speaking out tonight about a toxic situation in san francisco. >> it was the red flag which got the attention of the u.s. navy. radioactive soil tests were falsified by the company doing the cleanup. >> two employees who used to work at the shipyard shared their story with abc7 reporter cornell bernard. >> right over the bank there is where i took the sample. >> reporter: anthony smith shows us one spot at the shipyard where he tested soil for radio activi activity. he said this spot rated by for radioactive cesium. >> he told me to get rid of the sample and just hush about it. >> reporter: he's a rm toer employee. he said falsifying soil tests to show they were safe was ram pachb pant. >> they're taking radioactive material and getting rid of it and getting clean samples and turning them in as the real

samples. >> reporter: it sounds unbelievable, but the navy recently acknowledged the false testing rumors were true. jake bower was the former radiation safety officer who threatened to report what he witnessed to the nuclear regulatory proceeding. >> they said you can call whoever you want, but while you're at it, pack your office and get out of my building. >> reporter: neighbors are very concerned about their health and safety. a community meting was held last week. >> i think the hope is that we will all be dead before they can sell their next $1.9 million condo and that's a problem. >> reporter: the navy tells us it plans to do the right thing and retest the soil here at hunters point. the navy says details of the cleanup are still being worked out. >> i was disappointed that it took this long for that to happen. >> reporter: these two whistle blowers hope that the area will one day be truly safe.

ecology workers found something frightening while they collected garbage in san francisco, a hand grenade, they found it near schrader and 17th street. it was a little more than an hour before investigators gave the all clear. a former p.e. teacher received her sentence today after she pleaded no contest to having sex with a teenaged boy she taught at freemont. she will serve six months of home detention, followed by five years of probation. she'll also have to register as a sex offender and surrender her teaching credential. bitcoin could have a new competitor one day if officials in berkeley get their way. the city counsel is trying to come up with their own crypto current and he oog got some support. >> reporter: say a city needs to pay for road construction or buy

a new fire truck for its aging fleet. often that city will issue bonds to pay for it. but berkeley city councilman ben barklet is suggesting they adopt a currency like bitcoin. unlike traditional crypto currencies, the berkeley currency wouldn't be making money for its investors. but instead new trees to beautifully the city. it would also be a lot cheaper than traditional investments. >> $5,000 to enter the bond mark, this is $25. >> this seems like an amalgum of crypto and crowd funding. >> they want to use these berkeley coins or whatever they're going to call them to buy things. so most likely people aren't

going to be buying them for massive returns. you know, it would be much more similar to purchasing a municipal bond. >> uc berkeley's block chain lab which help broker sales for small businesses are considering the project and a full rollout of the idea is set for may. but there's one more aspect bartlett wants people to consider. >> it's community building at best. a hit-and-run driver made a big mess in a fairfield neighborhood today. it took firefighters several minutes to stop the geyser after a hit-and-run driver knocked over a fire hydrant this morning. the oakland coliseum and dmv office closed by flooding will be closed for another week. thieves stole about 40 feet of copper tubing from the roof causing water to cascade through the roof on monday. the dmv expects the office to

reopen on monday february 19. the highway patrol is looking for the thief who caused the damage. there is a report of an elaborate identity theft scheme by a state worker. here's the story. >> reporter: a california dmv worker is accused of using driver's license records to steal identities. according to the sacramento bee, the 39-year-old worker used her access to obtain confidential information to open phony bank accounts, including a $15,000 line of credit at wells fargo bank. the fraud went on from early 2016 through early june of last year, the case is part of an ongoing federal fraud investigation. abc7 news has reached out to the dmv for comment. >> reggie key reporting. canadian prime minister justin trudeau continued his bay

area tour today including a meeting with jerry brown in san francisco. the issues that came up include the environment, trade and trudeau's socks. >> reporter: it was a brief meeting between governor brown and canadian prime minister justin trudeau, both came to further their understanding of what is needed to protect the environment. >> we have so much work to do together as friends. >> reporter: california signed an agreement with ontario to low the greenhouse gas emissions by putting a cap on emissions a company can have. >> the president is awol, he's absent without leave on the climate challenge. and so we just have to make up for that and be as creative as we possibly can. >> reporter: outside that meeting at the fair mont hotel, three protesters managed to get

