>> b.a.r.t. service will not be affected. in san francisco, abc7 ne berkeley city leaders have denied a permit for a showing sunday, but organizers plan to show up sunday. to prepare, the post office is removing mailboxes from several downtown locations as a precaution. they plan to separate groups with barriers, check backpacks and confiscate items that could be used as weapons. >> and of course, you can download our app to get breaking details on the protests this weekend. >> it's 4:30 on the dot. let's check in again with mike nicco. >> hey, everybody. we'll start with the winds to show you just how much calmer they are for most of us. only about 18 miles per hour in fairfield. yesterday, gusting up to 33. 12 in concord. if you're coming across the altamont pass the winds are 17

to 26 miles per hour. here's a quick look at today's temperatures. you can see a lot of 70s, 80s, even a few 90s out there. but getting ahead of ourselves. let's talk about the 12-hour day planner and how we get to those temperatures. as you look at the clouds at the exploratorium, they won't last long today. even at the coast, we'll see sunshine. low 60s there. 71 to 78 from noon to 4:00 around the bay. 77 to 89 at 4:00, so just a touch warmer during the evening hours. i'll look at the evening forecast coming up next. all right, taking a look at traffic times right now. we're pretty much in the green. there's a look at your commutes from santa rosa to petaluma, 15 minutes. castro valley to the maze, looking at a 14-minute commute. jessica. at the live desk, we're tracking hurricane harvey as it nears the gulf coast. the hurricane strengthened to a

category-2 storm overnight. it's expected to make landfall in texas later tonight or early saturday morning. meanwhile, this morning, the rush to get people to safety. crews in corpus christi are flying critically ill children to a hospital in ft. worth. at least ten babies are being evacuated. coastal cities are bracing for the impact of the storm, and that's where janay norman picks up the story. >> reporter: good morning. the storm continues to strengthen and there are no signs of weakening before it makes landfall. hurricane harvey's hurling toward the u.s. coastline. already whipped winds more than 100 miles per hour. the storm setting its sights on south texas. people in the bull's eye already swarming stores, stockpiling sandbags and essentials. and cars lining up for hours to fill up on gas. >> absolute insanity over this hurricane. >> many people leaving home as harvey is expected to drown parts of the south. dousing some areas with more

than 35 inches of rain and storm surges up to 12 feet. >> we're going to in the strongest possible terms encourage the residents in the low-lying areas, as they say, get out of dodge. >> images from nasa show the size of the storm, the likes of which haven't been seen in nearly 20 years. and it's moving slowly. the hurricane center says it's possible the storm could stay inland for up to 72 hours. increasing the threat of severe flooding. millions of people will likely be impacted by the storm, but the entire country could feel its impacts because of gas prices. more than a dozen refineries are in the storm's path and it will be shut down until harvey passes. >> it's 4:33. happening today, the north bay smart train will celebrate its grand opening after 15 years of planning and construction. people have been riding test trains for the past few weeks. service officially begins this afternoon when a train leaves the sonoma county airport for san rafael at 12:49.

a ceremony begins at 9:00 this morning. if you plan on riding a smart train today, go to abc7news.com or our app. you'll see a video explaining seven things you need to know. >> a meeting that could change whether or not the iconic golden gate bridge is used for special events like the san francisco marathon. the golden gate bridge board of directors will consider a new policy that would ban bridge closures for those events and keep it open to traffic. bridge officials making the recommendation say it's a public safety issue. they want to avoid a possible terror attack. only on abc7 news, a new development in the east bay sex scandal. the i-team has learned attorneys for the woman at the center of this have filed a new federal lawsuit against contra costa county sheriff david livingston and deputy ricardo perez. the complaint says perez began having sex with jasmine abuslin when she was just 17 years old and the supervisor failed to

supervise his officers. the lawsuit says perez was one of 20 law enforcement officers from six police agencies who had sexual encounters with abn. she's also suing the city of richmond. oakland settled a claim with her for almost a million dollars. >> a driver has apologized after being spotted driving around san leandro with a noose hanging from his pickup. take a look here. this photo went viral after being posted on facebook. police found the driver and gave him some, quote, social education. the man told officers he meant no harm by displaying the symbol associated with the lynching of african-americans. authorities say he does not live or work in san leandro. >> alameda county will have to decide if it will continue to participate in training for disasters. in the past, groups have been against the urban shield task force program, saying that it's highly militarized war games.

