looking for. 27-year-old john lee cowell. police say he is armed and dangerous. good evening, thanks for joining us. >> the attack happened just after 10:00 last night at the macarthur bart station. nia wilson and her sister were heading home from a family pool party and he followed them and stabbed them unprovoked. >> to me more like a prison yard assault where you have an individual with a sharp object and do their take so quickly before anybody could react the person takes off running. in my close to 30 years police experience probably one of the most vicious attacks i've seen. >> police have recovered a knife they believe is the murder weapon. >> meanwhile, the surviving bart stabbing victim is speaking out about the brutal unprovoked

attack and loss of her sister. >> a vigil is set to begin in one hour. >> reporter: that vigil got an early start. you could probably see and hear a lot of people are here for it tonight at macarthur bart station. letifah wilson, the woman who survived this attack said she and her sister rarely took bart. they did last night and their lives changed forever. just out of the hospital, letifah was only thinking of her little sister, nia. >> my little sister was the sweetest person on this earth. she didn't do nothing to nobody. i didn't do nothing to nobody. for this to happen is outright crazy. >> reporter: three of the wilson sisters were on their way home for a family gathering when

police say 27-year-old john cowell attacked them stabbing 18-year-old nia in the neck. >> she was yelling my name, tifa, i said, i got you. >> reporter: she says cowell didn't say a word. >> i looked back, and he was wiping off his knife and stood at the stairs and just looked. from there on i was caring for my sister. >> reporter: nia passed away at the scene and first responders took latifah to the hospital and cowell swung at her second. >> missed the artery, thank god. missed the vein. it's pretty deep. he tried to swing twice, he hit me in my head, so i have a knot. >> reporter: she said she and her sister rarely took bart. tonight, the family is consoling one another and asking why. letifah said nia had big dreams

for a career in criminal justice and dance studio and her own makeup line. her nickname was p.g., short for pretty girl. >> that was her. she had to be on point. >> reporter: a senseless brutal attack as sisters did what thousands of bart riders do daily. >> i just want justice for my sister. >> reporter: the third sister with letifah and nia has bruises. she was too distraught to speak with us earlier on camera. the sisters and several family members say they plan to be here tonight for this vigil. abc7 news. >> thank you very much. while the surviving victim and bart police have not discussed motive, discussed that it may have been racially motivated.

>> we and the bart police take this crime very including the possibility of a racially motivated take of this crime. >> the mayor talks about the fact of a rumored alt-right meet-up of the proud boys at the town bar in weston. >> the mayor says that meet-up is not happening. >> saying cowell is a transient out on parole with an extensive criminal record. kaiser hospital filed a restraining order after he threatened to kill a patient in 2016. >> this time, cowellellellell released after two years in prison in contra costa county. there was in a letter sent out

this afternoon. >> for more images go to abc7 news app. bart's police chief revealed they are investigating two other homicides at the station in recent days, releasing these surveillance images showing the fatal beating of a rider early saturday morning. police say this man sucker punched 47-year-old don stevens. stevens fell and hit his head on the cement floor. he was taken off life support yesterday. >> we need the public's health to identify this individual. we do not have this individual identified. as i stated we didn't have any witnesses willing to come forward. if anybody wants to give us information, even if it anonymous, please call us. >> bart is also investigating a fatal fight at the pleasant hill bart station last wednesday. a 51-year-old pittsburgh man suffered a bloody lip and tiny cut on his leg, but that cut turned into a fatal infection. the suspect is in custody on

charges. >> happening right now in berkeley, the city council is holding a special meeting to decide on potentially pulling out of tactical police exercises called "urban shield." a live look at the city council meeting. a subcommittee within the council reported to pull police from those exercises. in response several berkeley police officers threatened to resign from the special response team. the full council will vote on this issue. the alameda sheriff's office overthese exercises criticized in recent years. opponents say it mill it mill il local police. trying to make an impact on the homeless crisis, the next step preventing homelessness in the first place. joining us live from the newsroom with details. >> you may not think of them as affordable housing, but

residential care facilities do provide that. many are struggling and they're trying to stay afloat. mayor breed wants to add more financial support in this year's budget. victorian manor in san francisco's neighborhood is a residential care facility. mayor london breed visited today. here are some of the city's most vulnerable, the elderly and those with physical or mental health issues received around the clock care. >> it's places like this that are closing. >> reporter: what she fears is already happening. in the past five years, the number of facilities receives some help from the city has changed. the mayor has made homelessness her priority and believes residential care facilities are

her priority. >> we have to make sure they don't ends up on the streets. this is about prevention. >> reporter: the city already invests $2.5 million a year and breed is proposition $1 million infusion to keep more than 150 people housed. the owner of victorian manor tells us she could certainly use some help. >> it's not like a lifeline but it is going to go a long way in helping us meet our costs. as you know, wages increase every year and it is going to help us retain our staff. >> reporter: that million dollar investment is over a two year period and would come from unspent money in the upcoming budget. the proposal now needs approval from the board of supervisors. in the newsroom, carolyn tiler, abc7 news. >> thanks. tomorrow, the bay area is expected to get about a billion dollars in state funding to

