years. standing in line to pay their property taxes. some choosing to pay in cash. >> it's a hard thing to do? >> well, it is a thing i have to do. that's what it is. hard or not hard. i have to do it. >> reporter: but the tax rush is on in places like contra costa county because of the new law going into effect january 1st and limits state and local tax deductions on $10,000. >> people tend to pay that final bill in 2018 when it's due. it won't give they will any benefit now so they'll pay it in 2017. >> reporter: that's why the line has increased by more than ten times. >> it ebbs and flows. there are times we can have 20, 30 people. just yesterday we had a moment where it was going down the stairs. >> reporter: the tax bill doesn't have to be paid in person but many we talked with didn't want to take any chances with the online phone or mail-in options so close to the end of the year.

>> you're celebrating by attack a large tax bill so i can have a hopefully better refund to offset that i'll be paying more taxes next year. >> reporter: happy new year, right in. >> yeah. i had to go to the savings account. what are you going to do? >> reporter: now, you don't have to show up in person. at least here in contra costa county as long as the check is dated and the envelope post marked by december 31st, you should be okay. remember, the post offices are closed on sunday. you can also pay online or over the phone. but i'm told those systems are both running slowly because of the overwhelming activity. all these people trying to pay these bills and i'm told, if you want to quantify this, yesterday each of these windows nook about a million dollars. i'm told today, they will probably double that and more tomorrow. live in martinez. laura anthony. >> that's impressive. thank you.

apple says it is sorry for the battery problems iphone users are having. maybe you were experiencing this. and it is offering new batteries at a much lower price to make up for how it has handled the complaints. the cupertino based company is apologizing saying it never intentionally shortened the life of its products to drive consumer upgrades. a class action lawsuit claims apple deliberately slows down iphone processors in older models without the consent of the owners. apple says it's true they make older phones slower but that's to protect battery life. to make up for it, they're reducing the price to certain phones by $50 to $29 -- from, to $29 from $79. apple will also issue software updates on battery health to regain customer trust. in other news, there was a small gas fleek san francisco's

richmond district this morning. it happened about 9:40 near 17th avenue and california street. that's where a crew was working on the sewer there. officials do believe one of them may have hit the gas line. a muni line was temporarily rerouted as a precaution. there were no evacuations. firefighters in the south beret saying thank goodness for a group of college students in the right place at the right time. they're credited with helping save a man from an embankment. it happened overnight in los gatos. >> reporter: wasn't christmas lights but a flashlight that caught the attention of this group of college students home for the holidays. >> we were driving down hicks road and then we see a light flashing over there. we hear a guy moaning like he's in pain. >> firefighters are to cross the

pass between san hose and los gatos to reach the homeless man, believed to be in his 60s. firefighters discovered he fell off a ten-foot cliff in the dark and broke his leg. combine that with the cold zpms remote area and you have a very dangerous situation that required a rescue. >> for them to see him flashing his light. he was probably 150 yards away from the roadway. and they were driving by, maybe 35 miles an hour. incredibly lucky. >> reporter: it took firefighters about an hour and a half. he was stable when he went to the hospital. these students were happy to see the man get the help he needed on a night they'll never forget. >> reporter: pretty exciting, right? >> an adrenaline rush. >> reporter: firefighters say this was a two-part rescue and he didn't require a helicopter to take him to the hospital. the man of planning the

christmas day terror attack at pier 39 was in court today. the judge determined as he danger to the community and ordered him to be detained without bail. jameson, a form he marine, mate several contacts. he faces 20 years in prison if found guilty. san francisco are stepping up patrols for the fireworks show. with three days to go until the celebration, hundreds of federal, state and city law enforcement officials will be canvassing the situation. they'll be in uniform and in plain clothes. according to the assessment report, federal officials say there's no credible threat associate associated with it.

they've set up a text alert line. just text nyesf 17 to and you'll automatically be enrolled to receive those text messages. bay area's mass transit rations doing what they can on help get new years eve revelers to and from the celebrations quickly. b.a.r.t. will run extra they're all offering free rides starting at 8:00 p.m. we have a full list of new years eve events. yesterday it was a foggy start. today we have a chilly start in a lot of parts of the bay area. >> we have a first look at the accuweather forecast. >> you can see the hazy skies from that camera. let me show you why. live doppler sufficient tracking

high clouds. we have air quality that is suffering because of the light winds. the temperatures in the 50s to the 60s. the mildest spot, napa at 64 degrees. most of you, a couple of degrees warmer and a life picture showing you the filtered sunshine. so this evening if you're stepping out, low 50s to low 60s. paxy dense fog in the morning. as we head toward the afternoon, it will be milder but definitely hazier. an air quality alert has been issued for most of the bay area. i'll let you know how your new years eve plansra shaping up in terms of the weather and when you might see me rain. an update on the thomas fire which is still burning. it is now 91% contained.

