that's not it. the planned spacex launch was also scrubbed. that didn't happen. people reported seeing the light as far south as santa cruz as well as in the central valley. >> we saw the light earlier from the emeryville tower camera. right now it is clear as you see in the live picture. we are trying to find out what it was in the sky that got so much attention. when we do, we will, of course, let you know immediately. >> definitely a sight. >> yeah, maybe they're here. >> i hope not. thanks for joining us tonight. i'm ama daetz. >> i'm dan ashley. now to tonight's big story, bay area housing ranks among the most expensive in the country as you know, but there are ways to make living here more affordable. >> we've dealt with rising rents for decades. look at how quickly rent rose in san francisco through the '80s and '90s, from less than $500 a month to more than $2,000. >> zillow puts the current median rent for a two-bedroom at more than $4,000. at "abc 7 news" we are committed to building a better bay area, which means we are looking for

solutions to issues like high housing costs and how to keep it from being priced out of your own neighborhood. >> among the most vulnerable residents, seniors. "abc 7 news" reporter lyanne melendez joins us live from the newsroom with the team effort to create affordable housing. >> it is absolutely a team effort involving nonprofits, private financial partners, city hall. the list continues. today we saw how public housing is transformed without the involvement of the federal government. public housing units like this one once owned by the federal government are purchased by a nonprofit which agrees to renovate them using city and iv funds. extending the life of the building, they are getting more from their investment. the owner of this property nonp community housing partnership, which now owns and/or manages 17 buildings throughout the city including island. >> we now own it, manage it and provide services to the 97

residents who live here. >> reporter: no residents were permanently relocated during the renovation. >> ultimately, what happened to us in plaza east where they tore down 300 units and only built 200, there was no way we were going to let that happen to any other resident in san francisco. >> when you're homeless, you're isolated. you have to be always on your toes. >> reporter: robert madison was once homeless before arriving here. he and the other residents are guaranteed to live here in perpetuity. they continue to pay only 30% of their income. the city wants to see more of these conversions. >> the seniors are the fastest growing population, too. we definitely have a lot of vulnerable seniors that need this. >> reporter: today this building was renamed after the late rachel townsend, a youth worker and community leader who ironically could no longer afford to live in san francisco. for people like robert madison, this is a place they will now continue to call home without fear of being displaced.

>> well, the city has set a goal of revitalizing 3,500 of these units. so far they've done about 2,500, all with the same purpose, keeping them permanently affordable. in the newsroom, lyanne melendez, "abc 7 news." >> thank you. we want to know, what do you think can help housing costs in the bay area? we want to hear you ideas. this could become a story. use the #betterbayarea on twitter, facebook as well as instagram. new at 6:00, right now crews are on the scene of an apartment fire in san francisco. the fire department sent rescue teams inside after initial reports of people trapped in the building. it is happening at an apartment on missouri street. firefighters are telling people to avoid that entire area. let's take a live look from sky 7, give you a different vantage point. fire crews say one person was treated for smoke inhalation, should be okay. that's good news. they also rescued a dock from the building an say they now have the fire under control. so things have turned for the

better. a chp helicopter had to rescue a man from the mud near scaggs island last this afternoon after he got stuck while running from police. it happened just off highway 37 near sonoma raceway. the chp says the man led officers on a high-speed chase from american canyon and crashed his car and took off on foot into the marsh. it closed part of highway 37 for about an hour. authorities say the suspect is a wanted felon but they did not say what he was wanted for precisely. the man was taken into custody after he was pulled out of all of that mud. the damage done by this dramatic tesla battery fire has raised questions about the car maker's safety, yet it maintains its electric vehicles are many times safer than gasoline-powered cars. david louie talked to tesla today and to technology experts about systems that try to minimize injury from these fires. he's live in san jose. david. >> reporter: ama, it is estimated a full-size tesla sedan has about 1,000 pounds

