this could become a serious gawker's block. this man brought his young son to see a major part of the bay bridge go up today. >> this is gonna be a imagine aor part of his -- major part of his life. every time he comes to san francisco he will see it. >> reporter: today a huge hoist of more than 600 tons, more than 100 feet long, it's the first of the second tier sections of the great signature tower. >> there's four that we have to put in place. this one started at about 5:00 in the morning. crews will raise another section tomorrow, molding and welling this section into place. >> we're not gonna stop until all four sections are being put in. we should be finished by thursday and friday. >> reporter: a lot of people are expected to come to t.i. in the near chew future to see

this project go up. much-needed business is being brought here. >> i've had had a number of people come out on the weekends to check out the construction overall. >> it's the perfect vantage point to view it. you are just so close. it makes it a lot more real. >> reporter: coming up live, as soon as that is all the way up, it will be slid to the right and put down near the other columns. it will be 524 feet tall, as tallals the other ones on the other side of the island. tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. tonight new ethic questions are being raised about trips taken by those on the board to the high-speed rail authority. so far the rail authority has

not discussed who paid travel expenses. the fair political practices commission says foreign travel even if it was paid for by foreign government must be disclosed. the bullet train is expected to link the bay area with southern california, project to be completed in 2017. in the meantime, the massive project to build the high-speed rail just got an influx of money. this is part of a $2 billion federal reinvestment act grant awarded in january. last week, president obama was in the bay area. tonight it's the first lady's turn. right now she's at one of the fanciest hotels in san francisco, where hundreds of people have spent a lot of money to hear her speak. david stevenson is in the city with our report. david? >> reporter: frank, we've just learned that the first lady arrived here at the hotel, went into the back entrance at 4:30 and is in the process of meeting with speaker nancy pelosi. take a look behind me.

you can take take a look behind me. this is all part of a fund- raising event that's going on here. many of the people come and pay thousands of dollars to visit with michelle obama, just days before the election. >> i think it's important to support democratic women. >> reporter: 700 democratic party donors began filing into the fairmont hotel this afternoon for a fund-raiser featuring some of the most powerful individuals in the nation. politicians are here to show support for barbara boxer. >> everything who can spend a little bit extra and get it to nancy pelosi. >> reporter: we got a look inside the grand ballroom this afternoon where team pelosi

are. guests paid anywhere from $500 to $30,000 for tickets. >> clearly, they are gonna try to fick out where the money could go to the best, democrats have good reasons to be worried going into this election. the. >> reporter: the bay area trip comes two days after her husband came here to drum up support for vulnerable democratic candidates. >> the first lady is extremely popular. it's -- it makes sense to send her out. >> reporter: just a handful of people line the barricades. one person hoped to make a point. >> i'm just trying to get out here for my son to get my point across and hopefully it will do some good. >> reporter: here is a live look again at the handful of people that are across from the fairmont. some of them serious, some of them with points to make. michelle obama is expected to attend one other event here

before she leaves for the city to head to los angeles. david stevenson, ktvu channel 2 news. barbara boxer got help today as she stumped for votes today at a plant down in the south bay. >> you know, barbara has a steel spine. she also has tremendous energy. i think it would be tragic if she lost because she's a member of the community. >> we have right here in the valley, right here and all across california, the innovation, the work force, we have so many pluses. we have to be the country. we must not settle for number two when it comes to clean energy. >> reporter: today's event comes a day after a university

of southern california "l.a. times spell" shows boxer leading 47% against carly fiorina. coming up at 5:30, we'll have more on the senate race and how money from outside our state is playing a role. is new poll says -- a new poll says one in three voters can still change their minds about who to vote for. but poll in" the associated press ," 45% are leaning forward their district member. you will find the latest at ktvu.com. click on "the news" and then "politics" for the headlines and "the profiles" of the candidates running for office. game one of the -- >> talking about the riggs. of course -- talking about the

