suspected drug dealers were arrested in an overnight raid at jefferson square park in san francisco. now, residents say that area had been a haven for drug dealers and users in the past few months because of efforts to clean up other parts of the city. >> abc seven news reporter suzanne phan is live in the newsroom with details. suzanne. >> larry. kristin. this was a huge effort with police officers, sheriffs deputies, park rangers and other agencies. now, neighbors say they are so relieved the city finally did something about the park, an area they say has been a hotbed of drug dealing and drug use. sebastian luke, who doesn't want to be identified, says neighbors have been complaining for months. they're frustrated and fed up with the drug dealers and users at jefferson square park. >> the neighbors complaining about the drug use the feces, needles. >> so when authorities moved in quietly wednesday night. >> i was very shocked. i saw one big bust. the sheriff took the bus and i saw about like 100 agents, about 100 agents of dea

and undercover cops. >> luke captured these pictures of the large scale operation to crack down on all the illegal activity at the park. san francisco police shared this video. the police chief says officers arrested 84 people and confiscated more than a pound of drugs, including fentanyl. >> we had a multitude of people out there, all with the same single purpose, and that is to make these communities safer and stop this whack a mole thing that we're seeing. when drug dealers and users go from one community to the next, when they get pressure. >> city leaders and residents alike say they've seen drug dealing and illegal activity moved from neighborhood to neighborhood. jefferson square park is in san francisco, supervisor bilal mahmood's district. >> there was a mix of dealing people, illegal street vending as well as people suffering from addiction. so it's definitely worse than it's been in a long time. >> mahmoud applauds the crackdown and says with the new mayoral administration, there's

a focus on new strategies to curb drug markets. >> i think it sends a message that this will not be tolerated in our city any longer. and the city, in partnership with all the city departments and the mayor, are working seriously to address this crisis. >> for luke and all the concerned people who have complained to authorities about jackson square park. >> i'm very relieved that, you know, action was taken and people were arrested. we need to send a clear message that you cannot invade this neighborhood and do drugs, trash our neighborhood. >> and this afternoon, neighbors told me that some drug users have already started returning to jackson square park. supervisor mahmoud wants city leaders to consider a new drug market intervention strategy. he believes paying for 24/7 staffing to keep a close eye on our neighborhoods will prevent illegal activity from returning. live in the newsroom suzanne phan abc seven news. >> suzanne. thank you. just

moments ago, officials with the city of vallejo announced that their new approach to reduce violent crime is actually showing results. city leaders announced the arrests of multiple people accused of gun trafficking and selling drugs. officials credit the arrests to new partnerships to address three major issues gangs, drugs and guns. >> i want to send a message to the criminal element that the days of thinking that you can come to vallejo and do your business with impunity are over. this is the beginning. we are committed to increasing our resources and building on these efforts, and we are ready to hold ourselves accountable, just as we are going to be holding offenders accountable. >> officials say they'll be working to reduce violent crime through a department of justice program called public safety partnerships. this is a joint effort with local, state and federal agencies as well as community members. >> on the peninsula, two left lanes of southbound 101 are still closed following a big rig crash just before the south san francisco exit. the big rig hit a fence which fell onto caltrain

overhead power lines, knocking out power and shutting down train service between san francisco and san bruno. 160 gallons of fuel also spilled, which then shut down all the right lanes of 101. the chp estimates the remaining lanes will reopen at five. >> well, the tariffs on goods from mexico and canada are now back on. today, president trump announcing that he plans to impose 25% tariffs starting tuesday and double the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from china. he says they're needed to force other countries to crack down on drug trafficking. mexico's president says he hopes a deal can be worked out, while canada's prime minister says his country will be retaliating with their own tariffs on u.s. products. a judge in san francisco today ruled the recent mass firing of federal workers is unlawful. the judge ordered the office of personnel management to rescind directives to agencies like the department of defense and the park service. the ruling comes in response to a lawsuit by labor unions. those unions say

officials not only lack the authority to order these terminations, but that notices to workers were premised on a lie of poor job performance. >> south bay congress member sam liccardo is going after president trump in his first piece of legislation. liccardo has introduced the meme act, short for modern emoluments and malfeasance enforcement. it will block the president, vice president, members of congress, and other senior officials from issuing or sponsoring securities, commodities and cryptocurrencies like meme coins. of course, mr. trump launched his coin three days before he took office. >> we've seen more than 800,000 investors who have lost more than $2 billion on trump's meme coin, while in the meantime, we know trump more than made more than $100 million just from fees alone. the truth is, this is a pump and dump scheme, and federal officials shouldn't be involved in it. >> well, the legislation would also force the president to surrender any profits he's made from the sale of his meme coins. a week after president trump

