male teacher. good evening. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm kristin zee. >> it happened in the girls bathroom at the oakland military institute. >> laura, this is a very strange incident obviously. >> reporter: well, it is, dan. the teacher c it was an accident, but now there are two investigations. the teacher is on suspension and the mother and her young daughter are on edge. >> we heard someone come in who had boots on. we knew it wasn't a kid. >> a seventh grader at the oakland military institute, this 11-year-old student said she and her friend were chatting away, each using a stall in the girl's bathroom last thursday when they heard someone come in and recognized his distinctive red boots. >> i made eye contact with him through the cracks of the stall. >> do you think there's any way he didn't know you guys were in there? >> he did because he seen our

backpacks on the floor in the stall. >> he saw your eyes. >> yeah, through the crack. >> the student told us instead of turning around and walking up, the male teacher proceeded to urinate in the stall next to hers and left without flushing. the girls immediately reported the incident to officials. >> one of the administrate ers it makes me wonder, has this happened before to other children and they just didn't say anything and why was he so comfortable to proceed to use the restroom after he realized he was in the girl's restroom. >> sanders took these pictures of the girls and boys bathrooms well marked outside and very different inside. she said according to school policy staff should never use student bathrooms period. a spokes perp for the military institute told abc 7 news, we're

well aware of the situation. we take the matter very seriously and are conducting a formal investigation. nothing has been concluded. sanders said school administrators told her the teacher has received a one-week suspension. >> i feel like a week is not long enough. i feel like they need to thoroughly investigate it. you've been working at this school for two years now, three years. how do you not know which bathroom you're going in? >> reporter: we were unable to reach the teacher to get his side of the story. we did confirm with the oakland police department that they received the mother's complaint and they are looking into the matter. as for the school, they did send an e-mail home to parents today. we'll have more for you on that on abc 7 news at 6:00. in oakland, laura anthony abc 7 news. breaking news in northern california, the delta fire forced the closure of i-5 in

both directions. this is happening near mt. shasta near redding. the delta fire broke out more than a week ago and closed i-5 for more than six days. it's happening again. the fire brnd 90 square miles, practically twice the size of san francisco. it's 17% contained. san francisco police are investigating a serious crash that sent a bicyclist to the hospital this afternoon. you can see this bmw's windshield got smashed in from the collision. this is video from the scene near howard street and van ness avenue. we're told the person on the bike suffered life threatening injuries. the 3:00 safety deadline for the mel len yum tower in san francisco has come and gone. it looks like the sinking tower is about to get tagged. abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman is live from fremont and mission with the latest. >> reporter: the 3:00 deadline has come and gone but the work continues. take a look behind us. this is scaffolding going up outside the millennium tower,

ostensibly to prevent glass from a cracked window above from falling onto pedestrians. is it enough? the city says it will see. as to the lawyers who represent millennium tower, let's begin with them. >> this is a distraction. we have a lot more things we have to address with this building including the sinking and tilting. >> reporter: it is san francisco's tower of trouble, millennium towers 18-lynch list has taken backstage to a packed pane of glass and concerns by san francisco's department of building inspection. >> we're looking at this in the longer term and feel this precaution is justified in order to protect the public. >> reporter: since the window crack, the city wrote a stern letter to the homeowner's association asking for protective scaffolding around the building, internal inspection of glass in 419 units, the repair of a broken crane that would allow another inspection outside. the letter gave mel len yum tower until tomorrow to get them all done or face a yellow tag

warning. >> i think they have a right to do that, but we also have a right to explain to them why it's taking longer than what their expectations are to satisfy their needs. >> reporter: late today crews hired by millennium towers set up to begin installing that extra scaffolding. the crane will take longer. they said as much to a letter to the department of building inspection this afternoon. >> do you expect a yellow tag tomorrow? >> i don't. i don't expect the yellow tag. we'll continue to work with him. if the city says we need you to do something else, we'll do what we can -- >> it's not an eminent hazard otherwise we would have treated this in a different manner. it's more of a long range or short-term condition that we want to provide protection for? >> we're back live at the corner of mission and fremont beneath the millennium tower.

