we're halfway through the week already, december 27th. reggie on vacation and it is a ladies desk today. natasha zouves, jessica castro here, sue hall tracking traffic, and lisa argen in. great to see you, lisa. hi, everyone. we are looking at fog. visibility reduced in the north bay. if you're heading out early you're down to a quarter mile, even some along the coast. elsewhere in good shape. it is a cool morning with temperatures in the 40s from concord. 43 in san ramone. in the next couple hours into the 50s. by 1:00 we're flirting with 60 in napa and petaluma and then by 7:00 tonight still mild in the low 50s.

sue? we'll take a live look at 280 snaking the headlights from san jose up to cupertino. very light conditions. about an eight-minute drive towards wolf road in cupertino. green is great. slowing up and over the altamont pass. about a 25-minute drive time if you are heading into the dublin-pleasanton area. checking out 80 to the maze and then from the bay bridge into san francisco, so not bad there at all. in san francisco heading into sfo, under ten minutes. >> sue, thank you. speaking of your commute, if you use 101 or 280 for your morning drive you likely have been stuck in a sea of taillights. transportation officials want to install express lanes to help ease the congestion. >> amy hollyfield live in san francisco with that plan. good morning, amy. >> reporter: hi, good morning, natasha. yes, express lanes. there's a good word in there, express.

they leave out that it's a toll you would pay to use the lanes. what do you think about that? according to the "san francisco examiner" that is the idea floating around among transportation officials. those who are in favor of it say traffic is bad in san francisco and is getting worse. they need to do something. they have been studying creating a car-pool lane on highways 101 and 280 but that study also started merging into looking into adding an express lane and that would cost the driver money. supporters say they are not doing this to make money for transportation agencies but to keep traffic moving saying this would be created with the hope of keeping people moving at 45 miles per hour. the idea got some pushback from some san francisco supervisors with one worried express lanes could create congestion in the other lanes and that will push traffic into the neighborhoods. so this idea has a ways to go but it is something to ask yourself. would you pay money for a possible quicker route into san francisco? stay tuned. the transportation officials say

they may ask the supervisors for funding for this project in february. reporting live in san francisco, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. thank you, amy. happening today chp will hold a tribute ceremony for the officer who died in a crash in hayward late sunday night. the ceremony to honor officer camilleri starts at the chp academy in west sacramento. it is open to the public. sky 7 was over a procession for officer camilleri yesterday that started in oakland and ended in tracy, where he lived with his family. investigators say the driver who hit and killed camilleri was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. camilleri leaves behind his wife and three children. the chp released details of a fund to assist officer camilleri's family. you can donate by going to our website, abc7news.com. new this morning a man is fighting for his life after he was shot during a robbery in san francisco. police say four people walked into a building at mission and 19th streets last night and

robbed three men at gunpoint. a 77-year-old man was shot. the other men were not hurt. no arrests have been made. two people hurt after their vehicles crashed sending one barreling into a santa clara home. it happened around 6:30 last night. no one was inside the home at the time. firefight hers to shore up the structural supports that were destroyed in the crash. both people who were hurt are now expected to be okay. people across the u.s. continue to rush to pay their property taxes by the end of the year because of the republican tax plan that alters deductions. some who itemize will not be able to deduct all of their property taxes. they're trying to pay their april installment by the end of the year to deduct on their 2017 taxes. the tax professionals say it doesn't make sense for everyone to make an early payment so talk to your accountant first. in five days marijuana will be available for sale legally across the state. >> we've done several stories

looking at the law and what exactly it says. this morning abc 7 news anchor has the answer you need to know before you light up. >> reporter: on january 1st california will become the latest state to legalize cannabis for recreational use. this industry will bring in $4 billion a year, but it also brings in a long list of new rules you need to be aware of. >> this is not just going to be full legality without regulations. >> reporter: josh drayton is with the cannabis industry association. >> many of us that have been activists in the world for a long time have been waiting for this but it's going to be much different than a lot of folks anticipated. >> reporter: the new rules start with limits. californians aged 21 and older are allowed to carry up to 28.5 grams of cannabis and concentrates. you can grow up to six plants at home, but the plants must be in a locked area that's not visible