issued an executive order to eliminate the presidio trust. we're learning more about the agency's finances. in a statement today, the agency says it earned $182 million last year, validating the effectiveness of its self-sustaining model. in addition, the presidio trust disclosed it's generated more than $350 million in net operating income and more than 1.1 billion in value to taxpayers since it stopped receiving annual appropriations in 2013. the presidio trust will present a report to the trump administration by march 5th. >> recent proposed federal cuts are leading to cutbacks at stanford university, including a hiring freeze. abc seven news reporter zach fuentes joins us live in san jose with the latest, zach. >> larry, the university said that the hiring freeze is coming amid what it calls potential financial uncertainties. uncertainties that are factors it said could have serious impacts. big news released to the stanford community wednesday. the school's

president and provost sending a letter to announce they're implementing a freeze on staff hiring. the freeze doesn't apply to faculty positions, contingent employees or student workers. we reached out to stanford for more information, but haven't heard back. in the letter, the university said it's developing its budget for the next school year, anticipating a significant cut because of the trump administration's proposal to reduce research payments from the national institutes of health and a possible increase in the endowment tax. as of august 2024, the endowment is $37.6 billion and pays for everything from salaries to financial aid to research. >> most medical breakthroughs and innovations really happen in an academia setting, or at least certainly. the basic research lays the groundwork for those kinds of innovations. and a lot of that happens at stanford with world class faculty. >> state senator josh becker says he's been working with stanford law school legislative colleagues and outside experts on how to address federal policy shifts under the new administration. for now, he

says, the university is making the right move. >> it's really quite, quite shocking, but i think stanford's probably being prudent here by just taking a little bit of a wait and see approach. >> the news of the hiring freeze quickly spread across campus, not just via the open letter, but also through publications like the stanford review. executive editor and student abby desai wrote this review piece saying the freeze could mark an opportunity. >> obviously, these funding cuts are not great for the university. maybe it's an opportunity for stanford to rethink, okay, how do we make things maybe a bit leaner or make the processes at the school work a lot better? >> deci also said the university has engaged in politics, straying away from neutrality, and in turn invited political and financial repercussions. >> i think the big point that institutions like stanford should sort of think about is how can we be institutionally neutral and really support students and professors and programs across the entire spectrum of ideas?

>> and that letter to the campus community. stanford's president and provost both said that the institute is still financially healthy and resilient, but that this planning now will be key in moving forward. live in the south bay bureau zach fuentes, abc seven news. >> zach. thank you. dozens of oakland school district staffers are poised now to lose their jobs. last night, the board of education voted to lay off and eliminate 97 full time positions to help offset the district's $95 million budget deficit. oakland, like many other bay area school districts, is facing declining enrollment and increasing operational costs. the layoff plan comes two months after the board rejected a plan to merge ten schools down into five. >> in the south bay. community leaders are trying to build a better and safer bay area for everyone. san jose police and the santa clara county district attorney's office hosted a neighborhood event raising awareness about hate crimes. abc seven news reporter dustin dorsey explains the main message. >> santa clara county is one of

the richest counties in the country financially, but also in culture. but unfortunately for many, with such diversity also comes hate, especially in recent years. >> when there's attacks on immigrant populations. we see an uptick in hate crimes as well. and the political climate is continually changing, which impacts the way that people view people of color, view immigrants. >> and arrest numbers from san jose. police highlight that reports of hate crime, more than tripling from 2019 to now. the key word being reports. >> there's a really a problem with underreporting. people may be worried, you know, consequences. >> we really encourage the reporting. one is so that they can get justice for themselves. also, to protect themselves from further crimes occurring and to help the community protect itself. >> this is just one of the lessons learned and shared at thursday's hate crime awareness symposium, a community event hosted by san jose police and the santa clara county district attorney's office. through discussions and conversations,

an opportunity to educate residents on various topics. >> the differences between hate crimes and hate incidents, and how to report them to the police department. how the santa clara county district attorney prosecutes them, and most importantly, resources to the residents of san jose. >> this is the kind of information that i want to get out to our community. >> danny garza is a community leader and an advocate in east san jose. he says underreporting of hate crimes comes from skepticism in law enforcement and government. amid current uncertainty for many communities. but garza says, if we don't speak up now and trust our leaders, problems will only get worse. >> rely on jeff rosen, rely on chief joseph, rely on peter ortiz, carl salas right across the street. district three. right. rely on them. go to them. get your problems addressed. >> to create a safe and diverse community for all in san jose. dustin dorsey, abc seven news. >> coming up on abc seven news