the stop urban shield coalition plans to attend and speak against the plan to keep the training. the task force meets at 9:00 this morning in oakland. let's take a look at what's going on with harvey. while you were sleeping over the last, i don't know if you were sleeping the last 12 hours. if you were, congratulations. harvey intensified rapidly, almost doubling its wind speed. it's at 60 miles per hour 12 hours ago. look at it wind up and get more intense. look at the yellows become red and the reds become purples. that's a 110-mile-per-hour almost major hurricane moving to the northwest at 10 miles per hour. it's going to bump up to a major hurricane during the afternoon hours. after 1:00 today, and then it will slam into corpus christi and victoria, texas, tonight. when it's dark, right before midnight. and then it's going to flood probably two thirds of texas with up to three feet of rain is possible. 2 1/2 to 3 feet of rain.

and at least 300,000 people could lose power. now, it's going to meander through texas. it could come back out in the gulf. let's hope that doesn't happen. back at home, temperatures 6 degrees cooler due to the lack of clouds. we're in the mid 50s up and down the peninsula. 57 at half moon bay. golden gate bridge, west wind at 15 miles per hour. lighter breezes on the bay. more sunshine at the beaches and a warmer afternoon if you're outdoors. that's your activity planner. >> thank you. >> let's get a quick check of traffic right now. and let's take a look at the south bay. roads are pretty wide open around the san jose area. look at that, average speeds around 60 this morning. things look really great for a friday start to the weekend. and a live look here at the san mateo bridge where cars are going along just fine this morning. >> policing with pride. new effort to recruit more lgbt officers in the bay area's largest city. >> uber bows to pressure.

backs off from an expansion plan in the east bay. in the east bay. >> and state

it's the second leading cancer killer in the u.s. but, it is almost entirely preventable. most colon cancers start as polyps. and screening finds polyps, so they can be removed, before they even turn into cancer. if you're over 50, get screened for colorectal cancer. screening saves lives. it's 4:40. new vid yeshows an overturned big rig turned upright after causing major traffic delays. a truck carrying 40,000 pounds of empty wine rolled over

yesterday afternoon on 580 east of livermore. these are the bottles on the truck. crews worked overnight to remove all the broken glass. the driver, unbelievably, wasn't hurt. he says that he lost control of his brakes. it appears uber is backing off plans for a big expansion in oakland. the san francisco business times reports the ride hailing business is looking to sell the former sears department store it had been renovating for the past two years. the property is at 20th and broadway. the green lining institute pushed to keep uber to prevent what it calls more city gentrification. initially, uber planned to have at least 2,000 employees work at the office. earlier this year, it scales it back to a few hundred. >> a bold new campaign to recruit officers from the lgbt community. >> katie shows us the ads the department hopes will bring in new hires. >> there are three commercials, they all show a san jose police officer getting ready for work,

but each video has a different ending. >> and you serve with pride. >> these are real san jose police officers with their same-sex partners. >> every day when you leave your family, you may not come home. that's what officers and their families realize. what doesn't get displayed is the different types of families. that's what's being done for the first time. >> officer james gonzalez is the department's first lgbt liaison officer. he said recruitment is not new, but these ads are a game changer. >> if you never actually show lgbt families that are officers, young people may not consider that as a career. >> the board president of the lgbt community center says lgbt officers are better equipped to handle issues like the higher suicide rate in the community. >> if they understand what the lgbt mental health issues are, there is greater compassion and greater understanding of how to deal with that. >> we show this flyer to people in san jose and asked them what they thought about the new recruitment campaign.

>> especially in the current political environment, with the military, i think it's a great way to show that we are companions to all people. >> i think it's great. it's perfect. i think it should be representative. >> police chief eddie garcia will be in this weekend's silicon valley pride parade. the new recruitment materials will be there, too. abc7 news. >> california state assembly lawmakers could take up a plan to establish universal health care by the end of the year. that bill would replace insurance companies with a government run system for all californians. the state senate pashed the measure earlier in the year. anthony rendon has been under fire for refusing to bring it to the assembly floor. he says it still needs key details like how the system will work and how it's paid for. >> an austin tourist is recovering after being struck by lightning in the sierra. it happened when he was hiking west of truckee.