in to denounce the canadian government's approval of a pipeline that would nearly triple the output of crude oil. this is what trudeau told reporters yesterday. >> we're going to ensure that that pipeline gets built because it's in the national interest. >> reporter: trudeau also met with lieutenant governor gavin news newsom. jennifer woo arrived at the fair mont early this morning to try to get a glimpse of the prime minister. aftr several hours, she saw him and took this cell phone video. >> so i stuck it out and got to shake his hands. >> reporter: really? >> his hands are really soft. >> reporter: trudeau left this afternoon for los angeles, promising to come back to san francisco soon. well rk >> well, you can see all the interview with governor brown on the abc7 news app. just scroll down when you open the app and you can see exclusive governor brown talks

to abc7 so check that out when you can. good times at the 49ers' headquarters. celebrating jimmy garofalo signing a $137.5 million. garofalo said he was sold on the 9 9ers. he says he's excited about the future. >> you can see that pieces were falling into place and we got a long way to go, but i think we're moving in the right direction. >> garofalo becomes the nfl's highest paid player even though he's only played in seven games in four seasons. but the niners believe he's worth it because he lead the team to win all five games that he started in. take a look, abc7 reporter david

lui complains how garofalo's popularity is growing. >> reporter: jimmy g. fever is exploding as fans get excited about the niners prospects next season. >> i think it will do great things for the bay area and for the fan base that's here. >> reporter: there are other ways to handle jimmy g. fever, such as this jimmy g. on fire roll at sushi in ontario. the owner wraps the roll in foil, lighting it on fire with 101 proof rum. on the nids, it's crap, deep fried shrimp and avenue vad coe. >> we want to donate $1 to every roll sold to jimmy g.'s charity. >> reporter: sports memorabilia shops are anxious to get their hands on photos of jimmy g.

a signed photogets $10,000 >> his popularity, the way he is, he's a handsome guy, everything, the whole package this guy has, that's why. >> reporter: jimmy g. fever is spreading. >> i'm excited about the 49 errs, i've been here my entire life and i want them to win. >> reporter: as long as elation is high, exuberance is high, the 9ers have got to be happy. in santa clara, david lui, abc7 news. talk about a shot of bad news, it seems there is a shortage of tequila and the solution could be a long way off. and meanwhile, there's an open abundance of elephant seals along the coast, and that's prompting park officials to tell people to back off. our record setting warm streak is about to come to an abrupt end, i'll tell you what's going to replace it this weekend

coming up. it

there is talk of a tequila shortage. increasing demand is leading to a shortage of the agave plant needed to make it. it mainly grown in mexico's western town of jalisco. who's feeling the impact? >> reporter: forget the stock market, forget the federal budget, the news coming out of mexico is enough to killa. >> it's starting to cost more and more and expect prices up mid summer. >> the co-founder of the green bar distillery in downtown l.a. is feeling the pain. >> tequila is about 30% of our

sales. >> reporter: mexico is facing an agave shortage, those spiky plants they make tick keil la out of. the price of agave has increased by 44 times. in just the last two years, agave has become six times more expensive. >> margarita is by far the biggest cocktail in america. >> reporter: keep in mind, we have lived through some terrible short amgs, remember the great lime shortage, or the avocado shortage of 2016, both in the past, and both ironically go so well with all the tequila on the shelves right now. yep, there's still plenty of tequila to be found, it may cost you more and if it does, pucker up. the company is probably using unripened agave. >> it's bitter and sour, so your

tequila ends up being bitter and sour. >> reporter: but does better tequila qualify as a national security? >> buy a lot of tequila right now, because when north korea attacks the u.s., you want the best tequila >> reporter: in downtown l.a., ron hughes, abc7 news. young people on their first job search can sometime s feel left out of the adult world. but today dozens of teens feel linkedin. the program is designed to encourage minority students to consider careers in technology, the students learn the basics of coding and other tech skills and also got a chance to burnish their profiles on linked in to help sell themselves, market themselves to future employers. >> i hope here to learn better