worth of lithium-ion batteries inside a special housing to protect them. when the batteries get damaged or if they overheat, a major fire can result. tesla is aware of the intensity of these battery fires and the special steps necessary to extinguish them. it tells "abc 7 news" it does firefighter training across the country and has posted this online emergency response guide for first responders. >> following the guidelines that have been published by tesla, we propped the vehicle up so the underbody of the vehicle was exposed and applied the water directly to the bottom of the vehicle. that's based on those guidelines, that's the most efficient way to cool the batteries down. >> reporter: automotive technology instructor michael hernandez teaches students how to repair and maintain the batteries. he says the batteries which can ignite when they overheat, have special cooling devices to prevent that. >> sometimes a car if it gets in an accident or if it is damage it in some way, it could affect some of the protective devices

they built in. so then batteries can catch fire, but, still, they have a lot of devices in there to try to minimize it. >> reporter: however, these fires also generate an image problem for tesla. industry analyst mark vena at moor insights told "abc 7 news", this type of situation undermines confidence with existing and, more importantly, future customers. tesla needs to investigate this situation and get to the root cause asap to get this behind them. another burning issue is that the battery fires tend to reignite. >> the batteries continue to generate heat. we check them with our thermal imaging camera, make sure everything is cool, but you still have the process of heat generation going on in the batteries. >> reporter: it took six hours to put out that tesla battery fire. one fire expert told us that might not be the best approach because of the damage caused by run-off and pouring so much water on it. the alternative would be to just let it burn. in san jose, david louie, "abc 7 news". >> amazing how intense those

flames are. david, thank you very much. well, for the first time tonight we are hearing from two local people who say they are victims in a nationwide student loan debt relief scheme. >> yeah, the federal trade commission shut down amayor ter financial with an injunction and the ceo is facing criminal fraud charges as well. >> thousands of consumers tell the ftc they paid them thousands of dollars and are further in student loan debt. >> melanie woodrow has been following the story for weeks now and she is here with a story you will see only on "abc 7 news". melanie. >> dan and ama, a recent interview with an employee caught the attention of the federal trade commission. they in turn sent out an e-mail to victims asking them to contact me here at "abc 7 news" if they were interested in sharing their stories. people we spoke with say they feel humiliated and taken. nikia warren and andre arch bald are two of more than 2,000

consumers who contacted the federal trade commission to complain about ameri tech financial, a student loan debt relief company. according to the ftc, between 2014 and 2018 consumers paid ameri tech financial $60 million in fees in exchange for ameritech financial submitting documents on their behalf to loan repayment plans. they believed the money they were paying to them was going toward their student loans, but the ftc says it was not. >> i felt humiliated. i was very angry about it. >> reporter: archibald served in the army 19 years and now works in counterintelligence. >> it makes you feel like you're kind of a chump. >> reporter: both paid thousands of dollars up front followed by recurring monthly fees. the ftc says the upfront fees should serve as a red flag to consumers. >> asking you for a fee in advance of doing anything for you, and by doing anything what i mean is actually providing you the debt relief services you are

signing up for, that is illegal. >> reporter: consumers also say ameritech financial encouraged them to exaggerate their family size to qualify for the loan forgiveness perhaps. in february, ftc filed a complaint against the company and the ceo, outlining the illegal practices. >> i would have kept paying in ignorance had it not been for a legal notification i received. >> reporter: there's a disclosure in small print. it says the company does not assume or pay consumer debts. it says there are many free government perhaps and that this is not a government program. that is information nikia says she didn't know until after the ftc contacted her. she then contacted the department of education. >> when i said ameritech, the woman on the phone finished, financial for me. she knew who the company was. she said, i have talked to many

people like you have and you have been taken advantage of. >> on november 29thth, the ftc shut them down. brandon frere is facing a criminal wire charge for transferring company money to personal and offshore accounts. his attorney did not respond to a request for comment today, but told "abc 7 news" previously. >> there are issues that will come out as the case goes forward. >> reporter: meantime, they're further in student loan debt before they began paying ameritech financial due to interest that continued to accrue on their loans. the ftc has a list of people and companies they banned from debt relief. we are placing a link to the site on our website, abc7news.com. >> what a predicament for people caught in this. >> hundreds of thousands of people. >> melanie, thank you very much. happening tonight, the mother of a dying boy who had to fight for a chance to see him will arrive at sfo. a two-year-old yemeni boy named