at four. the mysterious death of actor gene hackman, along with his wife and their dog. i'll tell you what we've learned there. the search for love leads to a bay area woman who lost her life savings, and it all started on a dating app. and counting down to the oscars, the first time nominees, and a look back at some of the most memorable oscar moments. >> i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. it was another warm day today, but temperatures are going to trend lower starting tomorrow, and even bigger changes are coming for the weekend. i'll be back

now to the mysterious death of legendary actor gene hackman. police are investigating after the 95 year old, his wife and their dog were all found dead in their new mexico home. >> yeah, foul play does not appear to be a factor, but it's still not known how they died. abc news reporter melissa don has the latest. >> police say a maintenance worker had gone to the couple's new mexico home and found the front door open, but there were no signs of forced entry. >> i think we just found two, one deceased person inside the house. >> according to a search warrant, sheriff's deputies found hackman on the floor in a mud room. arakawa in a bathroom with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered. one of their dogs was found dead about ten feet away. two other dogs were found alive, one in the

home, one outside. police saying the body showed no signs of trauma but the search warrants, saying their deaths were suspicious enough for a thorough search and investigation. the santa fe city fire department didn't detect any carbon monoxide. but police say the bodies appeared to have been there for some time, and any co that may have been there could have dissipated. >> there was no indication of a struggle. there was no indication of anything that was missing from the home or disturbed. you know, that would be indication that there was a crime that had occurred. >> hackman was 95 years old, his career spanning multiple decades, earning him many awards, including two oscars, his first for best actor in the film french connection. >> i don't buy that half the stuff is in that car. >> he also stood out as lex luthor in superman and a beloved basketball coach in hoosiers. >> if you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential to be the best that you can be, he had that presence that filled up every inch of the screen. so the

minute gene hackman came into a scene, your eyes were drawn to him. >> years ago, hackman was asked by gq magazine how he wanted to be remembered, and he said, quote, as a decent actor, as someone who tried to portray what was given to them in an honest fashion. melissa don, abc news, los angeles. >> actor the family of eric and lyle menendez today addressed the recent updates in their attempts to free the brothers from prison. the brothers have been behind bars for murdering their parents for more than 30 years. their family says that's enough time. reporter rob hayes from our sister station in los angeles with the latest. >> when it takes 35 years to spark a get out of jail crusade, it's important to not lose momentum. family members of lyle and erik menendez, determined to keep the spotlight on the brothers as they try to work their way out of prison. >> eric and lyle have expressed immense remorse. >> two cousins of the menendez brothers holding a virtual news conference today, a day after governor gavin newsom ordered a risk assessment to determine if the brothers pose a threat to public safety should they be

released. the family sees the governor's move as a positive sign. >> it is a huge sigh of relief that someone in a seat of power is paying attention. >> the only reason i can imagine doing that is if he's actually seriously contemplating clemency. >> legal expert josh ritter says the most promising route to freedom for the menendez brothers is through newsom, especially since district attorney nathan hochman last week argued against a new trial. >> very disparaging. it felt like a continuation of the narrative from 1989. >> lyle and eric were convicted of murdering their parents, jose and kitty menendez, in 1989, shotgunning them to death in their beverly hills mansion. the brothers claim their father molested them and their mother knew about it. two years ago, they sought a new trial, presenting what they say is new evidence supporting their claims of sexual abuse. ritter says a new trial or a resentencing is unlikely, and that the menendez family's efforts to keep the brothers and the governor in the

headlines may be their only chance. >> there is a belief in momentum and that this is really their only opportunity to get something done now, or they might miss that opportunity. >> for rob hayes, abc seven news. >> all right. >> turning to the forecast now. >> so warm for now. >> for now. >> let's not look at the weekend yet. do we have to? sandhya, i know. >> you want to cover your eyes, right? >> no. >> kristen and larry. you know what? it's going to change back to where we should be around this time of year, which is cooler and wet. enjoy it while it lasts. as you take a look from our kgo roof camera, wind is not an issue. we're seeing a mix of sun and high clouds and it has been a mild to warm one. look at the temperature right now in the city 70 degrees. mid 70 hayward san jose. it is 69 in oakland, 73 in redwood city. from our walnut creek camera seeing a little bit of hazy sun. low to mid 70 from santa rosa to

napa right now 69. fairfield 67, in concord. livermore. you're at 65 degrees. all right. high pressure, still controlling the weather. that's what brought us the unseasonably warm weather. but this area of low pressure, it's cut off from the main flow. so it's been sending us some high clouds. it will continue to move towards southern california. but in the meantime, we are going to continue to see those clouds streaming in like you're seeing now. and eventually we will get some rain in here over the weekend. there has been a beach hazard statement issued for the coastline tomorrow night until saturday morning. a westerly swell will be building up to 12ft. that gets replaced by a high surf advisory saturday morning until monday night. watch out. the breakers will build up to 19ft and that means dangerous swimming and surfing conditions. lovely view from mount tam tomorrow. not as warm. still above average this weekend. much cooler pattern. and then saturday night into sunday. showers will be moving in for the time being, though still pretty mild. at 520 we head into

