this back wards and nailing it. >> did he land? wow. >> yeah, sammy -- well, you've got to be nuts to really try that. i mean, even if you're an x-games guy.

if you don't hit the landing -- >> oh, yeah. >> you're going to be in big trouble. but sandy says he hopes to inspire others to go after their dreams with tenacity. >> that's my nightmare. i'm not big on heights. is there an amount of money that we could pay you to do that? forwards. everyone to go forwards. >> i don't know. >> spencer christian? >> i know is it a matter of cash? i know there's a dollar amount. >> there's no dollar amount to make me do that. my dreams are mump fewer. >> here's a look at live doppler 7, we'll tell you coming our way with clear skies right now. so temperatures are going to drop sharply. we're using santa rosa as our indicator and how cold it's going to be in the next few nights. low in santa rosa will be 31. just below freezing. not quiet that cold thursday

morning and we'll see temperatures moderating on friday and saturday. the statewide conditions around eureka where there will be showers. here, in the bay a area, a few clouds in the north bay. high temperatures will be in the upper 50s tomorrow. here are our rain chances. dry weather will prevail. an 80 pnt chance of rain on saturday. that one looks like it might be a lit more vigorous. larry and alma? >> thank you so much, spencer. >> 17 inches of fresh snow. he said he feels like a kid again.

you can share your pictures and vid you with o by using the hash tag abc 7 now. >> inside star wars. why you woebt br getting any spoilers from those who watched it.

lift off. >> and this rocket launch made history in central kazakhstan today. a russian capsule is carrying tim peek, the first briltish astronaut to go up to the space station. other u.k.-born astronauts had gone before, but they did not work for the british government. there's no better place to catch star wars than up in space.

somebody tweeted the british astronaut you must be good, final lur your expedition to space and star wars comes out two days later. we have a projector on screen on board. i'm told star wars will be waiting for us up there. what a place to watch it. >> the lucky few viewers get to watch it. one of the most anticipated movies ever will be available friday night when it opens nationwide. >> elizabeth hurr has more. >> the force has awakened and the first reaction to the leaders? incredible. >> it's inkredble. it's so satisfying. it's amazing. >> these fans were out in full force for the star-studded hollywood premier it could be

the biggest movie opening of all time. yes, star wars is back. >> i love hans solo. for me to be on the set working with harrison ford. >> for the rest of us, the force awakens will be available in a record 4100 theaters starting thursday night. and, so far, no spoilers. official film reviews are embargoed until midnight, wednesday. and the stars on the red carpet were also being tight lipped. >> it's hard for me to talk. >> it's been fun. i mean, it's like a power trip. >>

>>. >> and if you happen to be a fan of no spoilers, there's an app for that. it is called oh, be kwooit. >> stars reacted quickly to the movie. create xx of greys anatomy and scandal says that star wars is so good in the best old school way. fred savage called it amazing, amazing, amazing. >> in all, that's all you want it to be. >> that's the way he said it? amazing, amazing, amazing. the movie that delivers cried like a baby. some people showed up in characterer. that's actor joseph gordon dressed as yoda for the star wars premier. >> well, a burn victim just received another holiday surprise after thousands of people around the world answered her request for christmas cards. >> terry's father and three siblings died in a fire two years ago and she suffered burns on most of her body. the only gift she really wanted this year was christmas cards.

one word describes the response. massive. >> she received about 195,000 letters in one day and more than 3,000 packages. the postmaster says it took two, two-ton mail trucks and a rented cargo truck to make the delivery in up state new york. >> thank you for making my christmas so special. >> it's overwhelming for us, it's overwhelming for them. but it's exciting. it's for a good reason. >> a charity will provide her and her family with a trip to walt disney world in february. if you'd like to share a christmas car card, we do have details at abc7news.com. >> taking antidepressants during pregnancy is linked to increased risk of autism. >> children are more likely to be diagnosed with autism if their mothers took antidepressants. women who took the medication in the final three months pregnancy were 87% more likely to have a

child diagnosed with autism. they found no difference when the mothers took antidepressants in the firsz three months of a pregnancy. the drug has to be talken for an entire lifetime. thousands of health-focused vending machines. so next year, several thousand of these machines that are called hello goodness vending machines. the machines will have what pepsi calls better for you products like hummus cups and local reel popcorn. gatorade, which includes sucralose is not typically associated with natural ingredients. pepsi has not said what the new ingredients will be.