abdullah is suffering from a rare brain disease and is on life support at ucf children's hospital in oakland. abdullah and his father have u.s. citizenship so they were able to travel here for treatment. however, his mother's application for a visa was initially denied because of the trump administration's travel ban. "abc 7 news" reporter kate larson joins us live from san francisco international airport with more on the family's ordeal. kate. >> reporter: ama, we are talking about a mother who four months ago put her little boy on a plane with the home and a wish that doctors here in the bay area would be able to improve his rare brain condition. unfortunately, abdullah, who just turned two, is now on life support at oakland children's hospital, and until yesterday his mother didn't think she would get a chance to hold her son one last time and say goodbye. as we mentioned, the boy and his father are naturalized u.s. citizens but the mother is not, so the family tried for more than a year to get her a spousal

visa, but until yesterday they had not been granted that visa. families here in the bay area and all over the world have been following this story. >> it is heart wrenching to just sort of feel that a mother or even a parent can't get to their family in an appropriate amount of time in a situation like this. >> i think there's -- there's politics and then there's humanity, and when those two intersect you have to start to question that. >> i think it speaks to all of the people who we don't hear about that have the same issue, that don't make the headlines, don't make the news. all of the families that are obviously affected by the ban that, you know, are special cases that we should -- it shouldn't be so difficult for anyone to be heard. >> reporter: the council on american islamic relations tells me the family contacted the u.s. embassy in cairo 28 times this year with no luck to try to get the visa. recently, there's been news coverage, public outcry, and on monday cair filed a lawsuit and

yesterday the family got that visa. the mother is on a plane right now headed here to sfo from cairo. she lands around 7:30. there will be a brief press conference which we will bring you at 11:00. the family is headed straight to the hospital. unfortunately, we're told the boy likely has just days to live. live at sfo, i'm kate larsen, "abc 7 news." >> so sad. at least she will be here. thank you very much. we will start a new year in less than two weeks. the new year brings new laws, including tougher consequences for drivers who are repeat dui offenders. i'm spencer christian. we have a little bit of rain on the way. i'll have the accuweather forecast in a moment. >> i'm meteorologist dre td o wr >> i'm meteorologist dre td o wr ma >> i'm meteorologist dre td o wr ma ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪thisi'm gonna let it shine. ♪ it's energy saving time, ♪ i'm gonna reduce mine. ♪ californians all align ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ let it shine, ♪ the power's ours to let it shine! ♪

happening now, a high surf advisory remains in effect. it will last until 3:00 a.m. this is new video of the waves in half moon bay today from sky 7. we were out there to get you these pictures. wave heights have diminished a bit, but it is in no way calm at pillar point harbor. "abc 7 news" reporter wayne freedman spoke with a surfer who experienced the pounding power of surf at mavericks when it overtook him. >> if you believe the signs, avoid them. >> it is like being in an uncomfortable position that you just can't get out of. >> reporter: today's discomfort arrived in the form of unwanted fame. >> this is for the camera. get closer. for context, this was monday at mavericks when 50-foot surf lured vicarious thrill seekers

who came to watch and world class surfers like william who came to harness the forces until this happened. he survived a minute and 40 seconds of being tossed around beneath and battered above by wave after wave. >> it feels like you're one of those, like, flag people at a car dealer or something. you are just getting ripped around. >> reporter: here is how the beginning of the ride looked to photographer matt ord from a jet ski. this is view from abc 7's dean smith on the cliff. willam had never seen the video until we showed him today. >> that's when i got -- that was the worst of it, after i fell and was sucked over the lip. >> reporter: frame by frame, this 22-year-old construction worker deconstructed every second of that ride. >> no, i didn't even feel like i was going to die at all. kind of a meditative mindset. >> reporter: even when he closed within 75 feet of these rocks. it has gone crazy on the