from outside the property. cannabis is still illegal on the federal level. employers can fire you for violating drug-free work place rules. you can buy pot from any licensed dispensary but they will still be dispensaries that only sell to patients with a medical need but there's also a catch here. only about 30% of the cities and counties in the state have passed regulation that is will allow for the sale of recreational pot in the new year. >> for those areas that banned it, the state won't be able to issue a temporary license there. >> reporter: it's estimated 50% of the sales of cannabis will be made by companies that deliver it. be warned, local communities have the ability to ban weed deliveries. the new regulations don't change the state law. you still aren't allowed to smoke weed in public. you will be allowed to smoke it in a private home. but be warned, landlords can restrict smoking on their property. when it comes to driving cannabis will be like driving with alcohol.

open containers of pot, unless it's in your trunk, can get you arrested. this might put more impaired drivers out there. >> reporter: nearly all of their officers have been trained to look for drivers under the influence. law enforcement also is warning people that today's pot is much more potent than it was even ten years ago. they're urging users to be cautious before they drive. californians should also be prepared for lots o changes to these laws as the state settles into this new normal. >> this is going to be many years working at the state level, working with localities. this is an enormous industry. there's certainly a lot of new rules and things to know before this all rolls out. we have more on our website. you can find a license dispensary where you live. head to abc7news.com, and we have a link to the state's list.

it's me. mike has the day off. live doppler 7. we do have some fog. it's dense in the north bay. a little bit along the coast. santa rosa, petaluma, and napa where the fog is right at the ground and it certainly could cause visibility issues. keep that in mind. if you're heading out later on today, conditions look good on the bay. a little bit of a chop f. you're heading out for exercising or just enjoying the day, it's going to be nice out there. right now looking at numbers in the 30s, though,san jose. 39 in newark. 34 novato. chilly. later on on the peninsula upper 50s with mostly sunny conditions. elsewhere temperatures running about five degrees above average. 60 today for you in oakland. 61 in fremont. low 60s in napa. 63 in livermore and tonight patchy fog. 30s and 40s return. we're going to remain dry the next couple of days. looks like we want rain sunday

and monday, but the rain chances are diminishing. sue? to the richmond/san rafael bridge and prove lisa know what is she's talking about. there's fog descending on this span. that's as lisa has been saying in the north bay and certain areas very thick, heavy fog. heads up. it's not impairing your visibility on the span at this point. it's forever changing until it burns off later this morning. just heads-up there. if your travels take from you hayward across the san mateo bridge, you're looking at about a 15-minute drive across the causeway and over 101. no delays there. green is great on our traffic maps. a quick look at holiday alerts. golden gate parking lot at the bridge will be closed again, all parking lots until 5:00 starting at 11:00. ferries running on reduced service out of larkspur. >> sue, thank you.

a flight heading to tokyo after it was forced to turn around yesterday because of a big mistake. the flight originally took off with 226 passengers yesterday morning. after four hours the plane turned back for l.a.x. because one of those passengers was on the wrong flight. model and tv host christine teigen was onboard and said, quote, a flying first for me. four hours into an 11-hour flight and we are turning around because of a passenger who isn't supposed to be on this plane. the airline issued a statement saying the pilot and command decided to return to the originating airport where the passenger was disembarked trying to figure out how the passenger boarded the flight in the first place. the congresswoman linked to the apparent seat mix-up with united airlines is claiming the fallout is all race related. you may remember the story from yesterday morning. the airline gave her first class seat to a texas representative

sheila jackson-lee earlier this month. actually simon was able to board. she confronted an african-american flight attendant and snapped a shot of the congresswoman. lee believes simon continued to act the way she did because she lost her seat to an african-american, and the african-american flight attendant was an easy target. simon, however, emphatically disagrees with that. >> i would have been mad had anybody been occupying my seat it could have been santa claus. >> simon canceled her flight, they say. she denies that. the airline gave her an economy seat and a $500 voucher, but simon is demanding a written apology. millions play to win, but did anyone hit the jackpot in last night's mega millions lottery? you'll want to have your tickets ready for the results. the chance he had was me. i was his only chance. >> rescued from the ice. how