the man sustained major burns throughout his body. and take a look, a picture here of his shoes. you can see the damage. a chp helicopter took him to the uc davis burn institute for treatment. he is expected to survive. >> happening today, a former oakland a and baseball hall of famer will be honored at the game. the d gate will be dedicated to the ultimate closer, the team will name the gate after dennis eckersley. the six-time all star closed out the 1989 world siris for the a's. the team will also give away a dennis bobblehead to the first 15,000 fans. he'll also throw out the ceremonial first pitch tomorrow. >> pretty special. >> pretty good weather for it, i think, if i'm remembering mike nicco's forecast correctly. >> mid 60s, dropping down to about 60 ntd a sunny sky, turning into stars. i'll have that in the next weather. let's talk about what's going to happen in the next seven days. much clearer than it was this time yesterday. still a little hazy out there.

we'll see more sunshine, even at the coast today as our warming trend begins. partly cloudy and comfy tonight. so even when it gets hot during the day, at least it will cool nicely at night. an extended period of above average heat. let's look at today's temperatures. not bad around milpitas and sunnyvale. upper 70s there. low 80s for most of the south bay. upper 80s for los gatos, morgan hill, and gilroy. a sunny 74 if you're heading to the boardwalk. 70 in millbrae. most of us in the mid to upper 70s on the peninsula. mid to upper 60s along the coast with a lot more sunshine today. to 70 in downtown south san francisco. 69 in sausalito, with about 80 to 85 through the north bay valleys. doing wine tasting there, 98 the warm spot in lakeport. berkeley at 72. got hercules and richmond at 77. castro valley, about 78. 73 in oakland, and 87 to 95 if you're in our inland east bay neighborhoods. here's a look at tonight's

temperatures. we'll be around 53 in santa rosa to about the low 60s in the east bay and south bay. up in the hills, it's going to be warmer. temperatures right around 70 degrees. did i mention it was going to be hot? did i mention it was going to stay for a long time? at least four days out of the next seven of 100 degree temperatures inland. we've got 80s to near 90 around the bay as the heat peaks sunday and 70s at the coast. it may be a weekend to head there. >> hot, hot, hot right there. >> unfortunately rng things also turning up on the roadways this morning. a look at 880 on the southbound ramp to alvarado. there is an accident and one lane is blocked. heads hch up if that's part of your commute. we want to take a live look outside at san rafael this morning. >> i need this next thing. a california company has created a pesticide spiked punch that lures mosquitoes to their doom. ifca technologies targets the

mosquito's sweet tooth by zeroing in on its hunger for nectar. field tests have seen a drop in mosquitoes by two thirds. for most of us, it's a huge annoyance. they love my. >> me too. >> about 100 feral cats going up for adoption. they have just been rescued from the boulder creek area of santa cruz. someone was feeding a small colony of small cats and the number quickly multiplied. the cats will be spayed and neutered and given to people who can give them a proper environment. feral cats don't adapt well to living outdoors. >> it's the players weekend in major league baseball. the uniform changes you'll see if you go to a game. >> a to z comes to san jose. what makes amazon's first physical book store in the bay area so different. >> and big mike is back. i'm not talking about mike noeko. how you can get in on his big

celebration, but first, this morning's tech bites. >> in today's tech bites, amazon is ready to deliver some deals to whole foods customers. >> e-commerce giant plans to cut prices on some of the grocery store chain's items starting monday. that's when amazon's buy out of whole foods will be finalized. >> sam sung is the latest company working on a smart speaker like the amazon echo. it can control lights, tvs, and other devices. >> the oako and google home are already available. the apple home pod is coming soon. >> speaking of apple, the iphone 8 is still weeks away from release, according to "the new york times," it will start at $1,000. that's hundreds more than the iphone 7. >> we're not totally sure what it will look like, but if you look closely at tim cook's right pocket, it might be a clue. people say the outline of that phone is bigger than anything apple has ever released. >> that could mean also nothing. >> that could mean also nothing. those are your tec

a change for fans when the san jose spartan football team opens tomorrow. they'll be able to open wine and beer. san jose state hosts south florida tomorrow night. >> petaluma based la gunitas is out with a new beer that's brews with cannabis extracts. it's only available in select locations in california including more than 40 bars and stores around the bay area.