you might wonder what is the yellow tag? a yellow tag would tell people passing by there's a possible danger. it tells people inside that there is an issue. live in san francisco, wayne freedman, abc 7 news. wayne, thanks very much. an east bay murder suspect is in jail after a month on the run. he apparently fled after the crime to see his wife one last time. police believe terrence dickson beat a man to death back in july. the victim apparently testified decades ago in a case that sent dickson to prison. afer the killing he made his way to oregon to hug his wife and say good-bye. dickson was arrested last month and just charged today. the b.a.r.t. board of directors approved new rules on the use of surveillance technology on trains and in the station. this vote comes after we learned that surveillance was installed at a station without

authorization and that data sent to a system where administration officials could get to it. abc 7 news anchor eric thomas has more. >> motion carries unanimously. >> reporter: with that vote, the bart board promised to enter a new era of technology, something pushed by privacy groups -- >> unaccountable surveillance doesn't make us safer. there needs to be transparent discussion. >> the new ordinance requires b.a.r.t. to have public debate and get board approval before buying new surveillance equipment or seeking money for it. >> it's going to ensure reasonable guidelines are put in place for the use of the technology, the retention of the data and the sharing of outside third parties. >> reporter: the ordinance was two years in the making, passage comes a day after it was revealed b.a.r.t. officials installed a license plate reader at macarthur station against the wishes of the board and shared

the data with a law enforcement database that i.c.e. could access. b.a.r.t. says they were only up and operating for a matter of months. the chief ordered them taken down. >> we uninstalled the one reader that we had and no longer sent any information, and somebody actually called and told them make sure you delete all the information. >> reporter: it is not known whether i.c.e. accessed the data. despite the investigation, chief rojas says he wasn't able to determine who authorized installation of the license plate reader and the sharing of the data. in oakland, eric thomas, abc 7 news. protesters shut down traffic near moscone center today.

environmental activists were outside the center. inside, the action summit. one protester was arrested. the protesters say the summit is just for show. the governor says it was a way for international leaders to come together to discuss climate change. inside, he has strong words for our nation's leader. when trump says, in effect, we like more methane going in the air, that is highly destructive, very highly destructive. i think you'll be remembered, on the path he is now, i don't know, liar, criminal, fool. pick your choice. >> the climate summit goes through tomorrow. it's unclear what, if anything, protesters have planned for them. california senator dianne feinstein is calling on the senate judiciary committee to delay its confirmation vote on supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. feinstein says she's received

information concerning kavanaugh and forwarded it to the fbi. the democrat is refusing to release details, only that it is from an individual who, quote, strongly requested confidentiality and declined to come forward. feinstein says she received the information from palo alto congresswoman anna eshoo. committee chair chuck grassley says he has no information beyond what he read. >> right now families are being told to leave the city. about 2 1/2 hours ago, fire started breaking out at many homes. investigators think it's an issue with the natural gas system through at least 35 fires. at one point 18 were burning at the same time. one police chief said you couldn't see the sky it was so smokey. police say currently crews are looking into 70 reports of fire, explosions or gas. people in the expected neighborhoods have been told to

get out. power has been turned off. at least four people treated at the hospital. we've been waiting for news conference for officials. we'll bring you updates on abc 7 news at 6:00. >> so strange. the onslaught from hurricane florence has begun. the rain and wind now bearing down. north carolina's gov noer says his state is simply on the wrong side of this thing. i'm sandy patel. i'll have the latest on this large and dangerous storm. the bay area company behind disaster response and how it's helping people thousands of miles away. plus -- >> remodeling your home, how

happening now, hurricane florence bearing down on the carolina coastline. wind at 100 miles an hour. it's the storm surge and all the rain that can cause catastrophic dmage. a lot of storm water. this video was shot in north carolina. the person who took this video said fish are swimming in the grass in some yards. look at that image. this is the risks of owning a home right along the water. the storm surge has easily overwhelmed the dunes. the american flag no match for florence in cape fear. winds have ripped the flag to shreds. at least the stars are still intact. >> dramatic image to be sure. let's get the late freft sandy patel who is tracking florence for us.