good morning. lisa argen in for mike nicco. can you make out the clouds? patchy fog in the north bay. mostly sunny and mild again looks like more sunshine through 2017. what about our rain chances in we'll talk about that in our seven day. in today's "gma first look" the husband of a murdered

fitness instructor in texas says he is now done with the hunt for her killer. >> here's abc news reporter marcus moore. >> reporter: he says he's trying to move forward but not giving up on the police investigation that remains wide open. more than a year after texas fitness instructor missy beavers was found slain in a church the killer is still on the loose. this haunting video remains a key piece of evidence. >> none of the family, friends or co-workers of missy beavers are considered suspects. nearly two years after his wife's death brandon beavers says it is time to refocus. quote, i'm not giving up in faith, just a reality spent many months driving myself crazy with this. i'm powerless to believe i have any ability to solve this. my biggest priority now is my daughter's welfare and to do whatever i can to help us move past the pain. and coming up at 7:00 a.m. we'll have more on this ongoing investigation. with your "gma first look"

marcus moore, abc news, dallas. 5:15 now. this morning we are hearing from a sheriff's sergeant who rescued a young boy who fell into a frozen pond on christmas day. >> i was calling out to the boy just in desperate hope that i could find him. i knew that i only had seconds left in that water. >> the 8-year-old boy was chasing a dog when he fell through the ice. the sergeant used his arms and hands to break the ice and get the boy back to shore. the sergeant has cuts and was treated for hypothermia. details on the boy's condition have not yet been released. small businesses are shutting down in san francisco's union square because of skyrocketing rents. the constant flow of shoppers this holiday season made it seem like business was booming, but many small businesses and restaurants say they are not seeing a piece of the pie, mainly just the major high-end

retailers. >> what i would have to pay would be three times the price. i would be looking around and it's outrageous. >> right now there are at least a half dozen spaces for lease in union square. some small businesses pay as much as $40,000 a month to stay open in the popular shopping area. did you know that returned gifts often have a good chance of ending up in the landfill. only about half of returns can make it back on store shelves. others are damaged or the boxes are open so they're resold to secondary retailers or simply thrown away. >> that's terrible. two big lottery jackpots are up for grabs. the powerball worth $337 million and the mega millions at $306 million because no one matched all six numbers last night. abc 7 news was in san francisco as people waited to buy tickets ahead of yesterday's drawing. so here are the numbers.

10-12-20-38-41. one person won more than $29,000. the next drawing is on friday night. powerball up to $337 million. that is $210 million if you take the cash option. tickets are $2 each and you have to buy before 7:00 tonight. the numbers will be drawn at 7:59. could i give you any more details about this story? >> i'll take the details. i'll also take the $210 million. what do you think? >> sure. done. >> no? >> i said, yes. >> whoa, whoa, whoa. >> we all have a chance, right? enjoying a lot of sunshine today. rewind and play, repeat. patchy fog, cool conditions. here are the clouds from santa rosa to novato down highway 1 over to highway 37. half mile to quarter mile visibility. showing you where the visibility

is reduced. two mile in half moon bay. the bigger picture shows a big ridge of high pressure once again over the entire state, so the clouds are going up and over the ridge. maybe a few high clouds and the low clouds this morning. but overall sunshine is our dominant weather feature. we're going to have that for the next several days. as for today cold in gilroy. 37. it's 40 in mountain view. san francisco 30, 33 by the delta. in the south bay, 63. upper 50s on the peninsula. the winds at about 15 today. 57 in the sunset. sunny for you. petaluma, 64 later on today. lots of 60s for oakland, san leandro, newark 61 degrees. 62 in our east bay valleys and then tonight another night with patchy fog along the coast and in the north bay the accuweather seven-day forecast looking dry and mild. mild eaer as we go through the workweek into saturday.