internet. willam unfazed. >> instagram familiar doesn't necessarily make you famous because it comes and goes really quickly. >> reporter: how fortunate that in this case the subject lived to surf another day. interesting side note. if this had been the contest, we asked willam how much that ride would be worth. he says maybe nine point if he had finished but he didn't finish, so 4 1/2. that's a tough crowd. at pillar point marina in san mateo county, wayne freedman, "abc 7 news." >> that was a scary wave. spencer christian is here with the forecast. first though we want to talk to drew because we want to find out how these big waves are created. drew. >> yeah. you know what? california just has hundreds of miles of coastline where waves can crash along the shore, but it is really the geography near pillar point that makes the

mavericks contest possible. rising land close to the shore creates an underwater ramp, but there's also two deep troughs on either side of that ramp. it is a geo graphic trifecta which surfers absolutely love. >> now this incoming wave is also refractiving toward the ramp, and so this wave-front energy is focused in this one point and all of this energy just jacks that giant wave up. >> and winds are also a huge factor in creating large waves. like this exhibit at the exploratorium, winds can further enhance waves as they cross the pacific ocean and crash along our coastline. dan and ama, another key tool, those waves have to come from the northwest. so hopefully maybe january, february we will get the conditions once again to create the large waves for surfers. >> interesting. >> it is. >> thanks, drew. >> fun to watch those waves. >> oh, yeah. watch it from afar. >> exactly.

>> for us. >> a safe distance, your television set. let's talk about the forecast as we get a little closer to the weekend and christmas. >> that's right. spencer christian is here with that. >> we'll go from watching the waves to watching the sky because the clouds are thickening with a little rain on its way. here is live doppler 7. partly to mostly cloudy skies with dense fog developing overnight. this is a clear view from sutro tower looking over san francisco. 57 in the city. we have mid to upper 50s in oakland, mountain view, san jose and half moon bay and 52-degree right now at morgan hill. here is the view from emeryville looking towards san francisco. napa is down to 49 railroad. low to mid 50s at san rafael, vacaville, concord and livermore. the view of part of the skyline of san francisco and the embarcadero center, these are the areas where we see dense fog developing overnight and into the morning commute. visibilities may be reduced a bit in spot. showers arrive tomorrow night and winter begins friday at 2:23

a.m. a high surf advisory remains in effect until 3:00 a.m. tomorrow. wave heights range from 11 to 16 feet, so elevated but gradually diminishing. to overnight conditions, look for partly cloudy skies with dense fog spilling from the central valley through the delta, up into some of the north bay valley locations. overnight lows will be mainly in the low to mid 40s. tomorrow's highs will generally be around 59 to 60 degrees in most locations, although maybe a little milder in the south bay where san jose will top out at about 62 degrees. let's talk about our approaching storm. it is a light one. it ranks one on the storm impact scale. it will come in tomorrow night bringing scattered showers, best chances in the north bay. rainfall totals range from only a trace of rainfall in some locations to perhaps a quarter of an inch in the wettest north bay low cases. starting the forecast animation at noon tomorrow, tomorrow evening we will see the first wave of rain sweeping through the north bay. as it continues south ward and late tomorrow night and

overnight into friday, we will see the system breaking up and falling apart by 7:00, 7:30 friday morning, we should see some clearing and the rain should be over by then. here is the accuweather seven-day forecast. going into friday we will see partly to mostly sunny skies by afternoon, drying out and sunny on saturday. sunday though clouds will increase again. we expect another wet system coming in on monday, ranking one on the storm impact scale. that's wet rain for christmas cs eve. christmas eve may be a little wet, but mainly dry on christmas day. >> that's good. thanks, spencer. coming up next, follow the money. >> the way that b.a.r.t persuaded us to vote in favor of a funding bond means it wil

here is a live look at three bay area bridges, the richmond, bay and san mateo. tolls will go up a dollar on every bridge except the golden gate starting january 1st. it is a result of measure three which voters approved in june, but two lawsuits are challenging the results. opponents say it required a two-thirds votes to pass which it did not get. the money from the toll hike will be put in escrow until the lawsuits are resolved. a state senator is calling for b.a.r.t to get the maximum fine possible for illegally using public funds.