fire official say there is very little fire left and no r r the forecast. they are saying it is safe for visitors. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. the state's prolonged fire season is putting a strain on the fire budget. it already exceeds the emergency funds originally set aside. david louie takes a closer look at the number. >> reporter: when you add the thomas fire and others, the cost unprecedented fire season is estimated at $699 million. that's approaching half the agency's 1.87 billion budget with six months to go in the fiscal year. it is 275 million more.

so cal fire fire needs for 2018. >> we want to ensure our money ahead of sometime appropriated, additional money that was budgeted is put into that emergency fund. we never get to the point lt. >> it is record. complicating the budget process is how the season is longer. >> we have to change our mindset. we've invested so many in not only longer. >> 42 more fire stations will

stay open all year instead of closing down in the winter. that's up from ten. cal fire has to reimburse cities and counties to supplement and relieve the agency's 5,300 permanent and 1,700 seasonal firefighters. budgeting has never been an exact science. never has the magnitude of this year's fires. >> dog owners are celebrating. they have withdrawn the plans to have new leash laws for golden gate area. the park service says permanently end of the sxlang rule making process to establish new regulations when i get to dog management. this follows when they said they would stop plans to expand in marin, san francisco, and san

mateo counties. a north bay fire victim who lost her home discovers a new way to cope. up next, how one woman's therapeutic ways will be seen by millions in a few days. and a blast of frigid weather sends temperatures

. it's time to start recycling your christmas trees. city officials showed how the trees turned into mulch. residents can put their trees on the curb during the first two weeks of january. be sure to remove the decorations. if your tree is taller than six feet, you will have to cut in it half before it goes to the curb. a north bay fire victim has found a new way to cope after losing her home. >> she found it in an place. >> reporter: slowly but surely, rose bowl floats are coming to life. brilliant colorful floats are coming to life. >> the flower material is just as dry but we'll have it ready. >> reporter: volunteers are excited. even those dealing with personal

tragedy. is the he was any and her family lost their home in the santa rosa fires. still, she wanted to take part in crafting the kaiser permanente float. she's fortunate they had a vacant home to stay in. but a lot of people are still staying in hotels because of the fires. >> my daughter's friends say we have an extra home that we use occasionally. we were incredibly blessed. los angeles has been taking part in the parade for 120 years. >> really featuring the icon. griffith observatory is we have the garden from the

gelly. a and. >> reporter: they can't think of a better place to share the message than the parade. marine mammal experts are trying to figure out what happened to a dead whale in long beach. the 70 foot whale was found in a shipping channel about six clog in the evening. they tethered it to keep it it t getting away. longshoreman say they've never seen anything like this happen before. >> we do get of course, but no drivers on one of the busiest freeways may soon notice big new signs drawing their attention. union city wants to install four large dig tell shopping.

completion from online competition from online retailers has been eating into profits. each screen would be 50 feet wide and 16 feet tall and would slow a different ad every eight seconds. i would like to turn your attention to the winter weather, much of the with freezing temperatures. >> reporter: a blast of arctic air wreaking havoc for millions of americans from the upper midwest to the northeast. >> i guess it's normal. you just put on more clothes. i have long johns on. >> reporter: lake erie ice encrusts the water ice. in philadelphia, new york city, fountains are transformed into ice sculptures.

it is brutal cold in minnesota. and with weather this cold, tow truck drivers are busy. the calls for tow ed cars. >> i feel like i have icicles on my face right now. >> we are warning no unnecessary trims outside. if you can wait, wait. do not let children play outside for extended periods of time. >> the lake effect machine taking a break a change of go drebs. a record set go 62 inches of powder. this parts of pennsylvania and new york could see another 16

inches of snow. and the ball drop in times square predicted to be the coldest in history. >> it makes you feel guilty because of the weather we have. >> just a tiny bit. >> stay right here. as you both know, it's in the 50s. really a mild day. yes, the sun is being filtered by high clouds. 60 degrees in the city. half moon bay, 59 degrees notice the wind isn't really sway go the trees. low 60s, sanity rosa, a live

look if our explore or the-up kral. it is going to be a dry end to the year and a start to 2018. a live look if our east bay hills camera. you can see how dirty the hills are. that's why a spare the air day. some patchy informing will begin to form in the north bay toward the delta for the morning commute. those areas will be pretty dense around 8:00 a.m. and then you will notice it will clear out. not terribly cold compared to what others are dealing with. hazy and mild for friday.