7:00 hour and you'll see 50 and 60. temperatures will drop tomorrow morning. we will see some patches of fog, and then tomorrow afternoon you'll still have some 70s, but not quite as warm as it has been today. your morning temperatures 40 and 50. out the door. watch out for the fog tomorrow afternoon. here is how it's going to look. pretty mild. mid 60s. coast side to the mid 70s inland. now we're going to show you what's going to happen saturday morning we get the drizzle and then saturday night a few showers move in 6 to 830. it's not a widespread part of this, but saturday late night at 11 p.m. showers begin to increase and sunday you will notice it is a wet start to the day. light to moderate showers will continue for the rest of sunday. off and on. sierra will pick up snow and then a few more showers on monday before another system tries to get in here midweek. the accuweather seven day forecast mild tomorrow. temperatures will be going down over the weekend as we head into march. and then for oscar sunday. it's a level one system that will bring us

wet, breezy conditions, with another one for monday next week. it's a little iffy right now. there's a chance of showers between wednesday and thursday. larry and kristen. >> interesting. >> so enjoy tomorrow. >> yes. take advantage. get out there. thank you. sandy. >> all right. >> we are counting down to oscar sunday. up next, some of the oscars most memorable moments. >> and the adorable dog hiding a terrible secret inside his stomach. but all things must come to light. details

i mean, i know how the fire affected me, and there's always a constant fear that who's to say something like that won't happen again? that's fair. we committed to underground,

10,000 miles of electric line. you look back at where we were 10 years ago and we are in a completely different place today, and it's because of how we need to care for our communities and our customers. i hope that's true. [joe] that's my commitment. [ambient noise]

oscars is on. we're just three days away now from hollywood's biggest night. it's going to be right here on abc seven now. hollywood's biggest night never fails to create. >> and the oscar goes to. and the oscar goes to. >> and the oscar goes to. >> no one knows who will take home the gold come oscars night. but what we do know is there will be moments that capture our hearts. >> i just want an oscar. >> some laughs. >> this seemed like a better idea in rehearsal. >> sometimes tears. >> now one of my daughter proud. >> and speeches. sure to stay with us. >> no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid. >> but it's those surprise moments that become legendary. the ones that remind us why we tune in year after year. the unknown only live tv and a room filled with hollywood's biggest stars can offer. >> when hosts like ellen degeneres does the great selfie,

the host brings pizzas in for everyone because, famously, there's not much food at the oscars. >> you want the whole box? really. >> you need those celebrity filled, lighter moments. there are a handful of stories that are truly unforgettable. >> dave karger wrote about them in his book 50 oscar nights. when you think about the speeches, which ones come to mind? >> my favorite oscar speech of all time is halle berry, when she won best actress for monster's ball, becoming the first black performer ever to win the best actress oscar. >> for every nameless, faceless woman of color. this door tonight has been opened. >> that speech that she gave was everything you want in an oscar speech. it was so real. so real. >> what other moments. >> come to mind when colman won best actress for the favorite? she got up there. she was gobsmacked and her speech was this roller coaster. >> i used to work as a cleaner and i loved that job. >> and it was funny. it was serious. she all of a sudden said lady gaga, who she spotted in the front row. >> speaking of music, remember eminem's surprise appearance in 2020, 18 years after he won best

original song for lose yourself? then there was robin williams channeling his inner rockette. >> in canada. >> and bjork's performance of i've seen it all in her infamous swan dress. >> this is the beacon of hope. >> that's the thing about moments. whether it's something like michelle yeoh's history making win. >> and dreams do come true. >> an epic mispronunciation or what later became known as envelope gate. >> there's a mistake. moonlight. you guys won best picture. >> every generation has their favorites. and with the 97th annual academy awards upon us. >> i am very interested to see what conan o'brien is able to do when he's hosting this year. >> him. so what moments from this year's show will keep us talking for years to come? only time will tell. >> and abc seven mornings anchor amanda delcastillo will be inhor los angeles for the oscars. she'll be live starting tomorrow afternoon, and then throughout the weekend. she'll also be live on the red carpet for the big