an investigation found b.a.r.t used public money to campaign for a $3.6 billion bond measure in 2016. the fair political practices commission, which conducted the investigation, proposes a $7,500 administration fee. state senator steve glaser is pushing for the maximum fine for failing to properly disclose illegal spending. >> the fair political practice commission, we count on them to be a watchdog and not a lap dog. that fine is like a moth on a b.a.r.t train windshield being brushed off. it has absolutely no effect. >> according to the commission, b.a.r.t can be fined more than $33,000 for its violations. all right. less than two weeks are left in the year, and we are making sure you are ready for what is new and what is different in 2019 when it comes to your car. >> a lot of things to know, right? plus, what has happened with your data on facebook? wh

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>> if you're not paying for it, you are the product. a sober warning from a south bay cybersecurity expert that all members of the world's biggest social media network should pay attention to. new details on facebook and how the company offered its users' data to more tech company firms than it previously disclosed. >> that's according to a new report by "the new york times". chris nguyen spoke to industry experts about the revelations and explains what the uproar is about. >> reporter: tonight there's growing concern over facebook's latest privacy scandal. >> it does worry you because you kind of want to know where your information goes and who has it. >> reporter: our personal data is a hot commodity, but now we're learning facebook gave big companies like amazon, netflix and microsoft more access to users' private information than previously thought. >> very alarming to k acceti don' feel comfortable, y know, sharing all of my information because it is all personal. but right now our hands are tied. >> reporter: according to "the new york times", the social

media giant made deals to share data which helped them gain more users. partners could add new features to their products while avoiding facebook's usual privacy reels. some were able to see entire friend lists. others were allegedly able to read private messages without the users knowing. >> at this stage the government has to step in and have some kind of regulation that will stop facebook from just doing whatever they're doing now, because this is too much for the consumers. >> reporter: in a statement, a facebook representative said in part, to be clear, none of these partnerships or features gave companies access to information without people's permission, nor did they violate our 2012 settlement with the ftc. a previous agreement with the federal trade commission barred the social network from sharing user data without explicit permission. >> think twice about what you post, about what you share, even if it is a direct message to someone that's private. i mean think twice about it baugh us never know who might get access into your social media. >> reporter: those in the public

relations field say facebook needs to be more transparent, but say users have very few choices. >> trust is the basis for a meaningful relationship, and yet we tend not to do anything in terms of our facebook accounts. you might be upset about it for a week and then we get right back on. >> reporter: a so-called privacy wall with protections that only go so far. in the south bay, chris nguyen, "abc 7 news". facebook is just one company that saw a big stock slide today. closing down more than 7%, the dow tumbled to the lowest level of the year after the fed increased interest rates. it lost nearly 351 points, closing at 23,323. the nasdaq dropped 147, while the s&p closed down 39 points. speculation that san francisco billionaire and political activist tom steyer may run for president in 2020 is growing. for the past few years he funded

campaigns across the country and recently job ads for campaign directors with his organization have been posted on linkedin for three primary states. on "abc 7 news" at 4:00 today, kristen sze asked him about the likelihood of a white house bid. >> in front of your hometown viewers here in san francisco, let's just be straightforward. are we talking about 50%, 75% chance, 90% chance you are running? >> well, let me give you the way i'm thinking about it. what i did after the midterms was put out what i think is a positive vision for america, the right to learn, free public education, quality public education, pre-k through college and skills education. the right to a living wage and the right to health. nd h acts like a he was candidate. he has been holding hundreds of town halls across the country. he spent millions on tv ads and plans to go to iowa in january, all indications he is likely to run. the state is cracking down

