furlough fridays are back. you won't be getting your license renewed today but there are some state offices that are open. it was like a demolition derby in a peninsula neighborhood. police say a drunk driver is responsible. hundreds of kids did not show up for school today at one south bay elementary school. we'll tell you why and we'll show you the strong police presence coming up.

good afternoon. california's budget crunch has led to another furlough friday today. governor schwarzenegger ordered more than 100,000 state workers to stay home without pay. that could mean you'll find some officers closed or with fewer staffs and longer waits. we're live in san francisco to explain. craig. >> reporter: good afternoon. what we found out it's not all those 144,000 workers stayed home today. the supreme court decision from wednesday is not final. the court is going to allow the governor ordered furloughs to continue until the court decide whether or not the governor has the authority to even issue them. but in the meantime there's a lot of confusion out here today about what was open and what was not. last month governor arnold schwarzenegger issued an executive order to employ furlough fridays. the order requires some state

workers to take three days off every month unpaid. one of the unions effected by the order sued the governor to stop the furloughs. the professional engineers of california government argue that furloughs were a way to cut pay without legally mandated collective bargaining. >> they decided to get around it by changing people's employment to several weeks per month 32 hours as opposed to 40 hours. >> reporter: the lawsuit didn't stop the furloughs but in san francisco this morning it was difficult to find a state building with furloughed workers. judicial workers weren't effected by the order. their furloughs were legislated but have expired. the only offices that seemed to be closed across the board were those at the dmv. >> it's very frustrating. i have now driven quite a few miles to get here and had to take the time out to do this today. >> reporter: the governor issued the order in order to cut the state's $19 billion budget deficit. furloughs are supposed to continue until a new budget is

enacted and the department of finance certified the state has enough cash to meet its obligations through the end of the fiscal year. the pecg says furloughing its workers actually works against the economy and the state budget. >> they're not there doing that work which means eventually other people in the private sector are not going to have a job building those projects. >> reporter: pecg those are engineers we told you but those are mostly engineers that work on cal trans projects. a lot of projects you see locally are the people that build those. 20 other unions joined the lawsuit against the governor. the idea of the furloughs is suppos to build back the general fund. but since 93% of its workers were paid from federal transportation funds and other sources the governor is just doing politics but not doing the math. live in san francisco, ktvu, channel 2 news. >> okay. thanks very much. unemployment rates seem to

be improving slightly in some parts of the country but not in california. the u.s. labor department said july jobless numbers went down in 37 states. an improvement from the months before. but unemployment rose in 14 states last month. overall the national jobless rate remained at 9.5% in july. as for california the state reported the july jobless rate was 12.3%. that's the same as june and a half percentage point higher than a year earlier. the figures show in the loss of the 9500 jobs of non. [ indiscernible ] payrolls. two fatal shootings happened hours apart. the most recently just shortly after midnight. police were called in after reports of shots fired. police found the victim but he died at the scene. there are reports of a man in his 20s but his name hasn't been released. earlier a 19-year-old man was shot and killed in san francisco's ocean view neighborhood.

it happened around 6:40 last night. the victim was taken to san francisco general hospital where he later died. police detained several. oakland police investigating a deadly shooting there. it happened around 9:30 last night near emeryville. the victim was a 44-year-old man living in his truck. he was rushed to the hospital but later died. his name hasn't been released. police say they are searching for the victim's girlfriend who may have been involved. police say she was last seen in berkeley. she's about 5'2", 200 pounds with short hair and she was wearing a head scarf and co free pants. anyone with information should call oakland police. police are at briarwood elementary after a bomb threat was issued several weeks ago. despite extra security there are hundreds who stayed away from school. the threat was written in some

graffiti on august 4th. we were at the school ontons end avenue this morning with the report. >> reporter: this morning at briarwood elementary school drop off was a lot quieter than usual. about half of the 400 kids did not show up for school today because of a bomb threat. maria told us she felt more comfortable keeping her daughter at home. >> better safe than sorry. i just feel more comfortable that she's skipping school because you never know. >> we're not going to force anybody to come to school. we can't force anybody to come to school and we wouldn't want to. this is something where kids need to feel comfortable when they come to learn. >> reporter: the bomb threat was discovered on august 4th written on a classroom door. that threat said an explosionive device will be detonated on campus some time today. >> any threat on a school campus especially throughout the last several years in the country you have to take it serious. you can't dismiss it. >> reporter: this morning before the sun came up officers and a bomb detection dog made their way through the campus.