ways of expanding myself to actually step go the world. >> they put you on the spot to promote you and advertise for you. >> i don't have a linkedin, but i will probably make one after today. >> the students also explored the latest in virtual reality with microsoft engineers, all with the goal of making their dreams of a tech career a reality. elephant breeding season is reaching its peak with means both -- drakes beach is -- that doesn't stop people from getting as close as they possibly can to see them. wayne freedman made the long winding drive and says the viewing is fascinating on many fronts. >> reporter: this was an uncharacteristically warm winter day at drake's beach in marin county, now the bad news, it was closed. here's why. guys like this, an elephant seal and feeling territorial on a beach filled with anxious female what are rems not far away.

aren't they lovely? here's a closer look from sky 7. when the males return to point ray's national seashore, it's all about love according to the national parks service. >> they get up to 15 feet long. >> reporter: 15-foot long rivals bound. >> they first lift up their heads, they'll do some vocalization, and sometimes that's all it takes is just the vocalization and the male will give up and go away. >> reporter: despite the closed signs, however, humans did not give up and go away. quite the opposite. >> exceeding expectations. this is awesome, i don't want to leave. >> reporter: by the middle of the 1800s i elephant seals were overhunted almost to extinction.

hence the closed beach, a ban on hunting and 2,400 love starved elephant seals back in the region. it would appear that someone really enjoys his time at the beach. wayne freedman, abc7 news. check this out, that's a preying mantis, sporting a tiny pair of 3-d glasses. yep, scientists at newcastle university in england outfitted the insect with the special specs and found that vision. they can match up areas that were changing in both, sometimes -- and that's something even humans cannot do. scientists believe the sophisticated ability could prove useful in designing virtual systems and visual systems for future robots. life in the bay area doesn't get prettier than this.

sky 7 flew over the point rays light house, for a beautiful view. what a nice way to head into the weekend. ninth straight day of records, yeah, it was unbelievably warm again today, we need the rain, and we're not going to see any here in the bay area any time soon, i do want to show you those records for today. 80 degrees, san jose and livermore, both records today, 72 oakland, 76 san francisco and napa. 74 sfo, you saw upper 70s around san rafael, santa rosa, 80 in you c ukiah. nearly a dozen records, hard to believe it is february. tomorrow you're going to see the temperature drop a good 10 degrees, 70 degrees tomorrow afternoon, and then look at the downward trend. it's going to actually be at or below average by monday in

livermore, so just get ready for some changes. i do want to show you right now live doppler 7, we're seeing the first signs of the change and that is basically high clouds. here's a concern coming up. saturday 10:00 a.m. to midnight, we have a wind advisory for the north bay hills, lake county and also parts of sowano county, the wind is going to come up north northeastly to 50 miles an hour, potential is there for downed trees, power lines as you're out and about there. be careful as you might see some blowing debris. friday and saturday, winds are gusting at the coastline, but as we head through the afternoon they begin to increase, 4:00 p.m. 25 miles an hour winds in fairfield. still gusty, 34 in napa by 11:00 p.m. saturday night. that's the concern, that's the danger. from our east bay hills camera, you see a pretty shot of high

clouds filtering the sun. 66 in san francisco, it is in the upper 60s around oakland. a life picture from our abc7 exploratorium camera, the sun is definitely being dimmed a little bit by those clouds. blue skies from our sutro camera, winds and fire danger increase, cooler afternoons saturday through monday and our dry pattern continues next week. you'll need the jacket, low 40s to low 50s, cooler than it has been. we'll see afternoon highs from the mid 60s to low 70s. still present of sun, it will be windy across parts of the bay area, so be prepared for that. if you're going to the giants fan fest, the weather couldn't be better tomorrow. 58 degrees in the morning coming up to about 65 degrees. as you take a look at what's going to happen monday, this is what we're going to happen as we have a system that brings rain

in the sierra and the pattern continues until tuesday. one of the models wants to bring that moisture up all the way to monterrey, but certainly needed rain and snow for parts of the california. gusty and cooler this weekend, temperatures will drop some more on sunday, you're all in the 60s by then. back to average for a change by monday. tuesday is looking dry, a little bit milder. temperatures 60s and 70s, you can download the accuweather app and check out those temperatures any time you want. finding ideas for your garden or a wedding? we got you covered. finney's friday free stuff coming up in just a minute. president trump coming to the defense of his former aid who's now resigned. and the massive winter storm hitting tonight and turning deadly. and the other storm right behind it next. new at 6:00, the concern in california over this giant swamp

rodent and why ytwo pancakes. two strips ofr bacon. two eggs. if you ask me, that's a pretty good deal. but you didn't ask me. you know what? i'll mind my own business. denny's $4 dollar everyday value slam. available at dennys.com.