reps. it's set this wednesday. as can you imagine there was a lot of excitement in the city, john sasaki was there and he smoke to some fans and at least one fanatic. >> reporter: a lot of fanatics. the giants are getting ready for game one. they are currently wrapping a little warmup. they are getting ready for the biggest thing to hit san francisco in years and so is the rest of the city. the westin st. francis in union square is like most hotels, booked because of a medical conference and the world series. >> there is a lot of positive energy around. we're coming up with fun drink special, anything orange and black-related we're there. >> reporter: the hotel has been blessed with an important collection of guests. the texas rangers are arriving tonight. that has the neighbors buzzing. >> we're here for the giants'

game. >> reporter: lefty he duels across the street is planning to give the team a proper welcome. >> we're gonna come through and have them blow the song from "the alamo." staying across the street at the westin. although they are sharing few details about their plans, san francisco police say the games will be well staffed. i. >> i >> i know there will be people around the city. we want people to celebrate. celebrate safely. don't drink and drive. >> fans are getting ready for the series as well. this man went to a salon to have his hair orange dyed. >> this is the way i demonstrate my loyalty to the folks giants. >> you just did this? >> i did. about ten minutes ago. back here live at at&t park, can you see the giants doing some throwing drills before they start doing batting

practice and some fielding trials. i just talked to the manager and i asked him how he was doing and he said he is doing great. john sasaki, ktvu channel 2 news. tickets to the world series at at&t park are gonna be both difficult and expensive to get. some fans got up before dawn hoping to buy tickets. others looking online. but ticket prices are steep, into the thousands of dollars. coming up at 5:30, what giant fans are trying to do to get those tickets. you can find more coverage of the giants leading to the world series, just go to ktvu.com. a man accused of setting up fires that burned the roseville galleria last night made his first court appearance today. 23-year-old alexander piggy is facing charges including arson. he reportedly told the court

he's not guilty. the judge delayed the arraignment until thursday so the family has time to hire an attorney. cleanup crews to remove the galleria over the weekend to clean up the -- cleanup crews gathered to remove the degree from the galleria. >> we're very much looking forward to having a portion of the mall open, including the galleria, in the next couple of days. we'll update you. >> macy says it expects to reopen its door before the thanksgiving weekend. we have new information about the teen accused of killing a clerk from a market. police say the boy had run away

from a group home from tulare three days before. officers arrested him in eureka and they believe a teen was involved in a shop-lifting extent on monday. the medical center broke ground on a new project. it includes 238 private for patients that is being built at the samuel -- built at samuel merit universities at becktell hall. the building will contain a 21,000-square foot emergency department. the building it self is gonna be very tough. >> we'll have the electronic medical records in every room. we'll have centralized and some other advancements and technology that could help us deliver excellent patient care. >> this will employ workers and

it is scheduled for completion in two years. we saw sunshine today. but right now, i'm tracking more rain headed our way. it could impact the world series.

today elevenned the members of this catholic church here in san jose are on a mission to stop banks from unnecessarily foreclosing on the struggling homeowners. >> this used to be my mom's room. >> reporter: this woman has not slept well in two years. she recently buried her

parents, lost her job and she has not told her children these boxes mean they could be moving any day. >> i feel bad. >> reporter: she's a member of the holy trinity church in east san jose, where neighbors notice the neighborhood has been hit hard with foreclosures and took action. >> we did a survey and it turns out that bank of america had had most of these mortgages within our community. that's the reason we target them. >> reporter: at san jose city hall, church members along with those acting together celebrate getting the bank to change its practices. san jose became the first city in the country to use -- >> our position is let's reward those banks who do right by our homeowners. we've taken the lead. san francisco is following. we hope other banks will follow. >> reporter: the city said it

withhel $500 million in bank of america, instead of investing in other banks in the federal assistance program. >> i need to tell you some days it's hard to live through this but today is a good day. >> reporter: bridging home for annie nguyen. >> i feel so powerful. i feel like they have to look at the problem. >> reporter: bank of america responded saying it's completed 700,000 loan modifications in the past two years. it says foreclosure is always the last option. meanwhile, this church says the fight tonight is just beginning. live in san jose, maureen naylor, ktvu channel 2 news. new figures out show sales of previously-owned homes rose 10%. that's according to the national association of realtors. but the group says sales were still down 19% from the same month last year. the report follow as dismal summer. analysts say sales in the near future will remain well short

