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>> announcer: live where you live, this is abc7 news. all right. look at all that green on live

doppler 7. we are on storm watch tonight. on the left of your screen, the bay bridge toll plaza relatively calm now, but the rain could make your already long commute far, far worse, and certainly solgier tomorrow. good evening. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm kristen sze in for ama daetz. the rain has already arrived. look at the wet roads in san rafael and in richmond. >> sandhya patel is tracking it right now. >> it's going to be drenching rain for your morning commute and driving wind. right now on live doppler 7 you can see it's pretty much covering most of the bay area. let's get you into street level radar. we're seeing moderate rain around healdsburg. as we head into the east bay, the rain has been moving quickly into castro valley, hayward. you can see the downpours are coming in across 880. moderate rain from san francisco's sunset district to broadmoor, daly city. you will also notice that the rain is beginning to spread across the santa cruz mountains. the wider picture will show you

this storm is just getting started. it's a cold starorm, level one r now. increasing winds, heavier rain overnight. a wind advisory until thursday evening. gusts over 45 miles an hour. it could take down trees, power lines in the hills. we're already seeing the winds to 34 miles an hour at atlas peak. use caution tomorrow morning during the commute. drenching rain will mean ponding on the roadways and gusty winds will make it tough to travel across the bridges. i'll be back with an hour by hour time line coming up. our storm watch continues this wednesday night with abc7 news reporter lilian kim. >> she's live in santa rosa tonight. lilian? >> reporter: kristen and dan, last october's fire damaged thousands of trees, and that's the concern over the next couple of days. falling trees due to the expected high winds. in sonoma county, 10,000 trees have been tacked for removal or trimming as a result of the tubbs fire. it's a potentially dangerous

situation that emergency crews will be keeping an eye on. >> especially with gusts sustained at 20 to 35 miles an hour and up to 50 at the highest elevations, that's a concern of ours just from the amount of dead and dying trees that we've talked about where we've had the damaged trees that have been associated with the fire. >> reporter: crews will be keeping an eye on the rain as well as debris from the burn areas remain a concern. straw wattles and gravel bags have been strategically placed around the city's 1,400 storm drain inlets. a staging area has been set up where workers can access replacements as needed. before the weather leads to any potential problems, residents are enjoying the rain for now. >> well, we need it, so, you know, we live in paradise mere. our weather's always great, but it rains a lot, it's okay because we know we're going to have some sunny days after. >> reporter: it's been raining steadily here throughout the evening. problems are not expected to arise during the overnight hours, so crews won't be monitoring potential trouble

spots until tomorrow morning. live in santa rosa, lilian kim, abc 7 news. >> lilian, thank you. the high sierra is expected to get walloped by a major snowstorm. check out conditions along interstate 80 and also highway 50. caltrans says they're expecting up to sen feven feet of snow thh the weekend. drivers should postpone travel but if they must make the trip, be prepared. >> make sure you have an emergency travel kit with extra food and water, some warm clothes, blankets, being able to make sure that they start off their trip with a full tank of gas. >> caltrans says they've got some 200 employees working around the clock the next few days to keep the roadways clear. now a live look from our rooftop camera. right now the rain has certainly arrived in san francisco. you can see the roads are wet. be sure to download the abc7 news app for the latest weather conditions where you live. and be sure to tune into abc7

mornings tomorrow at 4:30 the morning. we'll track the storm. and alexis smith will have the trouble spots on the roads. there will be many as you head out the door. >> students at marjory stoneman douglas high school returned to class today two weeks after a massacre on their campus. it flowers and memorials to the 17 students and teachers killed still line the campus. students from nearby schools and dozens of off-duty police officers helped welcome everyone back today. and two weeks after that shooting, two big corporations are taking gun control into their own hands tonight. dick's sporting goods and walmart announced that they would not sell guns to anyone under the age of 21. abc7 news reporter kate larsen went to a bay area walmart store to find out how the new policy affects california stores. >> reporter: two of america's leading gun sellers took steps today to limit their sale of firearms. >> we were so disturbed and saddened by what happened. >> reporter: first the ceo of dick's sporting goods told