it was a search that lasted for hours until after the sun came up. and while that search was underway even staff was turned away. the dogs found nothing suspicious. >> they're very good at what they do and it does give you some assurance that there's no standard type explosive here. >> reporter: this is just the first week of school at briarwood. and on monday the first day of school this letter went out to parents telling them what happened and what was being done. throughout the week the police presence grew and kids say their friends were all talking about it. what are people saying? >> remember the bomb this friday. >> reporter: so people were talking about it this week? >> yes. >> reporter: did the kids seem scared? >> kind of. >> reporter: and while she stayed home today, she says she was worried but brought her niece any way. >> but i see there's a lot of cops and of course we saw you guys and we're like she'll be okay. >> reporter: her niece was in a

very slim majority. 48% of the kids stayed home from school. the district says it will be considered an excused absence. police say the threat was written in what they are describing as amateurish writing. they're trying to track down whoever's responsible. in santa clara, ktvu channel 2 news. police have arrested a man on charges of being a habitual drunk driver. police records indicate he's been cited ten times for driving under the influence. police say the latest was tuesday when he hit two parked cars. and just a month earlier he was cited after he ran into a concrete barrier. at the time police thought he had three previous duis but as they investigated they discovered five more. being held in lieu of $250,000 bail. a 25-year-old man in burling game cited after his

pickup truck hit two other vehicles, a tree and a house. officers say it happened around 12:30 this morning. the man apparently lost control of his truck. several people were in the house at the time but no one was injured. >> woke up in the middle of the night last night and i came out and there was a lot of commotion going on. actually the third accident in two years. pretty dangerous around here. >> suspected drunk driver had minor injuries and taken to the hospital for treatment. a surprised san francisco bay is now a resident at a bay area aquarium. and is the war in afghanistan becoming more accepted by the american public? we have a poll just released this morning. any warmer temperatures ahead for your weekend? meteorologist steve paulson has the forecast. also. had a lot of anxiety in the beginning. a 4-year-old and i'm a 20-year- old. and i'm like what am i going to do here. >> a bay area group is giving people with breast cancer some help they need as they fight

the disease. find out how you can pitch in this weekend.

a bill that could expand the amber alert system is now on the governor's desk. the state senate passed the bill unanimously yesterday. amber alerts are issued to tell

the public about a missing child who may be in danger. these blue alerts would alert the public when a police officer is killed or seriously injured and the suspect is on the loose. they would also broadcast descriptions of the suspect or vehicle on television, radio and freeway signs. we understand a police officer and two other people have been injured in an accident. the oakland officer was on his way to pick up a parolee when he apparently crashed into a minivan. you can see the video right there. the accident happened just before 10:30 on 23rd avenue near east 24th street. investigators say the officer was driving with lights and sirens on when a minivan pulled over to make way. but apparently not far enough. the impact flipped the van on its side. the officer was hurt as were the woman and niece inside the van. so far we understand none of the injuries are believed to be life threatening. big announcement came from

secretary of state hillary clinton this morning. she says israeli and palestinian officials have agreed to resume stalled peace talks with a face to face meeting in washington next month. secretary clinton said she has invited israeli prime minister and palestinian authority. talks are set to begin september 2nd. she hopes the parties will reach a comprehensive agreement within one year. a new associated press poll finds nearly 60% of americans oppose the war in afghanistan. 38% say they support president obama's expanded war efforts. those efforts include sending tens of thousands of additional troops in to combat. that same poll shows 68% of people support president obama's decision to end combat operations in iraq. santa clara county authorities are investigating a death at a concert last night in saratoga. this is a photo from the mountain winery last night where witnesses tell us a man

jumped from the building and landed on the stage. the man was given cpr immediately but he did not survive. this morning authorities told us they are investigating this as a possible suicide but they're asking any witnesses to come forward with information. the victim is expressing disappointment over the sentence given this morning to an alleged gang member who attacked them on a muni bus last year. the defendant and three other gang members mistook christopher for a rival gang member while riding the bus. they beat him and stole his wallet and ipod. he pleaded guilty in exchange for a two year prison sentence. with time served he could be released in a little over a

year. >> i feel as though maybe not fair enough to the time that i have to spend healing. that i have to spend for all these different types of therapists and you know these doctors appointments and more surgeries. >> he's an actor on his way to an audition at the time of the attack. the cab driver who helped police find leads in the recent killing of a german tourist will be honored today in san francisco. the cabbie is credited with following a suspicious car from the scene of the deadly shooting. his actions enabled police to take five people into custody although no one has been charged in the case. the cabbie wants to remain anonymous until the killer is locked up. today he'll arrive at the honorary luncheon surrounded by a dozen or so co-workers order to help conceal his identity. we should learn today whether charges will be dropped against former crime lab technician debra madden. police chief is expected to make an announcement this afternoon regarding the investigation. ktvu has learned that the state attorney general is unlikely to invest time and money to prosecute madden for stealing cocaine from the crime lab. we've also learned that the

police investigation was centered around a paper used to wrap up the narcotics. her attorney says it would be difficult to prove the paper came from that lab. oakland is preparing for hundreds of people tomorrow who will lace up their shoes to run or walk in the sixth annual friends of faith breast cancer challenge. that event honors the late ktvu reporter who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2003. this fundraiser includes a 5k walk around lake merit. and money raised goes to help underinsured women with breast cancer. the funds are used to pay from everything emergency medical care to child care or rent. this morning we talk today one woman who's been helped out by friends of faith. she has some advice for others. >> educate yourself. ask questions. don't wait on anything. if you feel something, you're not sure, go. and if you don't have insurance there's a lot of resources out