on repeat dui offenders with a new law that takes effect in january. drivers with more than one dui will be required to install an ignition interlock device and keep it up to two years. here is the dmv explaining what it is. >> you cannot turn on the engine until you are able to blow into the device and it tests if there's a concentration of alcohol in your system. the engine will not turn on if there is alcohol detected in your breath. >> prior to the new law, the ignition interlock devices were only used in certain cities. also changing in the new year, those white and green clean air vehicle stickers no longer qualify cars to get into carpool or express lanes. cars have to have the new red sticker you see on the right, available for alternative fuel vehicles sold in 2017 and later. carpool lanes were getting too crowded and the state wants newer, cleaner cars on the roads. starting in 2019, california drivers licenses will have a new

gender option, non-binary in addition to male and female. your car is exempt from a required smog check until it is eight years old. the current requirement is cars that are six years old. you can find new laws by going to our website at nbc7.com. signing day can be one of the most fun. >> see youand the holiday spiritoss just hits you... yes! or when you get the best deal... on a treat for your best friend?

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college football today was national signing day, which is when schools can officially sign new recruits. >> it is exciting to watch. >> it is. >> several east bay students announced their intention with family and classmates at their side. >> "abc 7 news" reporter carlos saucedo has more from oakland. >> reporter: three students at bishop odell announced their school of choice for next year including football star austin jones, sporting that cardinal red. he will stay in the bay area at stanford. >> i'm super excited, especially for not just me but my family and my teammates also because without them it wouldn't be possible. >> reporter: austin is most decorated football player to come out of odell while keeping straight as. >> he worked hard not only on the football field but the

classroom, he is a 4.0 student plus. >> reporter: over at oakland high, he kept the suspense high until the end. >> i will be continuing my ball and education at -- ucla. >> reporter: instance next fall. >> we came from nothing and the fact that my parents came from a little island of tonga to america, that played a big part with my whole recruiting process. >> reporter: the decision was a hard one for proud parents. >> it is hard for me, for him to go far. >> reporter: uche is first play to eastern an athletic and academic scholarship under his leadership. >> it is a role for the younger kids behind him. >> reporter: the future is bright for these talented student-athletes. in oakland, carlos saucedo, "abc

7 news." >> good for them. >> yeah. all right. we are expecting rain tomorrow, but how much you get depends on where you live. >> and

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

people in the puget sound region of washington are bracing for a windstorm to hit the area tomorrow as they clean up from yesterday's tornado. that twister was designated an ef-2 with peek winds of 120 to 130 miles per hour. homes were destroyed and trees uprooted but glad to say no major industries. pretty ferocious storm but rare for them to get that kind of weather. >> nothing that scary coming our way. >> thank goodness. spencer christian is back with the forecast. >> we have increasing clouds over the bay area, and that will be the pattern overnight with fog developing, some dense at times. overnight lows, low to mid 40s. tomorrow as clouds continue to thicken, high temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s in advance of the approaching storm, which ranks one on the storm impact scale, it will start in the north bay and swing eastward and south ward. most locations will receive less than a tenth of rain for the storm. on friday we start to dry out, continuing into the weekend.

clouds thicken on sunday and the next storm comes in on monday, which is christmas eve, bringing us light rainfall. >> rudolph will be in high demand. >> yes, he will. that red nose will be glowing. >> thanks, spencer. on to sports. warriors on the road i guess tonight. >> larry beil is here with the latest. >> it is a one-game trip and they'll come back home for the next four after that. in utah tonight, jazz were surprised in the playoffs last year. they are a surprise again this year because they're in 14th place in the west and there's only 15 teams. fired up. this is my next career, fire knife dancer. based on recent conversations, i may be starting sooner than later. anyway, klay thompson miss, a put back slam. utah, durant to a wide open curry. splash. jazz on a 7-0 run. kyle makes it a 10-0 run. they acquired him recently from cleveland. the warriors answer in the second. here is curry taking on korver.

it is a mismatch. step back three. right now second quarter, tied at 35. we showed you earlier, it is national signing day when high school football players pick their colleges. stanford has a top 28 recruiting class. they signed some key local kids, although their highest rated recruit is from texas, wide receiver elijah higgins, 6'3", 215 pounds. that is a nice red zone target there. higgins among the four star recruits for zaf ha. who replaces bryce love? maybe austin jones. nice cut there. rated as the top running back in northern california, 5'10", 200 pounds. another local product, tristan sinclair. his father played for stanford. 6'2", 205 pounds. a high motor guy. another linebacker of note, joshua pakola. shaw described him this way, big, fast, vie leapt, physical. sound like me. abc 7's mindi bach has more.