george stephanopoulos that after the school shooting he felt he needed to change company policy permanently. >> are you ready for the backlash? >> we are. we know this isn't going to make everyone happy. >> reporter: hours later, walmart followed suit. both companies now require that any gun buyer be at least 21 years old even though federal law allows 18-year-olds to buy semiautomatic rifles. >> shotgun shells, you name it, we have pretty much everything. >> reporter: walmart does not sell guns in california, but elaine norman is a manager at the walmart in american canyon where they do sell ammunition. she says her store's current policy is you must be 21 or older to buy ammo. walmart's new policy as of today extends that to stores across the country. >> it should have been in effect a long time ago. >> i got three kids, and i'm always thinking about something could happen to them. >> reporter: many parents think gun policies and laws need to go further. >> they have to do more testing,

more background checking and psychological tests. >> reporter: walmart stopped selling ar-15s in 2015, and dick's stopped selling assault style rifles in 2012. >> walmart and dick's stock both went up after their respective announcements today. extra security precautions remain in place tonight at san jose state university following a threat that police determined was not credible. here's a look at the graffiti inside a woman's bathroom threatening a shooting at the school today at 5:00 p.m. abc7 news was on the san jose state campus where we spotted a clear police presence. the university sent an alert to students and increased police patrols. and another school threat tonight, this one against the alum rock union school district. abc7 news was in san jose where a threat to shoot up the district's schools was made on twitter. the superintendent says the police department has advised the district that it's safe for students to go to school tomorrow. shut down i.c.e.!

>> hundreds rallied outside the san francisco immigration and customs enforcement building demanding an end to deportation raids. another is planned for tomorrow. meanwhile oakland mayor libby schaaf responded to criticism from the i.c.e. director accusing the trump administration of political retaliation by targeting california. a bay area social worker tonight says crucial care to some cancer patients is being delayed. >> i feel that our veterans have sacrificed and deserve the care. >> karen chwick says when she tried to report the problem, she was punishes. >> all right bart crackdown, why you want to keep your clipper card handy tomorrow morning. and another live look at live doppler 7. you can see all that green. wet out there. sandhya is back with a full rainy forecast. >> all of that is ahead, but first here's what's coming up on jimmy kimmel live. jimmy? >> tonight's show is gluten free. the third oscar only nation and

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that one bay area va facility, crucial care for some cancer patients has been delayed. she says when she documented the delays for her superiors, she was punished. >> reporter christina men dawn za has the story of one veteran advocate that says she had to fight her own battle just to keep her job. >> reporter: when her own son joined the navy, karen chwick decided she wanted to serve the country as well. >> i sold my house, closed my business, moved to california. >> reporter: she went from advocating for the mentally ill in miami to social work for veterans in palo alto. >> i feel that our veterans have sacrificed and deserve the care. >> reporter: as a social worker at the palo alto va hospital, karen helps patients with cancer. she helps these veterans navigate a very complex system called veterans choice. it's supposed to provide community based care when veterans can't receive proper treatments through the va. >> palo alto va does not offer radiation treatment.

so 100% of veterans that need radiation are referred to the community. >> reporter: karen says since august, some of her veterans choice referrals for radiation are being repeatedly denied or delayed. >> could you please process this? is there a delay? then that doesn't get answered. nothing worked. i mean days go by, and the referrals aren't processed. >> reporter: meanwhile veterans wait for radiation and express frustration to karen, who says many of them are getting sicker. she says these are vets who are often too ill for other types of treatment or need radiation before receiving surgery or chemotherapy. karen says in response to her aggressive advocacy, she received e-mails from her superiors banning her from patient meetings and ordering her to a disciplinary hearing. >> now she's being put in a position where she has to defend her job, her integrity all because she's trying to advocate for veterans and better patient care. >> reporter: karen hired attorney natalie khawam to

represent her at the disciplinary hearing. >> that's part of the system. she retained our firm. when they saw she was retaining our firm, they didn't give her the hearing. they just went behind the back doors and gave her basically a lower rating for her performance. >> reporter: after that review, karen and her attorney filed a whistle-blower complaint with the office of special counsel, alleging mismanagement and violation of law and providing e-mails showing karen's attempts to get veterans their radiation referrals. a spokesman for the va told me he's not at liberty to discuss any personnel issues but provided me with numbers he says show the palo alto va is within current guidelines that allow the va 30 days to get veterans referrals for community care. according to that data, for the last four months of 2017, september referrals took on average nine days. in october, the average was 22 days. in november, the average was 25 1/2 days. in december, the average was 17