mid-60s, low 60s around the bay. a few more clouds for new year's eve and new year's day. good morning, sue. continuing to be holiday light. we get the metering lights on. not yet. i doubt we'll have them -- we didn't have them at all yesterday morning. no reason to think today would be any different, just a couple cars backed up to pay cash on the left-hand lanes. green is great, and that's what we're seeing everywhere. one accident reported the whipple on ramp. it involves a motorcycle. chp is en route there. they've moved the motorcycle out of lanes. they need to clear up the debris as well. details on this and more holiday mass transit schedules in a couple minutes. right now the olympic torch is making its way through south korea as we count down to the winter games there. this is video here of the torch passing through a village known for its traditional houses in

andong. it was added to the world heritage list. olympic organizers say they have sold about 60% of the target of more than 1 million tickets. by the way, those opening ceremonies are february 9th. >> thank, jess. up next the seven things you need to know as you start your day. also, a christmas miracle in massachusetts this

essential for vinyl, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. cause there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill r adults with moderate to severe ra fowhom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, cluding tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened.

your doctoshould perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal inctions are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to fections. needles. a must for vinyl. but for you, one pill a day may providsymptom relief. ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. an "unjection™". 5:23. if you're just joining us or heading out the door, the seven things to know before you go. number one, the chp will hold a bell toll tribute ceremony for officer andrew camilleri who died in a crash in hayward over the weekend. it starts at 11:00 this morning in west sacramento. number two, the man accused of causing the crash remains in the hospital in serious condition. the suspect is a a passenger somehow ended up

on the wrong flight from l.a. to tokyo. the plane turned around about four hours into its journey yesterday. passengers were deplaned and then reboarded early this morning. number four, after a foggy start along the coast and the north bay, sunny and mild today. where temperatures will warm into the 60s. as for right now watch out. number five, following your wednesday morning holiday commute we do have a couple of mass transit schedule trains, larkspur ferry will be on reduced service. you can see that schedule at sue hall traffic. ace trains are running on schedule. tesla ceo elon musk promising to build an pickup truck. >> number seven, tonight's powerball jackpot is $337 million.

and mega millions is $306 million. it was a christmas surprise for one massachusetts woman. >> she woke up in labor more than a week before her due date. it was snowing so hard her husband decided not to risk driving to the hospital and called 911 instead. he delivered his daughter before first responders got there. >> there was snow falling everywhere. it was a beautiful moment. >> the family naming their baby girl harlem. check out oakley, the german shepherd. his family lives in the city of erie that received more than 60

inches of snow between christmas eve and last night. oakley is certainly enjoying it. >> we'll be back with another full 90 minutes of news. background check for guns. why the city attorney is blaming the department of defense. >> plus, the new allegation of sexual assault. this time it involves a former trump campaign aide. we're having a better day and hoping to get you off on the and hoping to get you off on the right foot this

good morning, everyone. it's wednesday, december 27th. reggie is on vacation. i'm jessica castro in for reggie. sue is in for alexis. lisa is in for mike. and natasha is in for natasha. >> good morning, lisa. we have it all covered, all the ladies.

we're looking at fog. it's dense in spots in the north bay from petaluma to napa to santa rosa with a half mile. not only that right along the coast from the san carlos airport, half moon bay, san mateo. san mateo bridge may be impacted. 33 in santa rosa. we are almost freezing in san ramone. mountain view, good morning. 40 degrees. as we go through the 7:00 hour everyone in the low to mid-40s. we're in the mid to upper 50s. plenty of sunshine. and then we will be looking at still another mild afternoon. numbers dropping to the 50s by the evening. sue? we'll take a look at the mcarthur maze, one of the busiest spots in the bay area traffic world. it's moving nicely. 580, 880 and eastbound 80 and then, of course, 80 on the berkeley curve heading into the bay bridge toll plaza. it's pretty light. a little bit of slowing up and over the altamont. and we will come back and take a look at some of your drive times