event that you can watch starting sunday at 4 p.m. earlier time this year,

north bay woman is out $300,000 after being wooed by a man she met on a popular dating app. >> and now she's sharing her story. and the very expensive lesson learned with seven on your side investigates. and melanie woodrow is here with the story. >> larry and kristen. this was the first person that she met after getting back out there following a 30 plus year marriage. she thought she was doing all the right things, even asking to see his identification. but despite her efforts, she still got scammed. >> my dearest rajni, being yours is the greatest blessing in my life and i can't wait for the day when i can make your mind

forever. you mean the world to me. and ever since you came into my life, i have been floating on cloud nine without coming down. >> when 57 year old rajni goswami took the plunge, getting on a dating app a year after her divorce from a 32 year marriage, she was looking for companionship. >> i think i was not ready to, to be honest, i was just feeling very lonely. >> she thought she'd met her match forever. >> yours, harry. >> 61 year old harry bertoia, who told goswami he lived in los altos but was traveling to turkey for work. >> you know, every day he was calling me. he was like he was talking. so like, oh, i love you. this, that i liked you. this, like, i don't know, he hypnotized me and nobody talked to me like that. >> so when berta needed assistance paying for some materials for his work project, goswami was happy to help. one story led to another, and with each, she transferred more money to him. goswami thought she was doing her due diligence. she had

sent her a picture of his license and even his passport. it's not clear whose photo this may or may not be, or who goswami was speaking with on the phone. but as for his address in los altos, it is a real home and shivram krishnan is the real owner. >> when he first called me, i had no idea what you're talking about because i had no idea this had happened at all. the fact that they've gone to this level of detail meant that they really wanted to show some credibility. >> information. goswami only found out later. >> i was asking him, how come you are not on social media or anywhere else on google? he said he is a private person, so i believed that, you know, i was hypnotized. whatever he was telling me, i was kept on doing it. >> this person is a regular, trusting human being who was targeted by a professional. >> aaron west was a prosecutor with the santa clara county da's office for more than two decades. she now runs a nonprofit educating people about scams called operation shamrock. >> we're seeing a lot of loneliness now. people are more

vulnerable to those who reach out to them digitally. >> she says dating apps are aware that bad actors are targeting victims on their platforms. >> these platforms have an affirmative duty to make sure that their platforms are safe for those people who use them. >> abc seven news investigates reached out to okcupid. we have not yet heard back. on the dating apps website, under trust and safety, okcupid provides tips for avoiding romance scams and directs users to the u.s. federal trade commission website for more tips. west says legislation is needed so that dating apps can share personal information across social media platforms. once fraudulent activity has been identified. >> once we know that this photo and this identity is being used on one dating app, we should make sure that that photo and identity is erased from all dating apps. >> as for harry burton, after goswami spoke with her daughter about the relationship, something burton had encouraged her not to do. goswami confronted him about his

legitimacy even in the wake of being found out, his associates still asked for more money, emailing goswami that he had passed away and saved her and his contacts as his wife. this time she knew better. >> it was a very, very, very expensive lesson i learned. >> she did file a police report with napa police department goswami's bank. wells fargo tells me that they're actively working to raise awareness of common scams. also, that a wire. >> transfer is an immediate form of payment. it's like sending cash. scammers who receive those payments typically withdraw the funds from their financial institution immediately, making recovery unlikely. and that's, of course, how she was sending the money. she was wiring it. >> so she's probably out the 300,000. there's no recourse. >> probably. >> that breaks my heart. she seems like such a nice lady. she really was. >> can't trust people. yeah. >> thanks for the warning story. thanks, melanie. yeah. if you like, help on with seven on your side. they have a team of journalists that can help you. just head to abc seven news.com. seven on your side. >> all right, coming up. is this

a pill that could keep your dog from aging? >> we should take it. >> i. yes. sorry. sorry, fido. that's mine. and cereal is not

joining us a historic all women's space flight set to take off this spring. katy perry and

gayle king will be traveling to space along with filmmaker carrie ann flynn, jeff bezos fiance lauren sanchez, and two rocket scientists. the all female team will be launched into space via an autonomous rocket for 11 minutes. there will be no pilot. this is a flight i'm not taking. >> i will say. lauren sanchez is a pilot herself. she flies small planes all the time and is a real adventurer. so this is right up her alley, i think. >> i think it's great that it's an all female team going up. >> oh it's wonderful. my, my only concern with all these, especially with celebrities, is just safety. i just want them all to get up and down with no problems. >> when i first read the story, honestly, i thought katy perry and gayle king are going to. what? going up into space. >> remember when william shatner did it a few years ago? he came back in tears. it was so profoundly meaningful. >> for him. >> really? yeah. i mean, was he did he go up with bezos? in