of healthy levels. all of those sales helped with modest gains on wall street today. [ closing bell ] >> in addition to the encouraging home sales numbers, let's take a look at the numbers. the dow was up more than 31 points. the nasdaq gained about 11 1/2. for more financial news any time go to ktvu.com and click the website. authorities say no sharks were supported overert weekend on surf beach on the vandenburg air force base. they say they will post warning signs advising swimmers to take extra caution just in case. last friday, lucas ransom was body-boarding with a friend when a shark nearly bit off his leg. he nearly bled to death after being taken to shore. experts say the shark may have been a huge white. well, the bay area weather,

rain. we're getting a nice rain. >> getting a nice break. the computer models were right on. we got up to 4 inches of rain in some north bay communities. now, we're getting a break because we roll through the next few days and rain returns. jet stream is to the north. it's way up here. that's where the rain is. as we roll through the next few days it will drop south again. and it will drop south in a big way. it will get wet around here and that wet could impact your world series game 2. fair skies tonight. this is ahead of ourselves. that's what's coming. this is what's happening tonight. the clouds, clear. the skies because they are clear, the temperatures are gonna be cool. overnight lows tonight, low 40s. that's cold. probably some of the coldest temperatures we've seen this year. morning fog. hey die skies for yours -- hazy skies for your thursday. the rain returns for game two.

we'll be watching that. a lot could change between now and then. forecast overnight lows, 0 in napa, 47 in concord. 45 in livermore. out in the trivalley area, you send the kids off to school. you will notice a chill in the morning. you won't see frost. but it will feel chilly. oakland specifically. partly sunny, hazy sunshine tomorrow. 52 degrees in oakland when you send the kids to school. mid-60s as we head into the afternoon hours in oakland. big changes coming this week. it is gonna be very wet as we get toward the end of the week. i'm gonna tell you specifically we'll show you the computer model. we'll look at the world series as well. see you back here. we have record out of florida that nasa has now fixed a leak on the space shuttle "discovery" and it's set for launch a week from now. the leak showed up over the weekend and technicians fixed it by installing knew seals in

a fuel line this. will be "discovery's" final trip into space. nasa is retiring to focus on deep space exploration. the battle over san francisco sit/lie ordinance was discussed today. and the salary scandal in a small southern california city is making a lot of folks wonder how much their city folks are making. tonight hop you can easily find out that answer.

the scandal over salaries in the city of bell has prompted a website. john chiang initiated this website. as of today, about 15% of local governments are facing $5,000 fines for not supplying the appropriate information. in a bit of political theater, opponents of san francisco's sit/lie ordinance staged a mock revival meeting this today. ♪ >> the gospel choir sang against proposition l while the preacher railed against its supposed evils. proposition l would set limits on people sitting or lying on sidewalks and other public areas. >> our public spaces are sacred. that's where people have nothing -- it's where they

exist. where they reside. even everyone who has a place to live in san francisco, will often find themselves sit org lying on the sidewalk -- sitting or lying on the sidewalks. >> le the organizers called it an exorcism of the demon of prop l. new jersey lawmakers have introduced a bill to toughen the state's laws against bullying, this comes after 18- year-old tyler clementi submitted suicide. his roommates put on the internet his sexual encounter with another man. national football league officials say players are obeying new rules aimed at stopping helmet to helmet hits. nfl managers say there were no penalties called for yesterday. the nfl recently fined steelers

james harrison $75,000 for a head-to-head hit and issues fines against dunn day robinson and -- dunta robinson as well. and they say those hits can cause brain damage. >> it's difficult -- >> reporter: the extreme measures, some giants fans are willing to go through to get a ticket to the hottest game in town and the country.

we're here on an onramp to the almaden expressway in south san jose. it's one of many gray areas where people are not always sure whether it's legal or illegal to post campaign signs. it's also an issue that's issuing bitterness over measures b and w. it didn't take long for the latest public fight of the propositions to make its way on a flier. this one shows oliverio.