in a couple of minutes. sue, thank you. honoring was aer andrew camilleri. christmas eve he was on the side of 880 looking for dangerous drivers when chp says one of the drivers slammed into his suv. >> today a bell ringing will take place in west sacramento. abc 7 news reporter matt keller is live at the chp in hayward with more on this story. matt? >> reporter: good morning, jessica and natasha. that ceremony will take place at 11:00 this morning. it is open to the public. here at the hayward they're honoring officer camilleri with a temporary, a huge turnout last night. this is sky 7 over a procession that started in oakland and ended in tracy. officer camilleri lived with his wife and three children. a large crowd gathered at fry memorial chapel. family, friends, co-workers, and community members paid their respects. >> just thinking about their

family and the officer's co-workers, family and friends. i can't fathom what they're going through right now at the holidays. i'm thinking about their three children, too. >> reporter: officer camilleri was not only a leader on the job but at his church. at one time he was a leader and played bass. camilleri's body will remain at the chapel as funeral arrangements are still being made. matt keller, abc 7 news. the investigation continues. the man accused of causing the crash remains in the hospital in serious condition. that suspect is a 22-year-old man from hayward. officials have not yet released his name. investigators say he was under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana. san francisco is joining a federal lawsuit against the department of defense. >> the lawsuit accuses the department of failing to report former military members to the national background check system

and city attorney dennis herrera claims the dod has not submitted these reports for decades. allowing guns to be sold to service members with a criminal history. the lawsuit comes after the november shooting at a church in texas that killed 26 people. the gunman served with the air force but he was court-martialed in 2012 after being convicted of assaulting his wife and son. they say if this was reported he wouldn't have been allowed to make the purchase. meanwhile, two appellate courts refused emergency requests from the trump administration to lift lower court orders and maintain the ban on transgender troops, and that means transgender individuals can enlist on january 1st despite other ongoing challenges. the president tweeted that he would not allow transgender individuals to serve in the military in any capacity. the issue could end up before the supreme court. new this morning, a singer

who made headlines for wearing a make america great again dress is filing a sexual assault complaint against cory lewandowski. joy shared a photo of the two at the trump international hotel in washington last sunday. she says this was taken moments before lewandowski slapped her twice on the back side. villa says she plans to meet with detectives in washington next week about the complaint. lewandowski has not yet responded. moving on now to containment on the thomas fire in southern california. it continues to grow this morning. the containment, rather. fire officials say there is very little active fire left at this point. the state's largest ever wildfire is 88% contained. air quality has gotten healthier. officials say people should make plans to enjoy the areas again soon. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. there is snowfall all across the country. we are tracking that at the live

desk. the snow creating very dangerous driving conditions. there are record breaking numbers in parts of pennsylvania and upstate new york. in fact, more than 50 inches were dumped in some spots. serena marshall has more. >> reporter: whiteout conditions creating white knuckle driving across the country from the city of erie, pennsylvania, where even those sent to clear the roads victims of the winter weather. declaring a snow emergency after nearly 4 1/2 feet of snow fell in just 36 hours. >> it was higher than the snowblowers. interstate 90 outside of town backed up for miles. lake-effect snow has left buffalo buried. >> i could only do about 20 miles an hour. >> reporter: while in massachusetts -- >> thunder snow. >> reporter: and it's not just snow. in illinois those subzero temperatures stopping locals' winter plans. >> the girls wanted to go ice skating, and we tried, but it's really cold. >> reporter: while in connecticut, for at least one

family frozen roads meant winter fun. >> we don't need any concussions. >> reporter: 20 states from colorado to maine dealing with windchill advisories n. duluth, minnesota, temperatures hit 21 degrees below zero with windchill of minus 44. causing steam and fog to rise off lake superior. the bone chilling air and winter whiteout sending dozens of cars spinning off highways. in oregon at least one driver injured. >> lost control, did a 360, hit a car in the next lane, and ended up here. >> reporter: in kansas at least four died after sliding off the road. parts of the northeast are bracing for six feet of snow. meteorologists warn that frostbite is possible with as little as 30 minutes of exposure. serena marshall, abc 7 news, washington. so cold you can't even ice skate in some parts. good news for travelers heading to or from our three bay area airports. no delays now.