fact. >> i think he did. yeah. >> so they've already gone i mean, this is not pioneering in the sense that it's been done. >> and but no it has. but space travel is always dangerous. i mean, yeah, it's a big deal. >> what would any of you guys go. >> nope. >> no. what? yes or no question? no. you know what? to be honest, then there's no way. if i knew i was going to be safe. absolutely. well, i mean, of course, but if i felt the odds were pretty good, sure, i would do it. i think that'd be a good experience. i flew with the blue angels years ago. different, but still a remarkable experience. >> yeah. >> all right. a pill that could keep your pet around longer is one step closer to reality. the fda has certified an anti-aging pill for dogs from san francisco based startup loyal. according to the fda, the daily pill has a reasonable expectation of effectiveness. that's good. the company needs certification from the center for veterinary medicine before large scale manufacturing can begin. >> they are going to sell a lot of these. but tell you what. >> yeah, how could you even tell if it's working or not? like you wouldn't know if the dog lived

two years longer than if you hadn't given him the special. >> two years is a long time. >> no, no, no, i'm just saying. how would you possibly know? like, how could you? how could you? you don't. >> i suppose if the usual lifespan of that breed is, say, 14 and your dog lives to 16, well, you have reasonable chance to go. well. >> larry, you can't just look at your dog and go, oh, you look really young for your age. no lines. >> i'm just. yeah, exactly. >> canine cosmetic surgery is next. >> yeah. the fur covers those lines very nicely. why are we working on this for dogs? we should do this for humans. what are we doing? >> just take it. >> just take. >> just take it. >> just take your cats. bill. >> that's next. >> see how. >> it works, right? it's good enough for fido. >> it's good enough for you. >> i know right? >> they start barking at the moon. yeah, he's off on the dosage. >> oh, the side effects. no one told you. larry. oh. >> uh. all right. we have another animal story now. a former florida gator golfer, billy horschel, took on a real gator today. this was on the sixth hole at pga national in palm beach gardens. now,

horschel is a florida native, and he grabbed a wedge from his bag and poked the alligator up. the alligators scampering. >> away. >> he retreats back to the water. >> wow. >> he knows who's boss. porsche later told the media he is not afraid of gators. clearly, he said, they are more afraid of you. >> really? i didn't know that. >> you know, growing up back in that part of the country and living working there for years, i played plenty of rounds in golf with alligators on the on the golf course, and we would mess with them every now and then, not in a mean way, but you kind of poke them and chase them. one of my friends got chased uh- just ran off, knees to chest in a panic when the thing just reared up and was not happy with being encroached upon, but they're everywhere and they don't usually bother people. >> aren't they? they're really fast on the ground, aren't they? >> they're really fast. but here's a fun fact if you ever find yourself running from an alligator crocodile, the key is they're faster than you are. but zig zag because they can't make sharp turns.

>> make quick. >> cuts right the way down. >> i don't have to be faster than the alligator. i just got to be faster. >> than you. that's exactly right. exactly. >> that is right. okay, now to some seriously good ice cream with a sense of humor and perhaps nostalgia. just in time for national cereal day on march 7th. salt and straw is launching some cereal inspired ice cream. the treats are unique take on cereals like lucky charms, captain crunch and ricems, krispies. you know, the stuff we grew up with? >> absolutely. joining us this afternoon, the man behind the scoops salt and straw co founder and head ice cream innovator tyler malek. tyler welcome back. a return. thank you. >> yeah i'm so excited. uh. happy cereal month. it's national. national cereal day later this in march. so we're just just in time. >> fantastic. >> why cereal? like, what is it about our love affair with cereal? >> yeah. >> isn't it so nostalgic? i think there's something about cereal that, like. especially as, like a professional pastry chef to take that high highbrow approach to, you know, the style

and technique that we're using with this maybe really, like nostalgic, dare i say, ingredient. it creates this really this level of creativity that i think is nothing, you know, like nothing we've ever done before. so i'm in love with every single one of these, you know. which one did you start with? >> i got the cornflake cookies with marionberry jam and that hits all the spots because corn flakes are amazing. and of course, marion berry. >> i have a little bit of. >> maltiness, which is kind of a lucky charms taste to it. is that right, tyler? >> i will say the lucky charms. so we use real lucky charms in that name. brand. wow. and it's so funny. we've got a group of about 100, you know, trained pastry chefs that sit there, and we have to hand sort all of the cereal from the marshmallows we call it. we sort the luck from the charms. and we make an ice cream out of the cereal, and then we fold the marshmallows back in. so it's one of those things. it's just that little extra level of touch, that handmade ness that we put into our ice cream.