>> right now it's inching closer to north carolina. let me show you the storm with live doppler 7. you can see bands of heavy rain lashing out at the carolina coastline. wind gusts reported as high as 97 to 99 miles an hour. tornado watch boxes are up as there is a possibility of tornadoes there. a category two storm. 100-mile-an-hour winds, moving very slowly now, anti five miles an hour. tomorrow morning as a cat 2 approaching wilmington, north carolina, weakening quickly by tomorrow afternoon and continuing to make a right-hand turn as we head toward the weekend and into next week. rainfall totals, isolated spots up to 40 inches through monday, the flooding rains and, of course, the storm surge will be life-threatening up to 11 feet. it is a dangerous situation, biggest thing is, this is a large storm. >> gosh, it's huge. thanks so much, sandy. resources from as far away as the bay a area reason

standby. one of the biggest concerns is the loss of communication for first responders and medical facilities as well. abc 7 news reporter dave l l found a company ready to step in. >> this vehicle arriving on scene. it's one of several network emergency response vehicles built by is r cisco systems. his mission is to restore communications from public safety agencies after they lose connectivity. it's ready after hurricane florence makes landfall. >> online whether it be satellite, 4g, lte, whatever it is. we're going to bring it back online until such times as the isps can bring their systems back up online. >> cameras are mounted atop a

46-foot telescoping mask. another valuable tool is the ability to allow agencies operating radios on different frequencies to communicate seamlessly. >> they use their own radios, switch it to interrupt channels and the dispatcher can actually work from here on the dispatch panel and talk to the different groups. >> the technical operations team is highly qualified. some of them have been deployed to the north earn california wldfires and also to hurricanes in puerto rico and antigua. portable kits are likely to be deployed to create internet service and wireless networks. it can be managed in the cloud. >> we can install the equipment, get it where we can be managing it over the cloud. sysco provides disaster services as a public service. in san jose, david louie, abc 7 news. you can download our abc 7

news app for the latest on hurricane florence's strength and position. >> if you're wondering if you can save money on your homeowner's insurance, the answer is yes, but exactly how. >> good question. "7 on your side's" michael finney has more. >> it's tricky. homeowners think about resale value when considering home improvements. if you're not planning to sell any time soon, there could be another reason to remodel, savings on your homeowner's insurance. replacing the roof can be one of the most expensive house repairs, this one estimated at about $30,000. >> a significant upfront cost. >> the contractor says a sound roof prevents more issues like rot and structural damage that can be caused by water leaks. insurance companies know that. >> that's why replacing an old

roof can pay off in home insurance discounts, raging from 5% to a whopping 35% depending on before you live. what kind of roofing materials you choose and your insurance carrier. >> no surprise, insurance companies are looking for upgrades that will improve safety and security. so it's worth considering a home security system. you might save on premiums. >> discounts may be more likely to be offered for home security systems connected to an outside monitoring service. >> any type of accidental misuse, these will trip. >> reporter: upgrading your electrical system is not glamorous, but it's also a definite plus with insurance companies. >> we found one company that would give up to 8% off your premium if you upgraded your electrical and plumbing. >> add in a stationary generator to keep everything humming in a power outage, and you might also get a discount. >> don't forget simple

precautions like smoke detectors. they're typically required by code. certain fire and smoke detectors can get you a 2% to 6% discount. check with your insurance company to see what discounts are offered. let them know you have this stuff. one time i got a big discount for having smoke detectors. i was like, don't we all have smoke detectors. >> just ask, right? >> that's right. our weather here is very quiet compared to what's happening obviously with the hurricane back east. live doppler 7 showing high clouds passing through the bay area. starting to see high clouds regrouping. it is gusty out there. in san francisco gusts to 35 miles an how. here is a look from our south beach camera where we're starting to see the marine layer regrouping knew sutro tower. in low 70s from san jose to

morgan hill. really comfortable weather. those temperatures cooler than average. a bouncing view from the emeryville camera. 78 in concord. pin livermore it is 72 degrees. here is a look at the highlights. we're basically going to see low clouds near the coast and bay developing overnight tonight. milder weather tomorrow and we are looking at minor ups and downs for the upcoming weekend. santa cruz camera, bright blue skies. we have good air krault right now thanks to that refreshing breeze off the ocean. hour-by-hour forecast, 7:00 tonight, the low clouds near the coast. expanding over the bay as we head into tomorrow morning's commute, between 5:00 and 8:00 a.m., we'll see the gray skies as we head into the afternoon. low clouds pull back to the coast and everyone enjoy sunshine except near the beaches. those of you who love the low clouds and fog, you're in luck