days. the spokesman went on to say va palo alto is always working hard to improve systems that may be having issues and in no way do we feel we are perfect. however, the data provided shows the process is working properly as we strive to continue providing veterans the care they need in a timely manner. after my conversation with the va, karen got a memo saying the disciplinary issues were considered resolved, and she was allowed back into the patient meetings. however, she says she has never been able to address those discipline issues and is still working with patients beyond five weeks and waiting for radiation. >> the harm that's happening here is happening to our veterans. >> and delays are still happening in spite of all of this. but of course i will continue on and to advocate and to adhere to the core values of the united states department of veterans affairs because it actually has a meaning to me. it's not just something that i wear on my name badge. >> reporter: in palo alto, abc7

news. bart fare inspectors will begin citing riders who do not have valid tickets or climpper cards tomorrow morning. they'll be asking for proof of payment in the paid areas of stations and on the trains too. fines will cost riders $75 per violation, $55 for minors. up to now, inspectors have been handing out warnings, but that is about to change starting with the commute tomorrow. speaking of the commute, you know it's going to be tough in the morning, especially with all that rain coming. >> that's right. the storm now reaching the bay area. meteorologist sandra tracking it. >> right now live doppler 7 showing you the start of this storm. it's been raining really light in the north bay all afternoon. now it's starting to pick up. in san francisco, we are seeing level radar mission streets, moderate rain, bay shore seeing some moderate

pockets of rain as well. healdsburg, look at the rain. it's been coming down pretty steadily. i do want to show you the rainfall rates. 0.7 of an inch per hour. you get the drift. rainfall intensity is going to increase. around bowlen jer canyon road, pockets of moderate rain. heading into the santa cruz mountains, the rain is beginning to increase. reports from mountain view and san jose saying where is my rain? it's coming. here's a look at the sierra nevada. snow is falling right now, and the snow will continue to intensify overnight as well. temperatures at this hour in the 40s and the 50s. here's a live picture. your morning commute is going to look like this but worse. so from our emeryville camera, you see the slippery roads. the heavier rain is coming in. we'll go with strong winds, soaking rain for your morning commute. high elevation snow and a chance of thunder tomorrow afternoon. that wintry mix continues friday and saturday. tomorrow morning make sure you

have a raincoat, umbrella, rain boots and a heavy coat or jacket. temperatures in the 40s for the afternoon. it is going to be chilly and windy with scattered snow showers over the higher terrain. rain showers at the lower terrain. winds ramping up 5:00 a.m., close to 35 miles an hour, coming up even higher than that by 8:00 a.m. wind advisory for virtually all of the bay area. the afternoon will still be pretty blustery. storm impact scale, tomorrow is level 2, drenching rain in the morning. thunderstorms possible in the afternoon. those gusty winds could take down trees and power lines. 4:00 a.m., the pops of yellow indicating moderate to heavy rain. 6:00 a.m. it's sitting over us and not really moving much. 7:00 a.m., it's pouring. the north bay starts to see the rain easing up. scattered showers for the afternoon hours. it does turn to high elevation snow at 6:00 p.m. you can see there in lake and mendocino counties, 9:00, widespread scattered showers.

at midnight friday you're looking at snow over mount hamilton. that wintry mix you saw just a few days ago will be back in the forecast. by saturday we are looking at rainfall totals for most of the bay area anywhere from one to two inches. highest locations will be three to four inches in the hills. a blizzard warning for the lake tahoe area, thursday 8:00 a.m. to friday 4:00 a.m. travel would be impossible. a winter storm morning and covering lake and mendocino counties until 10:00 p.m. saturday. snow totals. isolated spots up to seven feet of snow. those winds will make for really whiteout conditions. just hold off on the travel. you'll be able to get up and enjoy the snow. level 2 system, a stormy morning tomorrow. snow showers, thunder possible in the afternoon. becoming a level one on friday. it's still going to be showers and snow and windy, but not as widespread. saturday will go with the wintry mix lingering and then drive for oscar sunday before you get

another system here. this one is a warmer storm for tuesday/wednesday, bringing us a level one here. download the accuweather app and check out live doppler 7. also remember to tune in 4:30 to 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. >> thank you. tomorrow on good morning america, hope you tune in. a challenge sweeping across the country. lemons for leukemia. >> the two kids behind the movement a