check your airline for any updates on your flight status. thanks, jess. good morning, everyone. lisa argen in for mike nicco. looking at some clouds in the north bay. some dense fog here. fog is beginning to form along the shoreline. half-mile visibility, certainly some poor news petaluma to napa. a mile in santa rosa. and now we're improving along the coast. enough to cause a problem from the san mateo coast and half moon bay. 33 in dublin. good morning, pleasant hill. 39 for you. 41 in san carlos. patchy, scattered clouds there. 39 in novato. so we will be looking at a chilly start, but then a nice afternoon, so that fog in the morning with, if you're heading out for a commute or ride on the bay on the ferries, it will be pleasant. the numbers pleasant in the afternoon with upper 50s. so getting going. we have the clouds and then low to mid-50s 10:00 to 1 2:00.

58 your high at 3:00. above average. warmer than that around san jose and inland east bay. low 60s for you. 62 at napa. nice recovery from the low 30s this morning. we'll do it all again tonight with 30s and 40s, some fog along the coast and inland valleys. look at our extended outlook. sue, anything going on? >> quiet for those of you who are commuting this wednesday morning. so we'll keep it real light for you hopefully, go to the san mateo bridge looking for the fog lisa was talking about. we are getting busier with traffic now headed in the westbound direction up and over the high rise. still light if you're heading over to fremont. green is great. we'll keep checking on that for you this morning. a look at your drive times on the golden gate bridge. a breeze is not a problem. the bay bridge, no metering lights yet and that, too, is looking great. we saw the san mateo bridge from

hayward to 101. a brief 13-minute drive. guys? >> sue, thank you. speaking of getting around san francisco's giant new salesforce transit center is now up and running. >> the transit center replaces the old terminal demolished in 2011. it is topped with a five-acre rooftop park and the new center stretches three city blocks, twice the length of the transamerica pyramid. they have been testing buses since the beginning of the month. the agency is using the slow holiday week. >> a lot of people are off for the holiday week. dedidn't want to inconvenience people as we start service here at the salesforce transit center. we decided to start this week and ease people in. >> officials say ac transit and greyhound could be moved into the new center as early as june. b.a.r.t. riders, listen up. you will be paying more for your commute come january 1st. that means the minimum fare will increase to $2 for adults.

paper ticket users will pay 50 cents more each ride. the agency hopes that hike will encourage customers to use clipper cards for fare payment. more kids will be covered under the youth discount, though. eligibility expanding to include everyone under the age of 18. fares will also increase for vta customers in the new year. adult-based fares will go up 25%. this is vta's first fare increase since 2009. but with its new fare structure young riders will be paying less. we've put a link to all the fair changes on our website, abc7news.com. coming up, changing the law to stop drunk driving. what alcohol manufacturers can do starting january 1st to help ensure your safety. >> and a standout deputy praised this morning. what he did instead of citing a homeless man for panhandling. keep on top of live weather and traffic on your screen throughout the break. throughout the break. you can see the

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temperatures, again, toorrow more sunshine. look at the afternoon high. did you feel it? a 3.9 magnitude quake hit just after 10:30 last night. earlier in the night a 3.1 quake struck near morgan hill. no injuries or damage have been reported. an alcohol company can provide a ride hope to someone who has been drinking at an event but that will change come january 1st. the movement began in the south bay with evan lowe. he believes the new rule will help prevent drunk driving. here is katie marzullo. >> reporter: state assemblyman evan low saw something he didn't like. >> during this time it became apparent to myself that these

companies were not able to provide free or discounted rides to individuals getting home safely. >> reporter: he's talking about companies that make alcohol. but starting january 1st alcohol manufacturers can partner with a ride share or cab company ahead of an event like the super bowl and make arrangements for transportation for partygoers. >> it's my belief individuals and adults will continue to do the activities they deep fit for themselves. it's imperative we provide them the opportunity. >> reporter: groups oppose the change. on the allows for beer manufacturers to promote the use of alcohol. >> i think it's freedom of choice. i don't think it will cause them to drink more than they should. >> people will go to drink or be part of it.