mostly cloudy, noontime, storm impact scale comes in next tis through thursday. breezy at times. we're getting a change in the weight. we'll see some scattered rain showers. even the possibility into thursday. so we are going to see just a wave of moisture coming through here for a couple of days. mild and hazy for friday. still mild, still hassy. low to mid 60s. dry for new years eve. if you're going out and you're partying, we're going to ring in the new year on a high note. we head into tuesday through thursday, we do have a level one system that will bring in some

weather. check out the toms plan your hour by hour, minute by minute weekend plans. >> we need rain. we are so desperate. how concord is get go people who call the city

at home.ld generate your own energy, or to save energy, unplug unused appliances. do your thing, with energy upgrade california.

. concord is getting ready for a milestone celebration. >> it will be huge. >> that's ray barber holding a statue of don pacheco who founded the city. he couldn't make the new name stick and the locals were called

the new hamlet concord. they're celebrating a commemorative brick to raise funds for a seven foot statue of pacheco. >> the sale of the bricks will fund the statue itself but it will give everybody an opportunity to buy a piece of the history and memorialize it for yourself or your family down at the park. >> those bricks will be placed at the pace of the statue. you have to order one before the end of the year. >> just like bricks, cement is an important building belong. a north carolina company is growing brick to make cement. it said it is trying to make construction more ecofriendly. traditionally, cement is played by burning limestone. that contributes to co 2

emissions. they are able to grow the blocks in ten days which they claim are strong enough to use in houses and other structures. and look at this. a second bald eagle hatched yesterday. observers named it e-11. quite clinical there. it came after the millions of people from around the world have tune in the to this eagle cam to take a look at this bird family. much more ahead in our next half-hour. roy moore refusing to concede. >> yeah. the alabama republican's biggest need could that

. welcome back. here there headlines making news. if you have an older iphone and the battery keeps dying, you can now pick up a new one for $29. that's $50 less than before. apple announced the replacement battery price this afternoon as part of an apology for how it

handled customer complaints about battery life. a lot of people sounded off about this. laura anthony tweeted this from the tax collector's office. you can see long lines. homeowners are paying their taxes before the new tax plan takes effect in the new year. and just how cold it is across most of the united states. in minneapolis, the temperature was just 1 degree today. and on the other end, atlanta was 26 degrees. officials warn it can be a life or death situation, have been. and roy moore is r r r is he defeat despite what what the numbers shoulder.

it did not work. >> reporter: republican roy moore's legal battle to contest the alabama senate election results has taken a big hit. an alabama circuit court judge throwing out the election fraud complaint and claimed that irregularities to re >> it was determined that it was all made up. there was no fact to it at all. it was completely fix. >> today the results were made official. >> the margin of victory way 21 woors, 994. the more they complained, could reverse it. moore took a polygraph test to

prove against the charges. with doug jones, the for the gop to demand in the negotiations. for the third day in a row, president trump hit the links. he was spotted golfing today many west palm beach, florida. this was after a bizarre event yesterday. there was a white box trunk parked in the media. the president has has tweeted about it. 2017 was a floatworthy year in the world of sports. >> the super bowl comeback.

historic pro on. maggie has a look back. >> 2017 was a year in sports that featured historic accomplishmen accomplishments. and more than its share of controversy. the greatest comeback in super bowl history. >> that's number five! >> to the brady overcoming adversity to lead the patriots in an overtime victory over the atlanta falcons. >> reporter: the winning secret -- >> no days daysov. domestic violence allegations kept ezekiel off the field. even president trump weighed in. >> wouldn't you love to see one of these nfl owners to say right now, he's fired.