tomorrow. temperatures upper 40s to the mid 50s. we'll see the marine layer redeveloping. visibility will be low for the morning commute across parts of the bay area. afternoon highs on the mild side, nowhere near where you should be but pleasant. 80 in antioch, 79 in livermore, 72 san rafael. 65 degrees in san francisco. 70 in oakland, fremont and palo alto, low 70s. 64 in half moon bay. that's your pattern for your friday. you can always download the accuweather app and keep track of those temperatures hour-by-hour, minute by minute. the accuweather seven-day forecast, milder tomorrow, low 60s to low 80s. slightly cooler saturday. you see the temperatures coming up again on sunday. still below average as we head into a new workweek with numbers hovering for the warmest inland valleys. low 80s until thursday. that's when we're expecting the temperatures to actually rise up closer to average. mid 80s inland, low 60s coast. just in case you're counting,

we're nine days away from the autumnal equinox, september 22nd the seasons will be changing. >> that's when it's official. it feels like it already it's been so chilly. new fallout from the high cost o bowls to serve teriyaki. see that right there? you can't say that. i can't tell people to try my bowls? no. check out my bowls? nope. what about my billboard? (sighs) what? try my teriyaki bowls.

now available comwith steak or chicken,s. covered in our teriyaki sauce, plus steamed veggies and your choice of white or brown rice. i've got the bowls to serve something different! (sighs) what? try my teriyaki bowls. researchers flying a drone saw this guy swimming and playing with dozens of belugas, treating it as one of their own even though the gray whale was 600 miles from his normal area. they don't typically interact. this is video from the group for research and education on marine mammals. research finds more than half of tech workers say they delayed having kids because of the incredible cost of living. a workplace social network is used by workers in silicon

valley. this is their video from youtube. >> 58% of workers say they were putting off having children. google was 63%, facebook 53%. some say birth rates have been decreasing significantly in an area where home rates are increasing. abc 7 news says peyton visited his alma mater skyline high school. he and the oakland as donated $5,000 to the boys basketball team. the money will go to new uniforms, says it helps the boys dream big. >> i made it out of here and i want you guys to make it out of here. today he was joined by oakland mayor libby schaaf. both told the kids they want to see them also give back to the

schools as adults. swinging from the fences or at least trying to. the as prove batting practice is not just for players. see how far some of these guys can hit next. first we want to thank lonnie for this picture of the pigeon point lighthouse. we also want to thank brian for this picture of this morning's sunrise over san francisco. another stunner. share your pictures

coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, governor brown is about to board a ferry and head on the bay. we'll fell you what he's up to next. the cadillac of exercise bikes. i love it. >> he loves his stationary bike probably because he had to jump through major groups to have it. "7 on your side's" michael finney was there to help him.

finally tonight the oakland a's are third in the majors with 200 home runs this season. >> hitting one out of a big league park is harder than it looks. no one left the yard today. two friends did walk away with season tickets. >> prizes awarded for hitting into a pool or hoola hoop, so accuracy counts. the deepest ball of the hard. >> i hit it hard. i thought it was going. it was going. it hit the dirt. i'm like, what? it felt good. the memories, my dad is here watching. you don't get opportunities like that very often. >> it was wonderful. i ex-expected a couple more people to try to bunt it in. everyone did a great job. we wanted to make sure that no matter what your skill level was, you had a chance to win.

>> even let our sports producer make a few hacks. he made some good tonight, breaking news as we come on the air in the west. bracing right now for hurricane florence, landfall in the coming hours. the monster hurricane slowing down and it is massive tonight. tropical storm-force winds, more than 300 miles across. destructive winds already lashing the coast, blinding rain, waves smashing through buildings. water rushing down streets. more than 40 inches of rain possible. power outages by the thousands already reported tonight. the nuclear plant shutting down tonight right in the path of the hurricane. we're live up and down the coast, communities already getting hit. meteorologist ginger zee with the new track just out. when and where florence is now expected to make landfall. and my interview tonight with the police chief here and his new warning, given how slow this