this video was shot and made public after a political consultant for the union said he saw oliveroi take a sign. officer public safety units followed him and kept him there until police arrived. today, the mayor, oliverio and it was pointed out that it is legal for anyone to remove a sign. they denounced their leaders and consultants. >> our consultants to not arrest someone removing a sign is a further attempt to intimidate. >> i picked up five signs. >> you are saying the union is saying we caught you red- handed? >> i would expect nothing else

from a six-figure political lobbyist that i would refer to as a puppet master. >> reporter: the union responded saying ollieierio fled the scene. >> i think it's not uncommon for citizens to observe a crime or a theft or whatever the case may be, follow the person that allegedly committed the crime and then basically box them in or hold them there until the police get there. and i think that's exactly what happened in this case. >> reporter: the police department says it's put together an informational report based on both sides' version of what happened and it's been sent to the city attorney's office for review. robert handa, ktvu channel 2 news. just one minute ago, we learned it's gonna be tim lincecum starting wednesday night, the world series opener. there are a lot of people in the bay area and beyond who would love to see at least one of those games in person but as

our kraig debro reports if you don't already have ticket, be prepared to pay a lot of money to get them now. >> reporter: this morning, you could buy tickets to the world series online. outlevel seats for $250. but the supply is shrinking. >> it takes a lot of -- major league baseball takes a lot of tickets. we take some back and some are posted online. >> reporter: there's no chance of getting any tickets here at the giants' ticket window. these guys got here at 5:15 this morning without knowing that. >> what are you doing, here, man? >> i'm here to get tickets. >> reporter: are you sure it's gonna be open? >> i'm willing to take the chance. >> reporter: major league baseball developed a ticket lottery system. an on-line system. >> if you don't have a computer, we tell people to go to the library, go to a friend's house. even if you don't have a computer, people know people

who have computers. >> it's even harder to get them if your computer crashed, like me. >> reporter: now the only way you can get a ticket to the world series is through a ticket broker but since stub hub is the only dealer authorized by major league baseball, buying it somewhere else is risky. >> it's not guaranteed that the ticket will work when you get here. >> reporter: if you can't get a ticket to the game entry here is free. what you buy is not. souvenir hunters couldn't wait to hand over cash for anything that had had "nash league champs" on the front -- "national league champs" on the front. >> look at this. it's awesome. i did spend some money. >> reporter: on stub hub, a standing-room only seat for $200. you could pay up to $5,000 for a better seat. standing-room only ticket for the regular season, $12.

stubhub had game series 7 tickets listed for $50,000 apiece. in san francisco, kraig debro, ktvu channel 2 news. they say past performance in investing is guaranteed no return. the giants can't compare it to that. the rangers are 0-11 in san francisco. this week the giants hopeto extend that streak to 13. and giants' fans have been sharing their photos with us all through the playoff series. this is a very furry fan complete with giants' hats. >> we have a picture of three young giants' fans in giants' gear. we'd love to see your fan photos as well. you can also check out our

orange and black slide show and you will find more giants' coverage any time. just go to ktvu.com. the east palo alto planning commission is set to hear a proposal for a new sports field. the rich may foundation is applying for a permit to build a field. may was an east palo alto police officer kill in the line of duty back -- officer killed in the line of duty. find out what federal government is now staying about emission standards for trucks that travel along our freeways. and why stanford researchers are looking for a few good kids.

the fuel standards for big rigs would be 20% lower by 2018 if approved. for heavy-duty trucks and vans there would be two standards. with gasoline powered standards, seeing a 10% reduction in fuel could be sum shun. and the counterparts going --

consumption, going down 15%. triple-a reports the average price for gas is 3.20. that's up a dime from last month. in san jose, the cost is $3.17 while in oakland it's a penny less but both of those prices are up 12 cents a gallon. the cheapest gas is in st. louis where drivers are paying $2.58. the federal government has approved a permit for what could be the world's largest solar plant. it's planned to be built on federal land near blight, california. the project is being built by a german company. the state public utilities commission is defending itself against charges it's not been tough enough on pg&e. the puc released a list of all

five utilities. the report confirms that puc did not impose a single fine on pg&e between 2004 and 2009. even though the utility committed more infractions than all of the state's other pipeline operators combined. standard university researchers are looking for a few good kids to help them study brain development. the researchers want to look at how the brain changes as kids develop their sense of humor. in particular, they are looking for brother/sister pairs between 6 and 12 years old but no more than two and a half years apart. the kids will be paid and they will receive pictures of their brains. a just-released study of new york city reports that 9% of sexually active teenagers have had same-sex partners. .