>> reporter: coach david shaw and his staff started receiving the signed letters as early as 4:20 this morning, most coming by way of good, old fashioned fax. 23 signed recruits in all for this upcoming class for the stanford cardinals, four of them coming right here from the bay area. >> it says a lot about the area football right now. you are seeing a lot of young people get pulled out of a bunch of different places to go to school. for these young men in particular, they're what we're looking for academically and athletically. >> reporter: for shaw, one of the most important aspects about the class of 2019 is versatility. >> so skill position wise, i'm real excited about this class for what they can do and what they can do together. >> reporter: david shaw says most of his recruiting for next year is done, but there are still scholarships available and he could sign one or two more come february. at stanford, mindi bach, abc 7 sports. >> thank you, mindi. cal's class regarded as middle of the pack in the

pac-12. you have to keep in mind it takes years to figure out how good a class is, how guys mature. the top recruit is orin patu, a three-star outside linebacker from seattle. local side, kyle smith, linebacker from los gatos high. offensive side of the ball, makia polk, three star from richmond's el cerritos high school. here is the coach, justin wilcox. >> there's a lot of good football players out there, and we're really excited about this group just because we feel like, again, they fit us and they're going to fit into the locker room. that's kind of what we're all about. >> signing day is usually a chance for players to express their creativity. every year you see a bevy of announcement videos flooding the internet. there's one by cooper dawson, a kid from south carolina, that's today's winner. >> without further ado, i announce it to kingsley before i tell anyone else. i will tell him and let him announce to y'all.

>> he's going to syracuse. >> syracuse it is! dawson is a 6'5" defensive end. he wanted to share the moment with kingsley fineman, his friend who suffers from cerebral palsy. he said he learned from kingsley the only disability is a bad attitude. that's a great moment today. nfl news. the raiders signed nathan peterman to the practice squad. yes, the nathan peterman. 12 interceptions and three touchdowns in his nfl career. just not good with buffalo at all. before the 2017 draft, jon gruder said peterman was the most nfl ready quarterback out there. the raiders have three first round picks next year. they just fired their gm. be afraid. be very afraid. colin kaepernick, of course, he knelt so nobody would sign him. >> thank you so much, larry. join us tonight at 9:00 on kofy tv 20, cable channel 713

and "abc 7 news" at 1 ssh. we are checking in with experts about what caused the weird streak in the sky we showed you. then at 9:00, dozens of amazon packages abandoned near a dumpster in a california neighborhood. how neighbors are making sure they get to the right people. on "abc 7 news" at 11:00, why these bikes will bring much-needed smiles to new owners. all of that tonight. then we will be right back with a special message that it is not so much of a farewell. >> it is more of kind of a see you later from a

all right. we want to take a moment right now to acknowledge our colleague. >> we sure do. cheryl jennings, who will change roles here at abc 7 in the new year, and she is here to explain a little bit more. >> yes. thank you for that. i appreciate that. well, it is sort of a partial retirement. i will be leaving my weekly role here as host of "beyond the headlines" as of the end of the year and focus exclusively on special projects throughout the year. i am proud to have had the opportunity to showcase incredible charities that are local and have global connections. >> delighted, ms. jennings. >> in late january 2015 i traveled to afghanistan with the san rafael-based nonprofit roots of peace to interview the president. my first trip to afghanistan with roots of peace was in 2005 when they were just starting out with a pilot project, removing land mines and then working with farmers to improve food crops. my photographer, mike clark, and

i walked with them through a mine field. >> these are just some of the many children of kosovo living in terrible conditions. >> my first walk through a mine field was in kosovo in 1999. i went there with care international to learn about the children of war and the families living in refugee camps. local philanthropists brought computers donated by silicon valley companies to help link families who were scattered in different refugee camps. care told me they used my stories to raise money to help remove land mines. we returned two years later and saw thriving farm lands. in 2009 i traveled to south africa to see a marin county man working in the poor areas of capetown, helping children living with contagious diseases like hiv and aids. in 2010 i traveled to korea to learn about the high-speed rail system and how a free trade agreement would affect the napa valley wine industry.