>> up next on abc 7 news at 4:00, the flooding risk from the coming el nino-enhanced storms. dan is here with a look on what's coming up on abc 7 news at 5:00. >> coming up, a teenager is telling her story to abc 7 news. she describes how much it hurts and why she still went to school. >> a new piece of aviation history in the east bay.

come happy birthday. i just had a heart attack... and now i have a choice. for her. for them. and him. a choice to take brilinta. a prescription for people who've been hospitalized for a heart attack. i take brilinta with a baby aspirin ...no more than 100 mg. as it affects how well it works. it's such an important thing to do to help protect against another heart attack. brilinta worked better than plavix. and even reduced the chances of dying from another one. don't stop taking brilinta without talking to doctor.

since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent, heart attack, stroke, and even death. brilinta may cause bruising or bleeding more easily or serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. don't take brilinta if you have bleeding, like stomach ulcers. a history of bleeding in the brain, or severe liver problems. tell your doctor about bleeding, new or unexpected shortness of breath, any planned surgery and all medicines you take. i will take brilinta today. tomorrow. and every day for as long as my doctor tells me. don't miss a day of brilinta. here's a look at prime time. it's toy story followed by shrek the halls and i want a dog for christmas, charlie brown. drivers on highway 101 are seeing something new today. billboards going up, warning commuters of eminent flooding. in the next severe storm, this

freeway will be under waterer. now, if that's true, a lot of silicon valley companies will be right in the floodplain. abc 7 news anchor asks what will el nino do to our local economy. >> the time to prepare is now. but as we get ready for record-breaking rain, our major tech companies like facebook and google prepared: >> many silicon valley companies are located right at the enof the bay. companies like facebook and google. >> about 200 miles of land could be at risk. >> these kpacompanies are going need to be able to address these flood lands. >> the potential damage is in the billions. >> ten bill yoon in damage.

>> that's just infrastructure. he says our drout-ridden state is overdue for a big storm. >> if you look at google, major parts are up on a hill out of harm's way. that doesn't necessarily mean that they're safe because their employees may be in the flood-prone area. >> make sure your storm drains are clear and make sure you have emergency supplies at home. but experts warn we should look at the long term: el nino says it's just a taste of what the future holds. >> right now, the silicon valley leadership group is pushing for a $12 a year tax to reduce the risk of flooding. thanks for joining us for abc 7 news at 4:00. a,bc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now with alma and dan.

>> he immediately pulled out the gun and shen shot me. >> a confrontation with a gunman that police say never should have happened in the first place. >> cat owners out rage. one by one, they hold up pictures of their dead pets as the killer faces new charges. >> what health officials are telling neighbors tonight. squl what started ends with a pile of rubble. >> the chill is in the air right now. another cold night ahead. we'll take a look at those temperatures coming up. >> live from the kgo tv broadcast center, this is abc 7 news. >> a teenager is back at school showing her bandage and bullet wounds. what happened when she faced a car thief who then shot her. >> san jose police are searching

for the man who shot that teenager. what she did was awfully dangerous. >> dan, she knows it was a bad idea in hindsighted. she's pretty shaken up and will never take life for granted again. >> i never thought in a million years that i would get shot. but it happened on poleman road. the 17-year-old had left the keys inside her cam ri while talking with a friend and another car near the lake. when they saw the man driving away, they decided to follow. >> i was just really angry. it wasn't smart.

>> sarah says they caught up with the guy about a block away when they were stopped at the light and she opened the door. >> i opened it and i said get out of my car. >> instead, he shot her below the collarbone. the bullet going clean through. >> were all were trying to support her. surprised the high school senior showed up for class today. she knows she's lucky to be alive. the gunman had been aiming for her head. they're not blaming the victim, but following the criminal is simply not wise. >> your life is more important than property. >> investigators found the girl's car but the thief got away. they're hoping to find surveillance video that may help. in san jose, abc 7 news.