it is a race to the finish. why the fall storms have visitors at sonoma county wineries rushing. i think what it suggests is they are just gonna do some more ads that are outrageous and nasty. senator barbara boxer in the bay area responding to what the republicans are doing when it comes to her race against carly fiorina. right now, i'm tracking a very active jet stream. it could have an impact on game two of the world series and on your commute. see you back here.

♪ it is one of the key races that could affect the balance of power in the u.s. senate. it's being closely watched all across the country. it is the race between barbara boxer and carly fiorina. today we learned that one of those campaigns is getting millions of dollars for a last- minute ad blitz. rob roth is here now with the story. rob? >> well, california voters will decide the race a week from tomorrow, fiorina's campaign is getting big money from outside california. with senator dianne feinstein along with support, barbara boxer toured the stien cop

ration, a solar -- corporation, a solar manufacturing company in san jose. it was a photo opportunity for her to tout her record on clean energy. she appeared unbother that the -- unbotherred that the campaign is getting millions of dollars coming in from national organizations. >> i think what it suggests is they are just gonna do some more ads that are outrageous and nasty. >> reporter: the ads from both sides keep coming. >> for 28 cease, barbara boxer has been bad with our money. >> carly fiorina, you laid off 38,000 employees. >> reporter: outsiders are spending big with the help of the website opensecrets .org, carly fiorina seems to be benefiting the most. >> republicans smell blood. >> reporter: the chamber of commerce $4.6 million, the national rifle association and the national association for marriage are spending thousands

of more looking to unseed the determined incumbent. >> the conservative groups have an incentive to come in because their team is on the upswing and spend a lot of money. >> reporter: and the spend something a reaching a fever switch. >> national republicans believe that the california race is still competitive, that fee reason gnaw may be a down a point or -- fiorina may be down a point or two only. >> the last get out the vote phones will matter. the last tv ad could matter. >> reporter: carlry fiorina was cal paining in bakesserfield and fresno talking about creating jobs. recent polls show boxer with a

five-point lead. rob roth, ktvu channel 2 news. with the election just eight days away, a new poll shows jerry brown with a commanding lead over meg whitman in the governor's race. it's an l.a. times poll showing 52% of the voters voting for brown. political analysts say the damage to whitman's campaign was caused at least in part by the way she and her campaign handled the disclosure last month. a newly released "los angeles times" poll indicates 58% of those surveyed support prop 25 that would change the vote to pass the budget from two-thirds to a simple majority. 28% oppose it. 13% are undecided. going the other way is prop 23 which would suspend the state's global warming law until unemployment drops to 5.5% for

four consecutive quarters, which has happened only three times since 1980. 32% are in favor of prop 23. 48% are against it but 19% are still undecided. coming up next at 6:00 we continue our coverage of the first lady's bay area visit. julie haener's in the newsroom with more. >> well, hello. also at 6:00, new details are emerging about the patient who is accused of killing a state healthcare worker at a mental hospital in wine country. and we'll hear from the victim's brother about his devastating loss. also ahead the lights went out. why that's triggering a big wakeup call for emergency services in the east bay. and new federal rules for street signs across the country. we'll show you the changes. it's all coming up at 6:00. >> see you then. thank you, julie. northern california viter ins rushing to -- vintners rushing. the storm over the weekend soaked vineyards, especially in