there. >> ktvu is a sponsor of tomorrow's event. if you'd like to take part you can find a link for more information at ktvu.com. and you can learn more about how to join the team for the friends of faith event this weekend. just go to our website. look for the section of ktvu now on the front page. there is an upside to this unseasonably cool weather. we've had the air quality is getting better actually. in fact, there have not been even one spare the air alert the entire summer. that's because a low pressure front along the coast has created cool and windy conditions and that's helping to keep the air cleaner. air quality officials say this time of year they usually issue at least a few alerts. well, we're going to send it over to steve paulson in the weather center. he's got all the answers about this. a little bit cooler. going to need some sweaters. >> this weekend yes. if you're over by the coast right now and the bay yes. the fog is slow tore clear today than it was yesterday where we had a rapid warm up.

sunshine inland but right off the sonoma coast that's what we call coastal eddy. old friend of mine. that has enhanced the fog and sending it right up into the russian river. a lot has pulled back but it's really, really close to the coast or hanging on to the coast. and there's a lot more today. also a little more haze. our visibility has been outstanding. standards a little more san jose sunny and 72. warmer livermore 73 along with concord. but it is cooler today. and we will see a big cool down into the weekend. there are two systems out there. one little system. and it's getting engulfed by the big system. they're all heading in our direction. that will take us to the leading edge started today and by tonight it's going to be very cold and windy for some and we'll carry that into saturday. widespread cooling. everybody out to the sacramento valley, lake county. you'll see cooler weather tomorrow if you haven't seen a little today. so the weekend weather high 60s and 70s. maybe 50s by the water's edge.

very windy at times towards the delta. travis air force base had gusts to 30. i expect that to ramp up to about 40 late tonight or tomorrow morning as we get the howling sea breeze from this system coming in. this time of year things seem to be running ahead of schedule by about three or four weeks. some of the trees turning color. leaves are falling. it's only august. temperatures will be below average. yesterday we had some above average to right there and today we back off. santa rosa 83 yesterday. 76 today. that will be towards the airport probably not downtown. they'll be cooler there. 62 in the city. 79 walnut creek after yesterday's 87. 67 oakland and san jose back to the 76. only 58 in san francisco, oakland, berkeley. livermore and concord in the 70s. santa rosa at 62. if the low clouds don't clear it's going to be another cold day. las vegas 101. warmer in tahoe than many around here. 76. a low of 49.

that's a heck of a spread. this system coming in is going to pick up the fog and send it well inland tomorrow. so the sea breeze and sweep across if you're heading out for the grand prix sonoma i would bundle up. the cooling trend started today and will take us into saturday. i think we'll bottom out there. sunny to mostly sunny on sunday. fog, mist hanging on to the coast. it is sunny but it's cooler too. even inland areas coming down a bit. we'll still see some 80s. 50s, 60s and 70s around the bay. tomorrow widespread cooling. monday and tuesday look warmer. >> burr. >> burr tomorrow. warmer next week. >> all right. thanks, steve. >> any time. okay. new images taken by nasa indicate that the moon may be shrinking. very slowly. you won't notice it by looking at the moon because the changes are so small and gradual. but scientists estimate that the moon's radius has decreased by 300 feet over the past billion years. one theory behind the change is

lunar quakes which create cracks and cause some contracting in the moon's surface. the salmonella outbreak linked to the recall of millions of eggs from an iowa company will likely continue and even increase because illnesses throughout the past month have not been reported. about 2,000 people have been sickened including dozens here in the bay area. the fda says the outbreak could have been prevented if some new federal rules requiring more testing for salmonella were put in place earlier. those rules went into effect in july nationwide. but the standards were already in place here in california. still ahead on ktvu channel 2 news, what's new in the dictionary? we have the answer. there's a new and unexpected visitor at the bay area aquarium. we'll tell you how she came to be here. [ male announcer when meg whitman arrived at ebay,

they had 30 people and an idea. meg's job was to make it happen. it took leadership. focus. and the ability to bring people together. meg whitman delivered. named one of america's best ceo's by harvard business review, she grew ebay 15,000 strong and made small business dreams come true. now meg has a plan to create jobs. fix sacramento. and deliver results. meg whitman. for a new california.

stay on display for the next year or so. we have posted more video of the unexpected visitor at the aquarium another the bay on ktvu.com. just click on the video on demand tab on the front page. the newest edition of the oxford english dictionary includes 2,000 new words and one became familiar just this summer. that of course is the plastic trumpet that created the buzzing sound during the world cup soccer tournament. some other new entries include

stay cation. coming up we have a special edition with bedbugs. bedbugs are bad enough when they're found in the bed but new information shows that bedbugs are being found in the office now. we'll tell you about it this afternoon at 4:00 . and our next newscast is ktvu channel 2 news at 4:00. thanks for joining us today. the 4:00 newscast will be followed by the preseason football game against cincinnati and philadelphia. have a great day.