providing free rides makes sense. >> reporter: it could come in the form of a voucher or discount code. katie marzullo, abc 7 news. driving under the influence extends past alcohol. officials say the percentage of drivers has risen 38.7% since 2006. the driver involved in the christmas tree crash that killed an officer in hayward is accused of using alcohol and marijuana. we know what a problem mail theft is. police need your help. the police department posted a the police department posted a photo of the suspect. contact antioch police if you do recognize him or his blue quarter. biologists are trying to determine what killed a whale that washed up on point reyes

christmas eve. it shows the whale has bruising. it does not appear the 30-foot humpback died from a collision with a ship. a full report should be complete in two weeks. more people are throwing their hat in the ring for san francisco mayor. 14 people want to fill the seat of mayor ed lee who died two weeks ago from a heart attack. all the candidates have filed for nomination. their qualification status is still pending. some of the well-known names are former san francisco supervisor angela alioto, former state senator mark leno, and current supervisor jane kim. a special election will be held on june 5th. the alameda county sheriff's office is sharing a story about how one of their own helped out a panhandler start to turn his life around. the sheriff's office posted this on the left. the deputy tried to give him a citation for panhandling. he said he didn't have an i.d. to show him so he took him to

the dmv. after three trips there and finally getting an official birth certificate michael is now the proud new owner of a california senior citizen i.d. the sheriff's office says the next step is to help him get some benefits and a part-time job. >> i hope this is the first step on a long, successful journey for him. that's great. switching gears, let's check in with lisa. how is the weather? >> certainly cold. foggy in spots. we have some playing peek-a-boo at the coast. it's mainly from petaluma to napa. a quarter mile and a half mile in santa rosa so you'll see it here in the city as well. 47 in san francisco. 40 in observing, mountain view, 45. half moon bay. 35 in gilroy. low 30s, freezing in napa. 34 in santa rosa as well as livermore. chilly conditions this morning. it will take some time to recover, so patchy fog, mostly sunny and mild today. more sunshine through 2017.

the next two days, wednesday and thursday, let's give you an idea of the cloud cover. it runs parallel to the coast. we have some high clouds throughout the day today and tomorrow. another sunny and dry afternoon with numbers in the low 60s from san jose to the peninsula. about 60 mountain view. 58 in san mateo. numbers milder. 64 in petaluma. 60 orinda. 61 fremont. low 60s for you in pittsburg. tonight once again 30s and 40s with the fog and a little bit of cloud cover. we are trending drier throughout the weekend. it looks like we thought about some rain earlier in the week. now it's not looking very likely. good morning, sue. >> darn it. i was hoping we would get a little new year's precipitation. the fog lisa has been talking about is descending a bit here not hampering your visibility too much. you can see it starting to ebb and flow on the roadway with light conditions heading over to

marin county from the east bay. looking at about an eight-minute drive across the span. your traffic flow is looking great. a couple of holiday reminders if you have friends in town or are taking them to the golden gate bridge. you cannot park at any of the parking lots all this week between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. golden gate ferry is running on a reduced schedule out of larkspur. on new year's eve muni and b.a.r.t. will be running extra trains. muni will be free until 5:00 a.m. after 8:00 p.m. palo alto-based tesla will be adding another model to its long list of electric vehicles. elon musk tweeting out he will build an electric pickup truck after his model y. it goes into production in mid-2019. respond to go a twitter user from vancouver who said, need an electric pickup truck, please, and he delivered. apparently it's that easy. new at 6:00, former

president obama sits down with prince harry. hear the just released audio from their interview. first, if you've gotten the fever and chills, you may have the flu. how this winter's flu season is hitting way harder than normal. plus, giving the gift of sight. a look at the new technology helping the blind understand what it's like to see. a better day starts here on abc 7 mornings. thanks for joining us. if you see from above in san fran

hi there, everyone. wednesday morning. if you are heading out of town, no precip to worry about. look at the snowpack. 38% of normal along the central sierra. we're only at 9% of our yearly