dolphins put on quite a show in monterrey. the princess monterrey whale watching group posted these pictures to their facebook page this week. dolphins just jumping, leaping and producing all kinds of excitement. all right, it is the end of the workweek and it's time to celebrate. >> yeah, that can only mean one thing, finney's friday free stuff and michael is here with what's on tap for us. >> valentine's day is coming up. so i'm going to cause trouble. the wedding fair is coming up. so we have got free tickets for you. let me show you this thing. it's amazing. it's at the fair mont hotel in san francisco, have a nice denv dinner, give her the ring and

then go to this thing. you can meet with 70 of the bay year's best wedding professionals. there's gourmet there's also a $10,000 wedding as a prize that everybody that attends will be enrolled in. what's the next major thing? >> the lawn mower. >> close. the home and garden show. you knew what i was talking about. i got tickets for you there too, the 35th annual home and garden show, alameda county fairgrounds, it's always big, it's always very well attended. check out what's the latest in home improvements and lawn mowers. all you do is go to our website, abc7news.com. look for the finney's friday free stuff page, the wedding is

like $25, but it's a pretty good deal. well, using a kids' toy to tr ♪ strummed guitar you can't experience the canadian rockies through a screen. you have to be here, with us. ♪ upbeat music travel through this natural wonder and get a glimpse of amazing, with a glass of wine in one hand, and a camera in the other, aboard rocky mountaineer. canada's rocky mountains await. call your travel agent or rocky mountaineer for special offers now. we have one to two fires a day and when you respond together

and you put your lives on the line, you do have to surround yourself with experts. and for us the expert in gas and electric is pg&e. we run about 2,500/2,800 fire calls a year and on almost every one of those calls pg&e is responding to that call as well. and so when we show up to a fire and pg&e shows up with us it makes a tremendous team during a moment of crisis. i rely on them, the firefighters in this department rely on them, and so we have to practice safety everyday. utilizing pg&e's talent and expertise in that area trains our firefighters on the gas or electric aspect of a fire and when we have an emergency situation we are going to be much more skilled and prepared to mitigate that emergency for all concerned. the things we do every single day that puts ourselves in harm's way, and to have a partner that is so skilled at what they do is indispensable, and i couldn't ask for a better partner.

coming up tonight on abc7 "news at 6:00," tonight the one nearby city that's wooing local employers and you. also the effort now under way in silicon value to help solve puerto rico's power problem. hundreds of thousands still without electricity, months after hurricane maria. and with u.s. retailers closing at an

fi thi. finally tonight, a group of solano county firefighters sharpened their life saving skills by playing their own version of a game loved around the world. jenga. >> everything's moving! >> you got it. and you got to go on the fair side. >> you're looking at city firefighters learn how loing ho free people from a crumpled car or a building. >> it's not always easy to find a scrapped car to use during training exercises. and training can mean the difference between life and death. >> a little bit of training and a little bit of fun too. for all of us here, we appreciate your time, hope to see you again in half an hour.

tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the white house firestorm. president trump now weighing in on his former aide now out of a job. amid allegations of domestic abuse. the president saying his former aide says he is innocent. it's been a tough time for him, and abc news learning chief of staff john kelly has expressed to president trump, his willingness to resign. the white house tonight responding. the massive winter storm hitting tonight and turning deadly, slamming chicago, detroit, major travel hubs, and moving east. and another major storm right behind it. breaking late today, the new and alarming news on the deadly flu in this country, and the new concern tonight about a second wave of flu that could be coming. the deadly police shootout in a suburban neighborhood. one officer killed, and two deputies wounded.