expand our reservoirs. the money is the first to be released after voters approve a bond measure in 2014. david louie looks at how the money will be used for a new dam and reservoir in the south bay. >> reporter: 11 reservoirs currently provide water storage for nearly 2 million customers. the california water commission will be providing about half of the projected $1 million cost for a new dam east of gilroy. the new pacheco reservoir will supply for 6 million people the largest water expansion in 58 years after taxpayers approved proposition 12 1/2 years ago during the drought. 2 1/2 projects expected to get funding for water facilities. >> we're talking surface water storage and groundwater storage we expect to be funded throughout the state. very good news through all of

california. >> reporter: while the newly expanded reservoir is an important resource, they're looking at understood ground storage facilities and conservation to meet the needs of fast growing silicon valley. even though the conservation ended last year, consumers continue to conserve water at 22% this year compared to 2013. water reservoir levels are 23% of their average. >> we continue to look for opportunities to be more officiate whether inside your home and taking shorter showers or outdoors replacing the turf with low water use plants. >> reporter: they expect the work to start in six years and completion in 2029. in san jose, david louie, abc7 news. the ferguson fire near yosemite has scorched 53 square miles, more than the size of san francisco, as vanessa reports, this fire has been burning for

10 days and still onl$10 days a contain. >> reporter: overnight video from the ma der row police department shows flames scorching the evacuation zone. in the video captured while on patrol, you can see hotshot firefighters providing a back burn to protects the homes. it is evacuated in several areas in the steep and rugged terrain. >> there's only so much you can do and maintain fire safety when you have fuels and terrain and weather conditions. >> reporter: with the fire inching its way closer to yosemite national park they made it a priority to build strong containment lines and working with park officials on safety procedures should it breach the park's border. >> as we've gotten into different weather patterns, the fire has been a lot more active. >> let's finds out more about

the weather conditions because they will affect this firefight. sandy patel. >> it is hot there, 99 degrees. relative humidity, 26%, winds not terribly strong. the wind trend will pick back up. heat advisory between 103-108 degrees. definitely hot. air quality not so hot, obviously smokey conditions making it unhealthful and air quality alert remains in effect due to that ferguson fire. >> thank you. eating local, the community requiring facebook to support the community and oakland response with its version of food stamps. and this congressman looking for a new job and will make history if she gets it. shortening the lines at the dmv, does that sound nice?

lawmakers getting into the act. rolling out $99

what does a free lunch mean to you? we want to know what you think. go to abc7news.com/vote to weigh in. first, let's get to katie live in mountain view with the story there. katie. >> reporter: dan, facebook is expected to open two large offices behind me, those glass buildings, within the next year. the city of mountain view wants this mixed use development to work the way it's intended with office workers to go outside their building to go to nearby shops and businesses. the milk pail market is your quintessential family business.

>> in the morning, it's like you went to france, that good. >> reporter: their neighbor is a tech company known around the world. >> things have changed a lot even in the short time i've been around. >> reporter: erica rasmussen's father started the business 44 years ago but soon, facebook will be the market's new neighbor. >> i think it's a cool opportunity for us to change how we do our business in a way that kind of brings us into the 21st century. >> reporter: the city of mountain view is trying to make sure tech giants don't swallow small businesses with their practice of free in-house lunches. council member explains. >> the reason why we want businesses here to support our local economy. if they're not doing that it begs the question of that attraction of having these larger businesses here. >> reporter: city council passed rules restricting the practice of employee cafeterias at the village of san antonio project. no food service on a daily basis. >> the company could do a 50%

subsidy, but the idea is that that would be for them to go out and eat or patronize the businesses. >> reporter: nearby restaurant managers are pleased. >> is very good. >> reporter: sajj is within walking distance of facebook's office expected to hold 2,000 employees. >> it is easy for everyone, maybe what, 10 minutes about? 10 minutes? >> reporter: facebook declined to comment on the free lunch issue. the company did sign the lease knowing that the rule was already in place. i should mention linkedin was the original company to open offices here. when they pulled out, facebook signed the lease. this rule is for tech companies in general and not specifically aimed at facebook. abc7 news. >> thanks so much. now, what does a free lunch mean to you? we want to know what you think. go to abcnews.com/vote and weigh

in. we will keep the voting open through the 6:00 p.m. hour. the santa clara council will be split in six different elections this november after a judge ruled against the city and the california voting rights act. supporters say the at large election system suppressed the minority vote leading to an all white city council for generations despite having a pretty sizable minority population in the city. the mayor will still remain at large. now, to the problem of the long lines at the dmv. ever noticed those? those are getting longer. >> it has to do with real id applications and the confusion over them. "7 on your side"'s michael finney is here. it is confusing. >> if you want to fly on an airplane without a passport you have to get it. it's going from bad to worse. it's never been great there. lines have been running out the door at local dmv offices for