>> that as kids, we separated the charms and ate the charms. >> yeah, yeah. >> tyler. tyler just. >> took my. kristen just took my ice cream. >> yes, she just took it. so sorry. >> i'm not. i can't play the referee. >> in that. >> butter brownie cereal puffs. wait, is that a name? brand ice cream. >> that's my favorite. that's my favorite reese's puffs. do you remember those? >> oh, yes. yeah. >> we'll try. >> larry. >> oh. >> try my ice cream. thank you. brownies. >> they're so good. these homemade brownies. and then we double bake them. and so it almost creates, like, this homemade cereal. but then we take those brownies and we coat them in this, like, peanut butter glaze with a little bit of the actual cereal itself and put it in an ice cream. and it's like peanut butter. if you're a peanut butter chocolate fan, this flavor is ungodly. >> tyler, you. >> so you have. >> the most fun job in the world. >> yeah, yeah. >> i have. the snap. crackled with marshmallow treats and it's amazing. >> this one has like a really. that one has a secret history. yeah, we created it for chrissy teigen's birthday. she dm'd us and was like, can you make an ice? and so we called it rice krispies for chrissy teigen. >> wait. >> whose birthday is coming up

here? i know who's this? next. >> i'll make you an ice cream. who's birthday? >> yeah. >> i think you need your own ice cream. >> my birthday is off for months, though. kristen. >> yeah. >> what level of stardom do we have to achieve for you to make? make an ice cream for us? by the way, where do you come up with these ideas? >> i think for us, it's fun. like, this is, like i said, this idea of, like, how do we really up level an ingredient that is inherently so nostalgic and, and using our own techniques, using these techniques, like that corn flake cookie, we brown the butter really dark and we fold it into this kind of blondie recipe before we bake it. it makes it really interesting. kind of like to balance out, like, you know, this imagination with this nostalgia. every month we change our menu. so when you come to salt and straw the first friday of every month, we launch a new menu. this one comes out tomorrow. so you are literally the first in the world to be tasting this. you got. >> like a. >> true preview. and tyler. >> tell us about the name salt

and straw. what does that get its meaning? >> well, you know, we make all of our ice cream by hand and it's a process. so we wanted this nod to how they used to make ice cream back in the back in the day before there were freezers, they'd hand crank the ice cream with salt and ice, and then take it out to the barn and pack straw around it or hay to insulate the pints of ice cream. >> oh, wow. >> so that was, you know, it really. you know, this is like thomas jefferson, how he would make ice cream. so we wanted that nod to kind of the old school making. my arm would be significantly bigger if i actually were hand cranking. >> or using uh. >> but you know, that i think, again, that, that, that, that heritage of, you know, homemade ice cream, i think is really critical to. >> tyler malek, really creative with the cereal flavors this week, celebrating cereal national cereal day coming up. salt and straw. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> thank

dogs. owners take their dog to the vet where they get x-rays and check these out. it's somewhat hard to see what's going on there. they weren't quite sure what they were seeing at all. it wasn't until they took luna into surgery that they found 44 pieces of clothing. all of this right here, including 24 socks and hair ties. i think he's eating the entire wardrobe. reporter rob mcmillan from our

sister station in la with a closer look. >> we can take those out. those look good. >> this seven month old bernese mountain dog named luna doing just fine after surgery at the animal hospital, after eating some things that certainly weren't part of a proper diet. the list includes a shoe insert, a scrunchie, a onesie, two hair ties and 24 socks. >> this beat my record. i have personally never cut this much stuff out of an abdomen. i have had animals eat bigger things. possibly not this many things. so this was i mean, that stomach was the biggest stomach i've seen in 16 years of doing this. >> doctor jenny elwell is the veterinarian who operated on luna on february 16th at the corona animal emergency center. >> we took an x ray, and on that x ray, her stomach was massive. >> that's when they decided surgery was the only way to save her. >> i went into her stomach, started pulling things out, literally thing after thing. we ended up having to get me a spoon so i could, like, go in deeper and pull things out in the areas that were harder to

reach. >> she couldn't believe the things she was pulling out of luna. >> we were all laughing like every single one of us. i had the technician who was in there with me. everybody else was sitting right outside the surgery suite just watching this, and i would pull out one and it was like that. ooh. another one. another one. i think in the beginning we started trying to count and about five socks in, i lost track. >> now luna's owner did not want to go on camera, but she told me this has happened before. luna recently ate a battery, and veterinarians say it's not uncommon for dogs to eat foreign objects. >> they eat everything. i mean, i've cut out all, all different types of clothing. i've cut out, like those foam ear things. we've done dolls. we've done toys, we've done bones. tampons is a common one. sorry, but it is. people need to know that. >> doctor elwell says luna's story should be a cautionary one for animal owners to always keep an eye on what your pet is eating. rob mcmillan abc seven news. >> that is bizarre. yeah. >> you wouldn't think the dog would survive. i know. 44.