>> not one individual including the president of the united states can stop your dream. >> and a slitly different cast. ? it has become an annual showdown. the warriors taking two of the last three titles from cleveland sending trim denial. a season long home run derby played out. jean carlo stanton lead go the way as major league baseball shattered the all time home run record. the post season gave us even more drama. the astros won a seven dash g e game. a much needed boost for the city still suffering from hurricane

hey 50. 2017 saw the penguins become the first team to win back to back stanley cups in nearly 20 years. desean wattson led the tigers to the first national championship since 1981. north carolina deemed last year's buzzer beater. shock waves rimmed through hardwood after rick petino was fired. usa soccer disappointed . >> what are we doing? >> a big showing from serena williams at the australia open. >> serena welcomed her baby girl

in december. and a spectacle in the the lakers select lonzo ball. >> the nba was introduced to the world of lavar ball. nascar waved goodbye to a legend. while old friends returned to the top, another captured his first major. from amazing plays to the catch of a lifetime. 2017 made its mark both on and off the feel. abc news, new york. >> what a year in sports. say th meet the man with a four-decade career in the public library system.

coming up, the hazard that could be taking toys off the shelves. >> you will see a lot of haze. finds

san francisco's long time librarian is starting a new part of his life.

he spent the last 40 years as a city employee. 12 of those have been as head of the public libraries. today he announced he is ending one chapter of his life and retiring. he worked the late san francisco mayor ed lee to expand library hours. they are now open seven days a week. >> one popular retailer is taking make-up off its shelves because of asbestos. >> michael finney joins with us that. >> housing prices, of course. incredible. bay area home prices hit another record high in november. the firm core lodging found the median home price reached almost $790,000. that's up 1.5% from october and that's up almost 13% from a year ago. however, the number of homes sold declined in november. now that's a sign of the bay

area's shortage of homes which are available for purchase. make-up and jewelry retail er er a mother tested and found asbestos in her 6-year-old daughter's make-up. claire's tweeted that it has hired an independent lab to test it to see if the mother's claims are accurate. the mother will refund money to any concerned customer. change is coming to the magic kingdom. at least in florida. disneyworld in florida is tossing in its do not disturb door signs and replacing they will with room occupied. this gives disneyland employees the right to enter any guest room even when the sign is displayed. it will happen only in hotels closest to disneywrld. the polynesian, the contemporary

and bay lake resorts. disney is the parent company of abc 7. i want to hear from you. you know the telephone number. you can also reach me on my facebook page or go through abc7 news.com. let's update the forecast. we're hoping for a little rain. >> you know i'm going to deliver. take a look at live doppler 7. clouds there and to take a look at tomorrow afternoon. hazy sunshine. really mild weather. most of you in the low to mid 60s for your friday. and as we check out the statewide weather, 59 degrees in tahoe. really warm from l.a. to palm springs. unusually warm this time of year. the chill from the northern rockies, minus for you in fargo.

19 in chicago, 20 in, no. travel issues could be basically due to snow or rain in the pacific northwest. here's the accuweather forecast. mild and hazy friday, saturday, spare the air alerts right through sunday. dry for new years even. 2018 will start out dry but don't you worried. we have you covered. from tuesday to thursday, level one on our storm impact scale. up next, new year. if you're looking for plans, we have some great recommendati

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it's going to be a big weekend for you, perhaps. but if you're looking for something to do, we've got you covered. >> out with the old. in with the new. this weekend we'll ring in the new year and there's plenty going on in the bay area including a beautiful japanese tradition to purge you of all sins from 2017. take a swing at a 2,100 pound,

16th century temple bell. the 30-second japanese bell ringing ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. sunday at the asian art museum near the civic center. it is a purification ritual. it will be rung 108 times and get rid of the 108 torment human kind. >> i think everyone can relate to there idea of wanting a clean fresh start. and wanting to kick off the new year with a sense of renewed purpose. >> and it's something for the whole family. it is free with your admission to the museum. or dive into 2018 at the seventh annual polar bear plunge. it's monday, january 1st at 10:00 a.m. in ocean beach. free to attend for all ages. make sure to bring a blanket to warm up afterwards or complain some dry clothes. if you don't want to take the

plunge and instead stay on top of the ice, try this very cool new years tradition. the polar bear skate will be held at the ice rink in union square. it goes from 2:00 until 3:30 in the afternoon and skaters are encouraged to come in their favorite bathing suit or beach wear. there are plenty of prizes including one for best costume. i'm jessica castro. have a great weekend and see you in the new year. >> got to love it. something for everyone. janel 1st also marks the day of legalized marijuana in california and one local dispensary is hoping to make the first legal center. harbor side will be opening their doors at six clog in the morning at their oakland location. the dispensary says people will be able to get prizes and free coffee with don't its and meet the founders.