in 2013 i went with roots of peace to visit israel and the palestinian authority, and i saw soething extraordinary. israelis and palestinians working together to remove land mines in the fields of bethlehem. the money was donated by a napa valley couple. all of this was done in the name of a little boy who lost a leg to a land mine. >> three, two, one. >> in 2016 i traveled to vietnam with roots of peace to showcase a two-part program. one, two remove mines and unexploded bombs left from the war more than 40 years ago. and, two, to see the successful program allowing disabled farmers to grow crops for food and export like black pepper. that pepper is being purchased and sold by bay area spice company morton and bassett. >> this is a very exciting day

for the hospital. it is in one of the poorest areas of lima. >> i traveled to peru with vita from emeryville. it stands for the volunteers of interamerican development assistance. it collects tons of surplus medical supplies and equipment and ships it in containers to 14 impoverished latin american countries. most recently we traveled to mcallen texas with congresswoman jackie speier to learn about the immigration situation at the border with mexico. she led a delegation of lawmakers to inspect border patrol facilities where children and families were separated from each other and detained. we followed the newly-formed nonprofit bay area border relief volunteers. they originally called themselves i want my mommy group. they collect and bring thousands of pounds of supplies for the immigrants asking for asylum. of course, i will continue to represent abc 7 in the

community. now, you won't see me here on a weekly basis, but you will see me with special reports from time to time. if you have a moment, please visit with me on social media at my new site, on facebook, instagram and twitter. it has been a privilege to have earned your trust over the years and to have worked at this great station with my beloved tv family. it is not goodbye, it is just so long for now. >> oh, we can't. >> you guys are my favorite. >> we feel the same way about you. we won't be able to drag you out of here. you love this. you have done so many remarkable stories. that piece we just aired is a small sample of what you have done. an amazing legacy. >> and a lot more to come. you are already working on some projects. >> i am. we have the annual taylor family foundation special, just like me. remember, next year is our 70th birthday for theheua >> wo you were so prominent -- a quick story. just to tell you a little bit about how nice this woman is. when i started -- you and i

started anchoring here together 25 years ago about. she called me when the word went out i was being hired. she called me in charleston and called me out of the blue. she said i can't wait to work with you. such a sweet jess ter. it meant the world to me. >> she's so welcoming. >> you know what, it is easy when you love the people you work with. >> we love. >> we love you, too. >> we'll see you soon. like we said, see you later. >> you can't get rid of me yet. >> we almost got you

am i saying it well, l'chaim? l'chaim. maybe you're making merry. l'chaim! or maybe you're making cocoa. don't spill it. maybe you're with the family you got. (all) ooh! or maybe the one you've chosen. it's culture salad. maybe there's lights... there's definitely lights. maybe there's one less this year. or maybe one more. (singing) our holidays don't all look the same. and maybe that's what makes us great. make the dream yours. ikea.

♪ this is "jeopardy!" please welcome today's contestants-- a biomedical engineer from silver spring, maryland... a graphic designer and teacher from brooklyn, new york... and our returning champion-- an attorney and writer from los angeles, california... whose 3-day cash winnings total... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!"--alex trebek! [ cheers and applause ] thank you, johnny. hi, everyone. welcome to our show. the song lyric says, "unforgettable, that's what you are,"

but i think a better word to describe our current champion is "unpredictable." you never know what jackie is going to do. she's all over the board, her wagers are inconsistent, but, hey, she's a 3-day champion with a lot of money. so, trisha and eric, watch out. let's go to work. ♪ jeopardy! round has one daily double in one of these categories... how nice. next... ...like "kilo" and "silo," but they don't. and finally... jackie, you're the champ. you go first. tea & sympathy, $400.