don't get too excited. this does not include thc. >> meanwhile, the tracy unified school district says it's alarmed by the rising trend in marijuana edibles showing up on campuses. the edibles are in the form of candy bars, cereal or other treats. they have come across ten cases of edibles since spring. administrators say they started appearing after the passage of prop 64 to legalize recreational marijuana. what is even more concerning to the district are the high levels of thc inside edibles. >> a young person was either sick because maybe they ate too much of it, and so as they got sick and then were in the office, we started to talk to them, we found out what was going on. >> the district wants to get the issue out in the open. it's scheduled a series of seminars next month at high schools for parents and students. >> uber is partners with a

nonprofit to promote diversity in tech. it's donating more than $1 million to girls who code. the money will help expand after school programs. uber staff will also volunteer at its workshops. >> this weekend, all 30 mlb teams will take part in the inaugural players weekend. the weekend celebrates each player's creativity. all clubs will wear noun traditional alternate uniforms and players get to choose a nickname to sport on the back. for the giants, brandon crawford's will say b.krawf. and buster for buster posey. game worn jerseys will be auctioned to benefit the mlb youth development foundation. i like that. over at the coliseum tonight, the rangers are in town to take on the a's. it's italian heritage night. yeah. wonder if they'll have cannolis. something like that. coliseum, ooh, italian beef, that would be good, too.

sunset is at 7:48. 7:04, first pitch, 64, dropping down to about 60 degrees. a little breezy, but only this morning along the beaches. a small craft advisory until 9:00 this morning. northwest winds at dwun to 33 knots. let's take a look at what it looks like in santa cruz. looks cloudy, hazy there, but by the afternoon hours, those clouds will turn into more sunshine. temperatures will hang out, 64 in bodega bay. ocean beach, 65. watch out for the rip current there. half moon bay, 66. monterey bay, 67 to santa cruz, one of the warm spots at 74. it's only going to get warmer at our beaches as we head through the weekend. we'll have more on that heat coming up soon. let's give it back to you for a check of traffic. >> and we are talking about one crash that we're looking at right now in fremont. the alvarado on-ramp to southbound 880 remains blocked. chp is there working on this crash. we'll continue to follow that to see when this gets totally cleared. and now here's a live look at

walnut creek. as you can see, traffic is moving along just fine right now on 680. >> this next one is a game changer. you no longer have to go online to buy a book from amazon. abc7 news was in san jose as the company opened its first brick and mortar store in the bay area yesterday. it's at santana row. the store has more than 35,000 titles chosen based on the highest online ratings. reviews of the book will be displayed underneath. local book sellers aren't happy about amazon's move. they say they can offer more titles and a more diverse selection. >> to come in to explore worlds that haven't encountered before. when they're going into an amazon retail space, they're exploring worlds that have been well trodden and familiar. >> amazon is expanded into physical spaces as it tries to become the leading retailer in the world. if you're looking for a party this sunday, why not celebrate with big mike? >> and big he is. over 20 feet tall. mike is turning 5-0.

if you're from the east bay, you might recognize him. mike was one of many urban roadside attractions popular a long time ago. he stood vigil outside a car wash and tire shop on mission boulevard in hayward for a couple decades. just a couple blocks away from the doggy diner. >> they're happy to have him back here, but i'm sure they want him on downtown hayward anymore. i don't think they ever wanted him in downtown hayward, but they're perfectly happy to have hem in an industrial park where nobody sees him. >> okay. big mike's birthday bash is set for sunday from 10:00 to 5:00 at bell plastics. that santa is going to haunt my dreams. everyone is welcome for cake and a factory tour. bell plastics is near the hayward airport. >> big mike santa had big eyes, and speaking of big, a big change coming along san francisco's waterfront. next at 5:00 a.m., the major project that's just been given the green light. >> both sides of the bay are bracing for right-wing rallies and counterprotests. the defiant stand activists in

berkeley are taking against hate and violence in their community. >> as hurricane harvey bears down on the gulf coast, what airlines are doing to accommodate travelers.

welcome to friday, august 25th. hope you're having a good morning so far. coming up on 5:00 a.m. >> natasha and alexis are off. they're enjoying the nice weekend. >> getting ready for the warmth. probably finding convenient ways to stay cool. here's a look at live doppler 7. hi, everybody. the gray you see, those are late arriving clouds as the marine layer has been really compressed down and should be out of here much quicker than most of the week. all right, here's a look at the exploratorium at pier 15. you can see the gray out there, 55 to 58. a little cooler this morning. as you head from noon to 12:00, 77 to near 90 degrees. 71 around the bay at noon to 78 at 4:00 to a comfortable 70 at 7:00, and low to mid 60s at the coast to 59 as you head towards 7:00. now take a look at what's going on in your neighborhood up next. >> let's look at