>> in just days, recreational marijuana will be legal here. joining me from the outreach for cannabis industry association. he's here to answer some questions about what we can expect. and what can we expect? this is a seed change. >> yeah. this will be a whole new era of adult use. starting on january 1, adults 21 and older are eligible to purchase cannabis and manufactured cannabis products. >> 21 and older. there are going to be some challenges. currently only 28% of local municipalities, cities or counties regulations on the books. so where you're going to be able to purchase will be a little limited. here in the bay area, berkeley will be available in san jose and oakland. san francisco will be a few days behind. roughly starting january 5th. >> you've changed careers. why did you get into this industry? >> i've always felt passionate

that medical marine hjuana has t of validity. i'm opposed to the war on drugs. in sacramento, getting involved in politics was not encouraged. i recognize the need for political operatives, folks that knew the industry and regulations. >> critics will say that pled it is natural marine being made legal was the gateway. what do you say to that? should people be concerned? >> no. i think it's very true. when you look back at the history of cannabis legalization and medical legalization, specifically in california, a lot of that was based on the aids crisis and recognizing that there were some attributes that benefit aids patients. it is still in need of research.

what we do know is that there are many benefits for patients with cancer. people with autism. >> that's on the medicinal side. i'm talking about the recreational side what is your organization doing to educate people with the safety side of this? i know law enforcement is very concerned. >> i would say our up for people who have not been regular consumers over the last 20 years. it gives recommendations on dosage and how to start low and slow. we've also partnered with the office of public safety. we're moving into an era where not only does dui mean alcohol but prescription drugs and cannabis. so we've partnered with the office of traffic safety to create messaging, to educate consumers that cannabis

consumption can get them a dui. >> how are we making the threshold less severe? how do we make sure kids don't get their hands on it? >> i will say that common drug dealers in the past did not i.d. anyone. now we're creating a system where only those 21 and older are eligible for adult use. that will restrict the availability. >> okay. with the california cannabis association. keep us up to date on how things progress. happy new year. >> happy new year. >> all right. in other news, the environment rule that text agency must revise its standard for dangerous levels of paint and dust within a year. the federal appeals court in san francisco made the decision. that ruling says the e. parx's delay in setting new rules on when lead paint and dust in older houses are dangerous

posts. they pose a clear threat to human welfare. the, he, that, a must propose the rules and then come one a final rule one year later. up next, what led to the closure. the track is supposed to close but there may still be hopeful plus, plane problem overseas. why this aircraft you see went way off course. plus -- >> sometimes best deals are

a donations center that opened after the fires is no more. >> they shut down with having to deal with multiple break-ins. >> volunteers at this fire relief he site in downtown santa

rosa are packing things up, clearing out items that were donated to fire victims. >> this was more than just a don'tation center. people came to meet and hang out and see each other and feel some normalcy. >> it opened to help the children from hidden elementary. almost 150 children lost everything after the santa rosa wildfires. since then, hundreds of victims have walked through to pick up items for their lives. now the need is not as great as billi it was. >> it also attracted some bad actors. windows have been boarded up. doors replaced after several attempted break-ins this month. the latest happened on christmas morning. there were at least two other incidents where someone tried to get inside.

>> with all the recent vandalism, we felt the need to reduce the exposure to them and the expenses from replacing the broken windows. >> the property manager said repairing the damage could cost up to $3,000. so relief organizers have decided to close down shop to keep from being targeted. >> i don't think there was any ill will but i think it underscores critical need. >> despite the closure, organize letters continue to help the families affected by the fires and send to it other relief sites. >> now the fire relief group is still accepting cash donations as well as other items. >> we want to remind you, you can get the latest news any time with the upgraded abc 7 app. ap.

coming in and lining up. the end of the year rush that has more to do with reservations than resolutions. and apple says it's sorry. they try to fix the fiasco with cell phones. >> $2 million in four days. why one marin county group is in the financial ways. spam apologizing to its iphone customers. it comes after it was revealed a software update slowed the performance of phones with older

batteries. >> apple says this whole things a misunderstanding. live outthe store. >> how are people taking all this? >> reporter: well, they say they feel vindicated. they say they knew something was slowing their phones down and now they're glad that apple is apologizing and saying they want to make it up to they will. apple is saying they're sorry. some of you feel apple has let you down. they say they have never done anything that would intentionally degrade the phones. apple says as batteries get older, they can just guy no warning. they say slowing down your phone was to pre event spontaneous