the north bay. vintners are worried the wet vines could get moldy. in sonoma county an estimated 15% of grapes are still on the wine. in washington state, high storms has pulled a home into the pacific ocean. the erosion happens at this beach at a rate of about 100 feet a year. the fattest in the world. the owner said when his parents bought the cabin in 1991, the ocean was about three quarters of a mile away. >> you are seeing the whole thing slide in and the tree slamming into it, it's just amazing. >> fortunately, no one was inside when the water claimed that home. you can't look at those pictures at not think about what's happening in pacifica, where bill martin in recent months i remember a lot of homeowners there very nervous about something like this

happening. >> definitely. when crank said 100 feet a year. i mean, pacifica may go a couple feet a year, maybe three, four. but 100? that's a lot. around here we do have a heavy surf advisory upward near the area. temperatures are cool. right now it's mild outside. it's warmer than it was yesterday. mid-60s. temperatures tomorrow will be about the same. overnight lows tonight, here we go, 48 degrees. let's kind of broad brush and put the model up. start off in the 40s and end up in the low to mid-60s. fair skies, maybe some patchy fog. a nice start to the tuesday. but big changes coming over the her rye zeb. high pressure -- horizon. high pressure gives us chilly mornings. this weather system itle routine informations in. it's significant. it's not just one. it's a couple. it's kind of like what we just saw last weekend.

impulses are gonna slide through this thing. it will return around this low as we go into your bay area weekend. world series game. let's look at the latest model. this is wednesday, 8:00. showers showing up north. the clear delineation between rain and dry, isn't there? that's wednesday night. here we go into wednesday. thursday morning, big rain up here, almost nothing here. here we go into thursday afternoon/evening. it looks like rain in the north bay. here's what's interesting. world series game two. just about -- it looks like two blocks north of pac bell or at&t park. this could change. it will change. the timing will change. what you need to know is there is a system out there, a series of them. they are gonna rotate through. the timing is gonna be very similar. probably later than thursday at 8:00 p.m. we'll see the showers in the bay area. but each day we'll look at the models and they will change a little bit until we get real close, about two days out.

and then we'll dial in. tomorrow, though, i know this -- the next two day, mostly sunny, warmer, cool mornings, patchy fog and good air quality and hey, forget the fire danger. isn't that something? just went away. this is one of the least productive, i guess -- or bad fire seasons i've seen in all of the years i've done this. we had a very short period, very few red flag warnings and now we got the in here and that helps greatly. >> we got more rain coming. santa rosa over 400% of rainfall for the year. it doesn't mean anything necessarily. santa rosa picked up 4 1/2 inches of rain over the weekend. san jose got about .50-inch. the difference of almost 4 inches of rain. san jose is like what's the big deal? urban and stream flood advisory. north of san francisco, boy, it rained. >> i can't recall one large fire this season. it's been a good fire year.

>> it looks like it's done. >> thanks, bill. some students at uc berkeley are getting a history lesson. the students are watching episodes of "madmen" a series in the early '60s when sexual harassment in the workplace was the norm and people smoked cigarettes much more freel -- freelly -- freely. whether wake you up -- that will wake you up.

the oddity of the iran hikers is taking a new turn. see why the three are calling themselves "global citizens."

iran's news agency has

confirmed a november 6th trial date for the three uc berkeley hikers. this weekend, the former prisoner released, she was in minneapolis to see a film coproduced by shane bauer. the film is about africa's troubled darfur region. shourd says the document speaks about how key it is to learn about other countries. >> shane bauer, josh josh fattal are all -- all learned. >> shourd will also be part of the november 6th trial but will be tried in absentia. stay with us. ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00 is next. hundreds are without power in the bay area tonight and today's issues on top of

yesterday's problems.

a live look outside the fairmont hotel, the first lady will be speaking. we'll have more. and the hospital worker killed. what investigators are saying about witnesses. good evening, everyone. i'm frank somerville. >> i'm julie haener. >> we have new information about a concord woman who authorities say was kill evidencer the weekend -- killed over the weekend by a criminally insane patient. today the victim's brother spoke with ktvu as new details about the suspect emerged. jim vargas joins us in napa with the latest. >> reporter: julie, we're learning now there were no actual eyewitnesses