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we are counting down to the 90th annual oscars right here on abc7. here's a live look right there above the dolby theater in hollywood tonight. you can see they've got the red carpet area all covered up just in case it rains. there's a can't miss sign on the ground tonight that oscar is coming to town. >> the 900 foot long red carpet was rolled out today in front of the dolby theater. there's also an awning covering some of the street. rain is expected in l.a. on friday and saturday, but, hey, sunday's forecast looks pretty clear, which would be nice. >> and you can catch all the excitement of the oscars exclusively here on abc7. our complete coverage begins sunday at 1:30 p.m. with on the red carpet.

then at 3:30 we have the oscars opening ceremony. at 5:00, it's the 90th annual academy awards with jimmy kimmel. >> dion lim will be reporting live. can't rain on sunday because you cannot have soggy stars. >> not with those fancy gowns, right? >> well, their hair might get messed up. >> that's why we're indoors. >> kevin durant, a happy homecoming. as the warriors try to catch the rockets atop the west. you got to see what james harde at at&t, we believe in access. the opportunity for everyone to explore a digital world. connecting with the things that matter most. and because nothing keeps us more connected than the internet, we've created access from at&t. california households with at least one resident who receives snap or ssi benefits

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>> announcer: abc7 sports brought to you by river rock casino. good evening. kevin durant grew up in maryland, so he was fired up with the warriors playing the washington wizards and k.d. did not disappoint. there's a growing legion of warrior fans all over the country. they turned out in new york at the knicks game, and tonight in washington, durant, the oop from steph curry. bradley beal went scoreless in the first half. unusual for a beal to be quiet, but the wizards get the lead down to one. oubre jr. with a corner three.

the patented warriors third quarter burst, a 16-4 run. durant fadeaway jumper. oh, they left draymond. with authority. warriors run a lot of back door stuff these days. durant with 32. steph sneaking around there and he stole the ball. curry 25. durant with a very happy homecoming as the warriors win their fourth straight, 109-101. what about the rockets? rockets and the clippers. championship eater joey chestnut. no chance for wesley johnson shs crossed over by james harden and gets stared down, waits and watches, and then hits the three. look how long he's taking his team. wesley johnson has become an internet meme after that play. rockets win 104-92 to remain half a game up on the dubs. jon gruden loves coaching football but hates the rules that limit his interaction with

his raider players. gruden's been on the job for a month, but he can't talk x's and o's with his quarterback or nearby el anybody else on the roster. he expressed his frustration at the combine. >> you're not allowed to have contact with these guys but what's discouraging is we've got to make some decisions on our roster, on salaries, on players and their futures, and you can't even meet them. you're not allowed to -- i don't know these guys. i've never met half of them. so that's been very, very difficult for me, and i've been emotional about it at times. >> he tends to get that way. abc7 sports brought to you by river rock casino. interesting thought from klay thompson after this game tonight, saying we got 20 games left. i wonder if we can run the table. >> wouldn't that be fun? >> wow. >> i like the way he thinks. >> and go in with a 24-game winning streak to the playoffs. they have a

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new olay whips ageless all right. that is our report. we appreciate your time on this wednesday night. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm kristen sze. for sandhya patel and larry beil, thanks for joining us. right now on jimmy kimmel, it's actress saoirse ronan. >> drive safely. it will be wet in the morning. be safe. good night. a semimiracle.

>> oh! a woman fears for her cat caught in the fire. >> when they brought the cat out, it wasn't breathing. >> the heroic moves to save a member of the family. a surfer has to catch a ride at the right time. >> he's doing it. >> the mesmerizing power of mother nature's permanent wave. and the yes theory guys new challenge that -- >> sounds pretty much impossible. >> see if they can get perfect strangers to host a party at their house. >> i'll host a party at your house, mr. stranger, not in mine. it's okay. i'm locked in. i'm locked in. >> this motorcyclist is celebrating life right now. you can hear him screaming, it's all right, i'm not dead.

you look down, his shoes are scraped up, his pants are torn and severe road rash on his knee but he couldn't be more excited to be in that situation, when you see why he got there in the first place. right off the bat we see that he is in an intense wobble that he cannot recover from. >> oh! did he go underneath the semi? >> he had to have. >> that's exactly what happened. now you can understand how he feels. check it out in slow motion. we see him start with the wobbles. he cannot recover. he slid right across in true "fast and furious" style, missed getting run over by the rear tires. >> the fact that you can read freight liner on the mud flap as he slides by is insane. i, i -- wow. >> wo