months. state lawmakers looking for solutions. the backlog is caused by the federal government's real id program. after 2020 you must have a real id card or passport to fly on a commercial jet. consumers are confused over which id they personally need to get and what, and that is causing the backup. >> we're also seeing it actually takes twice as long to process a real id transaction. once you get your cue number you sit down and wait and the transaction is take longer. >> the year 2020, let me be clear, people are reporting wait times up to seven hours at some locations. who hangs around that long. when natural disasters strike, so do thieves. there were a number of reports of people returning to their property and discovering valuables stolen. governor brown expanded the law that includes a crime of looting

to include when residents are evacuated from their home or business due to an emergency. the new law calls for increased penalties of burglaries during state ordered evacuation. some looters have been found posing as firefighters and other emergency workers. super cheap airfares between san francisco and iceland are now being sold, $99 each way. that's the headline. here's the small print. the flights are on wow airline for the extremely limited 800 flights all together on this, but from chicago and five other cities, only good between august 6th and october 26th. passengers getting the fares need to pay more for checked or carry-on luggage or send it ahead of you. the problem is you can get 99 bucks going one way or the other, pulling them both off is

very tough. still a great deal. >> it helps. >> it's still a wow. >> onto the weather. now, your accuweather forecast. >> hi. we had nice looking weather, wide range of temperatures. doppler 7 showing some parts of the coast seeing the fog. some areas like golden gate andd santa cruz. south of lake tahoe could be hail, heavy rain accompanying the storm is good news because we do not want dry lightning to spark any fires. from my pier 39 camera see how choppy the waters are. 64 in san francisco, low 70s, oakland to mountain view and 81 degrees in san jose, a hot 96 in gilroy. take a look at another live picture from the santa cruz camera and see sun and clouds.

73 in santa rosa, 92 in fairfield, concord, livermore area. if you are spending time at the beach, watch out, a beach hazard statement. waves 4-5 feet and beach hazard in effect because of waves. watch out for that. from the camera you can see a risk of fog and wispy clouds. fog overnight near the coast and bay. hot inland the next few days and minor cooling into the weekend. the 12 hour planner into the weekend, 50s, 60s, cloudy up the coast at noontime and hot in the afternoon hours. you can download the accuweather app and check out the temperatures any time you want. first in the morning watch out for the fog in the coast and bay, mild inland and temperatures range low 50s all the way to the mid 60s to start off your day and quickly heating

up in the south bay. 93 in gilroy, 96 in morgan hill. 82 in redwood city, mountain view, breezy with lingering clouds all afternoon long, typical as you know. downtown san francisco, 70 degrees. mid-coast triple digits, ukiah, lake port. mix of sun east bay. 79, haywood, 79 castro valley and inland you will notice the heat, feel it. stay hydrated. 95 in concord, 94 degrees in livermore. a flex alert has just been issued the next few daysos conserve as much as possible. lake county under a heat advisory, 12:00 p.m. tuesday through 11:00 p.m. thursday, upper 90s to 110 degrees. dangerously hot conditions. mild to hot the next couple of

days as we head to the end of the work week, notice the temperatures moderate, the heat backs off just in time for the weekend plans, numbers upper 50s to low 60s and upper 90s

there may be a connections between motherhood and risk for alzheimer's. women with three or more children are less likely to develop dementia than women with only one child. women who have miscarriages were more likely to develop dementia as well. scientists say hormones including estrogen could be at play. factors could be a woman's diet during pregnancy or woman's immune system which changes during pregnancy. either way, women make up nearly two-thirds of alzheimer's.

barbara lee is jumping into the race to become chair of the house democratic caucus. she confirmed her decision by tweeting my candidacy is based on three belief, the strength of our caucus lies in our diversity. we are the best when everyone has the opportunity to contribute and we must work to improve the lives of all people. if she wins, lee would be the first african-american woman in either party to hold a house leadership post. fans looking to stock up on las vegas raiders gear before the big move will have to wait. the nfl won't allow marc davis to sell las vegas raiders gear until the team officially leaves oakland. the team is set to open the 2020 season in las vegas and they say it would open up the market to counterfeiters. you maybe

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developments on the bart stack, we'll have these stories for you on abc7 news at 6. david versus goliath. a north bay groundskeeper squares off against a corporate giant over a product he claims gave him cancer. protecting your valuables from a natural disaster not from the elements but looters. the effort to expand the bike paths on the bay bridge. how much it will cost and how long it will take to build them coming up on abc news at 6. a great story, an auto repairman goes the extra mile to rescue a kitten stuck. >> it shows the repairman freeing the scared unharnld kitty after a 45 miles an hour ride. >> another employee adopted the kitten and that is certainly complete auto service as the motto suggests. >> "world news tonight" is

cong up ne. tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. president trump and his new and unprecedented threat tonight. the white house now saying he might revoke security clearances for some former directors of national intelligence, the cia and the fbi. they happen to be his most vocal critics. the white house is asked late today if former president obama and vice president biden could be next. breaking news tonight, just moments ago, the suspect now revealed in the shooting rampage in toronto, as the death toll grows today, including a 10-year-old girl. we're on the scene tonight. up and down the east coast at this hour, the flash flood watches. the national weather service warning of possible life-threatening floods from the carolinas all the way up to new york. rain several days straight. the urgent search for a missing college student at this hour.