>> i know, that's crazy. >> like, yeah. >> at first i was thinking this is kind of like dusty the cat. remember the stories on the cat who took things? but the cat did not eat it all. it just took it and hit it. yeah. had a pile of stash. >> that was thievery. >> yeah. >> consumption. >> dangerous. oh my gosh. okay. hey, this. whether we want to consume more and more of it. so nice. >> all right, one more day at least. sandia. >> that's right. it's going to be mild for one more day, but not as warm as today. larry and kristen let me show you live doppler seven. right now, we do have a lot of high clouds that are passing through. they'll continue to stream in. they're harmless. tomorrow afternoon you're going to notice temperatures in the mid 60s coast side to the mid 70 inland. so still above average. but saturday we're back in to winter again 50 and 60 even cooler on sunday as some wet weather moves in. most areas will be in the 50s. here's a look at the accuweather seven day forecast. we are going with a cooler weekend. oscar sunday. a level one system will bring us showers that continue into monday, and still some opportunities for unsettled weather next week. larry. kristen. >> all right. thank you,

sandy. a lot of firsts expected at this year's academy awards. >> yeah. up next, just some of the 13 actors nominated for with the way that pg&e handled the wildfires. yeah. yeah. i totally, totally understand. we're adding a ton of sensors. as soon as something comes in contact with the power line, it'll turn off so that there's not a risk that it's gonna fall to the ground and start a fire. okay. and i want you to be able to feel the improvements. we've been able to reduce wildfire risk from our equipment by over 90%.

that's something i want to believe. [skateboard sounds] they say the hardest part of getting something done let's go! hustle! is getting started. well, we did that 30 years ago, when california first took on the tobacco industry. this is not just about access. it's about the message it sends... now smoking is down 60 percent. lung cancer 42 percent. a couple of our cities have already ended tobacco sales.

a california without big tobacco isn't just possible, it's already happening. three back to back episodes of 9-1-1. then stay with us for abc seven news at 11. the oscar countdown is on, and this year there are sevl first timers receiving oscar nods in just the acting category. there are 13 first time nominees. abc news reporter

melissa don has the list. >> the major award show marking a first for 13 acting nominees. >> popular. you're gonna be popular. >> ariana grande moved to tears for her supporting actress nod in wicked. but this is the first time two musicals, wicked and amelia perez, have been nominated for best picture since 1969. karla, sofia gascon and zoe saldana also receiving first time acting nods for their roles in amelia perez. >> it's a musical, but it's also like, you know, suspicion and yet people like it and we're i'm so grateful because it says a lot about us as people. that one, we're looking for things that are fresh and different and outside boxes. and we're also looking to be challenged. >> and proposed to me. >> mikey madison's breakout performance in honora, earning her a nomination for best actress. her costar yura borisov, the first russian star

to be honored with an academy award noms in nearly five decades. >> it's a great moment. i feel that a lot of people were very happy because of this. >> hollywood star demi moore, with a first time best actress nomination for the substance. the oscar noms following her win at the golden globes, her first ever acting award. >> i've been doing this a long time, like over 45 years, and this is the first time i've ever won anything as an actor. >> monica barbaro earning a nom for supporting actress in the bob dylan biopic a complete unknown. sharing how quickly she learned how to play the guitar for her role. >> i was not a singer. i didn't play guitar. but i had i had some time initially, five months, and then the strikes happened. so i had a little bit more time to get, you know, really into the music. >> the 97th academy awards, also marking a first for oscar host conan o'brien. >> i'm hosting. yes, i'm an oscar host. >> melissa don, abc news, los angeles.

>> and you can see all the red carpet action on the oscars this sunday right here on abc seven. our coverage begins with on the red carpet at 1230. the oscars red carpet show is at 330. then the oscars begins earlier than ever at 4 p.m, right here on abc seven. that's it for abc seven news at four. i'm kristen z. abc seven news at five five is coming up next.

right now. i want to send a message to the criminal element that the days of thinking that you can come to vallejo and do your business with impunity are over. >> a new day in the city of vallejo. today, city, state and federal law enforcement officials gathered to discuss their new approach to reducing violent crime in the city. good evening. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. thanks for joining us. this new approach