average. no new snow to come. back home, mild temperatures today above average. low 60s with plenty of sunshine in our east bay valleys. sue? i'll take it. thank you, lisa. flu season about to peak. the centers for disease control is reporting six times the number of flu case this is year compared to this time last year. despite the fact this year's flu vaccine is only 10% effective, doctors say you should still get it. a lot of us already considering perhaps some new year's resolutions and taking more vitamins may be on the li. there's a new study that may be worth considering. previous studies, adults 50 and older who took vitamin "d" and calcium are no less likely to break their hips and bones than those who don't. improving your lifestyle through diet and exercise may be a better first approach. people who are already taking the supplements should not stop without speaking to their doctor. extraordinary technology is

making a huge difference for those who are blind. a new type of glasses is helping them envision the world around them. san diego-based aira provides agents who see a live stream through a camera that's then connected to some wi-fi glasses. while on the phone agents are able to help guide users through their everyday lives. three brothers and their dad rely on aira to get around. take a listen. >> see the pool in front of you, the mountains on the far end. right now it is partially cloudy, but i can still see the blue sky. >> aira for all of us is so good because we have something we can all use to just see our lives a little bit more. >> plans range from $89 to $329 for unlimited minutes per month. sue hall following your wednesday morning commute, if you can call it that. it's pretty light as we enjoy a

holiday week with no metering lights at the bay bridge toll plaza. a nice seven-minute drive in to san francisco. a minor slowdown at the altamont pass. a look at some of your mass transit options. 49 trains on time. you can go to @suehalltraffic. no problems there. good morning to you. starting out with very chilly conditions. in fact, we're looking at numbers once again in the 30s and 40s here in the south bay. 36 in sunnyvale with 40 in san carlos. bundle up this morning. if you're heading into the city to do some sightseeing, some clouds early. you'll get more sunshine about 1:00. numbers climbing through the low to mid-50s. by 4:00 you'll still need that jacket. partly cloudy skies. natasha? >> lisa, thank you. four years after a mysterious syndrome killed millions of star fish, they're making a comeback on the west

coast. the sea stars are rebounding. they've been spotted in southern california. biologists noticed star fish started getting sick, some had their limbs falling off. some locations nearly all died when they disintegrated. researchers believe it may have been a virus. look at this. the placer county sheriff's deputy is back on the bear beat. he first spotted these bears back in november and then yesterday he saw them again in the same area walking around the tahoe city post office. they say it's unusual the bears are not hibernating this time of year. maybe they just needed to get some mail out. next at 6:00, more express lanes could be coming to bay area highways. how that could impact your commute. and a los angeles flight to tokyo was forced to turn around after four hours in the air. how some stars onboard documented the incident that forced the plane to turn around. plus, a mystery in the skies

over england overnight. what's being blamed for that streak of light. and let's take a live look outside this wednesday morning. stay on top of weather and traffic where you live. really? really? really? really?

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fog to start the morning for many of us. a live look over san francisco from our exploratorium camera at pier 15. good morning, wednesday, december 27th. thanks for joining us. lisa is in for mike this morning. it's a ladies show. hi, lisa. >> hi there. good morning to you. that fog is not enough to impact the airport terminals yet. that could change as we look at live doppler 7. it's mainly in the north bay with reduced visibility from petaluma which is very poor to napa, a quarter mile. santa rosa a half mile. six miles at the coast. we are looking at cold temperatures in the east bay. 33 in dublin.

the rest of the bay in the low to mid-40s. mid-40s around the bay. planning your day, another dry one with about 60 inland by noontime. low 60s elsewhere. good morning, sue. good morning, lisa. good morning, everyone. it is relatively quiet for your holiday week, so we'll take a look at the mcarthur maze, one of the busier spots. from 580, 880 and 80. everybody is moving at the limit here. one problem spot, an old earvin taj camaro blocking the off ramp, westbound 980 at jackson. the right lane. it's not affecting 980. if you take jackson street, heads up it could be a dangerous situation there. >> if you used 101 you have experienced being stuck in a sea of taillights. >> now they want to ease the congestion with express lanes. amy hollyfield is live with more on this plan